the heaven and the earth the sea and all that is in them and rested the seventh day and hallowed it Thus injoyning both by his own Example and Command the perpetual Observation of that particular Seventh-day in order of Time in its successive course in every weekly revolution as the appointed day for holy Rest That day and that only and no other day of the Week Thou LORD art worthy to receive the Glory and the Honour and the Power For thou hast created all things and through thy Will they are and were created O that those who dwell on the Earth and every Nation and Kindred and Language and People would fear him and give Glory to him for the hour of his Judgement is coming And that they would worship him that made the Heaven and the Earth and the Sea and the Fountains of Waters The Father Son and holy Spirit they are the Creators They the Aelohim who spake Creatures into their Existence and Being of which adored Almighties an account is given in that Historicall Narration which doth contain a Diary or Journal of the first seven days The Father Aelohim It is spoken of him in the forty fifth Psalm Aelohim the Aelohim of Christ anointed his Son by his Spirit which Son also is Aelohim expresly so called in the same Psalm Thy throne O Aelohim ever and perpetual the scepter of thy kingdom is righteonsness The Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews sheweth that this was spoken unto the Son of God by his Father And the holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Aelohim and the Spirit Jehovah by Isaiab In the second Book of Samuel this Spirit of Jehovah or this Spirit of Jehovah as Paul elsewhere is also called The Aelohim of Israel It is Aelohim who dwells in his people as in a Temple So saith Moses which Paul applyeth to the holy Spirit These three are the Creating one Thus Solomon the Preacher chargeth young men to remember their Creators in the days of their youth Where Aeloh my Makers those who making me that giveth the Psalms in the night So would Elibu have had Job to say The same hath Eliphaz in the same Book Should a man be more righteous than Aelohim Should a man be purer than his Makers Hence is Tzijon incouraged in the later days not to fear For saith Jehovah by his Prophet Isaiah to her Thy Makers is thy Husbands Thus doth the Psalmist call for an Hallelu-jab or praise ye Jab Sing ye to Jehovah a new Song his praise in the Church of gracious Saints let Israel rejoyce in his Makers in those who making him Let the Sons of Tzijon be glad in their King the whole Creation should joyn in this song of praise for this Reason which is common to the whole World of them for he commanded and they were Created I now propound it to serious examination according to the Word whether much of this glorious Mystery be not included in the first Words of the holy Scriptures Bereashith baraa Aelohim and in that word Jehovah mentioned a little after the short History of the Creation as the Creator and Maker which is to be left to further disquisition For I am inciting and encouraging of Religious Students and of Christian Disciples to deeper researches into the best Learning This Word has in it the signification of an Head so that this is not barely In the Beginning but it doth set out that first capital Beginning of all things In and By Christ the constituted Head of all Inquire whether it should therefore be rendred in the Head-captain or in the Head-captainship or in-by the Captain or the Chieftain or Head-commander or in him who is the Head-Captain or in the appointed Head or Captain the Preposition is properly In. And when it doth point out the immediate principal cause it is in by Let the diligent Inquirer about this collate some other Scriptures that doth relate unto this matter It was in-by Christ that the Father made these hidden ages For this is spoken of the Son of God whose Godhead is strongly proved by the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews in the beginning of it by divers â—itations out of the Old Testament brought into the New It was in by Wisdom that Jehovah did Found the Earth and prepared the Heavens and made All his Great Works All things were created by Jesus Christ which is a great honour put upon our LORD The Father created all things If you ask by whom It was by Jesus Christ All things were made by him Christ was the Head-Captain of all the Host of the Heavens and of the Earth and he is the chief Head of his Body the Church Both these are affirmed of Christ with an eye to this In and By In by him who is the Image of the Invisible God the first-born of every creature were all things created which are in Heaven and which are upon Earth which are Visible and which are Invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions Governments or powers All things were created by him and to him and he is before all things and all things consist together by him and he is the head of the body There is one LORD Jesus Christ by whom are all things He is expresly called Reashith the appointed head of Jehovah's ways before his works from then speaking evidently of the creation As the words themselves in that place of the Proverbs do plainly declare He was anointed to this principate and is again and again called Roash the head Roashith is the name of one of