Neither let any say They were not Gods that were taken awaye out of the temple of Micha but onely two images of Gods But Augustine sayth If they can not defende their owne images what hope is there that they can defende Cities or houses Virgil. But this thing is so much ridiculous that euen the Ethnicke Poetes deride it For Virgil hath soong of his Eneas He caried Troy with hym into Italy their Gods being ouercome Vndoubtedly miserable Gods which could be ouercome of men and be caryed into an other place Some wyll obiect That the Arke of the Lord was also taken once and led away after a sorte captiue of the Philistians I grauÌ„t that But how was it caried away To be kept as a prisoner No vndoubtedly For when it was put in the temple of the Philistians it threw Dagon their god to the ground Farther it strake the Philistians with so grieuous plagues and woundes that at the last they were compelled to send it home againe with honour And it was taken not bicause God can either be ouercome or taken but that the Hebrewes shoulde bee admonished of their synnes who wythout repentaunce or fayth dyd put al their confidence in an outwarde thyng They placed their children cattel and substance before Bicause they suspected that Micha would with armed soldiours pursue them to see if he could recouer the thinges which they had taken away Wherefore they woulde chieflye prouide for their children cattel and substance This woord Supplex which we turne substance is called in Hebrue Kechodah either bicause it signifieth a burthen or a packe or els a thing whereof men make their boast 22 When they wer farre of from the house of Micha the men that were in the houses neare to Michahs house gathered together and pursued after the children of Dan. 23 And cryed vnto the chyldren of Dan who turned theyr faces sayd vnto Michah what ayleth thee that thou makest an outcry 24 And he sayde ye haue taken away my Gods whyche I made and the Priest and go your wayes and what haue I more Howe then say ye vnto me what ayleth thee 25 And the children of Dan sayd vnto hym Let not thy voyce bee heard among vs least peraduenture men of a bytter mynde runne vpon thee and thou loose thy lyfe wyth the liues of thine houshold 26 So the chyldren of Dan went their wayes and when Michah saw that they were to strong for hym hee turned and went backe vnto hys house 27 And they tooke the thynges whyche Micha had made and the Priest which he had and came vnto Laish vnto a quiet people and wythout mystrust and smote them wyth the edge of the sword and burnt the City wyth fyre 28 And there was none to helpe bycause Laish was farre from Zidon and they had no busynes wyth other men also it was in the valley that lyeth by Beth-rehob After they buylte the Citye and dwelt therein 29 And called the name of the City Dan after the name of Dan their Father whych was borne vnto Israel how be it the name of the City was Laish at the beginning 30 Then the chyldren of Dan set them vp the grauen image and Ionathan the sonne of Gershom the sonne of Manasseth and hys sonnes were the Priestes in the Tribe of the Danites vntyll the day of the captiuitye of the land 31 So they set vp the grauen image whych Micha had made all the whyle the house of God was in Shiloh In that it is said that they which dwelled nigh the house of Micha were gathered together is declared that the number of the houses had increased that by reason of peregrinacions ther was in that place a village builded VVere gathered together In Hebrue it is Noecu by which verbe is signified that they were raysed vp by an outcrye For so are men gathered together when they heare an outcry on euery syde The Danites made him afearde and threatned that men of a bytter mynde would inuade him whom they so cal either bicause they were angry for choler is of his nature bitter or els bicause they were desperate as they in a maner are which seeke new dwelling places and depart from home bicause they can not there abide commodiously It is agayne repeated that they of Lais wer far from Zidon which declareth that they were in league with them But in that it is written that Ionathan and his sonnes were Priestes there euen to the day of the captiuity of the lande wee must not as farre as I iudge vnderstand it of the captiuity which the Hebrues suffred either by the Assirians or by the Chaldeians but of that whiche happened when they were plagued by the Philistians when also the Arke of the Testament was taken away I know also that there are some of the Hebrues which fable that this Ionathan was the neâ—ew of Moses by his sonne Gerson and that his Graundfather is here called Menasseh putting betwene this letter Nun for to honour Moses with all As though the holy scriptures doo not oftentimes make mencion of moste wycked children borne of excellent Parentes But this is to be marked that that is not very firme neither can it be certaine in that it was before said that this Leuite was a Gersonite bycause Gerson was the Sonne of Leui and not of Menasseh Wherefore it must nedes be vncertayne of what famely of the Leuites this man was But now let vs diligently weigh such things as are in this chapter worthy of peculiar noting Let vs chiefly consider how hurtful it is to want a Magistrate An euil Magistrate also wanteth not some vtilitye For althoughe sometimes there happen an euyl or to fauourable a Magistrate yet if the thing be wel weighed there commeth from him more good vnto the publike wealth then there would come euyl if there were in it no Magistrate at al. The Sunne and Moone although they haue sometimes aspectes not very fauorable whereby now and then ensue pestilences dearth of corne ouerflowing of waters or aultar to the ende that holy seruices shoulde bee done thereon but onelye they would haue it to be for a monument that they shoulde not bee counted straungers from their brethren but be thought to pertaine to the same people and the same God Wherfore if at that time the Israelites so hated Idolatry that they would for that cause haue made warre agaynst the Rubenites and Gadites it is not credible that they would haue suffered the impiety of Micha How this history is touched in the booke of Iosua How then could this history be mencioned of in that booke One of these twoo thinges we must answer either that there were two cities both of one name pertaining vnto the Danites which they by force conquered so that of the one is mencion made in the booke of Iosua and of the other in this historye But this seemeth to be but a fayned tale For those thinges which are written
thinges which are written in the booke of Genesis the .49 chapter There Iacob when he was ready to dye The prophecie of Iacob as touching SamsoÌ„ foretolde what should happen vnto his children after long time And when by order he came vnto Dan Dan sayth he shall iudge hys people and he shal be a Serpent in the way and an Adder in the pathe byting the horses heeles so that his ryder shall fall backward For Samson after a sorte did byte the foote of the horse when he ouerthrew the pyller that is the foote of the parler laid the rider on the ground that is the company of the Philistines with the fal of the wal These thinges I therfore make mencion of that it might appeare that they were no small or vulgare things when as Iacob so long time before prophecied of them Samson was of the Tribe of Dan when as the nexte Iudge before him was of the tribe of Ephraim God vsed not at the tyme any ordinary Magistrate Onely SamsoÌ„ appoynted a Iudge before hys byrth neither dyd the Children succeede the Parentes in this kynde of gouernment There was no Iudge vnto this tyme of the Tribe of Dan. And there was none of all the Iudges but onelye Samson whom God appoynted and as it were published a Iudge before he was borne And hys name was Manoah whose wyfe was barren When God decreed to sende any notable and excellent man Many excelleÌ„t meÌ„ borne of baren mothers he verye often tymes styrred hym vp out of a barren woman whiche thing also wee see came to passe in Samson lykewise in Samuel and in Iohn Baptist and in very many other that it myght manifestly appeare to be altogether the woorke of God Barrennes among the Hebrues was a thyng ignominious but God bycause he woulde declare that of thynges most contemptible he can bring foorth thinges excellent hath very often tymes done after thys manner And that faulte of barrennes was in thys place in the woman and not in the man For sometymes it may be in both but the scripture here pronounceth it of the woman and not of the man He shall beginne sayth he to saue Israel Here is signified that Samson should not fully deliuer the people for Israell did not vnder him fight in battayle against theyr enemies he alone assailed theÌ„ somtimes greuously afflicted them The Aungell appeared vnto his mother a part when her husband was awaye and shewed her of the sonne which she should beare Also the Aungell appeared vnto Mary the mother of Christ when she was a lone Iosephus in his bookes of Antiquities addeth Iosephus that thys Manoah somewhat suspected his wife and thought that it was not an aungell but some man that his wifes chastity was assaulted but eyther doubt was taken away wheÌ„ as at the last when he made sacrifice the angel vanished away in the flame So Ioseph wheÌ„ he somwhat suspected Mary herd of the Aungel Ioseph be not aferd to take Mary thy wife for that which is conceiued in her is of the holy ghost God woulde haue his not onely borne lawfullye but also cleared from all suspicion But in Samuel there could be no such suspicion for when Hanna prayed softely Heli the priest rebuked her and counted her for a dronkard who yet when he vnderstode how diligently and earnestly she prayed at the tabernacle of the Lorde he promised vnto her issue But here besides the promise of the sonne is added also a precepte For the Aungell commaundeth her to abstaine from wine and stronge drinke Why such an abstinence was commaunded the mothâ—s and all thinge that might make her dronke There is also a reason added Bicause he shal be a Nazarite vnto the Lord. Wherfore the mother also is commaunded to abstayne from wine stronge drinke and euerye vncleane thinge that the childe shoulde not be nourished with thynges vnlawefull no not in the wombe of hys mother ¶ Of the vow of the Nazarites ANd as touching the vow of the Nazarits it is manifestly set forth in the .6 of Numb But those thinges whiche are there written The summe of the vow of the Nazarites maye all be reduced to three principall poyntes The firste was that they shoulde drinke no wine nor stronge drinke nor any thinge that might make them droonke An other was that they should not pole theyr hed but all that time the Nazarite shoulde let his heare grow The third was that they should not defile themselues with mourninge for buriales no not at the death of theyr father or mother These thinges were to be obserued but not for euer but onelye for some certayne time For he vowed to bee a Nazarite but for certayne number of dayes or Monethes or yeares But why did God institute these thynges Why god gaue the institution of the Nazarites There may be many causes geuen Fyrste because menne were so prone to chuse vnto themselues certayne kindes of lyfe whereby they mighte easely fall into superstition Therfore God would after this maner bridle them as though he should haue sayd Forasmuch as ye are so prone to your own studies and to inuent newe woorshippings yet shall ye not do what ye liste your selues but what I prescribe vnto you And so geuinge vnto them the lawe of a Nazarite hee kepte them in doynge theyr dewtye But what mente these thinges They ought to keepe theyr heare growinge till the ende of theyr vow For then in offring sacrifice and burninge the fleshe in fire they did cut of the heare and burned it in the same fire And froÌ„ that time they were free and returned to theyr old manner of life which was common also vnto other Some referre these thinges vnto an Allegorye that when the heares were increased the Nazarites should consider that vertues also oughte to increase in the minde But me thinketh there may be an other cause rendred namelye that men should abstayne from to much trimming and deckinge of the body For the clipping of the eare much adorneth the body For Paule sayth in his 1. Epistle to the Corrinthians the .11 Chapter that to menne it is vncomelye if they let theyr heare growe Althoughe other reasons of other menne are not to bee contemned Cyrillus Procopius Cirillus and also Procopius vpon the booke of Numbers say that these thinges were instituted of God to reuoke men from the idolatrous worshippinges and rites of the Ethnikes that that which they gaue vnto idols the Iewes should geue vnto him So also whereas they sacrificed vnto Idols he would haue these men rather to sacrifice vnto himselfe not that god so much regardeth sacrifices but to wythdrawe them from idolatry We reade that the Ethnikes sometimes suffred theyr heare to growe that they mighte afterward consecrate it ether vnto the Nimphes or to Apollo Wherefore Apollo was by them called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a nourisher of the heare Yea and Theseus as it is
