and made Baal Berith their God and they remembred not the Lord their God which had deliuered them out of the hands of all their enemies on euery side neither shewed they mercie on the house of Ierubbaal or Gedeon according vnto all the goodnes which he had shewed vnto Israell Then Abimelech went vnto his fathers house and slue his brethren the sonnes of Ierubbaal or Gedeon about seauentie persons vpon one stone so Abimelech raigned three yeares ouer Israel But God sent an euill spirit betweene Abimelech and the men of Sechem and they brake their promise to him that the cruelty toward the seauentie persons and their bloud might come and be laid vpon Abimelech their brother And a certaine woman cast a peece of a mil-stone vpon Abimelechs head brake his braine panne And when the men of Israel saw he was dead they departed euery one vnto his owne place Thus God rendred the wickednesse of Abimelech which he did vnto his father in slaying his seauentie brethren To shew that God by vntimely and miserable death taketh vengeance on tyrants euen in this life Iud. 9. After Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Thola of the tribe of Isachar and he iudged Israel twentie three yeares and died and was buried in Shamir And after him arose Iair of the tribe of Manasses and iudged Israel two and twentie yeares and he had thirtie sonnes that rode on Asse-coltes signifying they were men of authority They had thirtie Cities which are called Hauoth Iair vnto this day and are in the land of Gilead And Iair died and was buried in Chamon And the children of Israel wrought wickednes againe in the sight of the Lord and serued Baalim and Ashtarath and the Gods of Aram and the Gods of Sidon and the Gods of Moab and the Gods of the children of Ammon and the Gods of the Philistines and forsooke the Lord and serued him not And in processe of time the children of Ammon made warre with Israel and they said vnto Iephte of the tribe of Ephraim Come be our Captaine and the spirit of the Lord came vpon Iephte he went to the children of Ammon to fight against them and the Lord deliuered them into his hands Whereupon he according to a foolish vow being ouercome with blinde zeale not considering whether the vow were lawfull or no offred vp his onely daughter in sacrifice and Iephte iudged Israel six yeares Iud. 11. and 12. Chap. Iessai borne ALthough he was but an obscure man in respect of worldly glory yet no doubt he was a very godly man and taught his sonnes the religion of God in that the holy Ghost doth so often repeate his name in the Scripture In the Reuelation chap. 5. Christ is calâ—ed the Lion of the tribe of Iuda and the roote of Iessay And Esay chap. 11. prophecying of the graces of Christ saith There shal come a rodde sorth of the stock of Iessay and a branch shall growe out of his rootes and the spirit of the Lord shall rest vpon him the spirit of wisdome and vnderstanding the spirit of counsell and strength the spirit of knowledge and of the feare of God c. To shew that as Dauid who in diuers respects figured Christ came out of Iessay a man without dignity so Christ shoulde come of a poore Carpenters house as out of a dead stocke as Esay 53.2 He shall growe vp before him as a branch and as a roote out of a dry ground he hath neither forme nor beautie when we shall see him there shal be no forme that we should desire him Againe with the very same skorne that the Iewes despised Christ vpbrayding him by the basenesse of his kindred Is not this the Carpenters sonne doe the Israelites obiect against the house of Iuda when the ten Tribes ioyned with Ieroboam 1. King 12. saying What haue wee to doe with Iessay what haue we to doe with the house of Dauid As if they should say why Iessay was but an husbandman and Dauid was but a sheepheard we will not be subiect to so base kindred nor suffer such a foole as Roboam of their bloud to raigne ouer vs for we be noble and vnfitte to be gouerned by such a poore stocke but we will worship Ieroboam of the house of Ioseph for he is a noble man and diuers valiant and worthy men came of his kindred in the time of the Iudges And so they indeede vtterly forsooke the house of Iuda the stocke of Iessay and walked in the waies of Ieroboam choosing rather for outward dignity to goe to destruction than embracing vertue depend vpon the promises of God to obtaine eternall life Therefore our Sauiour Christ saith in the Gospell Whosoeuer denyeth me before men I will denie him before my Father which is in heauen Luke 9. AFter Iephte Abesan of Bethleem of the tribe of Iuda iudged Israel seauen yeares He had Thirtie sonnes and thirtie daughters He died and was buried at Bethleem And after him iudged Israel Elon of the tribe of Zabulon and hee iudged Israel ten yeares Tthen he died and after him Abdon of the tribe of Ephâ—aim iudged Israel eight yeares and he had 40. sons and thirtie Nephewes that rode on seauentie asse-coltes and he died Iud. 12. But the Children of Israel continued to commit wickednesse in the sight of the Lord and the Lord deliuered them into the handes of the Philistines Fortie yeares Then the spirite of the Lord came vpon Sampson of the Tribe of Dan and with the iawe-bone of an Asse hee slue a Thousand of the Philistines and he iudged Israel Twentie yeares The Philistines in reuenge of this put out both his eyes but the Lord strengthned Sampson against them and hee slue at the time of his death three Thousand more of them Here is perfourmed Iacobs Will in Gen. 49. Where hee saith Dan shall be a Serpent by the way and an Adder by the path byting the Horse heeles so that his Rider shall fall backeward And in Iudg. 16. Hee ouerthroweth the house where the Princes of the Philistines were so that he slue more at his death than in all his life and notwithstanding he died with them yet hee looked for saluation in Christ of whom he himselfe was a figure Now compare him with Christ Sampson Christ was a Nazarite vnto God to the time of his death and saued Israel from the handes of the Philistines was brought before the Princes and mocked at his death ouercame more than in his life was a Nazarite vnto the time of his death and deliuered vs from the spiritual Philistins Sathan and his Angels was brought before the Magistrates and was mocked at his death ouercommeth him that had the power of death The Ceremonie of the Nazarites is prescribed in Numb 6. They were such as vowed themselues to God and from the vaine desires of the world 2870. Heli of the Tribe of Leui iudged Israel Fortie yeares THis Heli
c. The title ouer Christ on the crosse was written in 3. tongues Hebrew Greeke Latine Although it may not bee vrged that all these Threes haue full relation to the Trinitie seeing they fall not out by chaunce wee are not to despise the pleasant harmonie and comfortable vse of them but to thinke that the wisedome of God hath contriued saluation into such a sweet Art that verie children may learne the same and therefore the Scripture is called verie fitly a shallow water and a deepe fountaine shallow that the Lambe may wade and deepe that the Elephant may swimme Foure Is a square number and vsuall Heber the Fourth after the floud Iuda the Fourth Sonne of Iacob Square signifieth true Religion The Lord came in the 4000. yeare of the world Moses Fourth Son in the 4. age was sacrificer to the tribe of Dan. Times 7 Iubiles the time of Christs death The forme of the heauenly Ierusalem Fiue The Letters of Iehouah The 5 Vowels the sinewes of all tongues Christ feedeth 5000. with 5 Loaues Six The day of Adams creation which number is oftentimes vsed in the scripture to put vs in mind of the Creation Hundreth Thousand fighting men came out of Egipt Hundreth yeares old was Noah at the floud Times 7 standings had the children of Israell in the Wildernesse Yeeres was the Land of Canaan in conquering Cities of refuge for one that killed a man by chaunce and not of malice had the Iewes to flie vnto Times did the children of Israell fall before Dauids time in the time of the Iudges Seuen The number of the Sabbath which number of 7. as it is famous for the creation so God continueth the same proportion throughout the Bible to the redemption For as God the Father made the world in six daies and rested the seuenth so God the Son hauing performed his Fathers will resteth the seuenth day in the graue Is a yeare of Grace Planets in the Firmament which Plato compareth to the number of Seuen Starres in Ap. 1. Yeares was the Land of Canaan plagued for that Ioseph the beloued of the Lord should haue been slaine by his brother Stones in the Temple Gods Seuen-fould wisedome or prouidence in all his actions Seuen eyes to looke vpon the building of euery stone in the Temple of Ierusalem Yeares the Land of Canaan was setled in rest Yeares the Temple was in building Yeares Nebucadnetzer was a beast for destroying it Gates in the Temple before you come to the Holy of holiest Braunches did the Candlesticke in the Temple stand vrpon which had 42. knobbes signifying the six dayes worke and the Seuenth day of rest in the creation Moneths was the Tabernacle in building Iubiles was the Arke in the house of Ioseph Trumpeters is a great number that doe alwaies sound Gods praise Henoch the seuenth from Adam Heber the seuenth from Henoch Isaack the seuenth from Heber Moses the seuenth from Abraham Iosua the seuenth from Ephraim Elias taken vp in the seuenth age from Samuel Ioram the seuenth from Dauid Salomons Temple was consecrated in the seuenth moneth answerable to the birth of the Fathers The ceremonie of the Feast of Tabernacles continued seuen dayes After the comming from Egipt it was seuen times seuen daies before the law was giuen Seuen times seuen daies after Christs resurrection descended the holy Ghost The stories of the Scripture goe by seuens From Moses till Christs death thus Seuen yeares the land of Canaan was in conquering Seuen fifties for the glorie of Iosephs house Seuen seuenties for the house of Iuda Seuen tennes for the captiuity From the captiuitie to the death of Christ seuen seuenties Moses ceremonies for the most part were in the seuenth moneth The Manna that was gathered on the sixt day serued for the seuenth The seuenth yeare the Iewes might not plowe sowe nor reape In the end of seuen seuens was the yeare of Iubilee In the seuenth seuen from Cyrus the walles of Ierusalem were built Seuen times seuen Thousand of the Iewes came from captiuitie Ioakim endeth the seuenth seuentie with affliction Seuen yeeres plenty Seuen yeeres dearth in the land of Egipt figured by seuen eares of corne and seuen kine Noah liued seuen Iubilees after the flood Seuen Thousand in the booke of Kings mentioned that neuer bowed their knees to Baal Kaines house cut off in the seuenth age How often shall I forgiue my brother till seuen times I say vntill seuen times seuenty times alluding vnto Daniels Seuens The number of the persons saued in the Arke The day of circumcision Ten is a full number and the highest of last of simple numbers All Nations after the number of Ten beginne againe for plaine teaching and plainenesse in reckoning Ten is the yeare of iudgement or accompt You haue Ten woordes for the creation of the world and Ten words for the gouernment of the whole world The Tenth is a holy number as in Tythes which is giuen to vs to acknowledge our duties In the Tenth moneth the waters of the floude abated Sem liued to see the Tenth age a great blessing Ten plagues were the Egiptians plagued with for afflicting Sems house Ten spyes in the Wildernes misbelieued Ten tribes fell away at Roboams time Daniels beast hath Ten hornes which doe represent Ten cruell Kings The beast in the Reuelation hath Ten hornes The Pope had Ten stately kingdomes to assist him Noah is the Tenth from Adam Abraham the Tenth from Noah Twelue signes in the Zodiacke Twelue monthes in the yeare Twelue Fathers from the floude to Iacob Twelue Sonnes of Iacob Twelue Fountaines in the Wildernesse Twelue stones in Iordan Twelue stones in Aarons breast Salomon had Twelue Stewards and Dauid Twelue valiant Captaines Salomon at Twelue yeares of age discided the controuersie betweene the women for the dead Childe Christ at Twelue yeares of age is founde disputing among the Doctors He likewise ordayneth Twelue Apostles and Twelue times did he appeare after his resurection and in the reuelation of euery Tribe is sealed Twelue thousand The heauēly Ierusalem is described to haue Twelue foundations of Twelue precious stones Twelue gates and Twelue Angels and the names written of the Twelue Apostles and through the Citie there runneth a pure riuer and on either side of the riuer the Tree of Life which beareth Twelue manner of fruites and beareth fruite euery moneth in the yeare and the leaues of the Tree doe serue to heale the Nations with NOw the reason why God in the beginning layd downe in close signification and such easy proportions the whole scope of his gouernment to the worlds end is to shew that his wisedome is infinite and that nothing in the Scriptures doe fall out by chaunce but by his fore-purpose according to the secret counsell of his own will to make vs still looke backe vnto the Creation 130. Seth borne ge 5. when Adam is 130. yeares old ADam was made in the Image of God but Seth is begotten in the
it euen so the whole meditation is so vnited and knit together that by despising any one part we bereaue our selues of the benefite of the whole After that Iacob was come to Haran he serued 7 yeres for Rachel Laban giueth him Leah and deceiueth him and vseth this excuse That it was not the vse of the countrey that the yonger should be serued before the elder Leah is said to be contrite Here we may see what it is to enioy the truth of Gods religion and to worship him truly Leah committeth a great sin and though God make her fruitfull yet this euent excuseth not the fault before coÌ„mitted She knew verie well that she could not enioy saluation by staying with her Father and wee are to make the best collection of the actions of the best women therfore no doubt the zeale that she had to know God made her to venture so farre No doubt this was a great sinne and yet a farre greater to haue been maried to an vâ—faithfull husband for therby there was no hope left for saluation And we see that Christ chooseth to come of Leah by Iuda rather than of Rachel God himselfe onely knoweth how farre he will pardon so great offences Then he serueth 7 yeres for Rachel Leah is fruitfull shee hath Reuben and saith The Lord hath looked on my tribulation Then shee conceiued and bare Simeon and saith Because the Lord heard that I was hated therefore he hath giuen mee this Sonne Shee conceiued againe and bare Leui and sayth Now my husband will be ioyned vnto me therefore she named him Leui Ioyned Then she bare Iudah and sayd Now will I praise the Lord. The heathen by the light of nature will confesse that the Lord looketh on their tribulation and helpeth them that he heareth their hatred and reuengeth it but they cannot for all these benefites praise the Lord. Therefore she as a prophet knowing that Christ should come of Iudah praiseth God for so glorious a blessing Then she left bearing a time Rachel giueth Bilhah to Iacob she beareth Dan Iudgement and saith God hath giuen sentence on my side afterwards Nepthali Wrestling Leah doth the like and giueth Iacob Zilpah who beareth Gad a Companie and Asher Happie Leah after beareth Isachar Wages or Reward then Zabulon God hath giuen me a goodly Dowrie and last Dina a daughter Iudgement So God shewed Iudgement to the Sichemites for rauishing of her 2260. Fourteen yeres after Ioseph is borne A rare man And we commonly see that rare men haue great expectation before their birth After this Iacob like a good philosopher enricheth himselfe by vsing