the Types of Christ the First fruits are so called in the Old Testament And so is he in the New the First-fruits of them who sleeping It is not without great reasons and weighty considerations that this first written word should set out Christ as the Head Captain or constituted head or appointed Captain For all skillful Lexicographers agree that the original-propriety and root significancy of this word hath that of an head in it in its true first meaning to which the Scriptures do agree and divers Scriptures do speak of Troops of Bands of Hosts of Companies of Souldiers under an Head-Captain to this Honour and Office was Christ assigned and appointed by his Father which also this word doth remarkably set out If it be a composition of Roash an Head or Captain or Head-Captain and Shith to put or to place in martial order or in Battle-array For thus we may find the word used The LORD Christ doth put his Hosts or Armies into Rank and File in their Order with art and care Proper names are often compounded in the Hebrew wherein that Tongue doth delight though it doth not so easily admit of composition in appellatives The context favoureth the Interpretation with other Scriptures collated For in this History of the Creation we may read of the Hosts of this
all Translations into Mother-Tongues without any the least trajection or transposition of Words or of Points Variation Addition or Supplement or Substraction leaving the propriety of their meaning and Government to the Interpreter and Expounder of them the Commentator and Dilater upon them the Paraphraser and Applyer of them as the holy Spirit from the Father in the Name of the Son shall give him skill and utterance by a due regard had to the Context and by a faithful collating of other suitable Scriptures in an Harmonious Concent Q. Whether there be any thing in the Original Text either from the difference of the Stile or from the significancy of the Accents or from any other Grammacal consideration which doth either naturally in its self or by institution of the Holy Inspirator give us a more just accompt and genuine distinction of the several parts of Scripture than that which at this day is in common use amongst us by the Titles and order of the Books by Chapters and by Verses and what it is Q. Whether all humanely invented Enallages all changes whatsoever of one part of Speech into another of Persons of Genders of Numbers of Cases of Letters of Words of Names of Vowels of Accents of Syntax of Moods or of what else that doth belong unto the Original Languages as also wrong-fancied-Anomalies should not be altogether laid aside in such a Grammar especially when passing into a Translation Q. Whether all humanely pretended Paragoges Redundancies Expletives Pleonasms Insignificancies Deficiencies of any Letters Syllables or Words should not be quite rejected by discerning Grammarians in such a Grammar as obscurings and wrongings of the Original Languages Q. What is the true Orginal Emphaticalness of the Original Punctations and Accentations And how do these or any other part of the Original Languages direct in the right sound the just pronunciation of words and in the orderly distinction of a Sentence into its certain Members and Clauses by its due pointings Where the LORD has furnished any others in their greater store with more discoveries of this useful Nature could I live to see this way of Scripture-knowledges more countenanced and promoted by them it would give joy in my heart however it be whatever the issue and the success of these intimations be I exalt His Name who is the All glorious Jehovah the Ael of Sciences that he hath in this so graciously helped me so far to serve my Generation according to his will before I fell on sleep If the Reader be under such apprehensions that this Book of mine might well have been spared because it is my principle to bring all unto Christ's one Book of Scripture I expect so much ingenuity from him as to acknowledge that there must be some way and medium found out and held forth for the communicating and commending of the excellency of Christ's Book which is a Book One and All were it throughly understood rightly applyed and well improved and I knew no other means of like spreadingness with this that is before thee which I was in any present capacity of making known unto the World Wise Solomon condemns the folly and the fruitlessness the vanity and the vexation of Ethnick Books and of Philosophick Studies where Supernatural Directions were not to be had though men professing the true Religion did much betake themselves thereunto and did in many particular subjects write out of and according unto them What a multitude of Books are there that Humane Authors do make though their writings do not give that full satisfaction which the most do wrong look for there how often do new Treatises flutter abroad the last usually undertaking either to confute other mens arguings or to correct their mistakes or to reprove their miscarriages or to instruct them or to add to them or further to confirm them or with some such like design and then quickly after out comes another passing his judgement upon that which went but a little before and what do men by this but publish the imperfection of all their own Writings and the same sentence