that are necessary for our liuyng Peace be with thee Thy pouerty be vpon me Care not sayth he I wil furnishe that whiche wanteth I nothing passe what thou hast with thee or what thou hast not The humanity of this man was great whiche appeareth so muche the more excellent bycause he dwelled among the inhumane and cruel Gabaonites He was borne brought vp in an other place where the feare of God was more regarded then among the Gabaonites Yet he seemeth not herein to be praysed for that he dwelt so longe among vngodly and wicked men We must flye the fellowshyp of wicked men For we ought not to esteme any thyng so much that for the cause therof we should haue a will to dwell among idolatrous wicked men Wherfore if any greuous chaunce happen in that society vnto men which are otherwise good they can not complayne that the same happeneth vnto them vndeserued Lot sped yll bycause he dwelt among the Sodomites He saw the coūtrey fertyll and plentifull hauing great plēty of heardes and flockes he would abide there But with that he escaped not vnpunished For once he was led away prisoner and except Abraham had delyuered him with an army which he had assembled he should al his lyfe tyme haue serued in most hard bondage Afterward when these Cityes were burnt he scarsely escaped frō burning Whiche benefite he may ascribe rather vnto Abraham then vnto himself How vnprofitable euill fellowship is for if he had perished together with them he should haue had no cause to haue cōplained of God Euill fellowship alwayes for the most part either hurteth or eis engendreth daunger The Gabaonites beyng of the tribe of Beniamin are called also the children of Iemini bycause that famely was noble in the tribe Wherfore this famely possessed the City D. Kimhi although Dauid Kimhi expoundeth the sonnes of Iemini for strōge and migthy men for Iemini in Hebrew signifieth the right hand Wherfore the children of Iemini as he thinketh are they whiche haue lawe and ryght in the right hand and therfore do not what is lawful but what they can I do not deny but that the Gabaonites were such but I rather allowe the first exposition as the truer and more simple For it is manifest that it was a famely in Beniamin of whiche came Saul also Mesapua signifieth in Hebrew whatsoeuer meate is geuē vnto cattell besides straw and chaffe that is Tares Otes and Barley The old man had compassiō of the straunger either peraduenture bycause he was his contreyman or els at the least for that he himselfe also dwelt there as a straunger For common miseryes do oftentymes ioyne men together Wherfore in Virgil Dido sayth Virgil. I not beyng ignoraunt of euil do learne to succor the miserable After the same maner the Lord sayth in the law afflict not straūgers bycause ye were sometymes straūgers your selues in Egypt But the Gabaonites had vtterly forgotten their olde estate But the old mā bicause in time past he had ben a straūger or rather bicause he was euen then also a straūger was moued with mercy Yea God doth somtymes somewhat afflict those that are his that they should learne to haue cōpassion ouer other For they whiche alwayes florishe in wealth and riches are not greatly moued with the miseryes of other men And Paul to the Hebrues sayth that Christ was made lyke vnto his brethren in all thynges that he myght haue compassion of other The Leuite maketh mention that he would go vnto the house of God that is in Siloh where the arke of the Lord was And Siloh was in mount Ephraim He would therfore go thether peraduenture to geue thākes vnto god bicause bringing home his wife agayn he had luckly finished his busines Other thinke that the yong man added these things of the arke and house of God to the end the old mā should be the more gentle vnto him when he should vnderstand that he was no common man but a Leuite which would go vnto the holy tabernacle of God 21 So he brought hym into his house gaue foddre vnto the Asses Afterward they washed their feete and did eate and drinke 22 And as they were making their hartes merye Behold the men of the City wicked men be set the house round about and smote at the doore and spake to this old man the master of the house saying Brynge foorth the manne that came into thyne house that we maye knowe hym 23 And this man the master of the house went out and sayde vnto them Nay my brethren do not so wickedly I praye you seyng that this man is come into mine house do not this vilannie 24 Beholde here is my daughter a virgine and his concubine thē will I bryng out nowe and humble them and do with them what seemeth you good but to this man do not this detestable acte 25 But the men would not harken to hym therfore the man tooke hys concubine and brought her out vnto them and they knew her and abused her all the night vntyl the mornyng and when the day began to spryng they let her go 26 So the woman came in the dawning of the day and fell downe at the dore of the mās house where her Lord was till the light day 27 And her Lorde arose in the mornyng and opened the doores of the house and went out to go his waye and behold the woman his concubine was dead at the doore of the house and her handes laye vpon the threshold 28 And he sayde vnto her vp and let vs go but she aunswered not Then he tooke her vp vpon the Asse and the man rose vp and went vnto his place 29 And when he was come to his house he tooke a knife and layde hand on his concubine and deuided her in peces with her bones into twelue partes and sent her throughout al the quarters of Israel 30 And all that sawe it sayd There was no suche thyng doone or sene since the tyme that the children of Israell came vp from the lande of Egypte vnto this daye consider the matter consulte and geue sentence Where as it is sayde And he gaue his Asses foder In Hebrew it is written Vaiabol whiche signifieth he mingled for this verbe Balal signifieth to myngle For in those regions they vse to mingle chopped straw with barley so to geue them vnto their cattell The maner of washing of fete very muche vsed in Syria And washed their fete In those places that are extreme hot when men haue done their iorney they vse to washe their feete to wipe away the dust which office was sometymes shewed vnto Christ our sauiour and he agayne executed the same vnto his Apostles Paul also required this of good widowes namely to washe the feete of the Saintes Bring out the man that we may know him By these words is described a thing most filthy an horrible act There was
Why was Socrates condemned at Athens The Ethnike princes had a regard vnto religion I do not now demaunde how holyly or iustly for as all men in a manner beleue Anitus and Melitus lyed agaynst hym this I speake for that he was for no other cause condemned but onely for religion as thoughe he taught newe gods and led away the youth from the olde and receaued worshyppyng of the gods and he was by a prophane Magistrate condēned Socrates was for religiō sake condemned of a prophane Magistrate Wherfore the Athenienses thought that the obseruance and care of religion pertayned vnto their Magistrate The law of God commaunded that the blasphemer should be put to death not I thinke by euery priuate mā or by the Priestes but by the Magistrates The Ethnike Emperors also in those first tymes did for no other cause rage agaynst the Christians but bycause they thought that matters of religion pertayned vnto their iudgement seat And assuredly as touching this opinion they wer not deceaued for none as Chrisostome sayth either Apostle or Prophet reproued the people Chrisostome either Iewes or Ethnikes bycause they had a care ouer Religion but they were deceaued in the knowledge of Religion bycause they defended theyr owne religion as true and condemned the Christian religion as vngodly and blasphemous Constantine and Theodosius are praysed and very many other holy princes bycause they tooke awaye Idoles and either closed vp or elles ouerthrew theyr Temples But they dyd not these thynges but for that they thought that the charge of Religion pertayned vnto them otherwise they should haue bene busy fellowes and should haue put theyr sicle into an other mannes haruest The Donatistes tooke thys in very ill parte and grieuously complayned thereof in Augustines tyme bycause the Catholique Byshoppes required ayde of the Ciuile Magistrate agaynst them Augustine But Augustine confuteth them with the selfe same argumentes whiche I haue a litle before rehearsed and addeth this moreouer Why did ye accuse Cecilianus Bishop of Carthage before Constātine if it be wicked for the Emperor to determine concerning Religion Farther there is gathered by those thynges whiche the same father wrote agaynst Petilianus and agaynst Parmenianus and also in many other his Epistles howe that the Donatistes accused Cecilianus as it is sayde before Constantine the Emperour who first sent the cause to Melchiades Bishop of Rome And when by hym they were ouercome they appealed agayne vnto the Emperor neyther reiected he their appealation from him but committed the matter vnto the Bishop of Orleance by whom they were agayne condemned Neither rested they so Constātine decideth a matter of religion but again appealed vnto the Emperor who heard thē decided their cause condemned them and by hys sentence absolued Cecilianus Where are they now which so often and so impudētly cry that there is no appealyng from the Pope and that the causes of Religion pertayne not vnto the ciuile Magistrate To whom in the olde tyme pertayned the ryght of callyng generall counsels Pertayned it not vnto the Emperors Counsels were called by Emperors As for the counsell of Nice the counsell of Constātinople of Ephesus and of Chalcedonia Emperors called them Leo. 1. of that name prayed the Emperor to cal a counsell in Italy bycause he suspected the Gretians of the error of Eutiches yet could he not obteyne it and the Byshops were called together to Chalcedonia where at the Emperor also was present as was Constantine at the counsell of Nice Neither doo I thinke that they were there present to sitte idle and to do nothing but rather to put forth vnto the Bishops what they should doo and to vrge them to define rightly Theodoretus telleth that Constantine admonished the fathers to determine all thinges by the scriptures of the Euangelistes Apostles Prophetes and Canonicall scriptures Iustinian also in the Code Iustinian Augustine wrote many Ecclesiasticall lawes of Byshoppes and Priestes and other such lyke Yea and Augustine hath taught that the Magistrate ought after the same manner to punish Idolatrers heretikes as he punisheth adulterers for as much as they cōmitte whoredome against God in mynd which is much more heynous then to committe whoredome in body And looke by what lawe murtherers are put to death by the same also Idolatrers and heretikes ought to be punished for that by them are killed not the bodies but the soules although the common people be stirred vp onely agaynst homicides bycause they see the bloud of the bodyes killed but see not the death of the soules Vndoubtedly it is profitable for the Magistrate to take vpon hym this care and by his authority to compell menne to come to holy sermons and to heare the worde of God for by that meanes it commeth to passe that by often hearyng those thyngs begyn to please whiche before displeased As Hystoryes teach that God hath oftentymes with most noble victoryes illustrate godly prynces God hath prospered princes whiche had a care vnto Religion which haue had a care vnto these thinges Farther it can not be denied but that it is the dewty of the Magistrates to defend those Cities and publique wealthes ouer whiche they are gouerners and to prouide that no hurt happen vnto them wherfore for asmuch as Idolatry is the cause of captiuity pestilence famine ouerthrowing of publique wealthes shal it not pertaine vnto the Magistrate to represse it and to kepe the true sound religion Lastly Paul teacheth fathers to instruct their children in discipline in the feare of God but a good Magistrate is a father of the countrey wherfore by the rule of the Apostle he ought to prouide that subiectes be instructed as common children But kynges and princes whiche say that these thynges pertayne not vnto thē do in the meane tyme let geue and sell Bishoprikes Abbacies and benefices to whō they thinke good neither thinke they that to be none of their office onely religion they thinke they haue nothyng to doo with and they neglect to prouide that they whom they exalte to most ample dignityes should execute theyr office rightly Wherfore this thyng onely remayneth for them euen that GOD hymselfe at the length will looke vpon these thynges and with most grieuous punishement take vengeaunce of their negligence These thynges haue I spokē the more at large by occasion of our Hystory which maketh mention twise or thrise that euilles happened in Israel bycause they had not a kyng or lawfull Magistrate ¶ The .xx. Chapter 1 THen all the children of Israell went out and the congregation was gathered together as one man from Dan euen to Beerseba and from the lande of Gilead vnto the Lord in Mizpa 2 And the corners of all the people and all the tribes of Israell assembled in the Churche of the people of God foure hundreth thousand footemen that drew sword 3 And the children of Beniamin heard that the childrē of Israell wer gone vp vnto
so then were it very easy to persuade the Ethnickes and Turkes of the holy Scriptures and to bryng the Iewes to receaue the new Testament and how true this is the thing it selfe witnesseth And I thincke I haue spoken enough of the efficient cause of this booke and of the holy Scriptures Of the ende of this booke And now lastly order semeth to require the seyng we haue spoken of the matter forme and efficient cause of the holy bookes we shoulde also entreate somewhat to what end they were written Wherin I thincke it not nedeful to kepe the reader long for that before when I entreated many thynges of an historye I haue expounded also the profite and commodities whiche come therof whiche no doubte of it belong vnto the ende but nowe presently I will say thus much compendiously that all these thinges are mentioned by the holy ghost that we shoulde behaue our selues vprigthly both in prosperitie and also aduersitie For we learne by the examples of holy men when we are afflicted with sundry troubles and miseries stedfastly to holde our faith to put our hope in God to call vpon him only therewithall to repent vs of our sinnes whiche thinges if we do he will no lesse be presente to helpe vs than we know that he oftentimes deliuered the people of the Iewes And this Paul declared when he sayde to the Romaines whatsoeuer things are written they are written for our learning that we thorough patience and consolation of the Scriptures might haue hope Moreouer we are instructed in prosperous thinges to kepe the feare of god lest we fal into grieuous sinnes by whiche meanes we might be made guiltie both of punishement in this lyfe and also of euerlastyng damnatiō Finally we may moste manifestly gather the ende of reading of these bookes out of the Apostles doctrine whiche he deliuered to Timothe writing after this sorte in his second Epistle and third chap. All Scripture geuen by inspiration of God is profitable to doctrine to reprouing to correction and to instruction which is in righteousnesse that the man of God may be perfect and prepared to al good workes And now that as I suppose I haue spoken enough of the end and other causes of this booke I will come nygher to the exposition of the same first I wil declare whether this booke according to the sentence of the Hebrewes be the second booke of the firste Prophetes whose coniunction is so great with the history of Iosua that a man woulde easely saye that they be both one Whether the booke of Iosua ought to be reckened with the booke of Iudges And peraduenture there be some which suppose that Iosua should be reckened with the iudges to whom I will not subscribe For iudges were raised vp of god when the people were oppressed with outwarde enemies but when Iosua was proclaymed prince all the affaires of the Israelites were in good prosperitie For Sihon and Og most mightie kinges were ouercome and that office was cōmitted to Iosua wherby Moyses being dead he might leade the people ouer Iordane and take possessiō of the lande of Chanaan and deuide the promised lande by lottes vnto the children of Israell and besides that the people did set their handes to a decree whiche they had made of Iosua that he whiche obeyed