rods of diuers colours Ioseph in Egypt vseth a kinde of policie to take away the lands from the people and to bring them to the King These actions at the first might seeme vnlawfull because the cause is hid from vs though afterwards the purpose of God appearing they are approoued Iuda borne HE was the fourth Sonne of Iacob his mother nameth him Praise God whereby it appeareth that shee looked for Redemption by Christ respecting the promise concerning the Seede of the woman to be accomplished in him It could not so haue appeared by naming Reuben Simeon or Leui. For a wise philosopher might haue giuen those names but Iuda contayning a name of heauenly comfort sheweth a spirite gouerned by the holy Ghost 2264. Iacob goeth from Laban Gen. 30. WHere he had bene 20. yeres two seuens and a sixe In which number is conteined the creation and the Sabbath And as one may gather closely expressed 7. yeeres plentie 7. yeeres dearth As hee returned from Laban he feared his brother Esau but the Angell of God met him to comfort him therefore calleth the name of the place Mahanaim that is Gods hoste This campe of Angels is repeated in the song of songs and applied to Christ as the companie of an armie So Dauid likewise affirmeth that the Angels of God doe pitch their tentes about them that feare him When Absalom is destroyed Dauid and his campe were at Mahanaim the place where the Angell met Iacob Wherein we are to learne that God so disposeth the actions of his elect that he regardeth their goings out and their commings in and marketh all their pathes that whether they be at home with their father or abroad among strangers they are shadowed vnder the defence of the most high whose dwelling is in eternitie After this hee wrastleth with the sonne of God that is in the likenesse of the same nature which he afterwards tooke vpon him vntill the breake of the day and would not let him goe till he had blessed him Therefore he called him Israel a conqueror This expounded in Oseas By his strength he had power with God to shew that as hee had power with God he should preuaile with men Then he erected an Altar and called it Penuel for saith he I haue seene God face to face This storie of Iacob is repeated in Iohn 1. Where Christ saith to Nathaniel Beholde a true Israelite in whom there is no guile Nathaniel is called the true Israelite in that he acknowledged Christ to be the Son of God which he might know by casting Daniels seauens Afterwards hee is reconciled to his brother Esau and beyonde Iordan he dwelt neere Sichem where Dina is deflowred Er borne Onan borne Selah borne Er Onan Were married to Thamar and committed grieuous sins before God therefore he destroyeth them 2276. Ioseph is sold into Egypit when he is 17. yeeres old so long was he nourished at home of Iacob IOseph dreameth that the Sunne Moone and eleuen starres worshipped him Gen. 37. Meaning his father mother and his eleuen brethren of whom in the creation the twelue signes in the Zodiacke had a full reference shewing thereby that God in his Counsell at the creation had a great regard to the number of the sonnes of Iacob which were to be borne more than 2000. yeeres after Hee hath the like regard at the confusion of tongues in setling Canaan and his eleauen sonnes in a soile which Iacob sonnes should afterwards possesse For declaring this dreame The poyson of the serpent possessing his brethrens hearts they were moued with enuie and sold Ioseph into Egypt Iuda caused him to be sold to saue his life but Iudas Iscariot that is which falleth away for reward sold Christ to loose his life Iacob deceiued his father Isaack with a kid Gen. 27. When Ioseph is sold his brethren sprinkle the blood of a kid vpon his partie-coloured coat and brought it home to their father and said a wilde beast had slaine him Iacob was 20. yeeres froÌ„ his Father Isaack did not see his face Ioseph was 20. yeeres from his Father Iacob before hee seeth his face To shew that wherein a man offendeth therein he shal be punished Ioseph the sonne of Iacob fedde Israel in Egypt as putting meate into the mouth of a child Ioseph the sonne of Iacob taketh the child Iesus and his
adopted therefore to keepe the number of Twelue hee must leaue out some Simeon was the fittest seeing hee was without repentance Leui must be reckoned seeing his was a spirituall inheritance and the Lord promised to be his inheritance therefore Dan must be omitted And this may be the reason when the Children of Israel came into the Land of Canaan the Tribe of Dan causeth the first Idolatrie and therfore that Tribe was iustly plagued And in this Tribe Idolatrie continued vntill the remoouing of the Arke from Siloh But yet this wee must vnderstand that though Dan is not named yet in respect his tribe are Iacobs Sonnes the Tribe is comprehended in the generall blessing And Moses concludeth that seeing the eternall God is the refuge Israel the Fountaine of water shall dwell in safetie Isachar Was content to liue vnder tribute like to an Asse couching downe betweene two burthens rather than to seeke glorie by leading bands of men Reuben He looseth his prerogatiue because he went vp to his Fathers bed therefore hee is light as water hee shall not excell Reuben hath one of Dauids Captaines of his Tribe but it is presently added therewith Nine and Twentie better than he Reuben sheweth some compassion to Ioseph and would not haue him killed but cast him into some pit Iudah thought that might be too long ere he would be dispatched and therefore selleth him Simeon and Leui. Their wrath was fierce yet because Leui afterwardes repented and shewed tender affection to Ioseph and was zealous in destroying Idolatrers therefore he had a blessing in Moses will Simeon neuer shewed any tender affection to Ioseph and therefore when his brethren come into Egypt and Ioseph accuseth them for Spies he keepeth Simeon in prison till they come downe againe as a kinde of punishment for his former malice His sinne against the Sichemites was exceeding great and seeing he neuer shewed any signe of repentance hee was iustly cut off from the hope of a blessing By this wee may learne to reiect the authoritie of the booke of Iudith First because she sayd to be of the Tribe of Simeon If wee marke this well wee shall see how this booke cannot be scripture For wee must note that it is no small glorie to haue the spirite of God penne a booke of ones actions If there be but a sentence spoken in the commendation of any in the scripture it is a great weight of glorie Now if wee looke to Iacobs will and see that he hath a curse and not a blessing and in the course of Scripture afterward no mention of any repentance that Simeon and his Tribe shewed nor any zeale of religion expressed how can this stand with Iacobs prophecie nay it cleane crosseth it and maketh it frustrate For seeing Iacob as a Prophet telleth all his Sonnes what should befall them in the last dayes to euerie one and his tribe so long as the Kingdome of the Iewes and their policie stood and in his will maketh no mention of the booke of Iudith We must by admitting this booke accuse the spirite of God of ignorance Besides it is a Storie and yet the time thereof doth not fall out within the compasse of any time neither before the captiuitie neither after and therefore to be despised And for my opinion I make as much account of Ouids Metamorphosis as of Iudith for Plato sayth that in fables there is a truth reuealed secretly Thus we are to thinke likewise of the booke of Tobie Leui he repented when Amram of the tribe of Leui saued Moses Zabulon Was a Marchant and delighted in Shippes In Greeke Canaan is called Phenicia and the men of Canaan Phenices Aristotle a Thousand yeares after Moses makes mention of a Riuer Tartesus he meant the Sea Tharsis and the Phenices brought gold had such plenty that their anchors were thereof No doubt he had heard of Salomons time wherin gold and siluer was no more esteemed than stone This trauelling of Iacobs Sonnes into farre Countreys must needs make the heathen haue a tast of Religion And Moses he willed the heathen to resort to the Mountain where the Temple was built Aser Was a Farmer to prouide pleasures for a King You haue in the old Testament little spoken of him but because his tribe should not thinke themselues excluded the fauour of God you haue in the newe Testament Anna that is Grace a verie rare woman for godlynesse the daughter of Phanuel that is See God of the happie Tribe of Aser for Aser signifieth Happie Gad He shall lead an Host of men This was performed when Reuben Gad and halfe Manasses gaue a great ouerthrowe to the Hagarims about the time that Saul was annointed King Thus wee may see that whatsouer is requisite in policie for the maintenance of a common weale you shall finde expressed in the liues and behauiours of the Sonnes of Israel 2369. Ioseph died Gen. 50. being One hundred and ten yeares old By Faith Ioseph when hee died hee made mention of the departing of the Children of Israel out of Egypt and gaue commaundement of his bones Heb. 11. Now because many excellent things are to bee said of Ioseph before his death when hee was in Egypt and in the Sinay sight no yeares layd downe I will here handle them together God prospered him in Egypt in all his actions And euen as God blessed Laban for Iacobs sake so hee blessed Iosephs Master for Iosephs sake Ioseph was a goodly person and a well fauored which commendation in the same words is bestowed vpon Dauid 1. King 16. the same of Daniel and the same of Christ Ioseph would not bee defiled with the fornication of Egypt Daniel would not bee defiled with the vncleane diet of Babell Ioseph expoundeth Pharaohs dreame Daniel expoundeth Nebuchadnetzars dreame Ioseph was made Ruler ouer Egypt Daniel was made Ruler ouer Babell Ioseph being in prison found fauour with the Master of the prison Daniel found fauour with the Kings Chamberlaine Iosephs name was changed by Pharaoh Daniels name was changed by Nebuchadnetzer Ioseph was falsely accused Christ was falsely accused Ioseph was Thirtie yeares old when hee stood before Pharaoh Iesus is baptised beginning to be Thirtie yeares old Ioseph was in prison betweene two theeues the one of them was saued the other condemned Christ was crucified betweene Two theeues the one of them was saued the other condemned Yet notwithstanding all these blessings of God vpon Ioseph to shew that euen the best haue their infirmities his vertues were darkened verie much in that hee marrieth an Egyptian woman Gen. 41. which was altogether vnlawfull For Esau before doing the like is blamed and Rebecca hauing an especiall care ouer Iacob least he should commit the like wickednesse sendeth him to Laban to choose a wife of his owne kindred Abraham had the like care for Isaack and Moses afterwars forbids it by a law thereby confirming the vnlawfulnesse thereof Seuen hundred yeres after is this sinne punished in Israel
for Ieroboam receiueth the Religion of Egypt and maketh two Calues whereby all Israel became Idolatrers Here beginneth Iobs Storie Satan compasseth all the earth c. BEfore wee come to examine Iobs causeâ— there may bee by the way a question discussed concerning succession that is to say Whether succession of Bishops be a necessarie marke of the Church And we shall if we mark the Stories of the Scripture find that is none for in Iobs time where there was a visible Sacrificer to continue the Religion of God in outward policie Satan hauing ouerranne the whole earth telleth God that hee could finde none iust or that feared God So that thereby wee may gather that there were verie fewe whome the world by eye-sight acknowledged godly And to make this more plaine wee are to obserue that the question is not Whether the godly in their owne hearts doe knowe who serue God but Whether there bee continually such an apparance thereof that it may appeare to eye-sight Since Christ wee haue not the like time to this wherein Satan can bragge he ouer-runneth the whole earth For in Iobs time Iacob is dead the Religion which Iobs friends hold is condemned by God Elihu is verie young and Iob himselfe condemned of his friends therefore wee may verie well conclude That it is no sound Diuinitie to affirme that it is no true Church except the policie thereof be so visible as it may be knowne by eye-sight In the Reuleation foure Angels stand on the foure Corners of the earth holding the foure Windes of the Earth that they should not blowe neither on the earth neither on the Sea neither on any greene Tree By this likewise wee may gather that the godly were verie fewe and scarce knowne For the office of these foure Angels was to stay the graces of Gods Spirite from blowing vppon and refreshing the soules of those which dwelt on the earth Wee shall see this cleerer if wee obserue the particular fallings through the Scriptures In Enosh his time Religion decayed in the house of God for the which the flood came and drowned the world After the flood for their wickednesse which they manifested in building the Tower of Babell they haue their tongues confounded and all their families scattered In Iobs time none of the children of Israel forsook the Idols of Egypt In the time of the Iudges you shall finde a great many of fallings away and therefore God gaue them into the hands of diuers and sundry oppressors In Roboams time the ten Tribes fell away In Antiochus time Religion was so corrupted that the Leuites would be Kings and thereby became Saduces maintaining an opinion That after this life the bodie was no more and concerning the soule it was no more to be esteemed than the soule of a beast or any other creature In Christs time all the Iewes were back-sliders except some few perhaps about seuen Thousand which might hold religion sincerely answerable to Elias time After Christ in Vrbanus time all the Christians fell away and then came vp the power and authoritie of Antichrist for whom he made lawes So that if wee consider these things well we shall finde that the godly haue alwaies been so fewe and the outward policie of true Religion so darkened that it could hardly bee discerned This question being thus discussed wee are to consider the time when Iob was afflicted And if we examine things duly we shall find this time to be before Moses There bee slouthfull fellowes that say the time cannot bee prooued when Iobs Storie fell out As though if any one should write Epistles or Orations a good Scholler could not easily from the matter find out the time wherein hee should liue In the Three and Twentie Orations made by Iob and his friends there is mention made of the Creation of the Flood of Babell and the Seuentie Families of Lot of Sodom and his destruction but nothing of the comming from Egypt which being so famous a deliuerance they would not haue omitted For the Prophets continually rehearse it and doe as it were make large Commentaries thereon Further it must bee at such a time wherein Satan had the conquest ouer the whole world for so Satan sayth he had run ouer the whole world and found none that feared God and departed from euil which affirmation cannot bee true but onely when Israel was in Egypt for then all the world but they worshipped strange Gods and of them Ezechiel sayth None of the Children of Israel forsooke their Idols of Egypt Therefore this must needes bee a maruailous Victorie which Satan had gotten Besides Iob himselfe sayth O that God would answere and trie mee This had beene a foolish speech if it had beene after Moses for then his integritie should haue beene determined by Moses lawes When the tongues are diuided you haue Abraham called and made a rare man So when in Egypt all Religion was corrupted you haue Moses borne thereby to shew that when Satan thinketh hee beareth most sway the Lord in mercie will raise vp one to ouerthrowe his Kingdome The temptations of Iob must needes bee about the birth of Moses when the lawe was made of killing the young Children Satan possessing the hearts of the wicked that all their care and studie was bent to the ouerthrowe of the Church and when Aaron was borne but three yeares afore there was peace for wee doe not read that they were faine to hide him Thus much for the time THe place where hee dwelt was Eastward The Sabeans on the one side the Caldeans on the other and Canaan on the other and he as it were in the middest This Country is called Huts God hath in his prouidence dealt so surely that the verie heathen if they bee marked will make plaine the euent of Gods promises Nimrod hee goeth about to ouerthrow Sems blessing and builds him a Tower but God giueth it an ouerthrow Afterwards Nachors Twelue Sonnes ouerrunne the land of Chush Ismaels Twelue Sonnes they doe the like Esau hath eleuen Dukes and Eight Kinges and eleuen Dukes againe and that afore there was any King in Israel as Moses speaketh and they conquer Chush and his Land In Egypt Chush his posteritie imagine by the multitude and strength of their Chariots and Horsemen to reuenge themselues of the Children of Israel but the Lord ouer-whelmed them in the red Sea When the Children of Israel are in the wildernesse they of Canaan and their borders deale despightfully with them and will graunt them no passage thinking therby to starue them in the wildernesse But the Lord by Iesus their Captaine destroyeth them all euen to Canaan the youngest according to the curse of Noah And let Canaan bee his seruant When the Iewes are carried away captiue to Babylon there Chush his posteritie haue a great stroke and seeme to ouerthrow Sems blessing But God raysed vp Cyrus of Sem and Darius of Iaphet to ouerthrow the Babylonians and therby comforteth the Iewes
