〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a turnyng of a speache to some person And he sayd vnto Abimelech Increase thyne army He vseth an Apostrophe to Abimelech beyng absent for it is easy to rayle vpon one being absent He speaketh very Thraso lyke It is as thoughe he should haue sayd increase thy power how thou wilt I set nothing at all by it 30 And when Zebul the ruler of the Citye hearde the wordes of Gaal the sonne of Ebed he was very angry 31 And he sent messangers vnto Abimelech guilefully saying Behold Gaal the sonne of Ebed and his brethren be come to Sechem and beholde they fortefy the City agaynst thee 32 Nowe therfore aryse by night thou and thy people that is with thee and lye in wayte in the fielde 33 And ryse vp early in the mornyng as soone as the Sunne is vp and thou shalt assaulte the Citye and when he and the people that is with hym shall come out agaynst thee do vnto them what thyne hande can finde Zebul was ruler vnder Abimelech when he heard these reproches agaynst his Lorde he could not suffer them Hereby let vs marke how foolishly the Sechemites behaued themselues when they go about to fall from Abimelech they retayne yet still his ruler in the City So god oftētymes striketh men with madnes Neither want there exemples of this thing euen in our tyme. He sent messangers guilefully The Hebrew word is Miremah or Tomah and it signifieth nothyng els but that he sent letters priuely the summe whereof was Gaal is chosen captayne agaynst thee the Sechemites fence the City that they may both defend thēselues within and also exclude thee without And such is the subtility of Zebul that he not onely telleth what was done in the City but also geueth Counsell what Abimelech should doo VVhen it is mornyng The Hebrewe worde Tischim in the coniugation Hiphil from the roote Schacham signifieth to ryse early the Grecians say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And where in Luke the 21. chap. toward the end it is sayd Turba mane conueniebat ad eum that is The people gathered vnto him in the morning the old translation was as Augustine also hath noted vpon this place of the Iudges Populus manicabat ad eum But that worde is barbarous and straunge Augustine Manicare In Greeke it is rede 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And assalte the City This is the Counsell of the ruler that early in the mornyng he should besiege and assaulte the City by guile Do as thine hand shal find By this Hebrewe phrase is signified nothyng els but that so do thou as occasion shall serue 34 And Abimelech rose vp early and all the people that were with hym by nyght and they laye in wayte agaynste Sechem in foure bandes 35 Then Gaal the sonne of Ebed came out and stoode in the entryng of the gate of the City And Abimelech rose vp and the people that were with him from lying in wayte 36 And when Gaal sawe the people he sayde to Zebul Beholde there come people downe from the toppes of the mountaynes To whome Zebul aunswered The shadowe of the mountaynes semeth men vnto thee 37 And Gaal spake agayne and sayde Beholde there come people down from the nauel of the earth and one Captaine commeth by the waye of the playne of Moonenim Their lying in wayte was distributed into foure bandes when Gaal should go forth of the city Zebul was together with him as far as we may coniecture Zebul vsed double fraude for first he sent a messanger vnto Abimelech signified vnto him what he thought good to be done afterward he ioyneth himselfe deceatfully vnto Gaal as though he would be on his side that he might the safelyer do those thynges whiche he thought to doo that Gaal should not mistrust hym Wherfore Gaal goeth forth being nothing afeard of priuy enbushements and together with hym went Zebul Thou seest the shadow of montaynes Zebul derideth him saying They be shadowes whiche thou thinkest to be men Out of the nauel of the earth This is a metaphoricall kynde of speache for as the nauell appeareth aboue the belye so are the mountaynes aboue the earth Wherefore by the nauell he vnderstandeth the mountaynes from whence Abimelech descended with his company And when he came from the mountaynes it is very lykely whiche thyng yet is not here mentioned that he ouercame the guarrisons whiche the Sechemites had put in those places 38 And Zebul sayd vnto him Where is nowe thy mouth that sayd Who is Abimelech that we should serue hym Is not thys the people that thou haste despised Go out nowe I praye thee and fyght agaynst them 39 And Gaal went forth before the men of Sechem and fought agaynst Abimelech 40 But Abimelech pursued hym after he began to flye before hym and many were ouerthrowen