not his voyce should be killed as we read it written in the first chap. of his booke But there is no mention made of suche thynges as concernyng the Iudges And yet both the bookes are so like and of such affinitie that many thinges are repeated in this our booke especially in the beginning whiche no doubte were done when Iosua was yet lyuing There resteth now to admonishe the reader somewhat of the partes of this boke The partes of the booke of Iudges There are as many principall membres in it as there were Iudges to Samuels tyme. For that in euery one of them still riseth vnto vs a new historye But the first of all was Othoniel of whom we will speake in the third chap. So that all those thinges whiche are written vnto that place do contayne the thynges done from the death of Iosua vnto Othoniel And certainly bycause the Iewes as long as Iosua liued worshipped god a right kept the lawe as muche as the weakenesse of mā coulde do god stil wrought with them accordyng to his couenaunt gaue thē a great victorye ouer their enemies so that euery tribe ouercame his enemies for the most part which were yet adioynying to their borders And then when the Israelites obteynyng the victorye did transgresse the commaundements of their god did not cleane destroy the nations which they had ouercome as god had commaunded them yea they made them tributaries vnto them god therfore grieuously admonished them by his messanger bycause they had not onely saued their enemies but also had moste filthyly honoured theyr gods So that god was not wtout a cause angry with them and deliuered them into the handes of outwarde tyrannes But when they were sorye for it and called vpon their god he had compassion of them and raysed them vp Iudges by whom they might be deliuered when they were deliuered they fell agayne to Idolatry they were afflicted againe they repented wherby in course their deliueries and oppressions are set forth But their first oppressiō worthy of memory was vnder Chusan Resanthaim from the which Othoniel the first of al the iudges reuenged them of whom we will speake in his place But now we will put here vnderneth the wordes of the holy history The first Chapter 1 IT came to passe after the death of Iosua that the childrē of Israel asked the Lord sayeng Who shall go vp for vs agaynst the Chananites to fight first agaynst them 2 And the Lorde sayd Iudah shal go vp beholde I haue deliuered the lande into his handes IT semed good vnto the children of Israel to take warre in hande for as it is writtē in the xiii chap. of Iosua they had not yet at this tyme conquered all the promised land so that in euery tribes lotte there were enemyes remayning And when they sawe there was no remedy but that they must dryue them out by force they doubted not whether they shoulde make warre agaynst them but their doubte was whiche tribe should fight before all the other The Israelites aske counsell of God The matter seemed to be of such great importaunce that they asked counsell of god whiche was the chief gouernour of their publicque weale Iosua that worthy captayne was no more a liue at whose becke and pleasure they hanged The Israelites affaires had euill successe whē they were done without God hys counsell Neither yet had they forgotten howe euill successe they had when not long before they toke weighty affaires in hand without asking counsell of God For in their settyng forth to battaill against the citie of Hai they sped very vnluckely in the
must alwayes loke for this when they are afflicted by the goodnesse of god that it would please him to mitigate the temptations and geue thē strength to beare them for as much as he hath promysed by his Apostle so to do For it is written to the Corinthians God is faythfull whiche wil not suffer you to be tempted aboue your power but will with the temptation make a way out But whether god doth stirre vp men to sinnes by temptation shal be afterward declared But now to the history 20 And they gaue Hebron vnto Chaleb as Moyses sayd and he expelled thence the three sonnes of Enak 21 And the children of Beniamin dyd not caste oute the Iebusites that inhabited Ierusalem Wherefore the Iebusites dwelled with the children of Beniamin in Ierusalem vnto thys day Thys sentence is therefore repeated bicause now the warres of the tribe of Iudah are declared of which warres Chaleb without doubt was the captayne Wherefore here is declared what he obteyned Namely those thynges whiche God would haue done as he had spoken by Moyses as it is written in the fyrste chap. of Deut. and .xiii. chap. of Num. and xiiii and xxv chap. of Iosuah But that which is written after it how that the children of Beniamin dyd not caste out the Iebusites that inhabited Ierusalem but dwelled together with them perteyneth to those things which the other tribes had to do with the Chananites and it beginneth with Beniamin for thys cause bycause that tribe was next to Iudah yea and that which is now written of Beniamin The citie of Ierusalem was cōmon to Beniamin Iudah is declared of the tribe of Iudah in the booke of Iosuah toward the ende of the xv chap. And I thynke that that was therfore done bicause the citye of Ierusalem was in the limite of both the tribes and was inhabited together both of them of Iudah and also of the Beniamites Yea and some affyrme that the part of the citye where the temple stoode belonged to the tribe of Beniamin and to that purpose do they wrest that which Iacob the Patriarch sayd on his death bed when he blessed hys sonne Beniamin Beniamin is a rauenyng wolfe early taking hys pray in the morning and deuiding the spoyles at euen thynkyng thys oracle to belong to the morning and euenyng sacrifices of the Temple But howe truly they so doe I will not nowe reason But yet they are not so farre oute of the waye as Augustine whiche drewe the saying of the Patriarche to Paule the Apostle bycause he was of the tribe of Beniamin A fayned tale of the Hebrues I am not ignoraunt how the Hebrues write that the Iebusites were not cast out for thys cause bycause that Iudas and Beniamin would kepe the couenaunt which as it is written in the xxi chapter of Gen. was made betwene Abraham and Abimilech King of the Gerarites where the moste holy Patriarche sware that he woulde not molest neyther the same Abimilech neyther hys children nor yet hys childrens children wherefore seing he and hys posteritye inhabited Ierusalem and hys childrens children liued euen to thys tyme they saye it was not lawfull for the Hebrues for bycause of theyr othe geuen to caste them oute But afterwarde vnder Dauid the tyme of the couenaunte was oute bycause then were the childrens children of Abimilech worne out And for that cause Dauid dyd caste out the Iebusites oute of the citye of Ierusalem as it is written in the latter booke of Samuel the v. chapter But these are but fables yea if we looke in the foresayde booke of Samuell we shall fynde that the strong fenced Castle of that citye was the cause that the Iebusites were not caste oute before For Dauid to the end be would obtayne the castle promised a noble reward to him that coulde conquere it namely that he woulde make hym Captayne of the whole hoste of Israel Two causes why the Iebusites were not expelled oute of Ierusalem whiche office Ioab obtayned bycause he fyrste of all Conquered the Castle There were two causes why they of Iudah and the Beniamites dyd not caste oute the Iebusites out of the citye One was bycause they obeyed not the worde of God as they should haue done wherfore they are muche to bee blamed The other cause was bycause by the prouidence of God and hys moste wyse dispensation the whole victorye of these nations was reserued for Dauid and Salomon For so God abuseth the synnes of men that they hynder not but set forwarde hys Counselles specially for the aduauncyng of hys electe But to retourne to the Hebrues howe shoulde they knowe that the posteritye of Abimilech dwelled in Ierusalem The Scripture testifyeth no suche thyng Neyther can they tel whether Abimilech his stocke belonged to the Iebusites Wherfore let vs leaue their fayned opinion vnto thēselues Ierusalem was in the olde time called Iebus let vs follow this sentence nowe alledged as the truer But this is not to bee ouerskipped that Ierusalem was sometymes called Iebus For as muche as the .xix. chapter of this boke testifyeth the same also the fyrst booke of Paralipomenon in the xi chap. The summe is the Iebusites possessed the castle whiche being well fensed for as much as God had iustly with drawen his helpe for the Hebrewes they could not be dryuen out of it but Beniamin and the tribe of Iudah obtayned the Citie in the meane time Why Saul Dauid triumphed in Ierusalem Vnto whiche citie Saul and Dauid went after they had gotten the victory against the Philistians and Dauid himselfe brought thether the hed of Goliah whom he had slayne Peraduenture that citie semed mete for that triumphe bicause it was cōmon to the tribe of Iudah and Beniamin vnto which tribes Dauid and Saul belonged For as Dauid was of the tribe of Iudah so was Saul a Beniamite And the Iebusites dwelled in Ierusalem vnto this day That is euen to the time of Samuel who is thought to haue written this booke For afterwarde came Dauid when he ruled ouer all Israel and expelled the Iebusites from thence as it is sayd 22 In like maner they that were of the house of Ioseph went vp to Bethel and the Lord was with them 23 And the house of Ioseph caused Bethel to be searched whiche before tyme was called Luz 24 And the spyes saw a man come out of the citie and they said vnto hym shewe vs we pray thee the way into the citie and we wil shew thee mercy 25 And when he had shewed thē the waye into the citie they smote it with the edge of the sworde But let the man and all his houshold go free 26 And the man went into the lande of the Hethites and built a citie and called the name thereof Luz whiche is the name thereof vnto this day After the tribes of Iudah and Beniamin is also declared in a certaine ordre what the other tribes did The house
they dwelled peaceably and quietly among the Chananites Thre synnes of the Hebrues and contrary to the commaundement of God made those nations tributaries vnto them Secondly bicause they contracted matrimonies with that people And that had God prohibited to be done as the law in many places witnesseth Yea and in the booke of Esdras the last chap. we reade of a grieuous complaynt bycause the Iewes in their captiustye in Babilon had taken straungers to wyues And Esdras there decreed that such wiues should be put away God forbyddeth vnlyke maryages that those matrimonies should be counted voide which wer contracted betwene persons prohibited by God And why God would not haue matrimonies so contracted this reason is chiefly alledged bicause by such vnlike matrimonies the worshipping of God is wonderfully empaired For godly husbandes or wiues are by the vngodly parties oftentimes alienated from the true god Neither doth the Scripture onely teache vs this but also experience both in the olde time and also in our time testifieth it For as much as Salomon as it is written in the first boke of the kinges the .xi. chap. was both corrupted and also builded Temples for Idoles by the entisement of straunge women whom he most inordinatelye loued and more than was cōuenient Wherfore he miserably incurred the wrath of god The Iewes also as our historye nowe declareth had experience of the same And we in our time see great hinderaunce to come vnto the beleuers bycause very many of them contract matrimony with Papistes The third synne of the Hebrewes was bicause they worshipped Idoles and that was most of all against the league which they had long before made with god for they sayd we will serue the Lord our god Further it is added And they woorshipped trees or groues Thys woorde Aschera with the Hebrues is a tree and being in the plural number Ascheroth as it is in this place it signifieth trees and of some it is translated groues For it is a most common maner among the Idolatrers Gods wer worshipped in groues to woorship their goddes in groues In Oken groues they sacrificed vnto Iupiter and the Oke of Dodome was in the old time most famous by reason of the answers which it gaue In woods of bay trees was Apollo woorshipped Daphne also is notable wher the Temple of Apollo was built Minerua also was wont to haue a temple among Oliue trees And lastly we may marke both in the Poetes and also in histories that shadowy woods most large riuers mountaines of exceding great height wer counted of the men in the old time places most apt for sacrifices to be done vnto Idoles Bicause such places driue into men no smal admiration Wherefore they thought that such notable places had the power of god present Yea and Abraham also Isaac and Iacob and the old Fathers From whence the maner of sacrificing in hy◠moūtains came offered sacrifices vnto the true god vpon the high mountaines which custome was tyll such time vsed as god by a law ordained that they should not do sacrifice euerye where but in that place onely which he himselfe had chosen 8 Therfore the Lord was angry with Israel and sold them into the handes of Chusan Riseathaim Kyng of Aram-Naharaim the children of Israel serued Chusan Riseathaim eyght yeares Now is particularly mencioned the punishment wherwith god being angry punished the Hebrewes For when they so fel from him that they forgot hym he deliuered them to Chusan King of Mesopotamia And this is the first bondage that the children of Israel were in And that which the Grecians cal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mesopotamia the Hebrues name Aram-naharaim Nahar signifieth with them a Ryuer It is therfore put in the dual number bicause that part Siria or Aram is enclosed with two riuers Euphrates I say and Tigris Of the surname of Chusan Wherfore as touching the signification of the woord the Grecians haue followed the Hebrues But why Chusan was called Riseathaim it is darke Although D. Kimhi thinketh that the surname was geuen him of some certain place as we se to chaūce to Princes of our time which receiue their surname of that places frō whēce their Elders had their beginning But other some thinke that this king was therefore so called bicause he was very wicked and vngodly For with the Hebrues Resehaha signifieth wickednes and vngodlines Wherfore they wil haue it to be as much as if one should say Chusan of vngodlines or vngodly Chusan It is the dual number to declare that he was corrupted not with any simple wickednes or vngodlines but with a doubt that is with a principal and absolute wyckednes or vngodlines And ther wer some of the Hebrues which went about to expresse the double vngodlines of the kings of Mesopotamia For they say that Balaam was hired from thence to curse the Israelites Farther and this say they was the other wickednes wherwith this Chusan oppressed the Iewes which by no right pertained to his dominion or Lordship But these ought rather to be called diuinations and coniectures than iust interpretations They serued hym eyght yeares Vndoubtedly a very long time which I suppose was so much the painfuller vnto them Why the Chaldeans and Sirians went about to gouern the Iewes bicause from their commyng out of Egipt hitherto they had serued none But vnder what pretence this Kyng subdued vnto him the Hebrues it is not declared Peraduenture he thought that the Iewes wer a part of his people sent abroade to inhabite For Abraham was called out of Chaldea and came first into Mesopotamia From whence by the commaundement of God he went into the land of Chanaan Furthermore in that place Iacobs children were borne which wer the Princes of the twelue Tribes This peraduenture wer the titles wherby the Chaldeans and Sirians endeuoured them selues often times to be Lords ouer the Hebrues which thing yet they did vniustly For ther wer no people sent from the Chaldeans or from the Sirians by the common wyll and consent of the Princes and Magistrates whyche should go and inhabite in some place of the land of Chanaan Wherfore they did wrongfullye oppresse the Iewes and were styrred vp thereunto by couetousnes and ambition to enlarge their dominions This is also vncertayn whether this Chusan did together with the Iewes oppresse the Chananites And it maye be that he was not troublesome to the Chananites as to his friendes but onely afflicted the Hebrues Neither wer it absurde to thinke that this king was called by the Chananites to oppresse the Hebrues their common enemies 9 And the children of Israel cryed vnto the Lord and the Lord styrred vp a Sauiour to the children of Israel and saued them one Othoniel the sonne of Chenez Calebs yonger sonne 10 And the spirit of the Lord was vpon him and he iudged Israel and he went out to warre and the Lord deliuered Chusan Riseathaim kyng of Aram into his
