Christ or no. And being asked the question denied playnly that he was not Christ nor Helias neyther that Prophet whome they dreamed so much vppon but onely the voyce of a cryer in the wildernesse to make streight the waye of the Lorde For I doe Baptise sayth Iohn in water onely but there is one nowe come among you who although he came after mée was before mée whose shooe latchet I am not woorthye to vnbuckle and he it is that shall Baptise you with the holye Ghost Iohn was a constant man and liued aunsterely His garment was course cloth made of Camels hair His meate was locustes and wilde hony He was a Prophet and as Christ reporteth more than a Prophet For Iohn prophecied 7. d. c. Christ to be come pointing him with his finger vnto the people saying Beholde the Lambe of God which taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde where as all the other Prophets dyd but prophecie of his comming long before he came Finally Iohn vsing his libertie in Math. 14. a. rebuking vice without any acception of persons reprooued King Herode for kéeping his brother Philips wyfe for the which he was cast into prison and soone after lost his heade Reade the story of Herode the Tetrarch and of Herodias Math. 4. d. Iohn the Euangelist was the sonne of Zebede and brother to Iames and called from his fisher boate to be an Apostle of Christ and was of all other most entierly Iohn 13. c. beloued of Iesus who commended his mother vnto 19. c. 21. f. him at the houre of his death ¶ He wrote his Gospel agaynst Cerinthus and other Heretikes and chieflye agaynst the Ebionites which dyd affirme that Christe was not before Mary whereby he was constrayned to set foorth the diuine birth of Christ In the tyme of the Emperor Domitian he was exiled into an Isle called Pathmos where he wrote the Reuelation and after the death of Domitian in the time of Pertinax he returned to Ephesus remayning there till the time of Traianus and dyd rayse vp set in order many Churches in Asia and died thrée score yeares after the death of Christ and was buried at Ephesus S IOANNIS EVANGELISTA IN PATMOS APOCALYPSIS cap. 18. 14. ET VIDI ET ECCE AGNVS STABAT SVPRA MONTEM SION Act. 12. d. Iohn Marke When Paule and Barnabas had béene at Ierusalem to destribute the Almes sent by the Antiochians in their retourne they brought this man Iohn surnamed Marke with them to Antioche And when the holy Ghost had seperated Paule Barnabas from the other Disciples to the intent that they shoulde go and spreade abroade the Gospel among the Gentiles and those that were farre of they tooke this Iohn Marke with them to be their Minister companion who bare them company from Antioche vntill they came to Pamphilia Act. 13. b. c. and farther woulde he not go but left them there and returned to Ierusalem agayne notwithstanding the Apostles went foorth and fulfilled their office And when it came in their minds to go visite these places agayne wherein they had sowed the worde of God Barnabas gaue counsell to take Iohn with them which had béene their minister before to whose minde Paule woulde not consent forasmuch as Iohn of his owne accorde had forsaken them at Pamphilia before they had finished theyr worke And so reasoning and disputing about this matter the contencion was so sharpe betwéene these two holy men that the one forsooke the others companie And so Barnabas taking Iohn Marke with him sayled into Cypres 2. Reg. 13. a. Ionadab was the sonne of Simeah Dauids brother and a worldly wise man He loued Ammon his vnkle Dauids sonne aboue the reast of all his brethren Of the counsell he gaue to Ammon concerning his Sister Thamar Reade the story of Ammon ¶ Ionadab Voluntarie or Willing Ionas 1. cap. Ionas the sonne of Amithay was an holy Prophet commaunded of God to go to Niniue that great Citie 4. Reg. 14. d. to tel the people of their wickednesse who * The mother of this prophet was the poore wydowe of Sarepta whose Meale and Oyle Elias encreased restored hir sonne from death to life agayue notwithstanding perswaded himselfe by his owne reason that he shoulde nothing profite there séeing he had so long Prophecied among his owne Countrie men the Iewes and done no good at all Wherefore he minding to flye to Tharsus got him to Ioppa where he found a ship ready payed his fare and went with them And being on the sea a tempest rose so vehemently that the Mariners were sore afrayde crying euery man vnto his God and to lighten the shippe they cast all the wares into the Sea which nothing auayled Then went the maister of the ship downe vnder the hatches and finding Ionas fast a sléepe awoke him saying O thou sléeper what meanest thou arise and call vpon thy God that we perishe not And when no remedy coulde be had they agréed to cast lottes that thereby they might knowe for whose cause they were troubled and so dooing the lot fell on Ionas They séeing that sayde Tell vs for whose cause we are thus troubled And what thine occupasion is And what thou art And whence thou commest whither thou goest And what Country man thou art of what nation I am sayde Ionas an Hebrue borne and feare the Lord God of Heauen which made both the Sea and drye land and am fled from his presence And when they heard that they were more afrayde than before sayde what shall we doe vnto thée that the Sea may cease from troubling of vs Take me quoth Ionas and cast me into the Sea and ye shall haue rest for I wote it is for my sake that this euill is come vpon you Neuerthelesse the men being loth to committe such a déede assayed with rowyng to bring the ship to lande And when they sawe the Sea so troublous against them that it woulde not be they cryed vnto the Lorde and sayde O Lord let vs not perishe for this mans death neyther lay thou innocent bloude vnto our charge For thou O Lorde hast done euen as thy pleasure was And so they tooke Ionas and cast him into the Sea which incontinent was calme and still And a certayne great fishe prepared of the Lord receyued Ionas and swallowed him vp into his body where he laye in prayer thrée dayes and thrée nights And being then cast out agayne on drye lande The Lorde commaunded him eftsoones to go to Niniue and doe as he had charged him And when he came to the citie was entered a dayes iourney in the same he cryed out saying There are yet fourtie daies and then shall Niniue be ouerthrowne But when his Prophecie came to none effect by reason of the peoples great repentaunce he was sore displeased and in his prayer sayde O Lorde was not this my saying I praye thée when I was yet in my