will be passed upon this Book of mine though my Treatise has this advantage beyond others that its design and drift is to plead for and to praise that Eminent Book of God which is the only perfect Book If the more spiritually discerning among the perusers of this Treatise do discover corrupt Mixtures humane Frailties ignorant Mistakes and unadvised Errors therein they are to remember and to consider that the Author is also a man of like affections and weaknesses as they there is no difference but what rich Grace and free Love doth make which therefore doth call for their compassionating pities earnest prayers and friendly helpings laying aside all proud insultings revengful tramplings and personal reflectings Courteous Reader let the Scriptures be more studied where is a complete declaration of the mind and will of the All wise Aelohim and which can fully satisfie thee in thy weighty inquiries It is an endless labour and a wearisome task both to make and to read other Books The end of the whole Word of God and of all hearing of it is that we might fear Aelohim and keep all his Commandments for this is all Adam about this Book should we lay out the strength of our thoughts the redeemings of our time and the bent of our Studies these holy Scriptures are not so large a Volumn but that it may be read over in some few Weeks or Months and the oftner it is read over by a spiritual discerner diligent observer wise improver and believing practiser still the more doth it open of its Treasure of Knowledge here is a Library made up of one Book so intire in it self as that it is able to make thee wise unto Salvation O bestow thy pains principally here here chiefly imploy thy Studies be not weary in turning these frequently over saving Knowledge and true Happiness is no were else fully revealed To move thee hereunto remember and consider that thy actions all of them open and secret good or ill must stand or fall according to this Book as they are conformable to it or not and all this as our eternal State either of bliss or of misery thine who readest this and mine who write this There is much of Spiritual use to be made by Believers of the improved knowledge of Natural things for the discerning and injoying of fellowship with the Creator and Redeemer IT is neither beneath the grave Majesty and Royal Anthority of the Word of the LORD nor besiders its real intent and designed purport to converse with Believers about created Beings those great works which do so much speak the glorious Excellencies of their admired Maker The orderly recording of the Works of Creation in the beginning of the Book of God severally and distinctly on each of the foregoing six days of the first week of the created World and of the Sabbath-rest upon the seventh the last
Captain General or Head-Captain how quickly can he arm his creatures against any that presumptuously dare to rebel against him and his holy Wills and Laws All the creatures are this Host The Angels the Stars particularly are some of Christian Hosts The Scriptures do acknowledge him to be the Head-Captain and Leader though he be chiefly and in a more peculiar and especial manner This with respect to his own Covenant-people This Prince of Jehovah's Hosts was he who was the valiant Warriour with his under-officer Joshuâ— in that great martial expedition against the enemies of his Church and people This is the Prince of Princes who can easily break the strongest opposers The Head is the anointed part And thus was Christ anointed to this high and honourable Office of being Head-Captain or King and Commander in chief How often in Scripture is Christ called Jehovah of Hosts The Head is crowned So was Christ's head as the victorious triumphing conquerour over all his Enemies The 〈◊〉 useth a word which doth somewhat open this mystery It being used in military affairs for the contracting or putting to gether of scattered Soildiers into one Troop under one Head-Captain As in Arithmetic many several Numbers are gathered or put together into and under one heâ—d-sum And as in Rhetorick all the particulars of a discourse or Oration are repeated and gathered under one general head If Itb at the end of Reaâ—â—b be the Chaldet and Syriack 〈…〉 being turned into the Hebrew Thou frotht Jesh he is then the word signifies in him who is the Head-Captain Let the ingenious and studious 〈◊〉 further into this mystery How great a promoter of Learning as well as of Religion this would be all found Believers of Christian Doctrine will soon admit For there is no knowledge comparable to this of the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and of him crucified Though Paul abounded in other sorts of Learning yet it was a case determinedly judged aright by him that all their knowledge was as no knowledge at all without this and in competition with this this being the ground-work of all I shall to this end cull some useful passages out of the nine first Chapters of the Proverbs of Solomon relating to this matter In which one Book so small a part of the Scriptures there is more of sound learning in profitable Arts and Sciences than in all the Pagan Philosophical Books that are Extant O how much then is there in the whole Scriptures Here you may find a Directory and Rules for Theology for Physicks