highe priest of the old Testament Moreouer what did the high priest Aaron and his successors in the old testament whose office was both morning and euening perpetually to minister at the tabernacle For as thē wer not the courses of the priests distributed by Dauid Salomon and Ezechias Vsed they not their wiues Vndoubtedly they broughte forth children But they say that then it ought to haue bene done forasmuch as the successiō of the priest hode was by carnall propagation neither might the priestes he taken out of any other tribe then out of the tribe of Leui. But nowe that we are losed from that law and that we may euery where haue ministers of the church it is mete that they be without wiues I wil aske these men who was the author that the high priests the priests in the old time should be continued by carnal propagation It is meruelous if they graūt not that God was the author I wil therfore conclude that they make thēselues wiser then god who is most wise who also suffred willed prists to vse matrimony He might haue taken priests out of euery tribe and commaunded continency But he would not do it But these men dare do more then he hath commaunded Farther let them tel vs whether there were ministers in the primatiue church or no The ministers of the primitiue churche had wiues and vsed them Canons of the Apostles vndoubtedly there were yea and those had wyues yet for all that they perpetually both taught and ministred That they had wiues the histories declare the Canons do testifye these Canons in especiall which ar of the Apostles whervnto our aduersaries thinke we must so much leane vnto For there we reade that he is accursed which teacheth that a priest ought to despise his wife I am not ignoraunt that there are certayne wily heades whiche by triflinge wordes do so auoyde the place alledged as though it were onely to be vnderstād as touching meate and drinke and clothing for which thinges they say a prieste ought to prouide for his wife when he is seperated from her As thoughe a wyfe is not more dyspysed from whome the due beneuolence is taken awaye then if she should be neglected as touching meat and drinke and clothing The councel also of Gangrensis decreed Concilium Congrente that he is accursed which putteth difference betwen the oblation of a maried priest from others Here also least they should be counted dum they say that a maried prieste is taken for him whiche was once before maried and not he whyche is presentlye maried whiche they thinke happeneth when eyther the wife is deade or elles if they be seperated the one from the other Who maryed folkes are But graunt which of these two wayes thou wilt yet one of the clergy can not be called a maried man For they are maried folkes whiche both loue together and are not seperated one from an other And that the ministers in the primitiue church had wiues and vsed them the history of Nicolaus the Deacon sufficiently declareth And it is hereby also easely proued bicause if ministers accōpanied not with their wiues Sircius Pelagius and other Romayn Popes should not haue neded to haue made so many prohibicions that it should not frō thence forth be done for these tyrans cōplained that it was so done therfore to theire power by decrees ordināces threatnings they forbad the vse of matrimony to ecclesiastical mē which they should not nede to haue don if such matrimonies had not then bene in vse At the length they deny not but that so it was but they fly to thys that we must haue a respect vnto the times attribute somwhat to necessity For in the primityue church as they say was there a great wāt of ministers wherfore they wer fayne to chose them out of euery state of men therfore ther were very many of them which wer maried at the time But now that the church is encreased we are not vrged with that necessity wherefore iustly it is decreed that onely vnmaried folkes should be chosen The primitiue church had greate aboundance of ministers But I would haue these mē to remember with themselues that in that first tyme when the heat of the holy Ghost did so much abound there were a greate many mo whych were mete for the ministery thē now ar by reason of the great aboundance of grace spiritual giftes Besides that the church when it was extended and increased it then neded many more ministers Farther an other necessitie oppresseth vs more grieuously Men are 〈◊〉 weaker bycause men at this day are more weake than they were then which their Popes also deny not For in the dist 34. chap Fraternitatis Pelagius iudgeth that a certaine Deacon which was to be promoted whiche had cōmitted whoredome and yet hauing a wife of his own should be more gently intreated bycause in these dayes not onely bodies are febled but also vertue and maners If they be not ignoraunt of this weakenes of our times which is farre greater than it was in the olde tyme they ought not from thence to take away the remedy where they perceaue a greater necessitie Neither is it mete that they should dissemble the necessitie of this age whiche obiecting vnto vs the maner of the old Churche dare lay against vs the necessitie therof There is on either side necessitie and therfore if there be a consideration had of the one let there be also a consideration had of the other There are some amongst them which say Whether it be lawfull to mary a wife after orders receaued that ministers in the old tyme had wiues and somtimes vsed them but they deny that after they had taken orders it was at any tyme lawfull to mary wiues Vndoubtedly they erre For in the sinode of Ancyrana as it is written in the decrees the 28. dist chap. Diaconi it is decreed that if a Deacon while he is in ordering Synodus Ancyrana shal deny when the state of cōtinency is required of him and shall testifie that he wil not lyue without a wife if the same Deacon after he is ordeyned do contract matrimony he may not be hindred but may frely execute his ministery By which place we are manifestly taught that it was lawfull to cōtract matrimony after orders receaued ☜ Gratianus Which Gratianus sawe well ynough and therfore he writeth that as touching that Synode a consideration ought to be had both to the time place For it is obserued in the east Church which in promotions of ministers admitte not the promise of continency but as touching time he addeth that as yet this continency of Ministers was not then brought into the Churche but if thou shalt aske when that counsell was had we answere as it also appeareth by the same decrees vnder Syricius and Innocentius which liued in the time of Ierome and Augustine But it is a
Beniamin and agaynst the house of Ephraim And Israel was in verye great miserye 10 And the chyldren of Israel cryed vnto the Lorde saying Wee haue synned agaynst thee euen bicause we haue forsaken our God and haue serued Baalim When they heaped synnes vpon synnes the latter sinnes wer alwaies more grieuous then the first And this is not to bee passed ouer that they are sayde to haue synned in the syght of the Lord for the world otherwise is often times deceaued and the iudgement of men many times either aloweth or excuseth sins And the euyl which the Israelites are sayde to haue done was nothing els but Idolatry As soone as the good Princes were dead the people easely fel to worshipping of Idoles and why they were so prone to this wicked crime there may be many causes alledged Why the Israelites were so prone vnto idolatry Fyrst they sawe that the Nations which were nyghe vnto them when they woorshipped Idoles floorished in all kinde of riches and honors but they thēselues wer wonderfully oppressed with penury of thinges Wherfore they thought that the Gods of those nacions were both better more bountiful then their own God They considered that they them selues whyche woorshipped but one God were fewe in the number but there was an infinite number which woorshipped Idoles And as they detested the ceremonies and holye seruices of other Nations so on the other syde other Nacions bothe abhorred them and also vexed them with contumelies Lastly the woorshipping of the true God was more seuere and after a sort more sadde it hadde no pleasure no chalenging of battayl one with an other no stage playes no daūcings no running at tylts no Comodies no Tragedies all which thynges they sawe were vsed in the woorshipping of Idoles yea and also often times were added most vyle and fylthy thinges And forasmuch as the nature of man is of it selfe ready vnto pleasures hereof it came that they turned vnto straunge holy seruices And vndoubtedly the same causes in our time doo moue the myndes of many and therfore manye cleaue vnto the Papistes whom they see to lyue muche more pleasantly and to floorish in goods and riches they see also that they are more in number in Italy in Spaine and in Fraunce then we are Bicause also they thinke that they are infamed and reproched when they ar called Schismatikes and Heretikes And lastly bicause our ceremonies as touching the senses of the flesh are dry and without pleasures they haue no copes no descant synging no musical Organes nor stage play Masses Hereof come these defaultes and fallinges of many I might also adde that many say their fathers lyued so and died in that religion The stubdernnrs of the Iewes agaynste God which reasō is with many of great force Such things without doubt did the Iewes thinke vpon But it is marueilous to behold their stubburnnes It seemeth that they had wholy bent their mindes perpetually to resist their God When God would haue them to obserue his ceremonies they sought for other ceremonies at the hands of the people that wer nigh vnto thē And for as muche as God hath nowe decreed that those ceremonies shoulde by Christ be made of none effect and they wyl styl keepe them they doo therin that which ouerthwart wiues are wont to do when the husband wyl they wyl not when he wyll not then they again wyll They did not onely woorship Baal and Astharoth but also the Gods of Aram Zidon the Gods of the Moabites and of the children of Ammon and also the Gods of the Pelisthims If we marke the number they woorshipped seuen kyndes of Idoles And forsooke the Lord. They did not onely follow straunge Gods but also forsooke the woorshipping of the true God There is a certaine Emphasis in this woorde forsooke It signifieth as much as if it should haue bene said They would not so much as haue the woorshipping of the true God named neyther made they any more mencion of it Wherfore the wrath of the Lorde kindled against them and he deliuered them into the handes of the Philistians c. Whē they forsooke the true God he againe tooke away from them his helpe and sold them to the Philistians and Ammonites whom they so serued as thoughe they had bene their bondslaues And the yoke of the Ammonites was much more greuous then the yoke of the Philistians Wherfore Iiphtah tooke in hande warre singularly against the Ammonites as against the chief vexers of the Israelites Farthermore let vs marke that euen the self same yeare wherin Iair died they were vexed and oppressed of their enemies The Lorde taried not straightwaye after the death of the Iudge hee beganne to afflict the people In whyche place we must note that most stronge Nations so soone as they are destitute of God are easelye without anye a doo conquered and ouerthrowne of their enemyes For it is God onely which geueth power and strength and therefore the Israelites were straightway oppressed of their enemies bicause the Lord had forsaken them for God is not onely the efficient cause of might and rule but also it is he that keepeth and preserueth it They oppressed vniuersally al the children of Israel For they kept not them selues within any bondes but wandred and made rodes through out al the borders of the Hebrues which thing is noted by these woordes Yea and they passed ouer Iordan The tribes of Ruben Gad The request of the twoo tribes the halfe tribe was vnwyse and part of Manasses dwelled on this syde Iordan For all that region was verye fertile therefore they required it of Moses when the other tribes were not yet passed ouer Iordan but they did not wel marke what they desired for although it wer a most fat and fertill countrye yet was it alwaies in greater daunger For often times their next enemies made rodes into their landes And this is very cōmonly sene that men are more careful for gaine then for health but the Ammonites did not onely rob and spoyle those tribes but they also miserably afflicted al Israel When they had passed ouer Iordan they would also fight against Iuda Beniamin and Ephraim which were of al the tribes most noble Wherfore we must beleue that they raged against al the Hebrues VVherfore the Israelites were aboue measure oppressed And they cryed vnto the Lord. When they were but a litle oppressed they were nothing moued but when they wer farther vexed and most grieuouslye afflicted What God hathe a respect vnto in the punishmēts wherwith hee punysheth synners they began to turne to God and cryed vnto him Neither did they that lightly but weeping repented from the hart confessed their sinne implored his ayde This thing onely God regardeth when he afflicteth his people with aduersitye where wordes wil not serue he addeth stripes and vexations which are certain vehement sermons towarde the stiffer sorte and are of great force towarde the godly and