his Creator Philo a Iew saith that Dina Iacobs daughter was Iobs wife he neuer meant so but it is their manner in teaching their children that where there be women mentioned vnmarried they say they were married to such whose wiues the Scripture mentioneth not that so their children might the better remember them Zophar Bildads Orations were the same with Eliphaz and they condemned Iob in the same manner And heere we must obserue in the discourse of ciuile actions laid downe by Iob that either he liued so or that men should liue so And Moses lawes afterward for policie are but an expressing of these Iobs speech is ended Now follow two Repliers Elihu and God ELihus beginning is modest zealous and true For saith he I am yong and ye are ancient therefore I was afraid to shew my opinion For I said The dayes shall speake and the multitude of yeeres shall teach wisedome and yet aged doe not alwaies vnderstand iudgement yet I must confesse there is a spirit in man but the inspiration of the Almightie giueth vnderstanding You haue condemned Iob because God hath cast him downe I will not iustifie him Yet I will not reprooue him after your manner I will therefore thus reprooue him You said Iob in the 13. chapter Oh that a man might dispute with God Behold I am vnto thee in Gods stead and am formed of clay and behold my terror shall not feare thee You haue said I am cleane without sinne he hath found occasions against me hath put my feete in the stocks But I will tell you O Iob striue not against him for he is greater than man he speaketh once or twice as THE SEEDE OF THE WOMAN SHALL BRVSE THE HEAD OF THE SERPENT and blessed be the God of Sem openeth their eares euen by corrections If then there be a messenger or an interpreter one of a thousand to shew man that his righteousnesse consisteth onelie in the fauour of God that he may say I haue sinned I haue peruerted righteousnesse I haue suckt vp folly like water and where I know not teach thou me O Lord then shall he haue a reconciliation and then shall his righteousnes be restored vnto him Then God replieth out of the whirlewind and asketh Where is hee that obscureth knowledge with many words For Iob should haue shewed the purpose of God in destroying the vpright and wicked together and not spoken doubtfully of it And God sheweth him from the story of the Creation and the excellencie of the Creatures his vnspeakable wisedome Then Iob answereth I am vild I will lay my hand vpon my mouth I know thou canst doe all things and I haue spoken things I vnderstand not therefore I abhorre my selfe and will repent in dust and ashes Then the Lord accepteth Iobs faith and repentance And as high Sacrificer he sacrificeth for his three friends And God blesseth him more now than at the first Where it is translated that Iobs wife should say Curse God and die it cannot be so But the meaning is Blesse God and die flowting him as if she should say See to what your purenesse and precisenesse is come to euen to blesse God and die Had it not beene better for you to haue liued and enioyed prosperity as others This patience of Iobs is repeated in the Epistle of Saint Iames chap. 5. In the Epistle to the Romanes Saint Paul prooueth that the Gentiles were cut off that the Iew might come in and now the Iewes that the Gentiles and concludeth out of Iob who gaue to God first that he might be recompensed And Aristaeus a heathen writer making a description of the storie of Iob saith hee was tempted aswell by the diuell as by his neighbours Thus much for Iobs Storie 2433. Moses borne HEe is the seuenth from Abraham a new Henoch another resembler of the Sabbath Henoch walked with God so did Moses Henoch was a preacher of righteousnesse so was Moses Henoch was a Prophet so was Moses At his birth hee was hidde in an Arke and thereby saued from the waters The Hebrew word is the same with it whereby Noahs Arke is signified Concerning his kinred he was an Hebrew of the Tribe of Leui. Philo-Iudeus calleth him a Chaldean hauing relation to Abraham who was called out of Vr of the Chaldeans to Canaan Diodorus Siculus calleth him an Egyptian for he regarded the soile wherein he was borne and not his familie His name Moses signifieth Drawe out as one drawne out of a poole of water In the eighteene Psalme this word Moses is vsed of Christ in these words My soule is drawne out of many waters In the Hebrew there is a liuelie reference one to another which cannot bee expressed in the English The Grecians call him Mousche which is to take out of the waters penning both to one purpose the notation common to both names If the question be demanded Whether Moses or Mousches be his name in right it is certaine in the text it is Moses but an expounder is free to vse whether he will for explanation Pharaoh maketh a bloodie law to kill all the yong children Wherevpon Moses is cast into the flags whom Pharaohs daughter commandeth to be kept Exod. 2. Wherein we may see the louing kindnesse of Leui recompensed with a rare blessing from God seeing Moses is of his Tribe Amram saued him not fearing the Kings displeasure this is confirmed in the Epistle to the Hebrewes By faith Moses when he was borne was hid of his Parents three moneths because they saw he was a proper child neither feared they the Kings commandement Exod. 1. Heb. 11.3 This speciall preseruation may shew that it is of grace and not of nature that we haue a deliuerer from Egypt Moses mother is Iochebed Leuies daughter Aunt to Moses father sister to his Grandfather At his birth she is 100. yeeres old so we see a new comparison with the birth of Isaack which was a child likewise of promise This being strange not vsuall will no doubt stirre vp the people to enquire and search what the end of him should be whose birth is so famous Iochebal signifieth the glory of God Amram High THe Prouidence of God so disposeth the tongues of the Parents that the names of the children expresse the glorie of God to bee performed afterwards by their actions The Hebrewes commend Iacobs sonnes for not giuing names after the manner of the Egyptians while they were in Egypt The reason of this may be rendred Because that in Egypt they were ill vsed and therefore hated the Egyptians In Babylon they were well vsed vnder the Persians and therefore they haue many Persian names and there did learne so the tongue of Babel that they began to forget their owne The vse of this is very great against the Turke for to prooue from whence he first came and thereby to perswade him to embrace the religion of his first Parents The hatred towards Chams house appeareth in Shesan
on the mercies of God acknowledging his power and his iustice which they neglecting to embrace God to shewe his iudgements hardneth their hearts to follow that which shall bee their owne destruction as Amasias did who contrary to the coūsell of the Prophet of God goeth vp against Ioash king of Israel After him the kingdome of Iuda was voide Eleauen yeares 3201. Azarias two and Fiftie yeares HIs name was also called Vzzias All is one in Hebrew it signifieth Might or Strength In his dayes Amos the Prophet the Father of Esay did prophecy so did Oseas the prophet Amos beginneth to preach two yeares before the Earth-quake which was in his time Azarias did vprightly in the sight of God according to al that Amasias his father did and he sought God in the daies of Zechariah which vnderstood the visions of God and when he sought the Lord God made him to prosper for he went forth and fought against the Philistins and brake down the wall of Gath and the wall of Iabneth and the wall of Ashdod and built Cities in Ashdod and amonge the Philistines and many valiant things did he But when he was stronge his heart was lifted vp to his destruction for he transgressed against the Lord his God and went into the Temple of the Lord to burne incense vpon the Altar of incense vsurping the office of the Sacrificers and is stroken with leaprosie and therefore dwelt apart being cut off from the house of the Lord and so continued vnto the day of his death From hence wee may learne what a grieuous thing it is in the sight of God to meddle in the office of the Sacrificers which the Lord had forbidden Num. 18. We may also learne from hence not to forget God in our prosperitie least therby we procure our owne destruction In Antiochus time the Leuites who were appointed of God onely to sacrifice and offer incense before him will vsurpe into the kings seat and beare rule vpon the like successe in victories And then God plagueth thē with a spirituall leaprosie more foule and filthy than that of the bodie being from Pharisees become Saduces denying the resurrection and the life of the soule departed from the bodie This Azarias king of Iuda saw the daies of Eight kings of Israel wherein the word of God remaineth true The wicked shall not liue out halfe their dayes 3253. Iotham Sixteene yeares HIs Fathers plague causeth him to rule indifferently well His Sonne Achaz succeeding is farre worse Micheas the Prophet teacheth in the dayes of Iotham King of Iuda 3268. Achaz Sixteene yeares HE walked in the wayes of the Kings of Israel and made moulten Images for Baalim Moreouer he burnt incense in the valley of Benhinnom and burnt his Sonnes with fire after the abhomination of the heathen whome the Lord had cast out before the Children of Israel He sent for helpe to Tiglah Pilueeser and the rest of the Kings of Ashur which was not lawfull to seeke helpe of Infidels Then the Prophet Esay prophecied and by him God giues a prophesie for when Ierusalem was besieged for the wickednesse of Achaz God sendeth Esay to Achaz and willeth him to aske a signe Who answereth hee will not tempt God Esay 7. The Prophet replyeth Is it not a small thing to grieue men but you must also grieue my God therefore the Lord will giue you a signe A Virgin shall conceiue and beare a Sonne and she shall call his name Emanuel God with vs. Thereby to shew Achaz the greatnesse of his impietie for seeking to the Nations for helpe For seeing God spareth not his owne Sonne but giueth him to death for vs will not he likewise send strength to Iudah He was buried in the Citie of Ierusalem but not in the Sepulchres of the Kings of Iudah 3281. Ezechias nine and Twentie yeres A new Heber HEre we see some recouerie of the state For in the yeare that Azarias died Esay sawe the Lord sitting in the Temple the Seraphins stood vpon it euerie one hauing sixe winges and one cryed to another Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts And God speaketh Ye shall heare me but not vnderstand yee shall see plainely and not perceiue Esay asketh How longe Lord vntill the Cities be wasted the house without a man and the Land vtterly desolate Thereby meaning their captiuitie wherein there shall be tenne forsakings in Ezecchias time two in Manasses one Iosias time one the fift in Iehoachaz time the Sonne of Iosias the sixt in Iehoiakim the Seuenth when he rebelled after he had serued the King of Babell three yeares the Eight in Ieconias time the two last which makes the Tenth vnder Zedechias himselfe being carried to Babell his eyes put out and his Sonnes slaine and after the house of the Lord burnt and all the Citie carried captiue so the Lord is in his Temple beholding the actions of men and his skirts fill the Temple the least of Gods mysteries excelling all the wisedome of man and the Angels proclaime Holynesse to God this Esay confessed for he saw nothing but woe vnto himselfe being a man of polluted lippes that so by faith in the Sonne of God his sinne might bee put away In Ezechias time Esay speaketh of nine Nations plagued which were borderers on Iudea From this we might gather that seeing their wickednesse was equall they should receiue the like measure of punishment Hee goeth further and telleth what Assur shall speake and Babell and prophecieth of Cyrus one hundred yeares before he was borne answerable to the prophecie that was of Iosias in Ieroboams time concerning the taking vp of the bones of the Prophets Esay in Ezechias dayes prophecieth of Christ and saw the promise a farre off and embraced it and shewed the particulars as if they were now perfourmed by Pilate This would not haue mooued a prophane man but he being a prophet knew that God was faithfull who had promised And the men in his time gathered together Salomons Prouerbs Yet for all this we shall finde that fewe were saued and Christ saith that many Kings desired to see that which you see and saw them not Ezechias was verie desirous to haue his posteritie to keepe the Kingdome in the true Religion Esay commeth vnto him and willeth him to set his house in a readinesse for he should die for any thing yet reuealed Hee wept not for feare of death seeing he had great assurance of Gods fauor and thereby his saluation made certaine but to remember the wickednesse of the Kings before and how through their impiety Iuda was humbled and that now hee should sleepe with his Fathers not leauing a godly one to succeed him He hath a Sonne but it had been better that Manasses his Sonne had neuer been he was so wicked This Ezechias committeth a grieuous offence in shewing his wealth to the Embassadors of the king of Babell Thereupon saith the prophet because thou trustedst not in God but in thy wealth therefore one of Babell