and hored And put their wyne into olde bottels all to rent and torne and shodde themselues with olde clouted shooen and put on their backes olde garments and so sent them forth to Iosua to obtayne peace And when Iosua looked vppon them and behelde their simple state he asked what they were and from whence they came They aunswered from a farre countrey are thy seruauntes come for the name of the Lorde thy God for we haue hearde of hys fame and power and what he did in the lande of Egypt and in all other places till nowe And long haue we trauailed to come hither as ye may sée for this our foode the day we came forth was hote our bottels shooes and garments all newe and nowe are they olde and torne and our breade hored and mouled wherefore we shall desire your fauour and peace Then Iosua beléeuing it had bene so swore vnto the Gibeonites and made a couenaunt of peace with them and let them go Within thrée dayes after it fortuned the Israelites to come to the Citie of Gibeon thinking to haue destroyed it But when they sawe that they were the people which a little before had obtayned peace at their handes woulde not slea them bicause of their othe but went to Iosua and tolde him Then Iosua sent for them and demaunded wherefore they had so deceyued him They aunswered it was tolde vs that God commaunded Moses to giue you this lande and to slea all the inhabitants therof and therfore were we forced to make this prouision for our liues And nowe we be in your hands to dâ—e with vs as shall please you Wâ—ll sayde Iosua for our othe sake ye shall haue your liues But for as much as ye haue so craftilye deceyued vs the Lorde hath determined that ye shall be in bondage vnder Israel all the dayes of your liues and be hewers of woode and water drawers for the congregation and house of God continually And so the Israelites tooke their Cities but saued their lyues After this the Kings of the Amorites hearing how the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel came vpon them and besieged Gibeon which was the greatest Citie in all the kingdome of the Amorites wherevpon the Gibeonites were constrayned to sende to Iosua for his ayde who came from Gilgal with a great power rescued them and tooke the Kings of the Amorites which were fiue in number and hanged them on fiue seuerall trées and destroyed all their people and countries Thus the Gibeonites continued in bondage vnder the Israelites with their liues vntill the time of King Saule who then for a zeale he had to the children of Israel and Iuda slue a great number of them which déede God punished in the dayes of King Dauid at what time he sent an hunger vpon the lande which continued by the space of thrée yeares for when Dauid enquired at the Lorde the cause of that plague aunswere was made him of God that it was for Saule and the house of bloud who had killed the Gibeonites which Gibeonites were none of the séede of Israel but a remnant of the Amorites with whome the children of Israel had made a bonde of peace Then Dauid asking the Gibeonites what he shoulde doe for them and wherewith he shoulde recompence them they sayde we will neyther haue siluer nor golde of Saule nor of his house nor that any man of Israel be killed for our sakes but the man that hath consumed vs and imagined to bring vs to naught him will we destroy Therefore let his seauen sonnes be deliuered vnto vs that we maye hang them vp before the Lorde Then Dauid caused the two sonnes of Rizpa Saules Concubine and the fiue sonnes of Michol whome she bare to Adriel to be deliuered vnto the Gibeonites who tooke and hanged them vp on an hill before the Lorde And thus were the Gibeonites reuenged on Saule Giliad was the sonne of Machir and his chyldren were these Hiezer Helech Asriel Sechem Semida and Hepher Godolia looke Gedalia Golias was a mightie strong Gyant whome the Philistines had brought with them to battell agaynst the hoste of Israel His stature was sixe cubites and a span His helmet vpon his heade was of brasse and the Bootes on his legges of the same His coate of Fence weyed 5000. sicles The shaft of his Speare which he bare in his hande was lyke a Weauers beame And the heade vpon the same weighed 600. sicles of yron This man beyng thus armed came out from the Philistines one bearing his shielde before him and standing betwéene the twoo hostes in a valley he cryed to the hoste of Israel saying Why are ye come to set your battell in aray am not I a Philistine and you the seruauntes of Saule choose you out a man and let him come downe to me And if he be able to fight with me and to kill me then will we be your seruants and if I can ouercome him and kill him then shall ye be our seruants and serue vs Thus came he day by day defying the whole hoste of Israel the space of fortie dayes long wherewith the Israelites were sore afrayde and discomsited and durst not abyde his sight But God who by his secret prouidence had appoynted out a man to match him caused Isai to send his yong son Dauid to the hoste of Israel to sée his brethren howe they did And as he stoode with them and hearde the despytefull wordes of Golias which he spake against the holye hoste of Israel The spirit of God euen at that instant smote such a courage into the hart of Dauid that he slipt away from his brethren vnto the people whome he sawe in great feare and sayde What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine and taketh away the shame from Israel and what is this vncircumcised heathen that he shoulde thus reuyle the hoste of the lyuing god Dauid vttering this bolde maner of speach once or twyse he was at the last brought before King Saule to whome he sayde on this wyse Oh King let no mans heart fayle him or be afrayde this daye for I thy seruaunt will go and fight with yonder Philistine Thou art not able to stande in his handes quoth the King for he is a man brought vp all the dayes of his lyfe in feates of warre and thou art yet but a chylde without experience or knowledge thereof Then Dauid to strengthen the weake fayth of the King sayde thus vnto him As thy seruaunt was kéeping his fathers shéepe there came a Lion and a Beare likewyse and tooke a shéepe out of the flocke Then I not fearing the force of these twoo cruell beastes ranne out first after the Lion and tooke the pray out of his mouth and in spite of his bearde I slue him Likewyse I serued the Beare Wherefore I haue no doubt but as the Lorde did ayde me then so wyll he nowe against this bragging Philistine that hath so rayled