also happeneth in prescriptioÌ„ when a maÌ„ is cast out of his possessioÌ„ or the matter is called into law the matter is in plead the prescription is broken Also the allowyng of the contradictory iudgement ought to be had that is that when one part alledgeth the custome and an other part denyeth it if it be pronouÌ„ced on the custome side that doth confirme it But all these thynges as I haue before sayde must be reuoked vnto the rule of the woorde of God A custome that is burdenous to the Church is not to be suffred Augustine Now this onely is to be added whiche is had Extra de Consuet chap. 1. that a custome can not be suffred if it be burdenous to the Church Augustine also coÌ„playned that in his tyme were so many new ceremonyes rites brought in that the Church was greuously burdened and the state of Christians at the tyme was nothing at all more tollerable then in the old tyme the state of the Iewes was That also we laye agaynst our aduersaryes that the Churche should not be burdened This is their owne lawe Why do they not acknowledge their owne wordes These things haue I therfore mencioned that we might vnderstand how firme an argument Iiphtah vsed of Prescription namely that the Israelites possessed that land .300 yeares whiche is much more firme and of greater force then if they had possessed it but .30 or .40 yeares Now let vs go to the other part of the chap. wherin Iyphtahs victory agaynst the Ammonites is described 29 Then the spirite of the Lord came vpon Iiphtah and he passed ouer to Gilead to Manasseh he passed ouer also Mizpa Gilead from Mizpa Gilead he went to the children of Ammon 30 And Iiphtah vowed a vowe vnto the Lorde and sayd If thou shalt deliuer the children of Ammon into myne hand 31 Then that thing that commeth out of the dores of my house to meete me when I returne in peace from the children of Ammon shall be the Lordes or I will offer it for a burnt offring 32 And so Iiphtah went vnto the children of Ammon to fight agaynst them and the Lord deliuered them into his handes 33 And he smote them from Aroer euen till thou come to Minnith twenty Cityes and eueÌ„ to Abel a very great region of vineyardes Thus the children of Ammon were humbled before the chyldren of Israell Two Mizpas Mizpa Gilead is an other City differyng from that Mizpa whiche lay in the tribe of Iudah The spirite of the Lord which is sayd to haue come vpon Iiphtah was the spirite of strength For there are sundry gifts of the spirite as of Wisedome of Vnderstandyng of Counsell c. Among which also is reckened the spirite of strength Wherfore the Lord gaue vnto Iiphtah this spirite that is all warlike might as well of the minde as of the body that he might valiantly execute that warre But we knowe that those giftes whiche in schooles are called gratuita that is free giftes Fre gifts iustify not do not iustifie for they happen as well to the euill as to the good But the spirit of god is three maner of wayes in men First in that he is god for so he is infinite is euery where SecoÌ„dly he is in men by fre gifts namely of miracles The holy ghost is thrâ—â— maner of wayes in meÌ„ wisedome strength c. And these two wayes he is as wel in the euill as in the good But the third way he is men by sanctification and renouation And this dwellyng of the spirite of God is to be wished for of all the godly God had before ordeyned Iiphtah to he head ouer al the people of Israell but that was vnknowen vnto the people And the Gileadites when they made Iiphtah theyr captayne thought nothyng of a Iudge whiche should gouerne all Israell Here God sheweth his iudgement when he inspired hym with the gift of strength that all men might vnderstand that God had chosen him to be captayne Neither yet do I thus say that Iiphtah had the spirite of strength as thoughe he had not also the spirit of sanctification for as much as he might haue both But being moued with this spirite of strength he went out with a great courage and finished the thing valiantly Captaines wâ—r wont to vowe But before he went to handstrokes he vowed a vow vnto god as the History declareth It was the maner of Captaines that when they should make any great warre they vowed something to God so that they got the victory In Leui we rede ofteÌ„tymes that the Romayne Captaynes vowed riche spoiles prayes temples and such like either vnto Iupiter or vnto Apollo or to other Gods So the people of god as it is written in the boke of Numbers when king Adar inuaded them they vowed to make his land Cherem Nowe also Iiphtah voweth but his vowe is confused and defineth no certayne thing VVhat soeuer saith he shall come forth that shal be the Lordes and shal be sacrificed There are some expositors whiche thinke this letter Vau otherwise a copulatiue to make in thys place a disiunction as thoughe he should haue sayd Either it shal be sacrified vnto the Lord if it be of that kynd that it may be sacrificed or if it be not yet it shal be the Lordes that is it shal be dedicated vnto the Lord. And in deede D. Kimhi is of that opinion Kimhi The like manner of speakyng is there in these wordes If a man strike father and mother he shall dye the death for there also Vau is a disiunctiue And the meanyng is If a man strike either father or mother c. Herein what I thinke I do not declare I will afterward intreate more largely of this matter It is not gathered by these wordes Iiphtah vowed not by the inspiration of the holy ghost the Iiphtah made this vowe by the inspiration of the holy ghost The spirite in deede moued hym valiantly to atchieue the enterprise yet we rede not that it moued hym to make a vowe The Latine translation hath That whiche shall first come forth but the worde first is not in the Hebrew but must nedes be vnderstand otherwise he had bound all thinges that should come forth of his house But as I haue said it is an ambigous confused vowe For what if such a thyng should haue met him as myght neither haue ben sacrificed nor dedicated to the Lorde What if a dogge had met Iiphtah at his returne as it is a louing beast and oftentymes meeteth his Lord returnyng home But it is an vncleane beast neither may it be sacrificed nor redemed with any price It is wonderfull that so great a Captayne was so ignoraÌ„t of the law of God that he vowed not more distinctly It may be sayd that the Israelites had so longe tyme worshipped Baal vnder the Ammonites and other nations that they had forgotten the worshipping of the
oppressed of theyr enemies And that Iiphtah was stirred vp by the sprite to bear rule But before God aunsweareth the very sharpely For he sayd I will not helpe you bycause you alwayes returne vnto your Idoles and forsake me But rather cal vpon your gods let them helpe you Which words when the people heard they repented put away frō them their idols which they had made But this idole which is now spokē of These thinges seme to haue happened after the deathe of Samson indured to the time of Samuel Wherfore it cānot seme probable that it was done at that time The order of the holy scriptures is of most high authority with me and therfore I thinke that these things happened after the death of Sāson Forasmuch as frō that time euen to Heli there wer many yeares passed wherin the Philistians possessed the land of the Iewes neither suffred they any magistrate to be ouer thē Iosephus Iosephus agreeth with the Rabbines but he is many times deceued Wherfore it shal be best to follow that opinion which agreeth with the simple order of the holy history Howbeit ther is one thing which semeth to be a let An obiection namely if a man rekē the yeares frō Samsō vnto Saul he shal find thē to be scarse .60 or at the most .70 And whē as by reasō of filthy whoredom the tribe of Beniamin was almost brought to nothing and they which remained of it had no wiues but those which they got by violence how could it be that in so short a time it should so much encrease the Saule was out of that tribe chosen a king This argumēt hath a certain shew but it is not firme nor sound inough if a man more deligentlye examine it For although there were but a fewe remayninge of that tribe yet were they not so few but they mought very much multiply For there escaped sixe hundreth mē of warre who had wiues geuen them partly of the men of Iabes Gilead and partly by violence And sixe hundreth men wer able in the space of .60 or .70 yeares to beget a great yssue and to se theyr childrens children They could not indede be so many as to be equall with the other tribes but yet they might encrease to a sufficient numbre But that is farre more harde whyche is obiected concernynge Pinhas An other obiection namelye that hee remayned on lyue euen to the tyme of the warres of the Beniamites Whiche if it be so then muste he be at that time .300 yeares of age Therfore some thinke that it is more commodious to draw backe this historye vnto the beginninge of the Iudges But I see not what should let but that god might permit him to liue so longe For when he had slaine a prince of Israell a Madianitish woman when they were committing whoredome god graunted him not onely to succede his father in the priesthode but also gaue him very long to liue D. Kimhi But vndoubtedly I chiefely allow the order and course of the historye from which vnlesse great necessity vrge I will not depart And in this sentence I follow the iudgement of Dauid Kimhi whose authority in expounding of the texte I thinke is not to bee contemned Yea and all the Hebrewes in a manner agree in this that Pinhas liued a very long time and there are some whiche produce his age euen vnto the time of Elias the Prophete Vnto whome I doo not agree bicause no necessity compelleth me thervnto Howbeit as cōcerning this thinge I will not much striue But I leaue it free to euery willing mind to follow which opinion he will And in this history first I marke the institution of idolatry then the consecration of a priest which was twise doone For firste Micha instituted his sonne a prieste and then when by chaunce he met with a Leuite he made him a priest But wherefore was this ido le made What a vowe is For her vowes sake For the promise of the mother of Micha was not simple but with a vow And a vow as al deuines affirme is a holy promise made to God of thinges which are ours Wherefore it must nedes be that this woman was a widow with whome paraduenture her sonne dwelled For if she had beene a wife or a maiden vnmaried or a widowe in the house of her father shee coulde not haue vowed a firme vowe as it manifestly appeareth by the booke of Numb Those persons might not vowe with out the consent of their father or husbād For the law ordeined that if they wer against it the vow should then be voide Hanna did in dede vowe in the firste of Samuell but we must beleue that Helkana her husbande confirmed her vowe This woman sinned not bicause shee vowed but bicause shee vowed a thinge vngodlye namely an idole For it was at that time lawefull for anye to vowe anye thinge of his owne thinges for the adorninge of the temple of God and to amplify his honor But to institute a new and forbidden worshippinge it was vtterly vngodly The sonne had stolen from his mother that money neyther is it any maruall if he would steale whych was so redy to idolatry He which sinneth against the first table doth easely sinne against the second The mother curseth the theefe whosoeuer he were neyther doth she so greuously take the matter for the money taken away as for that she could not performe her detestable vow And she curseth as men in a manner vse to do in aduersities Yea and God himself also vsed curses in the old testament in the assembly to the mount Hebal Garizim The priest also cursedly prayed for barēnes diseases losse of children and other thinges of like sorte And in our time the Pope Women do easely fall to cursinges by what wicked zeale I know not in the day of the supper of the Lord sēdeth forth curses vpon all those whiche haue alienated themselues from his institution and sect This woman cursed the theef and no maruaile Bycause women when they fail in strength do easely fall to cursinges The sonne as soone as he heard the curse of his mother was a feard For so hath nature ordeined that children do wonderfully feare the curses of their parents But this man feared not to violate the lawe of God which thing happeneth not seldome vnto men to haue horror of small sinnes and to neglect them that ar more grieuous Ther is some fruit somtimes of curses euen as of excōmunicatiō Ther ar some somtimes so hard obdurated that they can be bowed by no other meanes then by curses although they be corrected by publike and apert reprehēsion But whither this sonne knew that his mother had by a vow dedicated that mony vnto the Lord before he tooke it away it appeareth not by the wordes of the history Neither is this to be passed ouer in that the mother sayth that she had consecrated it vnto the lord