and wounded euen to the entryng of the gate 41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren that they should not abide in Sechem 42 And on the morowe the people went out into the fielde And it was tolde Abimelech 43 And he tooke the people and deuided them into three bandes laid wayt in the field and looked and behold the people were come out of the City and he rose vp agaynst them and smote them 44 And Abimelech and the bandes that were with hym rushed forwarde and stoode in the entryng of the gate of the City and the two other bandes ran vpon al the people that were in the field and slewe them 45 And when Abimelech had fought agaynst the City all the day he tooke the City slew the people that was therin and destroyed the City and sowed salt in it Zebul coulde not holde hymselfe but that he must nippe that Thraso Thou didst contemne sayeth he Abimelech nowe come out agaynst hym and shewe howe valiaunt thou art VVhere is thy mouth This worde Aphoh is ambiguous for it signifieth where and sometymes it signifieth now But bycause it is before sayd where it is mete to be taken here for Now so let vs say Where is now thy mouth vnles we will haue it a repetition to say Where where is thy mouth by the figure Metonumia a mouth signifieth wordes The manner of feareful men for we speake with the mouth He vp braydeth him with the maner of feareful men for cowardes are wont before the daunger stoutely to bragge but when they come to the daunger they are wonfully afrayd but contraryly stoute men bragge not much neither do they rashely thrust themselues into daungers But in daungers they are most constant He went forth before the princes of Sechem Gaal fighteth but peraduenture not prepared for Abimelech came vpon him vnlooked for Yet Gaal goeth forth agaynst him least peraduenture he should seme to be a coward And he fled before him Abimelech followed hym when he fled euen to the gates of the City where he slewe many Gaal thought he
should haue ben receaued into the City and for that cause he fleeth vnto the gate But Zebul thrust hym out of the Citye But thou wilt demaunde by what meanes he coulde be excluded the City whē as the Sechemites had made hym theyr ruler Kimhi answereth first that all the Sechemites stoode not against Abimelech the people also as they were of an inconstant mynde when they sawe Gaal flye turned theyr purpose and fell to Abimelech Hereby we gather howe foolishe it is to trust vnto men Ieremy sayeth very well and wisely Cursed be euery one that putteth hys confidence in man and maketh fleshe hys strength The Sechemites put theyr confidence in Gaal and at that very instant vsed hys ayde Gaal on the other side putteth hys confidence in the Sechemites and was thrust out of the City by them in whom he did put his confidēce This is the nature of the people when fortune a lyttle fauoreth strayght way they forsake them whō before they followed The common people altogether depende vpon chaunce Here may we see also an other foolishenes of the Sechemites who thought that when they had cast out Gaal Abimelech had straightway ben satisfied For they goo forth into the fieldes to excercise theyr rusticall workes to gather in theyr grapes I saye or to tyllage But it happened farre otherwise For Abimelech placed two bandes to lye in wayte and he hymselfe with hys hoste came vnto the Citye that neyther they whiche were in the fieldes coulde get into the City nor they which were in the City coulde come out to helpe theyr men in the fieldes This pollecy of warre vsed Abimelech They thought he had nowe bene pacified but the anger of kynges are not straightwaye asswaged And he sowed salte These moste miserable chaunces happened vnto the people they whiche went forth into the fieldes were killed the Citye it selfe was besieged and conquered the Citizens slayne the Citye defaced and vtterly ouerthrowen But Abimelech stomachyng the matter more then was meete sowed salte in the Citye whiche was a token of a wildernes and deserte What the sowyng of salt signifieth For salte dryeth the grounde and maketh it vnfruitefull In Hebrewe Malach signifieth salte Thereof commeth the verbe Malach whiche is to salte but in the coniugation Niphal Nimlah is a verbe whiche signifyeth to destroye to breake downe and to waste That woorde Ieremy vsed in hys 14. chap. and Dauid in hys 107. Psalme GOD turneth a fruitefull lande into a saltishe grounde that is maketh it waste and deserte In the yeare .1165 Fredrike Oenobarbus the Emperor ouerthrew Millane and sowed salte there For that City tooke parte with Alexander the thyrde being Pope agaynst Cesar whiche thyng Fredrike tooke in very yll part 46 And