Logicks Rhetoricks Medicine Politicks Ethicks Oeconomicks what not that is useful Learning How many several significant words are there whereby to set out the excellency and preheminence of Scripture-knowledge and of the Science of useful Arts in a Scripture-way Such as sapience or savoury wisdom Science Understanding Intellect Erudition Knowledge Prudence Skill Subtilness and the like with many choice commendations of it both in words and phrases as that this doth deliver Authoritative sayings that it teacheth Rectitudes gives apt Counsels speaks essences according as the truth of things is with much more Here the Wise will find and addition of Doctrine the more he doth learn still the more he may Thus making continued proficiency Here are the best principles of Sciences This doth best deliver the beginnings and progress of Arts The true holy Fear and the Right Worship of the adored Almighties is the Head the Crown-Top the Captain-ship of knowledge the summity of Wisdom This is the chief Science and it hath the principality of Arts. The first in time the honourablest in Dignity and this is the leadingâ— sentence Axiom or Apophthegm that carries the Inquirer into profitable Learning of any kind This puts a gracious ornament a golden chain upon and about other knowledges Christ is Wisdoms all Wisdoms in one the Pluralnâ—ss of the Number is an Indication of his comprehensiveness and full-treasuredness of all true good Wisdom He is the chief Wisdom the Wisdom of Wisdoms the Wisdom of God He is made of God wisdom to Believers This is one of the prime of all Good that he is made to such All treasures of Wisdom and of knowledge are in him and in his Word He is the Authour of all sound Wisdom And that is a Man's Wisdom to learn Christ's words to learn the Truth as it is in Jesus to have the mind of Christ and to have such conceptions and apprehensions of Truths and of things as are in the mind of Christ We should make our ear to attend to these eloquent speeches these pleasant oracles of Wisdom These must be hid as a treasure in our inmost recesses Our Hearts shall be enclined to this intelligibleness of understanding We should cry giving our voice to it to call in this Heavenly Instructer to teach us it And we should call it to us to be familiarly conversant with it We should with diligent Intenseness seek it as Silver and enquiringly search after it as for hid Treasures The knowledge of the fear of Jehovah and the finding of this knowledge is the great Promise This Wisdom is a gift from him knowledge and understanding comes from his mouth from Christ and his Word His Blessing must be upon Man's endeavour It â—s he that lays up to right ones Essence Essential knowledge sound and true real knowledge of things substantial understanding Philosophical notions are but a shew and shaddow All the humane invented unscriptural Arts and Sciences are but colours and appearances This Word-knowledge doth influence upon practice Who was ever thoroughly converted and made Holy by Ethnick Philosophizings In the Scriptures are rightnesses or straitnesses conform to the Rule of the Law of Christ and it hath a preserving efficacy upon the heart that receives it How pleasantly delightful is this knowledge and Wisdom when once it enters into the heart Otherwise if 〈◊〉 be only without in the Book it has not such a pleasingly holy operation and sweet sanctifying effect That is the praise worthy knowledge that gives one to find Grace and good understanding in the eyes of Jehovah and of Adam such as Adam was in his Primitive Uprightness and first Integrity of concreated Knowledge If we know Jehovah in all our ways he will direct our paths As for others who lean to their own understanding and who are wise in their own eyes their confidence is vain Adam had happy goings on with a straight foot whilst he found and held and acted this Wisdom and drew forth this Intelligence And the wisest among the sons of Adam should still be making out after this precious Treasure and then fetch from thence to make it their own and other mens How good is its Traffick and Income How good is the Fruit that is to be gathered from this Tree of saving Knowledge
other Creatures whereby they also are serviceable to man When it is dryed it becomes Hay this also is Food to Beasts and Cattel Herbs were given unto men to feed upon the green Herbs which was bestowed for this end both before and after the Fall of Adam Man had the Herbs of Paradise before and the Herbs of the Field Thus it was also after the Flood Nebuchadnezzar was sent a grasing for a remedy and it might not be altogether unworthy of a learned Physicians inquiry whether if there were a discrete choice of Specifick-Herbs for the cure of that Distemper it would not prove one of the most proper Medicinal Foods for such as are overgrown with bestial Melancholy or deprived of Humane Rationality as to the use and exercise of it for the present The Wise-Kitchen-Herbalist is one of the most successful Doctors and Practisers of Physick It is a sore Judgement when the LORD for sins doth send either such Hail as spoileth the Herb or the Locusts Palmer worm or other hurtful Creatures to consume the Herb. Or when the Herb doth wither or doth fail this is a sign of the barrenness of such an Earth As in a time