ond the Prophets shall bee as winde and the word is not in them Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hostes because yee spake such wordes I will bring a Nation vpon you from farre O house of Israel which is a mighty Nation and an ancient Nation and a Nation whose language thou knowest not neither vnderstandest what they say whose quiuer is an open sepulchre they are all very strong and they shall eate thine haruest and thy bread and they shall deuoure thy sonnes and thy daughters they shall eate vp thy sheep and thy bullockes they shal eate thy vines and thy figge trees they shall destroy with the sword thy fenced cities wherein thou didst trust Neuerthelesse saith the Lord at those daies I will not make a full end of you And when you shall say Wherefore doth the Lord these things vnto vs then shalt thou answere them Like as you haue forsaken me and serued strange Gods in your land so shall yee serue strangers in a land that is not yours Declare this in the house of Iacob and publish it in Iudah for among my people are found wicked persons that lay waite as he that setteth snares and as a cagefull of birdes so is their housefull of deceit they do ouerpasse the deeds of the wicked they execute no iudgment no not the iudgment of the fatherlesse And shall not visite for these things saith the Lord or shall not my soule be auenged on such a Nation as this an horrible and filthy thing is committed in the land the Prophets prophesie lies and the Priests receiue gifts in their hands ard my people delight therein Here the crowne and kingdome is ouerthrowen according to that prophecie I will ouerturne ouerturne ouerturne the kingdome vntill he come vnto whome the crowne and diademe doth belong meaning Christ And indeede the Iewes after this time had neuer an established kingdome seuerall to themselues free from forraine gouernment 3414. Ezechiel prophecieth WHo cap. 1. sawe the heauens open and foure beastes that is Angels like a man a lyon an eagle and an oxe full of eyes and with foure winges and aboue the firmament that was ouer their head was the fashion of a throne like vnto a Saphir stone and vpon the similitude of the throne was by appearance as the similitude of a man vpon it and the likenesse of the bow that is in the clowd in the day of raine so was the apparance of the light round about it this was the apparance of the similitude of the glory of the Lord. Ezechiel being in Chaldea in a vision is carried into Ierusalem and there seeth the glory of God as before and sawe horrible idolatrie The similitude of creeping things and abhominable beasts and all the idols of the house of Israel painted vpon a wall whence the wrath of Christ kindled against them is thus signified one from the throne of Saphir stone clothed with linnen filleth his hands with coles of fire scattereth them ouer Ierusalem So in the fall of the Church Ap. 8. The Angell tooke the censure and filled it with fire of the Altar and cast it into the earth and there were voices and thundrings and earthquakes 3419. Temple burnt IN the Nineteenth yeare of king Nebuchadnetzar king of Babel came Nebuzaradan cheefe Steward and seruant of the king of Babel to Ierusalem and burnt the house of the Lord and the kings house and all the houses of Ierusalem Also all the pillars of brasse the bases the brasen sea did the Chaldees breake and carried the brasse of them to Babel The pots also and the besomes the instruments of musick and the incense ashes and all the vessels of brasse that they ministred in tooke they away It is to be noted that so long as the Temple stood there was peace in all the earth but it being once ouerthrowne there was after that generall warres the Persians against the Babylonians and the Babylonians against all Nations and the Grecians against the Persians For when God once plagued his owne people his iustice was extended ouer all and as it was Seuen yeres in building so Nebuchadnetzar was Seuen yeares a beast for destroying it that is the heart of a man not the bodie of a man was taken from him Megastenes an ancient author writeth that Nebuchadnetzar at his return home was striken with madnes and died crying incessantly to the Babilonians that a great mischiefe was nere them which all the power of their Gods could not stay For quoth he a Hafeasse of Persia shall come make vs thrals The man that he spake of was Cyrus who as Alexander Polihistor witnesseth builded vp the temple of Ierusalē againe Here is performed Iere. 20. I will make this Citie desolate and an hissing so that euerie one that passeth by shall be astonished and hisse because of all the plagues thereof for the people are all rebellious traytors they are brasse and yron they all are destroyers And Ierem. 7. Wherefore thus saith the Lord Is this house become a denne of Theeues wherevpon my name is called before your eyes This our Sauiour Christ in the 21. of Mathew vseth to the mony changers Behold I see it saith the Lord. But goe ye now to Silo where I set my name at the beginning and behold what I did to it for the sinnes of my people Israel euen so will I doe to this house wherein also ye trust euen to the place that I gaue to you and to your Fathers as I haue done vnto Silo. And I will cast you out of my sight as I haue cast all your brethren euen all the children of Ephraim For seest thou not what they doe in the Cities of Iudah and in the streetes of Ierusalem The children gather wood the fathers kindle the fire and the women knead the dough to make Cakes to the Queene of heauen and to powre out drinke offerings vnto other Gods that they may prouoke mee vnto anger Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold my anger and my wrath shall be powred vpon this place vpon man and vpon beast and vpon the tree of the field and vpon the fruite of the ground and it shall burne and not bee quenched Ezech. 4. And behold I will breake the staffe of bread in Ierusalem and they shall eat bread by waite and with care and they shall drinke water by measure and with astonishment And Ezek. 5. the third part of thee shall die with pestilence and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee and another third part shall fall by the sword and I will scatter the last third part into all the winds and I will draw a sword after them saith the Lord so thou shalt be a reproach and shame a chastisement and astonishment vnto the Nations when I shall execute my iudgments For I will send vpon you a famine and beasts and pestilence and blood shall passe thorough thee I the Lord haue spoken it These plagues were
looking for iudgment Our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell Mat. 20.21 When the mother of Zebedeus worshipping him desired that her two sonnes might sit one at his right hand and the other on his left in the kingdome of heauen answered her To sit on my right hand or on my left is not in mee to giue but it shall be giuen vnto them for whome it is prepared of my father Againe his Disciples at an other time said vnto him Behold thy mother thy brethren and thy sisters to whome he answered Who is my mother my brother and my sister euen he that doth the will of my father which is in heauen Whereby it appeareth that Christ regarded the Virgin Mary as he was God no more than he doth any other faithful in the world for God hath no respect of persons And againe he saith Ioh. 6. None commeth vnto me except the father drawe him And Rom. 6. Eternal is the gift of God not the gift of men or women departed And Dauid saith Psal 4. It is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety Againe Christ being become an high Sacrificer of good thinges to come not by the bloud of goates or calues but by his owne bloud hath entred once for all vnto the Holy place and obtayned eternall redemption for vs. And for this cause is He the mediator of the new Testament that through death which was for the redemption of the transgressions that were in the former Testament they which were called might receiue the promise of eternal inheritance For Christ is not entred into the holy places that are made with hands which are similitudes of the true sanctuary but is entred into very heauen to appeare now in the sight of God for vs not that he should offer himselfe often as the high Sacrificer did once euery yeare for then he must haue often suffered but now in the end of the world hath he appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe by the which we are sanctified Euery sacrificer appeareth daily ministring and oft times offereth one manner offering which can neuer take away sinnes but this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sinnes sitteth for euer at the right hand of God and from hence forth tarrieth vntil he hath made his enemies his footestoole for with one offering hath he consecrated for euer them that are sanctified Seing therefore brethren that by the bloud of Iesus we may be bold to enter into the holy place by the new and liuing way which he hath prepared for vs through the vaile that is his flesh And seeing we haue a high sacrificer ouer the house of God let vs draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience and let vs keepe the profession of our hope without wauering for he is faithfull that promised Hee that despiseth Moses law dieth without mercie vnder two or three witnesses of how much sorer punishments suppose ye them worthy which tread vnderfoot the Sonne of God and counteth the bloud of the Testament as an vnholy thing wherewith we are sanctified for we know him that hath said Vengeance is mine I will recompence saith the Lord and againe the Lord shall iudge the people Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompence of reward For the iust shall liue by his faith But without faith it is impossible to please him For hee that commeth to God must beleeue that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that seeke him Let vs therefore by him not by the Virgin Marie or Saints offer the sacrifice of praise alwaies to God that is the fruit of the lippes which confesse his name For saith the Lord I euen I am the Lord and beside me there is no sauiour This being dulie marked rightly applied is a full and large disputation against any Papist Elias Iohn Baptist borne HIS name Iohn signifieth The grace of God Baptist was in respect of his office which was to baptize and to preach repentance and forgiuenesse of sinnes and foretold a fore-runner of the blessed Messias in Malach. 3. where it is written Behold I send my Ambassador to make way before him and by and by after shall the Lord whome ye seeke enter into his Temple and in the next chapter he is called Elias by reason of the likenesse of their offices and this text by the Iewes themselues is vnderstood concerning the Messias and the Scribes do say in the Gospel that Elias must first come and in another place Art thou Christ or Elias or one of the Prophets He was the sonne of Zacharias of the course of Abia and his mother was Elizabeth The Angel of the Lord sheweth vnto Zacharias that he is that Elias of whom Malachi foretold chap. 3. That he should turne many of the children of Israel to their Lord God for he shall goe before him in the spirit and power of Elias to turne the hearts of the fathers vnto the children and the disobedient to the wisdome of the iust men to make readie a people prepared for the Lord. And the Angell gaue Zacharias a signe of this to be performed that is he made him dumb vntill the child was borne Now Elizabeths time was fulfilled that she should bee deliuered and she brought forth a sonne and on the eight day her friends came to circumcise the babe and called him Zacharias after the name of his Father But his mother answered he shall be called Iohn and his father being dumb tooke writing tables and wrote saying His name is Iohn And his mouth was opened immediately and his tongue loosed and he spake and praysed God and was filled with the holy Ghost and prophesied saying Blessed bee the Lord God of Israel because he hath visited and redeemed his people and hath raised vp the horne of saluation for vs in the house of his seruant Dauid c. And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit and was in the wildernesse till the day came that he should shew himselfe vnto Israel Here you may see Zachary and Iohn were the two first of the new Testament So in the old Testament Zachary and Malachi called also Iochanan or Iohn doe end the old Testament You haue in the new Testament another Iohn the sonne of Zebedeus who with his brother Iames were called by Christ as they were mending their nets and became Apostles This Iohn forbadde one to cast out Deuils by the name of Iesus but Christ reprooued him He was the beloued Apostle on whose brest Christ leaned Christ reuealeth vnto him who should betray him He was banished into the Isle of Patmos and hath a reuelation of the heauenly Ierusalem and misticall Babylon There was also Iohn called Marke Act. 15.37 3928. Iesus is borne THis name Iesus signifieth A Sauiour so named in his mothers wombe A great Rabbin saith that because the Annointed shall saue folkes therefore he shall be called Iesus
sayd to the children of Israel I set here before you life and death eate of the one and liue and eate of the other and die eternally Yet could not be content with this glorious estate but did eate of the forbidden fruit by the perswasion of a woman which God framed out of Adams ribbe and ioyned to him to be an helpe for him Before they had continued in Paradise one day as it is written Psal 49. Adam being in honour continueth not a night but is like to the beasts that perish which woman was deceiued by the subtiltie of a Serpent that is of the Deuill speaking in a Serpent which beast was fittest to possesse to the deceiuing of her because he excelled all other beasts in the field in wit For if an Asse had sayd so much to her as did the Serpent it is very likely shee would haue examined the cause further but he hauing once bin an Angel of light but not keping his first originall being throwne downe from heauen continuing his knowledge though he lost his vertue was not to seeke either for matter or oportunitie enuying their states to bring his murtherous purpose to passe for so is he called the Serpent the old Deuill or Satan who was a Murtherer from the beginning but knowing the prohibition commeth to the woman saying Yea hath God sayd Yee shall not eate of euery tree in the garden to whome the woman answereth saying We may eate freely of the fruite of the Trees in the garden but as for the Tree in the middest of the garden God hath sayd yee shall not eate of it nor touch it least happily you die Out of which speeches the Serpent beeing a ramping and a roaring Lyon going about seeking how hee might deuoure her quickly sucketh aduantage finding her to haue digressed from the words of the commaundement adding thereto a tricke of his owne head saith to the woman Ye shall not die at all but you shal be as Gods knowing good and euill In that he saith gods he meaneth not the true God for whatsoeuer hee speaketh is to be taken in the worst meaning that can be made of it but he meaneth you shal be in the state of damnation as Deuils which are called Princes Gods of the world And likely enough that he touched the fruit because that shee added to the Commaundement the worde touche Now the woman beholding the fruit that it was good to eate pleasant to the eyes a Tree to be desired to get knowledge She tooke of the fruit did eate gaue also to her husband and he did eat These 3. properties aboue are expounded in Iohn Wantonnes of the eies Lust of the flesh The pride of life By reason of which sinne Adam and Eue seeing their owne nakednes sowed figge-tree leaues together and hidde themselues from the presence of God among the Trees of the garden their soules beeing then in the state of Damnation with a light shining in darknes but their darknes not comprehending the same shewing thereby the weaknes of their nature and of their posteritie God but a little leauing them to their selues that when they had sinned they had rather hide themselues in darkenesse and seek to stockes and trees that haue no help in them than to God that made them But Dauid afterwards being clothed with the spirit of wisedome vnderstanding acknowledgeth the power of God to ouer-reach the compasse of mans vaine imagination when