when hee consecrated Aaron and his sonnes did put in their handes sweete cakes the shoulder breste and other thynges whyche by them should be offred vnto god Now is the idolatry instituted But how could that be doone in Israell Bycause saith the history ther was no king in Israel but euery man did that which semed right in his owne eies By these words is declared that it was a wicked and detestable acte that the mother and the sonne committed If ther had bene a law full magistrate who oughte chieflye to haue a regarde to the worshippinge of God and obseruation of the firste table this hadde not beene permitted nor suffred vnpunished Wherefore let it not seeme meruailous if the lawe slepte For there was no Magistrate whyche shoulde haue beene the keeper thereof And if at any tyme there be Magistrates whiche haue no care of these things bycause they execute not their office it is all one as if there were none Publique wealthes do ofteÌ„tymes degenerate a kingdome into Tyranny Aristocratia into Oligarchia a publique wealth into Anarchia an vnrulines of the people Anarchia whiche is wâ—â— of a ruler is a destructioÌ„ o publique wealths that euery man doth what himselfe listeth And there is nothing in the society of meÌ„ more pernicious then that euery man should follow his owne will For our nature is corrupt vitiated therfore whosoeuer followeth it onely as a leader must nedes exceedingly erre But a law is a true minde and a firme and sure rule of men in doyng of thinges Plato in Cratilo elegantly sayth As we call the mynde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so call we the lawe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an abydyng stable minde otherwise the minde of men is wandring For the whiche seemeth good vnto one the same seemeth not so vnto an other Neither doth one and the selfe same maÌ„ abide alwayes in one and the selfe same opinion Wherfore for as much as all thinges are vncertayne as often as any man doth that whiche seemeth good in his owne eyes for the most part he strayeth from the true end 7 There was also a yong man out of Bethelehem Iudah of the familie of Iudah who was a Leuite and soiourned there 8 And the man departed out of the Citie eueÌ„ out of BethleheÌ„ Iudah to dwell where he coulde finde a place and as he iourneied he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micha 9 And Micha sayd vnto hym whence coÌ„mest thou And the Leuite answered him I come from BethleheÌ„ Iudah go to dwell where I may finde a place 10 Then Micha sayd vnto hym Dwell with me and be vnto me a father a Priest I will geue thee ten peeces of Siluer by yeare a sute of apparell thy meat and drinke So the Leuite went in 11 And the Leuite was content to dwell with the man the yong man was vnto hym as one of his owne sonnes 12 And Micha consecrated the hand of the Leuite and the younge man was his Priest and dwelled in the house of Micha 13 Then sayd Micha Now I knowe that the Lorde will be good vnto me seyng I haue a Leuite to my Priest Here is set forth the consecration of an other Priest For by chauÌ„se there coÌ„meth a younge man of the tribe of Leui whom Micha hyreth to minister in hys holy seruices and remoueth his sonne from the priesthood And the Leuite soiorned to find out a place where he might get his liuing for he desired a state of life Micha receaueth him to be his priest By this Hystory is gathered Idolatrous worshippyngs do imitate the true worshypping of God the idolatrous worshippings although they be coÌ„trary to the institution of god yet they enterprise as much as may be that they may be like vnto it For euen as Apes wil seeme to be men although they be not men in deede so idolatrers although they worshippe not the true God yet they will seeme to worship hym For they labor to retayne some shewe of his worshipping as much as may be So Micha that he might seeme to worship the true God rightly instituted an Ephod a temple and a Priesthode Lastly bycause he would not much straye from the institution of God he ordreth a Leuite ouer his holy seruices and ceremonyes The Leuites wandred hether thether The tribe of Leui was dispersed amonge other tribes For that tribe was disparsed among the other tribes In whiche thing we must remember the maner of the publique wealth of Israel The other tribes had landes and possessions and conteyned theÌ„ selues in some certayne regions But the Leuites dwelled dispersedly among them that they might the easelyer minister vnto them The Leuites in deede had their Cities also but many of them wandred abrode through other tribes This younge man was of Bethlehem which perteyned vnto the tribe of Iudah But it may be demaunded if he were a Leuite howe he belonged vnto the tribe of Iudah There are some whiche thinke that he had a Leuite vnto his father but his mother was of the tribe of Iudah For tribes were oftentymes mingled as concernyng matrimonyes D. Kimhi But Dauid Kimhi somewhat doubteth concernyng that thing For he sayth it is not the maner of the holy Scriptures for the sonnes to deriue his tribe or famely of his mother Other aunswere that whiche Kimhi sayth is for the most part true but not alwayes For if the mother wer an inheritor the sonne had his surname of her and to proue this true they alledge a place of the .2 booke of Paralp where Ezron of the tribe of Iudah toke to wife the daughter of Machor of the tribe of Manasseh the children which he had by her were named by the name of their grandfather on the mothers side were called the children of Machor And that was done bycause the mother was an heire of 30 Cities So it may be that this young mans mother was an inheritor of Bethlelem of the tribe of Iudah But me thinketh these thinges are spoken superfluously The Cityes called Bethlehem peradueÌ„ture not very truly For it is sayd a young man of the tribe of Leui of Bethlehem Iuda And in that it is agayne added of Iuda the ought to be referred vnto Bethlehem that it might be separated from the other Bethlehem that lay in the tribe of Zabulon If we fellowe this interpretation then is there no ambiguity But how dwelled the Leuite in Bethlehem Not vndoubtedly as a Citezine but as a straunger and he wandred abrode to seke his lyuing Wherfore it is not very likely that his mother was an inheritor when as he was compelled to seeke his lyuing beggingly Why the tenthes were not at this tyme geuen vnto the Leuites And that the Leuite so wandred abrode being compelled by huÌ„ger was not for lacke of order by
of Dan sought theÌ„ an inheritauÌ„ce to dwell in for vnto that tyme their inheritauÌ„ce had not fallen vnto them among the tribes of Israel 2 Therfore the childreÌ„ of Dan sent of their famely fyue men out of their coastes valiaunt men out of Zora and Eshtaol to vew the land and diligently to searche it out they sayd vnto them Go searche out the land Then they came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micha and lodged there 3 And when they were nyghe the house of Micha they knewe the voyce of the younge man the Leuite and they turned in there and sayd vnto hym who brought thee hyther What makest thou here and what hast thou to doo here 4 And he aunswered them Thus and thus doth Micha vnto me and hath hyred me to be his Priest 5 And they sayd vnto him Aske counsell I praye thee of God that we may know whither he will prosper the way wherby we walke 6 And the Priest sayd vnto them Go in peace Your waye whereby ye walke is before the Lord. In that it is sayd there was no kyng in Israell is signified that it is not to bee meruayled The Danites were left destitute of their brethren that Religion and the Publique wealth was then troubled There was no Magistrate which shuld iustly haue punished these sinnes By this place is vnderstand that the Danites wer left destitute of their brethreÌ„ when they should get their possession whiche thinge vndoubtedly should not haue bene done for they ought euery tribe one to haue helped an other in getting their inheritauÌ„ce For so had Moses Iosuah prescribed them before but the Israelites forgettyng theyr brethren studyed euery man by himselfe for his owne commodity and profite The vtility of a Magistrate Hereof sprang Idolatry and the takyng away of other mens goods bycause there was neither kynge nor Magistrate to restrayne these euilles Hereby we maye knowe howe muche a Magistrate is to be made of Who if he bee good then keepeth in he good order both the publique wealth the worshyppyng of god For he is the keeper as wel of the first table as also the latter Neither hath he a care onely for the bodyes of his Citezins but also for their soules And howe ill soeuer the Magistrate be yet to defende the common society of men he many wayes profiteth the publique wealth But now al things were decayed bycause the publique wealth was destitute both of a king also of a Magistrate They were not depriued of this good thyng by the institution of God but by theyr owne sinne whereby they were deliuered into the power of the Philistines An obiectioÌ„ touching the primitiue Churche But thou wilt say did not Christian men so in the primitiue Churche For they had not their Magistrates but were most cruelly vexed of tyrannes That is true in deede but in the meane tyme they had very excellent Ministers of the Churche and therewith all most aboundaunt and greate benefites of the holy ghost And when the Apostles wrought wonderfull miracles there seemed to be the les want of a Christian Magistrate Paul by a great power of the holy Ghost made blind Elimas the sorcerer Heresies increase vnles the Magistrate represse them Peter slewe Ananias and Saphira They deliuered vnto SathaÌ„ such as were past correction Howbeit in the meane tyme increased many heresies bycause there was no Magistrate to keepe them downe euen as now in Israel when they wanted their princes Idolatry crept in Afterward wer geuen vnto the Church both Christian princes Magistrates and therewithall there ceased such giftes of the holy Ghost bycause they seemed not so necessary when Christian Schooles Christian Phisitions and Christian Iudges happened vnto the Churche ¶ Of the head of the Churche THis place the Papistes obiect vnto vs An obiection of the Papistes thinke that it maketh very much to establish their tyraÌ„ny Se say they hereof sproÌ„g so many sectes heresies amoÌ„g you bycause ye haue not an Ecclesiastical Magistrate for that ye haue fallen froÌ„ the onely head of the Church Wherfore that the state of the Churche may be the quieter there must be one head therof in earth But we neither wil nor may suffer this bycause it is manifestly repugnant vnto the word of God We acknowledge one head of the Church that is Christ from whom we fele that both lyfe spirite floweth and spreddeth abrode into all the rest of the body But they say there must also be an other head of the Church For Christ say they is the head as touching the soule and iustification But there must be an other head also concernyng the retayning of outward rites and ceremonies for the wedyng out of heresies to vnite Churches together To this we say that it is sufficient that euery Church haue his minister or Byshop who may dispense the word of God and the Sacramentes retayne discipline as much as may be But that there should be some one man to gouerne all the rest neither is it necessary neither ought it to be suffred bycause as I haue sayd the head is from whence lyfe and spirite is deriued into all the body And such a head is Christ onely God woulde haue in the Churche not one Minister onely but many And we must marke the institution of GOD who would haue many Ministers in the Churche For so is it written vnto the Ephesians Christ hath ascended into heauen and hath led captiuity captiue and geuen gyftes vnto men And that we should vnderstande howe he hath geuen them it is added Some he hath gâ—uen Apostles some he hath geuen Prophetes some Euangelistes some Pastors and teachers for the renewyng of the saintes into the worke of administration for the edification of the body of Christ wherfore to builde the body of Christ God wil haue many and sundry gyftes of the spirite and Ministeryes retayned in the Churche Let these men euery one execute his office let them conferre together if there happen any controuersy and if neede be let them assemble together to Synodes But that euery controuersy should be referred vnto the Byshoppe of Rome and that all men shoulde obey the Pope onely it is intollerable and vtterly Tyrannicall Neither doo the Popes contayn themselues Popes do also chauÌ„ge the institutions of God to excercise power onely in outwarde thinges but also they chaunge the institutions of God and rules of religion Which thyng we haue now had experieÌ„ce of to the great hurt of the Church It is a very good saying whiche the Apostle hath vnto the Romanes in the .12 chap. Euen as in one body we haue many meÌ„bers but all meÌ„bers haue not one the selfe same office so we being many are one body in Christ euery one the members of others hauing sundry giftes according vnto the grace geueÌ„ vnto vs. And the same things in a maner are written in the .1 to the
of the tribe of Beniamin but to all Schebat in Hebrue is a tribe but here it is taken for a famely And in very dede tribes wer nothing els then famelies comming of the Patriarches namely the children of Iacob But the tribe of Beniamin had ten famelies Beniamin had ten faâ—elies R. Selomoh who toke their names of their first Parentes And those ten famelies were so notable and aboundant that R. Selomoh saith that Rachel after a sort brought forth twelue tribes that is ther came out of Beniamin ten famelies which myght bee likened vnto ten tribes Farther of Ioseph were borne Ephraim and Manasses Wherfore the Tribe of Beniamin was very populous and mighty Whereby also it came to passe that they trusted to much in their own strength and thought that they were able to resist al Israell Wherfore they would neither deliuer the guiltye nor yet punish them For they thought it ignominious vnto them if they should haue don either of them They would not geue place to sound counsels wherefore they could not deny but that warre was iustlye made against them which by honest meanes they might haue auoided But the rest of the people are to bee praysed bicause they with so great moderacion tooke in hande so great a matter Fyrst A comparyson betwene the people and the BeÌ„iamites they would know the cause then sende messengers to require that the guiltye might be put to death lastly they would assay althinges rather then they would make war against their brethren On the contrarye syde the Beniamites doo al thinges peruerslye they take no counsel they neither deny nor excuse their act they wyll not deliuer the guilty but prepare them selues to defende And so for the wickednes of a fewe they contaminate them selues all And as Paul sayth to the Romanes they do not onelye euyll them selues but also consent to them that doo euyl Neither could they excuse themselues by ignoraunce of the law which they had so often heard They acknowledge that the wycked act was most grieuous which yet they allow in defending the guilty 14 But the children of Beniamin gathered them selues together out of the Cities into Gibea to go out and fyght agaynst the chyldren of Israel 15 And the children of Beniamin were numbred at that tyme .26 thousand men that drew swoorde besides the inhabiters of Gibea whych were numbred .vi. hundreth chosen men 16 Of al this people there were .7 hundreth chosen men that were shut in their ryght hande all these coulde slyng stones at an heare breadth and not fayle 17 Also the men of Israel beside Beniamin were numbred .400 thousand men that drew sword Al these wer men of warre 18 And they arose vp and went vp to Bethel and asked of God the children of Israel sayd which of vs shal go vp firste to fyght agaynst the chyldren of Beniamin And the Lord sayde Iuda shall be fyrst 19 Then the chyldren of Israell rose vp earelye and camped agaynst Gibea 20 The men of Israel I say went out to battaile agaynst Beniamin and the men of Israel put them selues in aray to fight against them besyde Gibea 21 And the chyldren of Beniamin came oute of Gibea and slewe downe to the ground of the Israelites that day .xxii. thousand meÌ„ 22 And the people the men of Israel plucked vp their hartes and set their battayle agayne in aray in the place where they put them in a ray