of great drought it useth to do Thus also when the Earth doth not bring forth tender Herb when the Mildew which hath the name in Hebrew of paleness is a plague upon the Corn and other tender Plants and Herbs through too much moistness as blasting is with driness whereby the natural greenness is gone before it be ripe and the colour is faded when that which was given to be food for Man Beast and Cattel is corrupted It is a great benefit from Jehovah when there are Herbs in the Mountains when the Pasture fields and the Habitacles of the Desert are stored with Herbs this is a singular favour of God towards his people it is a blessing when there is a budding Grass in the Fields pleasant Pastures and Leas where green and tender Herbs do spring When this Earth doth bring forth Herb commodious for the Tiller of the Field and so when God doth give the Herb. The Leaves of some Trees are for healing or for stamping or beating as we use to stamp or beat Leaves or Herbs small to use them in Medicinal Drinks or Plaisters Herbs are also given unto the bruit Beasts for Aliment and Food for Physick and Medicine before the Fall and also useet the Fall The Herb is the Aliment of the Elephant and of Beasts and of Cattel of the Ass of the Ox of the Heifer or Cow Green Bows of Trees have their use also for this And hereby these living Creatures do become the more serviceable to man Herbs have a concreated Virtue to flourish much and to be green Hence greenness is attributed to them which greenness for the cause of sin doth sometimes fail Hence to flourish as the Herb of the Field to be tender as the tender Herb to germinate as the Herb. The tender Herb has a splender after Rain it has a comely floridness and a lovely decor The Herb quickly withereth and soon dryeth especially the Herb that is struck or smitten with the scorching of the Sun then its Flower Falls and its beauty perisheth The Moorish Fenny Herb the Reed or Sea-grass groweth not without Water and is soon withered in dry places God takes care of the Herb though to day it be and to morrow it be cast into the Oven There are different divided sorts of Herbs both in respect of the efficient cause For some are swon and come from Culture and others are unsown voluntary and growing without the use of such Art naturally spinging up without any skill of man laid out about them The sown Herbs are expressed by such as are seeding of Seed the other is the Fruit-tree yielding Fruit whose seed is in it both are budding grass And also in respect of their Native place For there are Herbs of the Field Herbs of the Mountains Herbs of the Moors or Fens Also in respect of growth and of age Some Herbs are younger and tenderer others are more grown and ripe the distilling shower doth make them fruitful also in respect of their quality for some Herbs are bitter with which the Paschal Lamb was to be eaten Others are satish Herbs There are Pot-herbs all kinds of such Some whereof are of the Fields gathered for Food others are of the Gardens Gardens do afford Fruit for Food The Kings themselves did use Garden herbs and Orchard fruits The Gardeners Work is to Till and to Dress Gardens for such Herbs Tythe of them was to be paid as proper healthful Food for Labourers in the Work of the LORD There is both Food and Medicine in them too Some of them are proper for those who are weak Daniel chose this kind of Dyet and preferred it before lushious dainties of the Royal Table and it put him into the more healthful state Some are greater than others as that of the Mustard Seed is one of the least What is weak is compared to the green Herb which doth quickly perish The place of Grass is the Earth the Mountains not dry but moist places It greatly flourisheth for a time the Spring is usually the Season of its greatest flourishing when it more buds forth in its beauteous verduxe though withal it quickly fails There is green Grass and there is Grass that is withered and they have both of them their several usefulness for several purposes The LORD has ways of smiting of the Grass in which case much of its Virtue is lost It was Aelohim who created the Planets He alone gives them power to encrease He adorned the Garden of Eden with them Such a Garden is one of the pleasantest places for earthly delights for a studious searcher into these secrets of Nature here below It was Solomon's Wisdom that he excelled in this Science He treated of Plants from the Cedar to the Hysop or Rosemary rather and most mens concluding upon the loss of that Book doth feed a gross mistake as if now this Art were not to be searched after in the Word of Truth Whereas there is more of this in Solomon's Writings came to our hands than passeth under through exact Observation but in taking in the rest of the Scriptures concerning this there might be found an admirable fulness on this subject matter The budding Plant doth put forth its boughs The most pleasant of Plants do not profit without the blessing of Elohim Olive-plants are always green and they are of a growing Nature The LORD Jesus himself is compared to a tender Plant and so is his Church and People It is healthful as well as delightful dwelling to be among Plants and Hedges There are some Plants that are green Plants of the Valley There are some Plants which are called