he sayth Whether shall I flye from thy presence If I take the winges of the morning and flye to the vttermost part of the world thou art there If I climbe vp to heauen thou art there If I goe downe to hell thou art there also For God who made the eye shall not hee see all the dwellers vppon earth who hath weighed all men in a ballance numbring the dayes and verie haires of their heads diuiding to euerie one their double portion according to the fore-purpose of his election being a righteous Iudge sparing not the person of Adam though hee were a King and the stateliest King that euer should bee but calleth him to account in the coole of the same day wherein he was created and fell punisheth him though not according to the desert of his transgression like a merciful Iudge that would saue and as a Father that pitieth his owne childe knowing whereof he was made and that he was but dust sayth to Adam What hast thou done and leauing him to consider of his sinne goeth to the woman with like tendernesse saying What hast thou done as if he should haue sayd Oh daughter haue I made the heauens and the host thereof that is Angels Sunne Moone and Starres c. to be thy seruants and the earth and all that therein is to be obedient at thy call breathing into thy nostrils life wherby thou becamest a liuing soule in the image of God that is in righteousnesse and true holynesse to be a temple and a Tabernacle for the holy of the holyest to dwell in and hast thou defiled the same with fond lusts regarding the wordes of the Serpent the Father of lyes not respecting my power and my seueritie that as I made thy body and soule that I could destroy the same whereby thou hast purchased the execution of my law established at thy creation to thee and thy husband what hast thou done But God hauing examined the matters and finding them both guiltie and the malice of the Serpent to bee the cause of their guiltinesse neuer stayeth iudgement nor vouchsafeth once to reason the matters with him but presently curseth him and punisheth Adam and the woman and curseth for their sakes the earth plants and whole course of nature and made them of obedient seruants rebellious enemies to Adam and his posteritie And because Adam was not deceiued but the woman became into the transgression he maketh her will subiect to the desire of her husband encreasing her sorrowes and her conceptions Thus he chastiseth them but giueth them not ouer but pronounceth to the woman a short but a pithy sentence That the seede of the woman should breake the head of the Serpent That is to say I will cause one to be borne of the womans seede which shall subdue the Deuill and the Deuill shall doe his endeauour to trip vp his heeles by tempting him In this beginneth a controuersie against the Iewes of later times who hold opinion that the Messias or Christ whome wee vphold to be the mediator between Gods iustice and mans sinne shall be some great Emperor that shall deliuer them from bodily oppression howbeit they cannot deny but that by the death which God threatneth to Adam for his transgression Rabbi Moses vnderstandeth a spirituall death that is to wit the death of the soule wounded with sinne and forsaken of her life which is God and that by the venome of the Serpent he meaneth sinne it selfe which shall cease saith he vnder the Messias And the Thargum of Ierusalem sayth
Image of Adam to shew that whatsoeuer is borne of the flesh is flesh and whatsoeuer is borne of the spirit is spirit When Adam was 130. yeares old he begetteth Seth being as may be gathered not one day more nor one day lesse And the rule serueth for all the Ten fathers before the floud The holy Ghost keeping an exact Cronicle of the times beginneth at Adam and so goeth forwarde laying downe the particuler ages of the fathers vnto the floude saying when Adam is 130. yeares old Seth is borne Now if he had beene one day more the number had not been perfect if one lesse it had not beene exacted We may better therefore conclude that all the Ten fathers were borne on the sixt day that is the day of Adams creation rather than on any other day seeing it cannot well bee denyed and that it crosseth neither story nor rule of religion Seth Signifieth Setled or Foundation He knew the Creator and that the world should be founded vpon him Es 58. The wicked haue no sure foundation but are like to the chaffe in a summer floore But the Godly shal be like a fresh watered Garden and like the fountaine of water that neuer leaueth running whose foundation is layd for many generations For as a tree that hath sure rootes will beare many braunches so to be setled in religion as Seth was many thinges will appeare to bee of singuler force Now compare him with Christ thus Seth. His name signifieth foundation He was begotten in the image of Adam Christ is The Rocke sure foundation of his Church The very character of his Father 105. Enosh borne In these numbers you haue 10. multiplied by 10. and 5. which is the number of the letters of Iehouah HIs name signifieth Sorowfull Euery man is called sorowfull Enosh and the Hebrew tongue sometime calleth a man Enosh and sometimes Adam The Caldeans call a man Enosh but not Adam because they had not the antiquitie of the creation of the world In Enosh his time Religion decayed in the house of God for which the floud came and drowned the world This sorrowe is called a godly sorrowe to which the Lord hath added a blessing as Mat. 5. Blessed are they that mourne for they shall receaue comfort and Ecclesiastes 7. Grauitie is better than laughter for when the countenance is heauie the heart is reformed but Luke 6. saith Blessed are yee that weepe now for yee shall laugh CHrist beeing sorrowfull for the negligence of the Iewes knowing that they should bee plagued for not embracing the promise to Abraham Isaack and Iacob weepeth ouer Ierusalem saying O Ierusalem Ierusalem 1. O sight of peace O sight of peace If thou hadst knowne those things that belong to thy peace so with griefe and sorow of heart he leaueth off as not able to expresse the sum of his sorrow Againe with like sorrow he saith How often would I haue gathered you together as a henne gathereth her chickens and you would not 90. Kenan borne HIs name signifieth Contrite or small store Matth. 5. Blessed are the poore in spirit for their is the kingdome of heauen Esay 54. Thus saith the High and Excellent euen he that dwelleth in Eternity whose name is the holy one I dwell high aboue and in the Sanctuarie and with him also that is of a Contrite Spirit doe I dwell that I may heale a troubled mind and a Contrite heart Psal 50. An humble and Contrite heart the Lord doth not despise therefore shall euery godly man prayse the Lord without ceasing 70. Mahalaleel borne You haue in this number ten seuens or seuen multiplied by ten which is seuentie which is the number of his natiuitie wherein you haue a sweet resemblance of the creation of which number many excellent things are to be spoken which I will handle afterwards THis name signifieth My praise God Leah nameth her fourth sonne Iuda the Father of Shiloh Praise God for so doth his name likewise signifie The vse of this ought to be embraced of all seeing it stretcheth to the saluation of all It appeareth hereby that the godly fathers in ancient time had wonderfull regard in naming their children For if you doe marke the whole stories of the Bible you shall find very few notable men whether they were godly or wicked but they conteine rare matter in their names From Mahalaleel we are taught to prayse God aright First in sinceritie of spirit with sound knowledge grounded vpon the truth of his word Dauid knowing that prayse giuing to God is not only required at our hands but also at euery creatures in their kind biddeth the whole course of nature praise the Lord. And in Psal 47. hee sayth O sing prayses sing prayses vnto our God O sing prayses sing prayses vnto our King for the Lord is high and to be feared He is the great king vpon all the earth sing prayses therefore with vnderstanding Hee sheweth vs a reason in the 19. Psalme where he saith The heauens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handie worke one day telleth another and one night certifieth another c. Therefore let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be alway acceptable in thy sight O Lord my Rocke and my Redeemer Whereby we are taught that the true praise of God consisteth not onely in outward acknowledging of his works and his iudgements for that the wicked are oftentimes compelled to confesse as Pharaoh Nebucadnetzar and others but wee must prayse God so as that all our thankes and all our actions may tend to the acknowledging of the Redemption by Christ for so doth Dauid in this 19. Psal he beginneth with the Creation endeth with the Redemption Let vs therefore with him also say Psal 102. Prayse the Lord O my soule and all that is within me prayse his holy name which forgiueth all thy sinne and healeth all thine infirmities which saueth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with mercie and louing kindnesse And Psal 105. O giue thankes vnto the Lord and call vpon his holy name tell the people what things he hath done O let your songs be of him and praise him and let your talking be of all his wonderous workes Reioyce in his holy name let the heart of them reioyce that seeke the Lord seeke the Lord and his strength seeke his face euermore 65. Iared borne For this number 65. it is the halfe of 130. His name signifieth Lowlie or meeke he was 162. yeeres old before he married because at that time he had knowledge of the flood that it should come Therefore hee consecrated his sonne to God HOw precious a vertue this Meekenesse is and how highlie to be embraced we may know by open experience if we examine how God from the beginning hath gouerned the world For God respecteth not the person of any man that he should feare him He ouerthrew the rebellious Nimrod and the rest of the Nephewes of
the Gentiles is vnderstood vnder these words And God will perswade Iapheth to dwell in the Tents of Sem. The Prophet Noah spake not at randome when he sayd Blessed be the God of Sem. But what is there spoken short in due time is drawne out longer and the not regarding the blessing of Sem doth make many things in the new Testament to be neglected And first for Cham. HIs name signifieth Hote or Cholericke and those Countreys did his Sons after the confusion of tongues possesse namely in Africa in the South Countrey C ham the Prince of Affricke the spreader of wickednesse inhabited the fourth part of the world with his families His house neuer got any victorie but for some especiall punishment to bee shewed vpon Sems house C ham had a curse in this world and doubtlesse in the world to come He had foure Sonnes the first Cush of whome came the Ethiopians or in our tongue Burnt faces the second Mitzraijm of whome the Egyptians come for Mitzraijm doth signifie Egypt The third Put of whome the Lybians and Blackamores come and the fourth Canaan of whome the Cananites come in whome the curse of Cham was pronounced notwithstanding it falleth out also in all his other Sonnes And as Canaan was a slaue of slaues so are they that are of the like infidelitie so that oftentimes for the horrible impietie of one man the whole Nation fareth the worse This Canaan had eleuen Sonnes and himselfe made the twelfe and his Countrey was called Canaan which once was Paradise And as Paradise to Adam resembled the state of heauen so did the land of Canaan to the Israelites and the Iewes for it was a land abounding with all good things In Paradise was the tree of life In Canaan Christ was borne the true Tree of life Adam neglecting the true seruice of God in Paradise was driuen from thence The Iewes neglecting their Sabbaths and finally the knowledge of Christ were likewise driuen out of Canaan But as notwithstanding Adams fall saluation in Paradise was promised to all the world so notwithstanding the sin of the Iewes Christ in Canaan wrought the full saluation of all the world These eleuen Sonnes of Canaan were setled in one soyle that is in Canaan which is about One Hundred and Sixtie miles from North to South and Sixtie miles from Eeast to West Their names are Zidon who built Tyrus the glorie of the world for traffique of Marchandize Heth Gebusi who after Sems death as it should appeare possessed Ierusalem Amori Girgashi of whome there were some left till Christs time as Mat. 8.28 Hiuits of whome Abraham bought his burying place of whose kindred also Esau tooke him wiues Arkite Siuite Aruadite Zemathite Hemathite It is supposed they had so many tongues as there were Nations but it was no otherwise than our Cornish and Northerne men differ in their tongues These were Lordes of the whole soyle to plant build and replenish it against time to come that the twelue Tribes of Israel might haue Vineyards that they neuer planted and houses that they neuer builded Wherevpon Moses sayth Deut. 32. When the most high God diuided to the Nations their inheritance hee appointed the borders of a people according to the number of the Sonnes of Israel And when God promiseth to Abram Genes 14. that hee will giue his seede a Land that shall flowe with Milke and Honie hee bordereth it from Egypt to the great Riuer the Riuer Euphrates within which borders are contained the seuerall Lordships of Canaan and his Sonnes namely the Kenites the Kenâ—sites the Cadmonites the Hethites the Pheresites the Gyaunts the Amorites the Cananites the Girgashites and the Gebusites Because C ham scorned his Father who was the restorer of all the world therefore his Countrey was to bee giuen to Sems House the Iewes and they were driuen out of their Land by the Sword of Ioshua except some fewe who were left in the Land to bee spurres in the sides and thornes in the eyes of the Israelites who were to possesse it that when through the aboundance of wealth they grewe to forget God they might bee chastened with his rodde of correction Thus Kaines curse is extended euen to Canaan his youngest Sonne and hee is made a Seruant of Seruants to Sem that the blessing to Sem might appeare and the open cursed should serue the open blessed although it bee Nine Hundred yeares after Noahs prophecie to shewe that although God suffer the wicked a while and doth deferre his punishments vntill the sinne of the Ammorites come to a full ripenesse that yet hee is a righteous Iudge and sitteth vpon a fierie throne from whose presence doth issue Riuers of fire to consume all such as will not learne to knowe the seede of the woman to bee able to breake the head of the Serpent nor desire to dwell in the Tents of Sem acknowledging the God of Abraham the God of Isaach and the God of Iacob to bee the true God that keepeth couenant with all whose garments were washed in wine and his mantle in the bloud of grapes Nor marke that Shiloh is that Emanuel God with vs who is that Stone that can grinde the mightiest Gyaunt in the Land of Canaan to powder who haue eyes and will not see how God with fire from heauen consumed their Cities turning Lots wife into a pillar of salt ouerthrewe their kinsmen Pharaoh in the Redde Sea and made the walles of Iericho to fall downe without violent handes Chams house was not plagued for building Babel onely but for falling from the Religion of Sem and his posteritie had a deadly minde against true Religion And as Cham and the rest are in Gehenna in darkenesse so in the Scripture they are left in darknesse For there is no time of any of them mentioned when they died but are left in darkenesse The wicked men of Canaan would neuer yeeld to the truth but praised Gods of gold brasse and stone Now followeth for Iaphet HIs name signifieth Perswaded He had seuen Sonnes Gomer Magog Madai of whome came the Meedes Iauan of whome the Grecians and the Romanes come and Tubal and Mesech of whom the Muscouites come And Tiras of whome the Thrasians come Of these were the Isles of the Gentiles diuided in their Lands Iaphet hee was partaker with Sem in the action of couering their Father but Sem had the prerogatiue of the promise concerning Christ notwithstanding Iaphet was the elder And if you marke through all the Bible you shall not find the first borne of any of Christs Auncestors to haue the promise pronounced to them in open termes because Christ the first begotten of his Father would not come according to the lust of the flesh or course of nature but by grace Sem in regard of that had the glorie of God preached in his Tents vntill the acceptable Child did come in whome all Nations should bee blessed And when the glorie of Sems house which were the