kylled hir After this hir father tooke hir from Dauid and gaue hir to * Loke in the hystorie of Psaltei howe he vsed Michol Dauids wyfe Psaltei the sonne of Lays to wyfe with whome she remayned tyll the death of Saule and then was restored agayne to Dauid by Abners meanes Finally when Dauid came dauncing before the Arke of God in his shyrte â–ª to the Citie of Dauid it chauncâ—d Michol to looke out at a window and beholding the King how he leaped and daunced before the Arke she began to despise hym in hir heart â–ª and méeting him after all thinges were done she sayde O how glorious was the King of Israel this daye which was vncouered to day in the eyes of the Maydens of his seruaunts as a foole vncouereth himselfe And for thus despising of Dauid the seruaunt of God the Lorde plagued hir with Baraynesse that she neuer â–ª had Childe ¶ Michol who is perfect 2. Reg. 4. b. Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathas was lame in his féete by reason his nurse by misfortune in his infancie let him fall to the grounde out of hir armes and was brought vp and nourished after the death of his father 9. cap. in the hâ—uie of Machir tyll Dauid comming to his Kingdome tooke him from thence and restored him to all the lande of King Saule making Ziba his seruaunt chiefe ouerséer and nâ—câ—yuâ—r of the landes and to sée Micah his maysters sonne well brought vp and cherished for so much as Miphiboseth shoulde remayne with hym and eatâ— and drincke at his owne boorde â–ª Now after this when Dauid was brought into so great affliction trouble by reason of Absalom his sonnâ— Miphiboseth remayned still at Ierusalem and neuer â–ª remooued But Ziba 2. Reg. 16. â— his seruaunt went after Dauid with a present and by false report of Miphiboseth his mayster got hys lande from hym â–ª And when the King was returned and come to Ierusalem â–ª agayne then Miphiboseth who had neyther 19. â— washed his féete nor dressed his bearde nor washed his clothes from the tyme the King departed vntill he returned in peace went out to méete him and when the King sawe him he sayde Wherefore wentest thou not with mée Miphiboseth He aunswered My Lorde O King my seruaunt deceyued mée for thy seruaunt sayde I woulde haue myne Asse sadled to ryde thereon for to go with the King bycause thy seruaunt is lame Therefore Ziba hath falsely accused thy seruaunt to my Lorde the King but my Lord the King is as an Angell of God Doe therefore what it pleaseth thée for all my Fathers house were but deade mâ—n before my Lord the King and yet dydst thou set thy seruaunt amonge them that dyd eate at thine owne table What right haue I to cry any more vnto the King Then sayde Dauid â–ª why speakest thou yet in thine owne cause I haue sayde Thou and Ziba deuide the lande betwéene you Yea sayde Miphiboseth let him take all séeing my Lord the King is come home in peace ¶ Miphiboseth shame or confusion from the mouth â— Reg. 21. b. Miphiboseth the sonne of Rizpa King Sauls Concubine was of the Gibeonits with his brother Armony hanged for their fathers offence Exo. 6. c. Miriam was the daughter of Amram Iochebed and sister to Aaron and Moses When hir brother Moses 15. c. had brought the children of Israel thorow the redde Sea Miriam the Prophetesse tooke a Tymbrell in hir hande with other women following in like sorte and began ioyfully to sing and daunce their song was this Sing yée vnto the Lorde for he hath triumphed gloriously The horse and ryder hath he ouerthrowen in the Sea. After this she grudged agaynst Moses because he had taken a Num. 12. cap. woman of Inde to his wyfe wherefore the Lorde smote hir with Leprosie Then Moses partly for pittie and partly at the intercession of Aaron his brother besought the Lorde to heale hir who made hym aunswere saying If hir father in anger had spitte in hir face shoulde she not haue béene ashamed seauen dayes Let hir be shut out of the hoste seauen dayes which being doone she was restored and receyued in agayne Finallye when 20. 2. Moses and the children of Israel were come to Cades there she dyed and was buryed ¶ Miriam exalted or reaching Dan. â— b. 3. ca. Misach first called Misael was one of Daniels companions and one of the thrée which was cast into the whote burning Ouen and myraculously preserued ¶ Misach prolonging or drawing to him or compassing the waters or hedging 3. Esd 2. b. Mithridatus was King Cyrus treasurer at whose commaundement he deliuered all the holye vessels of golde and siluer pertayning to the house of the Lorde to Salmanasar the Deputie in Iewrie The number of which vessels was fiue thousand eyght hundred and thrée score ¶ Mithridatus dissoluing the lawe Act. 21. d Mnason was a certayne godlye man and a Cyprian borne who had of long tyme beléeued the Gospell in whose house Paul was hosted at Ierusalem ¶ Mnason a searcher out or promising or remembring Exod. 2. cap. Moyses the sonne of Amram and Iochebed was myraculously preserued at his byrth For where as Pharao the King of Egipt had straightly commaunded the Moses signifieth preserued from the water Mydwyues that whensoeuer they saw an Hebrue bring soorth a man chylde they shoulde cast it into the ryuer yet Moses being borne a proper childe was notwithstanding the Kinges commaundement kept secretlye thrée monthes And when his parents coulde hide him no longer they closed him in a basket made of réede or Bulrushes dawbed with slyme and pitch and layd him in the ryuer And as the childs sister stoode looking what should become of him it came to passe that King Pharaos * Hir name was Termuth daughter came awalking by the ryuer syde who séeing the basket â—leting vppon the ryuer caused one of hir folkes to take it vp â–ª And when she had opened the basket and sawe the Childe she had pittie vpon it and caused the Mayde his sister to fet hir a Nurse who went and brought his owne mother And so the childe being nursed brought vp in Pharaos house was instructed from his Childehoode in all maner cunning and wisedome of the Egiptians and became mightie in wordes and déedes Howe that Moyses impediment of speach came The king on a time for his daughters sake tooke the childe in hys armes and set the crown vppon hys heade which Moses as it were chyldishly playing hurled to the grounde and with hys foote spurned it At the whiche the Priest cryed out saying that this was he of whome it was prophecied that he should destroy Egipt Then Termuth excused the chylde alleaging his infancie and sacke of discretion And for proofe thereof caused burning coales to be put to hys mouth which the child with his tongue licked