the fyrst day 23 And the children of Israel went vp and asked the Lord saying Shal I go agayne to battayle agaynste the chyldren of Beniamin my brethren And the Lord sayd Go vp against them 24 Then the chyldren of Israel came neare the chyldren of Beniamin the second day 25 And the second day Beniamin came forth to meete them out of Gibea and slew downe to the grounde of the chyldren of Israel agayne .xviii. thousand men Al they could handle the swoord The Beniamites assembled together to Gibea bicause they saw al the brunt of the battail bent thitherwarde They tooke out the choyce of their soldiours wherein were not comprehended the inhabiters of Gibea which were in number sixe hundreth men of warre and men picked out And it is added for a thyng wonderful that there were of the Beniamites seuen hundreth which had an impediment in their right handes but vsed slynges leuened so nye that they missed not euen an heare bredth What hande is said to be closed It is saide that they had their handes closed bycause the sinews wer bound neither could the spirites haue their mouings frely For which cause they were vnapt to draw swordes The latin translacion hath ambi dexteros bicause they could vse both handes as though either hand were the right hand Leafthanded And they which excuse this translacion do say that they so vsed the leaft hand as if they had had no right hand I thinke rather that they were leaft handed But in that it is added that they leueled so rightly that they missed not a heare bredth Hyperbole I thinke it be spoken by this figure Hiperbole wherby their cunning and industry might the more be commended In the Hebrue it is read that the Beniamites had .xxvi. thousande soldiours But in the latin interpretacioÌ„ are put onely .xxv. thousaÌ„d for this cause as I suppose bicause in that last conflict wherein the Beniamites were ouerthrowen we reade onely of .xxv. thousand that were slaine Wherfore if a man compare the first number with the latter there are a thousand ouer whom other thinke that when their host was discomfited and thinges past all hope they turned backe fled into Europe D. Kimhi But Kimhi thinketh more rightlye that they were myssing when the Beniamites got the vpper hand in those twoo first conflictes For it is not credible that they so ouercame that they lost none of their soldiours Wherfore if thou adde them vnto the .xxv. thousand which fel in the third battail then is the whole number of .xxvi. thousande explete These thinges I knowe are of smal waight which yet I thought good to note bicause the Rabbines haue written many thinges of them and the translacions do differ When the soldiours were chosen out and al thinges set in an order the Israelites send to Bethel and aske counsel of God The Arke of the Lorde was at that time in Siloh Bethel is not alwaies the proper name of a place and from thence wer geuen answers And Bethel in this place is not the name of a City but is takeÌ„ for the house of God and signifieth a place where the Arke of the couenant remained Farther Siloh was not farre from Gibea wherfore it was no hard matter for the Israelites to send thether to aske counsel of God They asked the Lord which tribe should haue the fyrst place in the battayle for some one tribe must nedes be the first Answer was made that this should be geuen vnto the tribe of Iuda
therof as we do Wherfore Paule sayth trulye vnto the Corrinthians All did eate of one and the self same spirituall meate and all dronke of one and the selfe same spirituall drinke And they dronke of the spirituall rocke following them And that rocke was Christ Wherefore the elders had theyr misteries and sacraments whereby they also embrased Christ And vndoubtedly as touching the thing they had the same that we haue the difference was onely in the Simboles But Augustine noteth in theÌ„ certaine other differences Augustine Differences betwene the Sacramentes of the elders and ours which here to rehearse shal not be vnprofitable Firste they hadde manye sacramentes and wee but few the Simboles of our sacraments are water bread and wine they had oxen calues shepe gotes doues turtle doues bread wine oyle such other like Farther the condicion of our sacramentes is diuerse from the equality of theirs for theyrs were more greuous but oures are by Christe made both easier and also lighter Moreouer those simboles that were geuen vnto them were conteined in one country onely but ours ar common to the whole world Farther in them Christ was setforth as he which should come but to vs as he which is now alredye come But as touchinge saluation there is no difference For the same saluation and the same Christ was offred vnto them which is settefoorth vnto vs. This is also to be added that our Sacraments are more manifest and excellent for asmuch as they haue more manyfest woordes of Christ and his redemption which make fayth more ful And therfore the sprite is now had more aboundaÌ„tly then it was in that time if we speake of the coÌ„mon state of men For I speake not of persons singularely neither do I thinke that Abraham had lesse faith and sprite then christian men now haue But now let vs returne vnto the history The hebrewes when they were afflicted fled vnto God by Christ who was set before them in their sacrifices and was there apprehended by fayth Therehence was all the vtility of their sacrifices to the offring or receiuinge wherof it was not lawfull to come rashly otherwise they should haue beene to their hurt and should haue kindled the wrath of God against them which thinge Paul hath very well admonished vs of saying He whiche eateth or drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh vnto himself damnation What the purifications of the Elders signified Wherefore in the law there were many purifications sprinkelings and washinges before they came vnto the holy seruices And these men now repent and throwe themselues downe vnto the ground wepinge before the Lorde for they were touched with the bitternes and greuousnes of their sinnes When god had heard the prayers of the Israelites and had promised to deliuer the Beniamites into theyr handes he ministred also vnto them secrete and sound counsels namely that they shoulde in a conuenient place lay an embushmeÌ„t and making as though they would flee draw away their enemies from the cities that afterwarde they mighte oppresse them both before and behinde They had among them contrary counsels The counsels of the Bâ—niamits and of the Israelites are diuerse The like poletike deuise in the boke of Iosuah The Beniamites sayd They flee let vs follow them and oppresse them as they are fleing The Israelites contrarily said Let vs geue place vnto the Beniamites hat they may follow vs more insolently and securely For we will stoppe them of their returne into the city We reade of the like pollicy of warre in the booke of Iosua when the city of Hais was assalted It is now writteÌ„ that god himself smote them For it is said And god made Beniamin to fall before the Israelits least the victory should seme to be attributed either vnto the strengthes of the Israelites or to theyr pollitique deuyse The whole suÌ„me of those which were slayn were .25 thousand The order of this history might seme somewhat trobulesome which yet if it be apart coÌ„sidered perticulerly shal be the better vnderstanded For at the first conf ict were slaine of the Beniamites 18000. then when they fled into the desert .5000 lastly when they fled to Gibea .2000 all whyche summes added together doo make the full nomber of .25000 The city ascended vp to heauen Here is the figure Hiperbole whereby is signified either that the smoke of the citye ascended vp into heauen or that els all the riches thereof which were now on fire and turned into smoke ascended vp into heauen The Beniamites being in extreme daunger loke backe vnto the city as though there they should haue found succor and ayde They recule but they fall into the handes of the Embushments and are slaine From thence they get themselues and flee vnto the woods but in the flight they are miserably killed A few whych escaped in those ouerthrowes got them to the rock Rimmon as in to a high castel and wel fensed both by nature and situation And ther a few wer saued as is afterwarde declared Whereby we gather that no mighte or power can help vs when god wil strike Whatsoeuer can be deuised or inuented of vs it nothing profiteth agaynst the Lord. In the hebrew tongue a place of fence is called a rocke So great and so populous a tribe as soone as euer god would perished in a manner wholy Ther remained only .600 men whiche got themselues into the castle of RimmoÌ„ It is called a rock bycause in the holy scritures places of fence are so called for that they are in a manner situate vpon stony rockes and high places But why the .600 men were left on lyue there is shewed a cause Why the .600 men wer saued namely least any one whole tribe should want in Israell God would not for theyr deserts but for his names sake haue a certayn few remaining that the pub wealth of the Israelites should be preserued And those same he left not whole but in a manner mained for they had no wiues neyther were there anye wemen lefte of that whole tribe for them to marry therfore they wer compelled to desire wiues of the other tribes Wherfore the tribe of Beniamin The tribe of Beniamin that remained consisted also of other tribes Whither it was lawful for the Israelites to kill the children although otherwise it remained but smal yet howsoeuer it was halfe the part therof coÌ„sisted of other tribes For the Israelites had slayne al their wyues and children and cattayle This seuerity of the Israelites was great or rather it may seme to be cruelty and also against the law of God wherin it was forbidden that the childreÌ„ should be slaine for the sinnes of the parents But it is very likely which thing the Hebrewe interpreters also affirme that the Israelites when they fasted and prayed before the lord vowed Cherim that is the vow of a curse wherby it was not lawefull to reserue any thing which thing they vsed to do in battaile
Liberius the Pope decreed that al the lent we must abstein from pleadinges in the lawe Liberius This is not verye wiselye decreed for the publike wealth cannot consiste if it be so longe or euer matters be heard or iudgemente geuen If fasting should for a weighty cause be denounced for a day or two ther mought for that space of time be commaunded intermission of iudgement But that lawes shoulde cease so longe as Liberius will haue them it is againste the Publike wealth Farther the same Liberius saith that the vse of matrimony polluteth the fast of Lent wherefore they would haue men all that time to abstain from theyr wiues But Paule exhorteth man and wife more soundly namely to departe for a time and that by theyr mutual consent and to return to the same least they should be tempted of Sathan An abuse of shrouetide There is also an other abuse in that euery where before Lent all that time which they call Srouetide men do most vntemperately geue themselues to glotonye excesse dronkennes and filthye lustes and that vnder this pretence that they may the easelier fast as though it were lawful to do euill that good may ensew Neither is this a new kind of vice For Basill in his homely of fastyng and Chrisostome vpon Gen. do in many places greuouslye complaine of that thing Basile Chrisostome Some fast for delicatenes For when they know that they shal not suppe at dinner they lade theyr filthy sinke with many and heauy burdēs so that they make themselues vtterly vnprofitable for the whole day Other on the contrary part do vtterly wast themselues with fasting It is not lawefull for a man to consume him selfe with to much fastinge yea and in a māner kil themselues as Basilius and Nazianzenus did who being men excellently wel learned yet by abstinences and fastinges were made vtterly vnprofitable vnto the Church They wer compelled to kepe theyr bed sometimes halfe a yeare and somtimes a whole yeare Lastly there ar some which for that they fast haue a wōderful delight in themselues ar proud also dispise other mē as that Pharesy which said I am not as other men I fast twise in the weeke c. I could reckē a great many more of these abuses but for this time me thinketh these ar sufficient This one thing onely wil I adde that in fasting we see two extremities The Papists in a maner retaine theyr superstitious fastes but we vtterly neglect those fastes that ar lawfull and good Wherefore it seemeth that on eyther side the thing is to be amended And thus farre concerning these thinges ¶ The .xxi. Chapter 1 ANd the men of Israel sware in Mizpa saying Ther shal not a man of vs geue his doughter to any of Beniamin to wyfe 2 And the people came into the house of god abode there til euen before god lifted vp theyr voice wept sore 3 And they sayd O Lorde God of Israel why is this chaunced in Israel that there should be this day one tribe lacking in Israell 4 And on the morowe the people rose vp and made there an altar and offred burnt offringes and peace offringes 5 And the children of Israell sayde Who are they amonge all the tribes of Israel that came not with the congregatiō vnto the lord For they had made a great othe concerning them that came not vp to the lord in Mizpah saying that they should surely dye 6 And the children of Israell had pity on theyr brother Beniamin and sayd There is one tribe cut of from Israell this day 7 What shall wee doo vnto the remnant of them for to get them wiues for asmuch as we haue sworne by the Lord that we will not geue them of our daughters to wiues 8 They sayd I say What ar they of the tribes of Israel that came not vp to Mizpah vnto the lord And behold there came none of the inhabiters of Iabes-Gilead vnto the congregation 9 For the people was numbred and beholde there was not one of the inhabiters of Iabes-Gilead there 10 And the congregation sent thither .12 thousande men of the strōgest of thē commaunded thē sayinge Go and smite the inhabiters of Iabes-Gilead with the edge of the sword both women childrē 11 And this is that ye shall do vtterly destroy all the males and all the women that haue lien by men 12 And they found among the inhabiters of Iabes-Gilead .400 mayden virgins that had knowen no man be lying with any male And they brought them to the host in Siloh which was in the land of Chanaan 13 And the whole congregatiō sent spake vnto the childrē of Beniamin that were in the rocke Rimmon called peaceably vnto thē The Israelites as farre as may be gathered by this history had bound themselues with a double othe First that no man should geue his doughter to wyfe to the Beniamites which was nothing els but that they were minded vtterlye to destroy the tribe of Beniamin Farther they sware that if any of the Israelites had not put to his help agaynst the Beniamites he should be slain Here are very many things worthy to be noted First we must consider that the Isralites wer to seuere against the Beniamits For they did not onely slay the men but also the wiues and maydens wherefore there were no women left on liue for those .600 menne whiche were remaininge to engender yssue of But afterwarde when the same Israelites more diligentlye considered their acte they iudged it not wel done that a whole tribe should be cleane destroyed Of which they nothing thought when they were in their great iury and rage Wherfore they now accuse theyr cruelty and detest theyr rigorousnes which they had vsed But that they bound themselues with an othe that they woulde not geue their doughters in matrimony to the Beniamites it is not in this history mencioned but yet it is most likely that it thē happened whē they were in Mizpah the Beniamites would not deliuer the guilty Wherfore the Beniamites wer oppressed with great miseries For ether they must take to wiues foren straūge wemē which thing was prohibited thē by the law or els they must perpetually lead a sole life without wiues and so that tribe should vtterly perish The Israelites were to cruel agaynst the Bēiamites The Israelites in that they mourn do suffer punishments for theyr cruelty For it should haue ben inough for them to haue punished the men What nede was there to slay women maidens which had nothing offēded Vnles peraduenture they had vowed the vow Cherem But such a vow it was not lawfull for them to vow but by the authority and commaundement of God whych appeareth not to haue beene doone in this historye In reuenginge we muste keepe a meane for all are not to be slaine which come into the power of them that ouercome It is sufficient to punish the guilty