Adam in Paradise and to Sem after the flood is here renewed to Abraham when he is Seuentie and fiue yeares old So many yeares old as there be Fathers of Christ from Adam to Ioseph Saint Matthew beginning at Abraham reckoneth them but Forty and two that is three Fourteenes or six Seuens but Saint Luke reckoning them bringeth them him from Adam and sheweth their number to bee 75. Saint Mathews meaning was to prooue him King of the Iewes and Saint Lukes to shew that he is the Seede of the woman Seuentie fiue hath in it Ten Seuens and Fiue the number of the letters of Iehouah God changeth Abrams name from Abram to Abraham of Haman a Multitude because in him all the Nations and multitude of the earth should bee blessed like vnto Noah a new Comforter Hee left his Countrey and his Fathers house and went to a Land which God would shew him so that Saint Paul teacheth by faith AbrahaÌ„ when he was called obeyed God to goe into a place which he should aâ—ter receiue for an inheritance and he went out not knowing whether he went In this faith Moses a high Sonne refused to be called the Sonne of Pharaohs Daughter Saint Luke testifieth of him Act. 7. That the God of glorie appeared to our Father Abraham when hee was in Mesopotamia before he dwelt in Charran and sayd vnto him Get thee out of thy Country and from thy kindred and come into a Land that I shall shew thee Then came he out of the Land of Chaldea and dwelt in Charran and from thence when his Father was dead hee brought him into the Land of Canaan but hee had no inheritance in it no not the breadth of a foote Yet God promised that hee would giue it him to possesse and to his seede after him when as yet hee had no Childe Wherefore beleeuing in God it was counted to him for righteousnesse For the promise to Abraham that hee should bee the heire of the world was not giuen him or his seede through the lawe but through the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 4. In 2. Esdras 0. You haue there in the prayer of Nehemiah an abridgement of all this Storie how the Lord chose Abram and brought him out of Vr of the Chaldees and called him Abraham and found his heart faithfull and made a couenant with him to giue his seed the Land c. Saint Paul Act. 17. reasoneth with the men of Athens thus You Grecians you say that you are of Iapheth and that your Countrey is Ionia and yee are the Sonnes of the earth Be it knowne vnto you that God at the first made all mankind of one blood to dwell on all the face of the earth and assigned the seasons which were ordained before and the bonds of their habitations for hee diuided vnto them the Land according to the number of the Sonnes of Israel Now yee heathen your owne Poets say ye are the generation of God And we may obserue that in all the ceremonies of Moses there is a great priuiledge layd downe for the heathen And besides Melchisedech being a heathen and greater than Abraham and a resembler of the Sonne of God is a manifest argument that God would saue the Gentiles in Christ And it is added by Saint Paul God which iustifieth the wicked euen Abram being an Idolatrer The Gentiles are no worse therefore they haue no cause to despaire And where it is sayd in this Storie of Abraham that he forsooke his Father and his Fathers house Saint Stephen Act. 7. sheweth that it was at the time his Father was dead for otherwise it had beene an hard example and Gods actions must bee so wisely disposed that the verie heathen must acknowledge them to be iust which they would not haue done if hee had left his Father he being aliue It is further added that Abraham was rich He was of behauior quiet for to auoide strife and contention betwixt his shepheards and the shepheards of Lot hee willed him to choose whether he would take to the right hand or to the left Lot chooseth the best for eye-sight though by the close counsell of God ordering his choise it prooued farre contrarie Abraham was politique for he had Three hundred and Eighteen souldiers of his owne familie which he himselfe had instructed And thereby we may gather that hee vsed recreation and in curiositie did not contemne it for otherwise hee could not haue made his men so expert Warriours And surely there is nothing disturbeth Religion more than curiositie He was a stately man and couragious and had authoritie of life and death else hee could not haue kept so many in good order His moderation appeareth also in that hee suffered Sara to rule at home He was politique in choosing the night to set on his enemies for seeing he was in the fauour of God hee was sure hee could not walke in darkenesse and it was the fittest time to make his enemies affraid 2090. Melchisedech King of Salem A figure of the Sonne of God meeteth Abraham IT is a question who this Melchisedech should be It is most certaine it is Sem the Sonne of Noah Which may be gathered from the circumstance of the Storie being modestly expounded Heb. 7. This Melchisedech King of Salem who met Abraham as he returned from the slaughter of the Kings to whome also Abraham gaue tythes of all things first is called by interpretation King of righteousnesse and after that King of Salem that is to say King of Peace without Father without mother without kindred and hath neither beginning of dayeâ— nor end of life but is likened to the Sonne of God He was without Father without Mother when Abraham met him Fiue last ages aboue Abraham being dead hee was vnknowen of his owne kindred He had no end of life in the olde world for he liued through the flood and no beginning of dayes in the newe world Christ in respect of his Godhead had no mother and in regard of his Manhead he had no father Surely our men be very vnaduised that because Caluin and a fewe Grecians doe stacker in this opinion whether Sem should be Melchisedech therefore they will not admit the truth hereof as though they should bee a rule of truth vnto them But to answere them First the consent of all the Iewes is that Sem is Melchisedech and if he be not then let vs see what inconueniences will follow First he must be a godlier man than Sem that crosseth Sems blessing Blessed be the God of Sem. Besides it standes not with Religion that any man should be rare in the highest degree no prophecie going before it to warrant his rarenesse But this is the cause why men bee deceiued The Grecians erre in this and are the cause why others haue erred It was not possible for them to know the truth thereof for the Iewes appointed by Ptolomeus Philodelphus to translate the Bible seeing there was such difference at the birth
him by faith It is sayd that this commaundement of embracing Christ is the first for if this were not the other were to small purpose Now that the Iewes should not be amazed at sixe hundred and thirteene Lawes seuen weekes betweene their comming out of Egypt and the giuing of the Lawe were allowed them for meditation And yet as they made nothing of the Lambe so Antichrist treadeth vnder foot the sufferings of Christ This Commandement of thy God they brought out of Egypt Clemens Alexandrinus saith That Egypt is a signe of the wicked world therefore euerie man must looke by the Redeemer to bee deliuered And wee must remember Moses Law You shall not doe after the manner of the Nations from whence ye came nor whither you goe Concerning the Ceremonie of Sitting Standing at the Passeouer This is the consent of the Iewes they of fit yeares did sit Those which were young did stand vnlesse they were bidden to sit At the first instituting of the Passeouer the gesture was prescribed being fit for them who were presently with speed to passe away When it is repeated againe when they are in the Land this action is left out Christ sat with his Apostles after the manner of the wild Irish on the ground From this we may gather that it is left to the circumstance of time and place and which fitteth best in discretion the manners and comlinesse of the Countrey Therefore the best is that which the common weale alloweth Fiftie dayes after his ascention Christ sendeth downe his spirit And thereby maketh the preaching of the Gospell equall in maiestie to the giuing of the Law Concerning the day no day is prescribed therefore the Church thought good to appoint the first Sabbath after the full moone For Easter mention is made of the Lords day in the 20. Actes 1. Cor. 16. in cap. 1. The next thing to be handled is the giuing of the Law GOd calleth simple men out of Egypt and willeth them to heare and iudge of his Lawes and telleth them Heare Israel I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt c. In this first sentence you haue the Gospell taught in these wordes Thy God For by this is vnderstood the Redemption by Christ For though God in respect that he is Creator is God both of the wicked and the Godlie yet he neuer calleth himselfe The God of the wicked Hitherto is all the Lawe referred For all the prophesies in Christ are Yea and Amen This entrance to the Law by the Gospell is exceeding necessarie For seeing if we behold the infinite maiestie of God in our weaknesse there is no cause but of trembling and feare it pleaseth God in the face of Thy God the Redeemer to shew himselfe fauourable and reconciled whereby we may approch with boldnesse Yet this doctrine of the preaching of the Gospell in the Law hath beene verie much doubted of and hath beene thought erronious But I will aske them Seeing the Law comprehends all righteousnesse and there is no righteousnesse but which is there commanded if to beleeue in Christ which is the Gospell is not there commanded to doe it must needs be sinne And Saint Paul for commaunding beleife in Christ had bene by law lawfully put to death if Moses in his law had not commaunded it All our men which write Catechismes do apply the Sabbath and the Sacraments together so against their wils they confesse that the doctrine of the Sacraments is in the Law Saint Paul if he were demaunded this question would answere to this as Christ himselfe doth The Pharisees demand of Christ Which is the first Commandement He answereth them demandeth another question Whose sonne is the Messias They answere Dauids If he be Dauids sonne how then doth he in spirit call him Lord For if he be his Lord how is he then his sonne And thereupon because the Iewes vnderstood not this he pronounceth against them a great many of Woes This is yet thought doubtfull seeing the Creed hath beene taken for a distinct and diuided thing from the Law But if they marke they shall finde the verie same taught in the Creed which is taught in Heare Israel thy Lord thy God For I beleeue in God the Father Almightie and in Iesus Christ his onely sonne our Lord hath the very same sentence with the former Heare Israel I am the Lord thy God And surely they little know what they teach that doe not in such reference applie the Lawe and the Gospell together God deliuereth the Law in this sort I Am the Lord thy God which with a mightie hand and stretched-out arme shewing my wonders in the land of Egypt haue brought thee out of bondage It is therefore reason that seeing I onely haue done these things for you that you reuerence no Gods but me And seeing I neuer shewed my selfe in any bodily apparance and the Creatures doe but in a sort expresse my infinite power and wisedome it is reason that you should not after the manner of the Nations which I destroy make any image to represent my glory And seeing that hee hath commaunded Holinesse because he himselfe is Holy therefore we must take heed of foolish and vaine calling and talking of the name of God Now for as much as these things may the better be considered hee hath appointed a day of Rest that thereby calling to mind the Creation the fall and restoring we may sanctifie the Lord in our soules And hath appointed it the seuenth day because we should keepe in memorie how God rested from Creating and thereby learne that the true knowledge hereof is the Rest and life of the soule But seeing these things cannot be done without mainteining of policie therefore it is commanded that their should bee honour giuen to Superiors as to Fathers and loue performed by them to subiects as to children which is preserued if Murther Adulterie Theft False witnesse and an vniust desire of thâ— which is not ours be auoided These Lawes are so certaine and plaine that the heart of the simplest cannot but acknowledge them righteous For they may see likewise how one commaundement dependeth of another as lincks of a golden chaine The Cabalists say that these lawes were giuen to man for the sinne of the serpent that is to say not for vs to accomplish for wee cannot attaine thereto but to shew vnto vs how farre the infection of that venome hath carried vs away from that duetie which God requireth of vs which end of the lawe is greatly enlightned into vs by the comming of the Messias in that he teacheth vs that the Lawe is not satisfied with an outward and Pharisaicall obedience by hypocrisie but by the vncorrupt obedience of the heart and by the acknowledgement of our disobedience And Moses and the Prophets commaunded circumcision of heart the offering of prayse and obedience and to abstaine from vnhallowing the Sabbath day with vnrighteousnesse therefore the seruice which