not killed hym with the rest the Lorde was grieuously displeased with Saul and woulde not suffer Agag so to escape but sent Samuel to execute his iudgement vpon him who calling for Agag he came out vnto him very pleasantly fearing nothing lesse but that all bitternesse of death had bene past but contrary to his expectation Samuel sayde vnto hym as thy sworde hath made women chyldelesse so shall thy mother be chyldelesse among other women and with that he fell vpon Agag and hewed hym in péeces before the Lorde in Gilgal Agabus was a certaine Prophete which came from Ierusalem to Antioch where he prophecyed of a great dearth that shoulde be thoroweout all the worlde which came to passe as thys Prophete had sayde in the Emperour Claudius dayes Also whyle Paule laye at Cesarea in the house of Philip the Euaungelist purposing to kéepe his iourney to Ierusalem this Prophete chauncing to come thither tooke Paules girdle and therwithall bounde his owne hande and féete saying Thus sayeth the holy ghost so shall the Iewes at Ierusalem bynde the man that oweth this gyrdle and shall deliuer hym into the handes of the Gentyles Agar was handemayde to Sara Abrahams wyfe which Sara being long barren and chyldelesse gaue Agar hir Mayde vnto Abraham to be his wyfe who being conceyued and féeling hir selfe with chylde began to despise and set lyght by Sara hir Mistres for the which Sara complayned to Abraham hir husbande who giuing hir power to correct the Mayde at hir pleasure she began to deale so roughlye with Agar that in no wyse she woulde abyde it but ranne away into the wildernesse and sitting there besyde a fountayne of water not knowing whither to go an Angell appeared vnto hir and sayd Agar from whence commest thou and whither intendest thou to go I flie sayde Agar from Sara my mystresse which fareth so fowle wyth me that I am euen weary of my life Well sayde the Aungell returne to thy dame againe and submit thy selfe vnder hir handes for the Lorde will so encrease thy séede that it shall not be numbred for multitude Thou art with child and shalt beare a sonne whose name shall be Ismael Then Agar giuing God thankes for his consolation in trouble returned home againe to Sara hir mystres submitting hir selfe vnto hir and in processe of time brought forth hir sonne Ismael as the Aungell had sayde ▪ But when it pleased God to visit Sara that she conceyued and brought forth Isaac a new contention arose betwéene Sara and Agar for their children for Sara perceyuing Ismael to be a mocker and a despiser of Isaac woulde not suffer Ismael to companie with hir sonne Isaac but made hir complaynt to Abraham causing him to put both Agar and hir sonne away which thing although it grieued Abraham so to doe yet being comforted of God that he woulde multiplie Ismael bicause he was of his séede he obeyed the voyce of Sara his wife and with prouision of victuals sent Agar awaye with hir sonne to shifte for hir selfe Then Agar being departed from Abraham gat hir into the forrest of Béerseba where she wandred so long vppe and downe till all hir prouision of meate was spent and gone And when she sawe no remedie but that both she and hir childe must néedes perish for lacke of sustenance she layde downe the childe behinde a bushe and went hir selfe away bicause she woulde not sée it dye and as she sate a farre off mourning and wéeping for hir sonne she was comforted againe by the Angell of God who had so prouided for hir and hir sonne that they were both relieued and liued togithers a long time after to hir great ioy and comfort Aggeus was one of the twelue Prophetes which prophecied in the time of Zorobabel Kinge of the Iewes and rebuked them for that they were slacke in the worke of the Lorde Agrippa was a certayne king who as Paule reporteth had good knowledge in the Lawe and Prophets but vnderstoode not the true applying of the same Which King on a tyme came to Cesarea to sée Festus and to welcome hym into the Countrie who was then but newly entred into his office And being there a good whyle with Festus and hearing of him what a doe there was about Paule whome the Iewes had accused vnto him was much desirous to sée the man and to heare him speake Where vpon the next day following Paule was brought into the common Hall before Agrippa and other Magistrates of the Citie there assembled to heare his cause And when Festus had declared for what purpose he had brought forth Paule that after examination had he might haue somewhat of certaintie to write to Cesar to whome Paule had appealed Agrippa permitted the prisoner to speake and to say what he coulde for himselfe Who then so approoued his innocencie by rehearsing his conuersation before the audience that Agrippa interrupting his tale confessed and sayde vnto Paule Thou hast almost perswaded me to become a Christian And when the prisoner had ended his matter the king arose and all the Courte among whome was much secrete talke of Paule and for a finall sentence Agrippa sayde vnto Festus I sée no worthye cause of death or of bandes in this man but that he might haue bene loosed if he had not appealed to Cesar Ahaz the sonne of Iotham King of Iuda at the age of twentie yeares began his reygne in the xvj yeare of Pekah King of Israel and did not walke in the wayes of his godly Father but gaue himselfe to all kynde of ydolatrie and abhominations of the heathen consecrating his chyldren in fier and offering incense on euerye hill and Mountaine For the which his wickednesse the Lorde forsooke him and deliuered him into the handes and power of Razin king of Siria and Pekah king of Israel which two Kings on the one side with the Edomites and Philistines inuading his lande and spoyling his Cities and townes on the other side brought him very lowe And yet in all his aduersitie would he not once lyft vp his heart to call vpon God for his ayde and helpe but contrarye to the Prophetes admonition sought for the succour of man spoyling the Temple of God and sending the treasure thereof to Thiglath Pileser king of Assiria to come and deliuer him out of trouble by whose comming Ahaz was nothing the more strengthned but rather troubled and hindered Then Ahas measuring Gods fauour by the prosperitie of hys enimies not considering howe God oftentymes doth punishe those whom be loueth and giueth to his enimies good successe for a tyme turned his heart full and whole to the Sirians Gods who as he thought had plagued hym And to thintent he might serue them and worship them in al things according as the Heathen did to haue their helpe also he tooke the patterne of an aultar at Damascus the which he sent to Vria his Priest to