in warre taken in hand by common counsel to withdraw themselues by priuate counsell Metius Suffecius captaine of Albany when he forsoke Tullus Hostilius fighting against the Fidenates by the commaundement of Tullus was bound to two cartes and so drawē in peces Solon depriued him of al honour dignity Solon A decre of Pōpeius which in the time of sedicion adioyned himselfe to neyther party And Pompeius as Plutarche affirmeth when he fled from Cesar proclaymed that he woulde count all them to be enemies which abode at Rome and helped not the common cause And after this maner are the Iabenites prescribed and counted for enemies And no otherwise are they to be counted which in this our tyme when there is controuersye concerning religion doo dissemble althinges when as in the meane tyme they wyl neither stand on the Papistes syde nor on ours It is not lawful for vs in religion to be neuters They say they wyll stand in the myddest betwene both which is nothing els then that they wyll be wyth the aduersaries or enemies For they halte on either side and therfore it may be said that after a sort they fauor them Farther the cause of religion is farre greater and greuouser then the cause of the publike wealth In the Churche no man can excuse himselfe that hee is a straunger for no man which professeth himself to be a Christian can be a straunger from religion wherfore warre is iustly proclaymed against the Iabenites Althoughe I thinke that in this matter also the Isralites wer to cruel For it semeth that it should haue bene sufficient to haue slaine the men that were apt vnto warre To much crueltye against the Iabenites which had committed the crime of rebellion But to kil womē old men and children it was to much cruelty Neither could they say that they had vowed vnto the Lord the vow Cherem forasmuch as they had saued the mayden virgins And vndoubtedly so great cruelty turned them to euyl for if they had delt more gently with the Iabenites they had had more women for the Beniamites Neither coulde they haue geuen counsell to haue vsed force to get them selues wiues But it is good to vnderstand how the Israelites founde oute that the Iabenites were absent The battaile being finished they al assembled to Siloh and numbred the people among whom when they founde none of the Iabenites they easelye vnderstoode that they were absent from the warre So great was their piety and religion at that time that when they had obtained the victory al of them assembled together to geue thankes vnto God But that thing is contemned now a daies for how many are there which when they haue gotten the victory wil acknowledge the benefite of God and geue him thankes Preachers do out of the Pulpit admonish the people to pray publikely for sicke folkes of which we either se or heare of none in a maner which when they are restored to health do publikelye geue thankes vnto God for that they haue by the prayers of the Churche escaped free They proclaymed peace vnto them which were in Rimmon That is gaue them safeconduct to returne home againe in safety 14 And Beniamin returned at that tyme and they gaue them wiues whom they had made on lyue of the women of Iabes Gilead which yet were not sufficient for them 15 And the people had compassion on Beniamin bicause the Lord had made a gappe in the tribes of Israel 16 And then the Elders of the congregacion sayd what shall wee do for wiues for the rest For the womē of Beniamin are destroied 17 And they sayd There must be an inheritance for them that bee escaped of Beniamin that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel 18 For we cannot geue them of our daughters to wyues For the chyldren of Israel had sworne saying Cursed be he that geueth a wyfe to Beniamin 19 Then they sayd Behold there is a feast of a Lorde yearelye in Siloh in the place which is on the North syde of the house of God and on the East syde of the way that goeth from the house of God vnto Sechem and is South from Libanon 20 And they commaunded the chyldren of Beniamin saying Go and lye in wayte in the vyneyardes 21 And take hede For behold if the doughters of Siloh come out to daunce in a row then come ye out of the vyneyardes and catche vnto you euery man hys wyfe of the daughters of Siloh and get you into the land of Beniamin 22 And if their fathers or brethren come vnto vs to complayne we wyll say vnto them Haue pity on vs for them bicause we reserued not to eche man hys wyfe in tyme of war And bicause ye haue not geuen vnto them so that ye haue at this tyme offended 23 And the children of Beniamin did euen so and tooke them wiues of the dauncers according to their number whom they cought and went their wayes and returned euery man to hys inheritance And repairyng their cities they dwelt in them 24 And the children of Israel departed thence at that time euerye man to hys trybe and to his famelye And went out from thence euerye man to hys inheritaunce 25 In those dayes there was no kyng in Israel but euery man did that which seemed ryght in hys owne eyes They are sayd to haue made on lyue those maydens whom they had not slain for forasmuch as they had thē in their power it semed that they might iustly haue slayne them But they would preserue them on lyue Whereby they vnderstode that God wold saue the tribe of Bēiamin for that they sawe it was not the wyl of God that al the Beniamites should vtterly be destroyed and here by they vnderstoode the wil of God bicause he had caused sixe hundreth of them to escape Wherfore they gaue them safeconduct and the maydens of the Iabenites to be their wiues God made a breache in Israel That which they did themselues they ascribe vnto God A breache they cal the cutting of of one tribe Here is expressedlye set foorth the inconstancy of mans minde In that fury and hot anger they woulde haue destroyed al and they desyred of God to graunt them a ful victory when they haue obtained it and finished the matter they mourne afflict themselues If they had moderatly vsed the victory this thing had not happened vnto them After the same maner they synned against the Iabenites for if they had not slaine al the women ther they had had wiues inough for the Beniamites Now hauing slayne all they found onely .400 mayden virgins which not being sufficient they are compelled to seeke other by rapte or stelth And the Elders sayd So were the Senators or Senadrim called or els the Tribunes and Centurions which were rulers ouer the warlike affaires Let their inheritance be safe Iosua had appointed vnto euery tribe his inheritance Wherfore the Israelites could not clayme vnto
delight in daunsinges For to omitte other examples Dauid the kyng daunsed publikely And they which come now vnto vs out of Siria do affirm◠that the Christians which liue in those regions do vpon the Resurrection day also vpon other famous feast dayes come into the temple with harpes and violes sing Psalmes among thēselues daunse together For their spirites ar more nimble chearefull ours more heauy Howbeit they say that they daunse soberly and modestly the men a part by themselues the women also by thēselues Now should remayn Certain thīgs as touching an othe to speake somwhat of an othe but bicause to entreate therof would be lōg therfore I thinke it good to defer it til an other tyme. This thing onely wil I say for the expoūding of this place that those othes which ar agaynst the word of god charity ar of no strēgth neither do they bynd the men that sweate They sinned in swearyng rashly but they sinned more grieuously in performing it for asmuch as they had made an euill othe Yet are these elders of Israell to be praised who althoughe they saw that their othe was not firme yet they would not seme opēly cōtēptuously to violate it least by their exāple they should open vnto the rude people a window vnto periuries which thing also it semeth that Iosua did vnto the Gabaonites For although in very dede they performed not their othe yet they would by a certayne shew seeme to performe it and to haue it in estimation That which remayneth to be spoken of this thyng◠I will deferre vnto the interpretation of the Hystory of Samuel And now I thinke good to adde this The Israelites erred in that they asked no◠counsel of god that it is no meruail that the Israelites sware a foolish othe and excercised their sharpenes towardes their brethren more cruelly then was mete and also admitted gaue counsell to that rapt such as it was for asmuch as they neither asked counsel of god nor of the highe priest nor of the Prophet concerning these thinges God in deede had promised thē the victory yet had he not geuen thē this commandemēt cleane to destroy the tribe of Beniamin to kil al their women also to slay all the women of the Iabenites they had no cōmaūdement out of the word of god The negligēce of the Priestes is to bee meruayled at But the negligence of the highe Priest Priestes is most of all to be meruayled at which did not of their owne accord offer thēselues although the elders asked not counsell of them But Pinhas as I suppose was at this tyme sore worne in age the other Priestes raking all things vnto thē they cared not how very coldly regarded thinges pertayning vnto God for asmuch as there was no king in Israel nor stoute Magistrate whiche should haue kept the Hebrues in the duty of the lawe Wherfore the people not being holpen by the holy ministery so much as nede required committed many thinges thorough folishnes fury gathered such fruites of their workes as the hystory rehearseth For they should not haue ben so outragious to haue slayne al the maydens of the Beniamites for asmuch as the law had prohibited that children should be slayne for the sinnes of their parētes Neither ought the Israelites to haue bound thēselues by an othe not to mary theyr daughters by any meanes to the Beniamites It was also to cruelly done to destroy all the women of the Iabenites which were not virgins Neither ought they to haue committed that kynd of rapt to saue theyr othe vpright which was but a vayne othe and of no force Neither is this to be passed ouer that the virgine maydens The punishement of the abuse of religiō by that rapt wer punished for the contempt of religion For as I haue before said they abused the rest of the holy day Vndoubtedly the Israelites were not cōmaunded to assemble before at certayn tymes of the yeare in the holy congregation of the Lord to the end they should apply themselues to daunses and playes The sonne of God when he was twelue yeares of age came vnto the temple An example of Christe beyng yet a childe there as it behoued applied himself to the busines of his father which thing if the maidens of Sylo had done they had not ben rapted Wherfore it is the part of virgins when they came to holy assemblies religiously to geue themselues to things deuine and to abide nyghe vnto their parētes not to runne about daunsing in the fieldes townes streetes vineyardes For as often as they are out of the sight of their parentes kepers The parentes of the maidens that were rapted did sinne they are ready for raptors and for the impotent fury of young men This also is to be considered that the parentes of the maydens that were rapted were iustly punished bycause they negligently kept their daughters on the feast day For God geueth children vnto the parentes to kepe as a pledge and that not carelesly but warely And ye shall by violence take vnto you euery man his wife An argument against hauing mo wiues thē one called Polygamia The elders doo not geue Counsell vnto the rest of the Beniamites to take mo wiues then one but they wil euery man to take his own wife And a litle after it is added They tooke vnto them wiues according to their number Vndoubtedly if plurality of wiues should haue at any tyme ben admitted for the procreation of children here it seemed most of all to haue bene nedefull for asmuch as the tribe of Beniamin was in a maner destroyed needed a speedy instauration or renewyng But the elders althoughe they carefully studyed for the restitution of the Beniamites yet they thought it not mete to flye vnto the remedy of Polugamia whiche is an argument that in theyr iudgement that was not allowed Euery man departed from thence vnto his owne inheritaunce Being as it is to be thought moued in their myndes with sundry and dyuers affections They partly reioysed for the victory whiche they had obteyned partly they pitied the Beniamites and were sory they had made so vncircumspect an othe and had raged with to cruell and vnaduised a zeale They lamented also theyr brethren and fellowe souldiers whom they had in that expedition lost by two ouerthrowes Wherfore let the greuous horrible punishment of the Beniamites be a warnyng vnto vs to auoyde and eschew vnhonest and filthy lustes as pernitious pestilences as wel of the soule as of the body and also of al good thynges The fruite of the readyng of this hystory But for asmuch as we are by the fauour of God come to the end of this booke it is our part as it were in a table to set before our eyes this foresayd hystory to beholde in it the gouernement whereby God defended and gouerned his Church and