God requireth by the Law is spirituall as the reward which wee ought to looke for is spirituall You are also to note that there was seuen times seuen dayes after the eating of the Lambe before the giuing of the Law Whereby wee may know that God careth not for ciuilitie without the knowledge of Christ though the contrarie bee taught that it is ynough so wee bee ciuill in life though our mindes neuer thinke of the eating of the Lambe But if wee will liue godlie indeed all our care must bee to esteeme highlie of those rules which concerne the teaching of the Redemption By Christ For it is no commendation to liue ciuilly though a sinne to misse in conuersation And yet this honest behauiour amongst all men must not be neglected Where it is said Sanctifie your selues for to morrow is the Sabbath If it bee demaunded how the Iewes could vnderstand this it may thus be answered God so spake that a childe may vnderstand it For Adam fell in Paradise the sixt day and sacrificed the seuenth which is as much as Moses speaketh heere This is the consent of the Hebrewes There is a Question Whether Ioseph in Egypt and the Iewes in Babylon did keepe the Sabbath For any thing that I can finde they did it not publiquelie Peraduenture Ioseph might doe it priuatlie in respect of his owne conscience but not otherwise And for the keeping of the Sabbathes by the Iewes in Babylon wee haue an expresse example to the contrarie There was a feast at Shusan which was on the Sabbath day which feast the Iewes likewise did solemnize immediately vppon that there was a decree to destroy the Iewes The Chaldee paraphrast expounds it to be for the contempt of the Sabbath Iob in his booke expounds this commaundement of honoring Father and Mother by shewing how contumeliously those did vse him whose Fathers he would not haue set with his dogges Saint Paul sheweth that this is the first commaundement that hath a promise annexed shewing thereby that we are to be dealt with like children by allurements to embrace common ciuilitie such is the peruersenesse of our nature Ieremy telleth the Iewes that if they will keep their Sabbaths they shall not goe into captiuitie He thereby meaneth that by the true keeping of the Sabbaths they must learne all religion For they must remember Adams fall and the restoring by Christ and then the instituting of the Sabbath Then must they come to Sem and Abraham and the promise and the offering vp of Isaack which was a figure of the Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world and so through the Stories of the Scripture The Law is vsually diuided into two Tables the First Second The Foure first Commaundements concerning God The sixe last concerning man The end of the Law is Christ which is excellently set downe in the Epistle to the Hebrewes which Epistle begins in this sort At sundrie times and in sundry manners God spake in the old time by the Prophets As to Adam The Seed of the woman shall break the head of the Serpent To Noah Blessed be the God of Sem. To AbrahaÌ„ In thy seed al Nations in the earth shall bee blessed c. And now last by his Sonne whome hee hath made heire of all things by whome hee made the world â— who being the brightnesse of his glorie and the Character of his substance sustaineth all thinges by whome the world was made farre aboue all Angels For in the beginning O Lord thou establishedst the heauens they will perish but thou doest remaine And the Angels they are but thy miâ—istring spirits for their sakes which shall be heires of saluation Now if euerie transgression and disobedience receiued a iust reward how shall we escape if wee neglect so great saluation It is easie to make triall hereof For the world was made in the beginning to obey man the Angels receiued damnation for despising this and in respect hereof Dauid sayth What is man that thou shouldest be mindfull of him thou hast made him a little inferiour to the Angels that thou mightest crowne him with glorie and honour And it was necessarie that Iesus should take vpon him the seede of Abraham and so be made inferiour to the Angels by suffering death that so hee might bring many Children to glorie and through death destroy him that had the power of death and by this victorie ouer the Deuill be crowned with glorie and honour and haue all things put in subiection vnder his feet And by these his sufferings hee was made like vnto his brethren that hee might be mercifull and a faithfull high Priest in things concerning God that hee might make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people Moses was a faithfull witnesse hereof and they that beleeued him not but disobeyed were plagued in the Wildernesse Therefore while it is called to day harden not your hearts least hee sweare They shall not enter into my rest This Doctrine was further made plaine by Aaron the Annointed of the Lord whose office was to offer for his owne sins and the sinnes of his brethren But his office ceased This ceasing was figured before in Melchisedech blessing Abraham when Leuie was yet in Abrahams loynes and therefore aboue Abraham for the lesser is blessed of the greater to whom Abraham gaue tythes therefore the Iewes must goe to a higher Religion than to the Lawe and Thy God contayneth more than ceremonies Wee shall see this cleare by the Tabernacle in the which wee are not to speake of the particular Ceremonies but of those cheefely which as referred to Christ In the Tabernacle there were two places the Holy the Holy of holiest The Holy was called the Sanctuarie of this world wherein were the Candlestickes Table of shew-bread c. The Holy of holyest did represent the state of heauen in which was the Arke of the Couenant of God In which Arke there was reserued as a memorie for all posterities a potte of Manna Aarons Rodde that alwayes flourished and the Tables of the Lawe The Arke was couered and the couering thereof was called the mercie-seat which figured Christ who is our propiciatorie or mercie-seat to couer our iniquities Ouer the mercie-seat were the forme of two Angels hauing relation to the Angels that kept the way to the tree of life to shew that none were worthie to come into that Holy of holiest but Aaron the annointed of the Lord who likewise figured Christ both in name and office For Aaron signifieth Christ which in English is Annointed and in office by entring once for all into the Holy of holiest For it was the office of the high Sacrificer once euery yeere to enter into this Holy of holyest with blood Of this Dauid speaketh Psalme 40. When hee commeth into the world hee saith Sacrifice and burnt offering thou wouldest not haue but a bodie hast thou ordained In the beginning of thy booke it is written that I should doe thy will O God Then said I loe I
must cast to end iust with the death of Christ or else howe doth Christ according to Daniel the 9. end the ceremonie oblation and the wisedom of God hath taken such order that where the Scripture seemeth to leaue off to reckon there the heathen keepe a iust account nothing at all crossing Daniels Seuens For the Iubilee which the Iewes and Romanes obserue there is no colour of Religion in it nor warrant in Moses for them Therefore we leaue them to obloquie as not worth the handling amongst the rest of their grosse errours which they against Scripture foolishly maintaine 2611. Aod Eightie yeares HE was of the Tribe of Beniamin The Children of Israel committed wickednesse in the sight of the Lord and the Lord strengthned Eglon King of Moab against Israel But when they cryed vnto the Lord hee stirred them vp a Sauiour Aod the Sonne of Gera the Sonne of Beniamin a man lame of his right hand and the Children of Israel sent a present by him vnto Eglon King of Moab and Aod made a sharpe Dagger and carried it priuily and when he had deliuered the Present he thrust it into him and killed him and they slue the same day ten Thousand Moabites so Moab was subdued vnder the hand of Israel and the Land had rest Fourescore yeares Iudg. 3. 2671. Eglon oppresseth Eighteen yeares Iudg. 3.  2691. Baracke and Deborah Fortie yeares Baracke was of Nephtali and Deborah of Ephraim THe Children of Israel began againe to doe wickedly in the the sight of the Lord when Aod was dead and the Lord sold them into the hand of Iabin King of Canaan whose cheefe Captaine was called Sisera Then they cryed vnto the Lord For Sisera had Nine hundred yron Chariots and Twentie yeares hee had vexed them And at that time Deborah a Prophetesse the wife of Lapidoth iudged Israel And shee called vnto her Baracke the Sonne of Abinoam and she went with Baracke to Kedesh against Sisera and the Lord destroyed Sisera and all his Chariots at the waters of Maggeddon in the Reuelation the ouerthrow of Antichrist is compared to the ouerthrow of Sisera at Mageddon Then sange Deborah and Barack the same day saying Praise ye the Lord for auenging of Israel c. to the last verse of the Chapter So let thine enemies perish O Lord but they that loue him shall be as the Sunne when he riseth in his might and the Land had rest Fortie yeares Here is perfourmed Gen. 49. Where Iacob blessing Nephtali saith Hee shall bee a Hinde let goe giuing goodly words Hee was in the pursute of Sisera as swift as a Hinde and gaue goodly words with Deborah Iudg. 5. 2711. Sisera oppresseth Twentie yeares Obed of Ruth IN the time that the Iudges ruled there was a dearth in the Land and a man of Bethelem in Iuda went for to soiourne in the Country of Moab The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife was Naomi and his two Sonnes Mahlon and Chilion Ephrathites of Bethlehem and they came into the Countrey of Moab and continued there and they tooke wiues of the Moabites the name of the one was Ophrath and the name of the other Ruth and so read through the first and second Chapters of the Booke of Ruth We haue the like commendation of Ruth that is spoken of Abraham That she left her Father and Mother and the Land where she was borne and came into a people whome shee knewe not in times past And withall she is blessed in these words The Lord recompence thy worke and a full reward be giuen thee of the Lord God of Israel vnder whose winges thou art come to trust Ruth 2. So Booz tooke Ruth and she was his wife and the Lord gaue that she conceiued a Sonne and called his name Obed the same was the Father of Iessay the Father of Dauid Ruth 4. In that Christ chooseth to come of Rahab of Cham of Ruth of Moab he purposed not to come into the world by the prerogatiue of nature or as the Iewes looked he should come in most tryumphant sort but by grace offering grace to Cham recompencing the loue of Lot to Abraham and opening the eyes of all the Gentiles in the world and causing the dumbe Nations that knewe not that the seed of the woman should breake the Serpents head to speake the prayses of God in their owne tongue Againe if his Parents had been from time to time of vertuous life vnspotted as many of them were the woonderfull graces of Christ would haue been attributed vnto the generalitie of his Fathers But hee preuented euerie obiection that the peeuish vnbeleeuing Pharisees might imagine by comming of such as the Iewes held as vncleane before God 2731. Gedeon Fortie yeares Gedeon Baracke Sampson Iephte Dauid Samuel and the Prophets obtained promises but receiued not the promise Heb. 11. AGaine the Children of Israel committed wickednesse in the sight of the Lord and the Lord gaue them into the hands of Madian Seuen yeares so Israel was exceedingly impouerished by the Madianites Therefore they cryed vnto the Lord and when they cryed the Lord sent a Prophet vnto them who sayd vnto them Thus saith the Lord God of Israel I haue brought you vp from Egipt and haue brought you out of the house of bondage and I said vnto you feare not the Gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell but you haue not obeyed my voice And Gedeon of the Tribe of Ephraim was threshing of wheat to hide it from the Madianites Then the Angell of the Lord appeared vnto him and sayd The Lord is with thee thou valiant man And the Lord looked vpon him and sayd vnto him Goe in this thy might and and thou shalt saue Israel out of the handes of the Madianites Haue not I sent thee The multitude of the Madianites and the Amalekites and all they of the East lay in the valley like Grashoppers and there Camels were without number as the sand by the sea-shore But Gedeon with three Hundred destroyed the Madianites To shew that victorie consisteth not in strength of men or multitude of Camels but in God who giueth the Victorie For at the sounding of Gedeons Trumpet the enemies ranne and cryed and fledde and the Lord caused them to kil one another Thus was Midian brought lowe before the Children of Israel so that they lift vp their heads no more and the Countrey was in quietnesse fortie yeares in the dayes of Gedeon This Gedeon had Seuentie Sonnes begotten of his bodie for hee had many wiues and he had a Sonne by a Concubine whose name was Abimelech So Gedeon died in a good age and was buried in the Sepulchre of Ioash his Father in Ophrath Read the 6 7 and 8 Chapters of Iudges Madian oppresseth Seuen yeares  2771. Abimelech Three yeares the Sonne of Gedeon of the Tribe of Ephraim When Gedeon was dead the children of Israel turned away and went a whoring after Baalim
belongs not to the chronicle this is the vse of al Christ is Palmoni the secret nūberer who weigheth numbreth and diuideth yea euen the haires of our head By these also the Eight and twentie Iubilees are made plaine and perfect The certentie of these falling out so iust may assure our consciences that God is faithfull who hath promised Dan. 9. Christ the King after seuenty Seuens shall be slain but not for himselfe c. is the full accomplishment hereof and to which they are to to be referred for so Othoniel the first Iudge of the Tribe of Iudah represented him of all these Iudges Saint Paul speaketh Heb. 11. By faith all these saw the Promise a farre off and beleeued and receiued it not God prouiding a better thing for vs that without vs they should not be made perfect To conclude in the ninth of Esay the Lord bringeth in the conquest of the Iudges both of Zabulon and Nephtali and the ouerthrowe of Madian and then how the Battell of the Warriour was with great noyse and with tumbling his garments in blood but when Christ shall come to subdue all Nations vnto himselfe whome these Conquerours signified his gouernment shal be with peace and righteousnesse and of his Kingdome there shall be none end Thus much for the Storie of the Iudges THE NEXT VVHICH IS TO be handled are Samuel and Saul and first for Samuel The Seuenth Iubilee HEre you haue in the Seuenth Iubilee a rare man Samuel to teach Religion where God purposed to establish a Kingdome It may be demanded why Christ did not die in the Fourth Iubilee seeing it is a square number and representeth the forme of the heauenly Ierusalem Because Iosephs house had not then receiued his full glorie Why then died he not in the Seuenth Iubilee seeing it is a holy number and figureth the rest of our soules Because the Scepter which Iacob promised was not yet come to Iudah and when he had it must haue a double glory ouer Ioseps house but multiply the number of Seuen by the number foure you haue Eight and Twentie the verie yeare of Christs death Thus you see in what a sweet harmonie all the actions of God are lincked if men will marke and not be amazed at manifest truthes Samuel and Saul Fortie yeares IN Samuels Storie we are to consider three things First the time of the gouernment Secondly the place where hee ruled Thirdly his person The time was in Seuenth Iubilee this is a speciall note They were Seuen yeares in conquering the Land Theodoretus applies this to this Storie that so in the Seuenth Iubilee they should looke for some rare euent In the first Iubilee Othoniel of the Tribe of Iuda hath a great victorie and is the first Iudge and recouereth the Kingdome In the Seuenth Iubilee there is a great conquest for Samuel recouereth the Kingdome from the Philistines restoreth the Arke to Iuda and erecteth the Kingdome in Israel This is a wonderfull matter and these times are to be noted because Saint Paul in the Acts saith That God gaue them Iudges after a kinde of reckoning Foure hundred and Fiftie yeares vnto the time of Samuel the Prophet which foure Hundred and Fiftie yeares wee must finde out by casting the particulars So likewise Daniel reckoning the death of Christ by seuentie Seuens compelleth vs to remember the Seuentie yeares of the Captiuitie the foure Seuens of Iubilees and the other Seuens through the scripture These things hange together like a golden chaine that euen as by breaking one linke all is disturbed so by not marking or neglecting one the other become hard and by obseruing this order the word of God is made plaine and easie to those which delight in it Samuels time may bee compared to the newe world after the flood for euen as in Noahs time at the flood all good men were dead euen so now none aliue of any rare blessing so that Samuel beginneth as it were to reuiue the world againe Now for the place HE was borne at Aramathia which signifieth a hye Bancke Here is no mysterie in this But hereby wee may remember a like Storie for Ioseph of Aramathia buried Christ equall with Ioseph which buried Iacob Now followeth the circumstance of his person IN his person first we may consider his name which signifieth I haue asked him of God Plato bringeth