and the craftes men which are wyth him haue any matter against any man the lawe is open and there are rulers let them accuse one an other But if ye go about any other thing it may be determined in a lawfull assemble For wée are in ieoperdye to be accused of this dayes vprore forasmuch as there is no cause whereby we may giue a reckoning of thys concourse of people And when he had thus spoken eche man departed Alexander the Coppersmyth forsooke the fayth and became such an enimy vnto the Gospell that he withstoode Paules preaching and did him much displeasure for the which Paul deliuered him vnto Satan that is excommunicated him out of the Church desiring the Lorde to rewarde him as he had deserued Alcimus was a Iewe borne and come of the séede of Aaron who notwithstanding became so wicked a man that he forsooke the lawes of his owne Nation to maintayne the abhominations of the heathen And for the hatred he bare to Machabeus and the Iewes he tooke vnto him a sorte of vnthriftes and vngodly persons and went to Demetrius vnto whome he made agricuous complaint vpon Iudas Machabeus feygning that he had slaine all the Kings friends and driuen him and his companie out of their owne lande wherfore he willed Demetrius to choose out some Noble Captayne to go and auenge the Kings quarrell on Iudas Vppon the which complaint of Alcimus the King sent Bachides against Iudas and made Alcimus the hye Priest who was such an enimie vnto the Iewes as the lyke was not among the Heathen for all his studie was how he might eyther by worde or déede worke their vtter confusion And finally to manifest his great malice towardes his owne Countrey men ▪ and the lawes of God he commanded the walles of the inmost Sanctuary with the Monuments of the Prophetes to be cast downe and destroyed But as this wicked Apostata went about his deuilish purpose the hand of God fell vpon him and smote him with such an incurable Palsie that his mouth was shut vp and so like a miserable wretch he dyed Amalech was the sonne of Eliphas the sonne of Esan borne vnto him of Thymna his Concubine of whom came the kinred of the Amalekites This King when Moses had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and were come into the wildernesse of Raphidim where they both lacked water and were wearyed with their long iourney woulde not suffer them to passe quietly thorowe his lande but came forth with weapon and waged battell against them In the which battell Iosua guided the hoste of Israel while Moses went to praye And so long as Moses helde vp his handes and prayed so long had Israel the better but when he let them fall Amalech had the better Then Aaron and Hur perceyuing Moses handes to be weary gat them vp to Moses and staide his handes the one on the one side and the other on the other side so long tyll Iosua had discomfited Amalech with all his hoste And for thys crueltie of Amalech God sware vnto Moses that he woulde vtterly put out the remembraunce of Amalech from vnder heauen Which promise he perfourmed in the dayes of King Saule Aman looke Haman Amasa was the sonne of Iether and Abigail Dauids sister was his mother This Amasa what time as Absalom rose against his father Dauid was made Captaine ouer Absaloms hoste and after the death of Absalom Dauid receyued him to fauour swearing he shoulde be Captaine ouer his hoste in the rowme of Ioab which office he did not long enioy for when Seba the sonne of Bichri had begun a new commotion and that Dauid had sent Amasa to gather the men of Iuda togithers and to bring them to him by the thirde day it chaunced Ioab to méete Amasa by the way which was somewhat after the time the King had appointed and saluting him with all gentlenesse he tooke him by the Chinne with one hande to kisse him and with the other hand he smote him vnder the short ribbes wyth his dagger and killed him Amasiah the sonne of Ioas king of Iuda began his reigne at the age of .xxv. yeares in whose beginning he did indifferently well obserue the lawes of God but in the ende he became an Idolater He prepared an hoste of thirtie thousande men to goe against the Edomites and yet to make himselfe the stronger he hyred an hundreth thousande mo out of the ten Tribes of Israel for an hundred Talentes of Siluer But as hée was goyng wyth both the hostes of Iuda and Israel hée was commaunded by the Lordes Prophet to sende the hoste of Israel home againe forasmuch as the Lorde was not with them or else he shoulde not stand before his enimies how then sayd the King shall I doe for the hundred Talents which I haue giuen for them Take no thought for that quoth the Prophet for the Lorde is able to giue thée as much more And so he sent the hoste of Israell home againe who for anger they were dimised fell vpon the Cities of Iuda as they went and did much harme Then Amasias with his owne men set vppon his enimies and slewe ten thousand and discomfited the rest After which victorie whereas he ought to haue giuen all prayse vnto God for the same he fel from God and most vilely dishonored him in worshipping the Idols of the Edomites despising the Prophets admonition sent vnto him frō the Lorde And so persisting in his obstinate minde prowde heart he wrote to Ioas King of Israel commaunding him and his people by a Parable of the Cedar trée and Thystle to be vnder his subiection But Ioas after defiaunce gathered an armie and went against Amasias whose hoste being discomfited Amasiah was taken and brought to Ioas who caryed him to Ierusalem where notwithstanding the gates being opened against him he caused foure hundreth cubites of the walle to be beaten downe and entred into the Citie that way leading Amasiah with him as a prisōner tooke all the treasure of the Temple and of the Kings house caused it to be brought into Samaria Afterwarde being deliuered his owne people slewe him He reigned .xxix. yeares and Azaria his sonne succéeded Ammon the eldest sonne of Dauid had a fayre sister called Thamar with whome he was so farre in loue that he coulde eate no meate that did him good but pyned himselfe away marueylously for hir sake Then Ionadab his fathers brothers sonne a friende and familiar of his and a worldly wise man perceyuing Ammon to be sore chaunged and euery day more and more went to him and sayde Howe happeneth this Ammon that thou being the Kings sonne consumest thy selfe so away and doest not tell me Oh sayde Ammon I am in loue with Thamar my brother Absaloms sister and except I may haue hir companie I shall surely die Now to further this wicked purpose of Ammon