in a man Theaitetes which signifieth asked of God The heathen tooke great delight to giue names full of signification This Samuel was of the Tribe of Leui answereable for rarenesse to Moses Moses birth was verie strange his Mother being an hundred and thirtie yeares so the Hebrewes cast her age This they cannot prooue exactly but yet she must be verie old because she was sister to Moses Grandfather so Samuels mother verie old The strangenesse of their birth must needs cause those which liued with them to expect great thinges of them and diligently to obserue their actions Here is yet the difference betweene Moses and Samuel Moses had some notable of his Auncestors which were not touched with any notable blemish Samuel is of Chore which familie is most wicked And here is a great matter to be considered Dauid and Samuels Sonnes are of one age and yet from Leui to Samuel you haue Seuenteene generations and his Sonnes make one generation which maketh Eighteene Generations But in the Tribe of Iuda to Dauid you haue but fiue Generations that is to say Salmon Booz Obed Iessai and Dauid There is mention made in the Psalmes of Ten psalmes of the Sonnes of Chore they be all psalmes of comfort but the Eightie and Foure psalme is a speciall one for there he sheweth how God hath been fauourable vnto the Land because hee brought againe the captiuitie of Iacob when in mercie hee forgaue their sinnes And this mercie will he alwayes shew to them that feare him and then the Lord shall dwell in their Land For mercie and truth shall meete righteousnesse and peace because truth shall budde out of the earth and then righteousnesse shall looke downe from heauen In the 87. Psal thus they speake The Lord loueth the gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of Iacob for in it the Temple was built I will thinke vpon Rahab and Babell Behold yee Philistines and they of Tyre with the Morians loe there was hee borne The meaning of this last sentence is thus much The Lord will write this man that man born in Salem by regeneration where in the conflict betweene Moses and Dathan Chore and Abiram which were destroyed Moses writeth that the Sonnes of Chore did not perish Wee must expound this as a Prophecie and referre it to the present time For he as a Prophet saw that some of them should be godly the perfourmance whereof appeareth in these daies Hereby we may learne that diuers wicked Fathers may haue children inheritors of saluation And the heathen were not hindred for being called because of the ignorance of
also and hee sought Ochosias and caught him where hee was hid in Samaria and brought him to Iehu and slue him and buried him because they sayd hee is the Sonne of Iosaphat which sought the Lord with all his heart So the house of Ochosias was not able to retaine the Kingdome This was the iust plague of God because he ioyned himselfe with Gods enemies yet God to declare the worthinesse of Iosaphat his Grandfather mooued them to giue him the honour of buriall 2. Chron. 22. 3118. Athalia Sixe yeares WHen shee heard that her Sonne Ochosias was dead she putteth to death all the Kings seed of Ochosias house because she might by that meanes bring the Kingdome to Israel and so haue established Idolatrie But Iehoshabeath the daughter of the King tooke Ioash the Sonne of Ochosias and stole him from among the Kings Sons that should be slaine and put him and his Nurse in the Bed-chamber So Iehoshabeath the daughter of King Ioram the wife of Iehoida the Sacrificer for she was the Sister of Ochosias hid him from Athalia So she slue him not and hee was hid with them in the house of God sixe yeares whiles Athalia raigned ouer Iuda But after this Iehoida caused Athalia to be slaine to shew that who so sheddeth blood by man shall their blood be shed 3124. Ioas Fortie yeares THen they brought out the Kings Sonne and put on him the crowne and gaue him the testimonie that is his oath and royall apparell and made him King and Iehoida and his Sonnes annointed him and sayd God saue the king Then all the people of the Land reioyced and the Citie was quiet after they had slaine Athaliah with the sword For where a tyrant and an Idolatrer raigneth there Gods religion cannot flourish but the plagues of God are euer amonge such people This Ioas while Iehoida liued kept religion sincerely but he being dead fell to Idolatrie And because Zacharias the Sonne of Barachias or Iehoida reprooued him he commaunded him to be slaine between the Altar and the Temple that so all the righteous blood from Abel hitherto might come vpon the Iewes and their children Here wee may obserue how hard a thing in a wicked Kingdome it is to escape the wrath of God and to keepe our handes from reaching vnto wickednesse And here looke what Kaines age was for impietie so was this for so Christ ioynes them together Mat. 23. That all the righteous blood from Abel hitherto might come vpon them Thus Ioas forgot the kindnesse which Iehoida the father of Zacharias had done to him And when the yeare was out the Host of Aram came vp against Ioas and they came against Iuda and Ierusalem and destroyed all the Princes of the people from amonge the people and sent all the spoyle of them vnto the King of Damascus Though the Armie of Aram came with a small companie of men yet the Lord deliuered a verie great Armie into their hand because they had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers And they gaue sentence against Ioash and when they were departed from him for they left him in great diseases his owne seruants conspired against him for the blood of the children of Iehoiada the Sacrificer and slue him on his bed And he died and they buried him in the Citie of Dauid but they buried him not in the Sepulchres of the Kings 2. Chron. 24. Saint Mathew in the Genealogie saith that Ioas was not the natural Sonne of Ochosias for he omits three Kings in the Genealogie First let vs see why hee omits any and then why these three It is certaine that the Iewes wrote the Genealogies and reduced them to sixe Seuens two and Fortie Fathers Saint Mathew was to take them as hee found them seeing they spake true For it was ynough to tell that Christ was of Abraham and Ioseph The rest betwixt are to shew the varietie of Gods wisedome and prouidence The six Seuens haue in them a sweet proportion to the creation and that they make vp two and Fortie they resemble the standings in the wildernesse being likewise two and Fortie Standings Now for the reason why Sant Mathew leaueth out three this it is They were verie wicked and for their wickednesse were grieuously plagued and therefore seeing the Iewes would not exceede the number of two and Fortie they were the fittest to bee left out The like example we haue in the blessing of Moses where Simeon is left out being wicked and the number of Twelue must bee obserued And in the Reuelation where the Tribes are sealed Dan is omitted for the reason afore euen so these three kings being very wicked had violent deaths in token of Gods curse and therefore the Iewes penning Christs Auncestors might iustly leaue them out To proceed when Henocke was taken vp there was a prophecie for the flood In Hebers daies Pelegs name prophecied the cōfounding of their tongues When Elias is taken vp there is presently a great alteration for Ochosias is killed and Athalia doth in sixe yeares as it were vnconquer the Land and bring all to an vproare Ioas the remnant of the Kings seede preserued by Iehoiada the high Sacrificer from slaughter commeth vp verie weakely thereby to shew vnto vs that there is no strength in man whose breath is in his nostrils 3161. Amasias Nine and Twentie yeares HE did vprightly in the eyes of the Lord but not with a perfect heart meaning in respect of his predecessors albeit he had his imperfections For when the Kingdome was established vnto him he slue his seruants that had slain the King his Fathers but he slue not their children but did as it is written in the Lawe and in the Booke of Moses Deut. 24.16 Where the Lord commaunded saying The Fathers shall not die for the children neither shall the Children die for the Fathers but euery man shall die for his owne sinne And Amasias assembled Iudah and made warre against Edom and smote off the children of Seir ten Thousand and other ten Thousand the Children of Iudah tooke aliue and carried them to the toppe of a Rocke and cast them downe from the top and they all burst to peeces Now after that Amasias was come from the slaughter of the Edomites he brought the Gods of the children of Seir and set them vp to be his Gods and worshipped them and burned incense vnto them So that instead of praise giuing to God for his victorie he committeth grosse Idolatry Now after the time that Amasias did turne away from the Lord they wrought treason against him in Ierusalem and hee fled to Lachish and they sent after him and slue him there and he was brought vpon horses and buried with his Fathers in the Citie of Iuda 2. Chron. 25. Here you see a good beginning but an ill end and that God plagueth by those means wherein men most trust to teach them that he sitteth vpon a fiery throne thereby to cause them haue their affections setled only
And because hee shall be God and Man therefore he shall be called Emanuel This is he of whome the Prophet Esay cap. 9. foretold saying Vnto vs a childe is borne and vnto vs a sonne is giuen and the gouernment is vppon his shoulder and he shall cal his name Wonderfull Counseller the Mighty God the euerlasting Father the Prince of Peace The encrease of his gouernment and peace shall haue no end He is also called The Sonne of the Virgin Emanuel God with vs Es 7. Shiloh the acceptable child Gen. 49. The bright day starre Luke 3 The Seede of the woman Gen. 3 The Phisition to the helplesse The proclaymer of the acceptable yeare of the Lord The starre and Scepter that should dash all the sonnes of Seth Numb 24 The stone cut out of the mountaine without hands that now filleth all the earth with his glory euē he that should punne Nebucadnetzars image to dust Dan. 2 The sprigge of the root of Iessaj Esay 11 The most holy The annointed of the Father That great Prophet The Tabernacle The Temple The Altar The mercie seate The way that leadeth to the heauenly Ierusalem The truth that directeth to eternall happinesse The life that redeemed Adam from death The true Israelite in whome there is no guile The law-giuer of the Gentiles The propitiatory for our sinnes The mediator betwixt God and man The first begotten Sonne of the Father The euerlasting our Righteousnesse The great sheepheard of his sheepe whome Angels worshipped to whom Kings brought sweet odors as to Salomon to whome the sheepheards of the ends of the earth came to worship He is also called Palmony the secret Numberer who weigheth numbreth and diuideth The Messias Dan. 9. The sonne of Dauid The Lion of the tribe of Iuda The sonne of man The spirituall Rocke The true bread that came from heauen The word that created all things The beloued of the Lord The light and life of man The true vine The dwelling of God with men Michael who thought it no robbery to be equall with God He to whome the Crowne and Diademe doth belong The King of the Iewes Alpha and Omega The Lambe that was killed from the beginning of the world The place where he was borne was Bethlehem of Iudah which the Prophet Micheas calleth Little to be among the thousands of Iudah yet saith the prophet out of thee shall he come forth vnto me that shal be the ruler of Israel whose goings forth haue been from the beginning and from euerlasting The prophet calleth it Little because according to the custome of the Iewes who diuided their countrie into thousands for euery thousand a chiefe Captaine Bethleem was not able to make a thousand But S. Mathew Chap. 2. in respecting the greatnes of the Ruler of Israel that was borne there saith And thou Bethlehem art not the least of the cities of Iudah The time of his birth was in the 42. yeare of Augustus Caesar who Luc. 2. gaue a commandement that all the world should be taxed Therfore went euery man to his owne citie and Ioseph went from Galile out of a citie called Nazaret in Iudea vnto the citie of Dauid which is called Bethleem because he was of the house and lineage of Dauid to be taxed with Mary that was giuen him to wife which was with child And there shee brought forth her first begotten sonne and wrapped him in swadling clothes and laid him in a cribbe because there was no roome for them in the Inne And there were in the same countrie sheepheards abiding in the field and keeping watch by night because of their flockes loe the Angel of the Lord came vpon thē and the glory of the Lord shone about them and they were sore afraide Then the Angell said Be not afraid for behold I bring you tidings of great ioy that shall be to al people that is vnto you is borne this day in the citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord. And strait way there was with the Angell a multitude of heauenly souldiers praysing God and saying Glory be to God in the highest heauens and peace in earth and towards men good will And these sheepheards following the starre it vanished away where fore they came to Ierusalem and asked saying Where is he that is borne King of the Iewes The purpose of God in this was that the Iewes who by the Prophets might and were bound to haue knowen this by the diligence of the heathen might bee vnexcusable in the day of wrath But departing from Herod the Starre which they before had seene appeared vnto them and went before them till it came stood ouer the place where the Babe was and they went into the house and fell downe and worshiped him and opened their treasures and presented vnto him gifts euen gold and incense and mirhe Heere is performed Esay 60. They of Sheba and Seba shall bring forth gold and incense vpon mine Altar meaning Christ And I will magnifie the house of my glory These were the first fruits of the Gentiles And these Gentiles also were of Abraham by Keturah to whome when he died he gaue gifts and sent them away to the East There was Iob found a iust and perfect man when all the world else had forsaken God And the Sheepheards returned glorifying and praysing God for all they had heard and seene And after eight daies they circumcised the child his name was then called Iesus which was named of the Angell before hee was conceaued in the wombe Herod another Pharaoh proceeding of Esau the old enemie to Iacob destroyeth the little children not by water as the first Pharaoh did Exod. 2. but by the sword Math. 2. Rachel weepeth for her children and would not be comforted because they were not that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet Ier. 31.15 Ioseph taketh the Babe and Marie his Mother and goeth into Egypt vntill the death of Herod and then returneth againe that it might bee fulfilled which was written Oseas 11.1 Out of Egipt haue I called my son There is a great doubt of the time of the yeare of Christs birth which because it is very necessary to bee knowne I thinke it not amisse to lay it downe in the treatise following SAint Mathew reckoning the kindred of Christ brings them down but from Abraham to make the number of his generations Fortie two that is six seauens or three fourteenes and bringeth him also from Salomon thereby to prooue him King of the Iewes But in reckoning the Kings to make the number answerable to a sweet proportion of a former storie that is of the two and fortie standings in the wildernesse and the two and fortie flowers bowles knobbes of the candlesticke in the tabernacle which figured Christ leaueth out three Ioas Amasias and Azarias S. Luke reckoning his kindred bringeth thē from Adam and from Dauid by Nathan thereby to prooue him to be the Seede of the woman