begun betwéene them Demetrius for a space had great rest The Captaine of Demetrius hoste was Appolonius a great enimie of the Iewes whom Ionathas discomfited at the first conflict betwéene them Upon the which Demetrius perceyuing Ionathas power to be strong was content to be at peace with him and to make all Iewry frée Which being done all the lande was in such quietnesse that Demetrius sent away his hoste all saue a fewe straungers whereat the hoste was displeased Then Triphon who had béene a foretime on Alexandâ—â—s partie perceyuing Demetrius hoste to murmour agaynst hym mooued Antiochus the sonne of Alexander to warre agaynst Demetrius who being nowe in great feare of the men of Antioche with whom he had somewhat to doe sent to Ionathas to haue his ayde who sent hym thrée thousande of such picked men that deliuered Demetrius out of daunger and slue an hundred thousand of the Antiocheans so that the reast were fayne to cast downe their weapons to yéelde them to Demetrius who notwithstanding the great fidelitie of Ionathas and the benefite he had done hym after he was at rest agayne dyd not rewarde him according but most deceytfully dissembled and withdrew himselfe from Ionathas and vexed him and the Iewes very sore After this came Tryphon with all the hoste which Demetrius had put away and fought against Demetrius and put hym to flight and made hym fayne at the last to go into Medea to séeke ayde and helpe where Arsaces King of the lande tooke him and kept him in warde as a prisoner during his life Demetrius This man was a Siluersmyth by his occupasion dwelling at Ephesus which made siluer Shrynes and Tabernacles for Diana the goddesse And forasmuch as Paule by the space of twoo yeares had preached there against Images made with mans hande saying that they were no goddes He least his profite should decay called togithers all such as had aduantage by making Images of Diana and all craftes men of the same occupacion whome he knew woulde fauour his cause and began to saye vnto them on this wyse Maisters yée knowe that by this Craft we haue vauntage moreouer yée sée and heare that not onely at Ephesus but almost thoroweut all Asia this Paule hath perswaded and turned away much people saying That they be no goddes which are made with handes So that not onely this our Craft commeth into perill and to be set at naught But also that the Temple of the great goddesse Diana should â—e despised and hir magnificence destroyed which all Asia and the world woorshippeth With this sedicious Oracion made by Demetrius the people were in such a furie that they cryed out saying Great is Diana of the Ephesians and with that rushed into the common Hall with one assent where they missing of Paule caught two of his companions in the which rage some cryed one thing and some another and were so farre out of order that the most part knowe not the cause of their concourse togithers so that with great difficultie the matter was pacyfied Reade the storie of Alexander the Iewe borne in the same place Demetrius This was a faithfull Christen man hauing for a testimonie thereof a good reporte as well of Paule himselfe as of all other to be an earnest fauourer of the Gospel of Christ Denis or Dionysius was a certayne Senatour whome Paule conuerted at the Citie of Athens and instituted him Bishop thereof ¶ In Fasciculâ—s temporum it is written that this Denis was martyred in Fraunce whereby it may euidentlye be gathered that the Gospel of Christe our Sauiour was preached in Fraunce in the Apostles time or very nye vnto their Tyme Diana was a Goddesse whom the Ephesians most supersticiouslye dyd woorship Reade Demetrius the Siluersmyth and Alexander the Iewe. Diotrephes was so wicked a man and so malicious an enimie vnto the Christian brethren that hée coulde not say well of them nor yet abyde to heare other giue them good report he woulde neyther receyue them himselfe nor suffer those that would but thrust them out of the Church Diues the riche and coueteous Glutton so much delited and gloried in his great abundaunce of treasure fine and costly apparell sumpteous and delicious fare eche day that his whole selicitie and pleasure was onely in pampering vp of hymselfe hauing no compassion were his miserie neuer so great on the poore and néedy as it dyd appeare by Lazarus the Begger lying at his gates and looking for some reléefe of the scraps that fell from his boord But when this glutton was dead and his body with pompe brought to his graue and his soule also in the torments of hell He than lifting vp his eyes and beholding Abraham a great way of and the Begger with him in ioye cryed out to Abraham requesting him that Lazarus might nowe come downe and dip the tip of his finger in water to slake the great heate of his tongue for I am sayth he most gréeuously tormented in this Ardent flame But to this his other most vayne and fantasticall request he made for his brethren to haue them admonished by one that came from the dead Abraham made aunswere and sayde That for so much as he had consumed and spent away the tyme of his life volupteously in the pleasures and delights of the worlde and woulde at no tyme repent he therefore was nowe most iustly condemned to suffer parpetuall payne in the fire of hell Doeg an Edomite borne was King Saules seruaunt and the mayster of them that kept his cattell When Dauid came to Ahimelech the Priest of Nob and had receyued the shewe breade with the sworde of Goliah This Doeg was there present the same day tarying to worship before the Lorde and sawe and hearde all things that was done betwéene them And when he was returned home and had wayted his time when he might best pleasure the King hée vp and accused Ahimelech of all that he had done vnto Dauid And when the King had iudged that good and godlye man to dye this Doeg at the Kings commaundement all other resusing that wicked déede fell vpon Ahimelech with his sworde and slue both him and all the Priestes of the Lorde to the number of 85. Dorcas was a certaine godly woman and a Disciple of Christ dwelling at Ioppa who in hir lyfe time had bene vertuously occupied and specially in the works of mercy relieuing the poore and néedie And whyle Peter was preaching and doing his office at Lydda which was not farre from Ioppa it was hir chaunce to fall sicke and die And when hir friendes had done with wasshing the deade corps and laid it forth in an vpper chamber to he annoynted they sent for Peter to come vnto them who being come they had him vp to the Chamber where the deade Corse lay where the Wydowes came about him wéeping and laying forth the Coates and other garmentes which
Countrey and the cause of my flying to Tharsus that thou wast a mercyfull God full of compassion long suffering and of great goodnesse and wouldest repent thée of the euill And now O Lord forasmuch as I am founde false in my sayings take I beséeche thée my lyfe from mée for I had rather dye than lyue And so Ionas got him out of the Citie and made him a booth on the East side thereof And as he sate vnder the shadow of his booth to sée what shoulde become of the Citie the Lord caused a wylde Vine to spring ouer his heade to giue him more shadowe to defende the heate of the Sunne from him whereof Ionas was very glad But on the next morrowe when he perceyued the Vyne withered awaye and that for lacke of the shadowe thereof he waxed faynt thorow the feruent heate of the Sunne which burned him so sore he wished in himselfe that he might die Then sayde the Lorde to Ionas doest thou well to be angrie for the wylde Vine Yea sayde he very well euen vnto death If thou than quoth the Lord hast had pittie vpon the wylde vine whereon thou bestowedst no labour nor madest it growe which sprang vp in one night and perished in an other Howe much more ought I to haue pittie vppon Niniue that great Citie wherein are sixe score thousande persons that cannot discerne betwéene their right hande and their left beside much cattell And thus was Ionas reprooued of God for his disobedience ¶ Ionas a Doue 1. Reg. 13. a. Ionathas the sonne of King Saule was a valiant man in all his actes who helped his father so mightily agaynst 14. cap. the Philistynes that at the first brunt he bette downe the strongest holde they had And after that the Philistynes being pitched in Michmas into the which passage lay two sharpe rockes He sayde to his Armour bearer come and let vs go ouer toward the Philistynes garrison peraduenture the Lorde will worke with vs for it is no harde thing with him to saue with many or with fewe we will go ouer and shewe our selues to these vncircumcised * Ionathas spake this by the spirite of Prophecie And if they saye on this wyse vnto vs Tarie vntill we come vnto you then will we stande still and not remooue But if they say come vp vnto vs then will we go vp for the Lorde hath surely deliuered them into our hands and this shall be a signe vnto vs So they went without the knowledge of Saul and shewed themselues vnto the Philistynes who when they sawe them sayde in derision sée howe the Ebrues are crept out of the holes wherein they had hydde themselues but the watchmen sayde vnto them come vp vnto vs and we will shewe you a thing Then sayde Ionathas to his Armour bearer come vp after me for the Lorde hath deliuered them into the handes of Israel And so Ionathas clammered vp the rocke vpon his handes and féete and his Armour bearer after him And when the Philistines sawe the face of Ionathas they were so sodeinly smytten with feare that they fell downe before him so that Ionathas and his man slue twentie of them and put all the reast to flight And when the watchmen of Saul saw the Philistynes scattered abrode and smitten downe as they went they tolde it to the King who caused a search to be made to knowe who was gone out of the hoste and not a man was founde lacking saue Ionathas and hys Armour bearer Then Saule with all his hoste folowed after the Philistynes charging the people which had long bene without sustenance on paine of death no man to touch any foode vntill he were that day auenged on his enimies And so the people being sore opprest with hunger and comming into a woode where much Hony laye vpon the grounde durst not for their liues comfort themselues with one droppe thereof Then Ionathas being faint and not knowing the charge of his father tasted a little hony with the ende of his rodde and was greatlye comforted and refreshed therewith And being told what daunger he had incurred for breaking his fathers commaundement he sayde My Father hath troubled the lande in making such an extreme lawe for séeing that I haue receyued my strength agayne by tasting a little of this hony howe much more shoulde the people if they had eaten of the spoile of their enimies which they found haue bene the stronger and more able to haue made a greater slaughter among the Philistynes than they haue done But neuerthelesse for this offence of Ionathas lottes were cast and Ionathas iudged to suffer death wherevpon the people cryed out to Saule saying Shall Ionathas dye which hath so mightily defended Israel God forbid as truely as the Lorde liueth there shall not one heaire of his heade fall vnto the grounde for he hath wrought with God this day And so the people deliuered Ionathas After this Ionathas fell into such loue and amitie with Dauid whome Saule his father persecuted that he made a bonde with him which was neuer dissolued betwéene them And at his first acquaintance with Dauid he put off his robe and gaue it to him with hys other garments euen to his sworde Bowe and Girdle And whatsoeuer from that day forth was sayde done or wrought by Saule his father agaynst Dauid that woulde Ionathas finde the meanes to staye and pacifie whereby many times he saued Dauid from the cruelty of Saule and so continued his faythfull friende during his lyfe Finally in battell with his father against the Philistynes he was slayne ¶ Ionathas the gift of the Pigeon or Doue 1. Mac. 2. 2. Ionathas the yoongest sonne of Mathathias and brother to Iudas Machabeus did so valiauntly behaue 9. c. himselfe in the warres that the Iewes after the death of Iudas his brother made him their chiefe gouernour who at length vanquished Bachides Whereby his 10. cap. same so encreased that both Demetrius and Alexander sought to be in league with him But forsomuch as Demetrius had vexed Israel before Ionathas mistrusting Demetrius forsooke his offer and agréed to Alexander who had alwayes bene his friende and so continued as his storie declareth After this he vanquished Appolonius Captayne of Demetrius hoste brent the Citie of Azotus with the Temple of Dagon subdued Ascalon and with great victorie returned to Ierusalem where for his worthye prowesse he receyued a coller of golde from Alexander Finallye after long prosperitie in 12. f. g. 13. c. warres he was betrayed by one Triphon in the Citie of Ptolomais and afterwarde most piteously put to death ¶ Of Ionathas sonne of Abiathar the Priest looke in the storie of Ahimaaz the sonne of Sadoch 2. Reg. 21. d. Ionathas the sonne of Simea Dauids brother encountred with a mightie Gyant who had on euery hande sixe fingers and on euery foote so many toes and slue him 4. Reg. 3. cap. Ioram the sonne of Achab
began his raigne ouer Israel after his brother Ahazia in the eyghtene * In the first Chapter of the fourth booke of Kings it is sayd that this man began his reygne in the seconde yeare of Ioram the sonne of Iosaphat whiche is thus to bee vnderstande Iosaphat going to battell agaynst the Sirians made his son Ioram King in the .xvii. yeare of his reygne and in the .xviii. yere which was the seconde yeare of hys sonne thys man began his reygne yeare of Iosaphat King of Iuda and wrought euill in the sight of the Lorde but not like vnto his father for he tooke away the Image of Baal which his father had made neuerthelesse he sacrificed to the golden Calues still which Ieroboam had made The King of Moab was woont yerely to render to the King of Israel an hundred thousand lambs and so many Rammes with the wooll bycause he now refused to pay this tribute to Ioram he warred agaynst him hauing to take his parte Iosaphat the King of Iuda and the King of Edom by whose helpe and chiefelye Eliseus reade the place in his storie he ouercame the Moabites Also the Sirians coulde lye no where but Ioram had knowledge by Eliseus who tolde him of all their secrete lurking places by which meanes Ioram euer saued him selfe Wherefore the King of Siria sent and bèsieged the towne rounde about where the Prophet Eliseus laye And as his seruaunt was going foorth in the morning about his maisters businesse and saw the towne so compassed with enimiâ—s he ranne ‡ 6. cap. in agayne crying Alas maister what shall we doe for the Sirians are come vpon vs Feare not quoth Eliseus for they that be with vs are me than they that be with them And by and by the eyes of his seruaunt were so opened that he saw the mounteynes lye full of horses and fyrie Charrettes to defende his maister And now when the SiriaÌ„s were come to Eliseus and thought themselues most surest of hym they were at his prayer smitten with such blindnesse that they coulde not knowe the Prophete when he spake vnto them saying that that was not the towne where the man laye which they sought but followe mée quoth he and I will bring you to the place where he is and so hée ledde them foorth and brought them into the Citie of Samaria where Ioram laye who séeing now his enimies to be in his daunger sayde to Eliseus Father shall I smite them No sayde he Smite those which thou takest with thine owne swoorde and bowe but rather set bread and water before them that they maye eate and drinke and so departe to their maister Then the King prepared a great refection for the Sirians and filled their bellyes well and sent them home againe for the which gentle intreatie of Ioram the King of Siria neuer troubled hym more After this when Benhadad King of Siria had besieged Samaria so long till women were constrayned to rate their owne children Ioram tooke such displeasure with Eliseus laying the cause vpon him that in his furye he sent to take away his heade Which thing being reuealed to the Prophet he sayde to his friends that were with him in his house Sée yée not how these murtherers sonne hath sent to take awaye my heade Take héede and be circumspect when the Messenger commeth and kéepe him at the dore for the sounde of his Maisters féete is behinde him which was euen so for the Kinges minde altered he followed the Messenger and came to the Prophet himselfe saying This euill is of the Lorde and what more shall I looke for of hym No more sayde the 4. Reg. 7. a. Prophet For to morow this tyme shall a bushell of fine flower be solde for a sicle and twoo bushels of Barley for another sicle in the gate of Samaria which came so to passe the next daye for the great hoste of the Sirians at the sounde of the féete of foure lepers were runne away and had left all their tentes behinde them Finally to fulfill 9. c. f. the worde of the Lorde concerning the destruction of Achabs posteritie Ioram was slayne with an arrowe â—hot of by Iehu and his bodie cast into a platte of ground that was Nabothes the Iesraelite after he had reygned twelue yeares 4. Reg. 8. d. Ioram the sonne of Iosaphat was twoo an thirtie 2. Par. 21. cap. yeare olde when he began to reygne ouer Iuda He maryed King Achabs daughter whose wicked steppes he followed He slue all his owne brethren with diuers of his nobles The Edomites which had béene subiect from Dauids tyme hitherto rebelled nowe agaynst Ioram Also Libna which was a certayne Citie in Iuda giuen to the Leuites Iosua â–ª 21. b. woulde no more be vnder his hande bycause he had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers The Prophetes letter Finally the Prophet Eliseus to admonishe him of his wickednesse wrote to Ioram on this wise The Lorde sayth bycause thou hast not walked in the wayes of Iosaphat thy father nor in the wayes of Asa thy Graundfather but in the wayes of the Kinges of Israel and hast made Iuda to go a whoring after the house of Achab and hast also slayne thy brethren euen thy fathers house who were better men than thy selfe Therefore with a great plague will the Lorde smite thy folke thy children thy wyues and all thy goodes And thou shalt be diseased in thy bowels which day by daye shall fall out of thy bodie And so the Lord styrred vp agaynst Ioram the Philistines the Arabians with the blacke Moores which wasted his Countrey and caryed awaye his substaunce his wyues and al his sonnes saue Ahaziahu the yoongest and smote him with an incurable disease in his bowels which helde hâ—m two yeares till all his gutts fell out and so died after he had reygned eyght yeares ¶ Ioram the bighnesse of the Lorde Filius accrescens aspectu pulcher Ioseph Faemineo e turri conuitio petâ—â—â—â— Inuideam mihi cotraxit mea uita pudica Quodque manus leuibê° sit mihi proÌ„â—â—â— Gen. 30. d. 37. cap. Ioseph the sonne of Iacob and Rachel was in hys youth of his father aboue all other beloued in so much that he made him a coate of many colours But his brethren hated him bicause his dreames signified vnto them that he should be Lorde ouer them all and they his seruantes And being at the age of .xvij. yeares he was sent to them with victualles where they laye with their shéepe at Dothan who seeing him come a farre of began to deryde and mocke him saying Beholde where the Dreamer commeth and counsayled togithers to kyll him but Ruben the eldest brother woulde not consent to that Wherfore at his comming they stripped him out of his coate and cast him into an emptie pit And as certaine Ismaelites passed by they solde Ioseph to them for twentie pence of siluer and tooke his Coate and dipt it in Goates bloude and had