when all the men of the tower of Sechem hearde it they came to the castle of Thelberith 47 And it was told Abimelech that al the men of the tower of Sechem were gathered together 48 And Abimelech went vp to mount Zalmon he and all the people that were with hym and Abimelech tooke axes and cut downe bowes of trees and tooke them and layd them on his shoulder and said vnto the people that were with him That whiche ye haue sene me do make hast and do as I haue done 49 Wherfore all the people cut downe euery man his bowgh and followed Abimelech and put them to the castle and set the castle on fire with them And al the men of the tower of Sechem dyed about a thousand men and women 50 Then went Abimelech vnto Thebez and layde siege to it and tooke it That tower of Sechem was a bulwarke of the Citye Wherefore when the City was takē the princes distrusting themselues entred into an other inward holde where also was a temple and it was called the house of the couenaunt of God for the Israelites forsaking the couenant of the true God coupled themselues vnto straunge Gods And it was told Abimelech Mount Zalmon was nighe vnto that hold whether Abimelech and his people got them vnto for he had determined to burne that castell and temple whiche was in it Neither ought we to meruaile that the temple was so fensed Temples were wont to be builded in castels when as it was the maner so in the old tyme. For Rome when longe a go it was taken and burnt of the Senones the Capitolium where in was the temple of Iupiter remayned safe Yea and Iosephus sayth that when Ierusalem was besieged of Titus the temple was a strong bulwarke for the City But the cause why the Sechemites got them thether was not onely bycause the place was so well fensed but also bycause they had a supersticious opinion of Baal for they thought that he would be with thē defend his temple So foolish men when they haue in deede no religion in their mynde yet they put their confidence in holynes of places and wōderfully trust in images temples also in reliques of saintes But thereby they are nothing holpen but to their destructiō they are slayne euen in temples as we rede it happened now vnto these men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And by them they set the castle on fire There is in these wordes Alleosis of the gender for the Masculine gender is put for the Feminine for as much as this relatiue Eos that is them is referred to the bowes which in the Hebrew is a word of the Feminine gender Mencion is made of the vtter destruction of the Citye for it was not onely ouerthrowen and strawed with salte but also the princes were slayne with fire and smoke Abimelech in this warlike pollecy shewed not vnto all what he would do he onely biddeth the people to follow hym Gideon also when he tooke the pitcher fire brand and trompet commaunded the other to do the same so Abimelech tooke a bowe on his shoulder and the other did the like He kindleth fire and burneth all them which were in the holde otherwise he could not haue conquered the tower Some thinke that Gaal also perished here that beyng put to flight by Abimelech Why the vngodly obtayne victoryes he got him to this holde After this sorte God tooke vengeance vpon the Sechemites And Abimelech althoughe he were an vngodly and cruell tyranne obteyned the victory so also god gaue Nabucadnesar power to afflicte the Iewes and to leade them captiues to Babilone And likewise vnto Tiglathphalasar to oppresse the ten tribes All these men had the victory and yet was their cause nothyng the better This rule god vseth oftentymes to punishe the euill by euill although he do not straightway punish them all Some he punisheth before and other some afterward and there are some also whose vengeance he reserueth for the world to come Abimelech triumpheth as thoughe he had better cause but yet this hys ioye is of no longe tyme A Similitude for the hande of the Lorde abydeth hym also In Comedyes the strength of the
very often For if she fal often into adultry she ought not to be receaued The Glose in the same place obiecteth vnto it self christ who whē he was demaūded how oftē we shuld forgeue our brother whē he offendeth against vs answered not onely seuē times but seuenty seuē times To this he sayth that the words of the Cannō are to be vnderstād that when the adulteresse so oftentimes falleth the church shall not entreate for her reconciliacion partelye bycause there shoulde be opened a wyndowe to wyckednes When the churche ought to entreate for those that fall and partly bycause she might thinke that penaunce is but fayned and dessembled There is also added an other aunswere that that is spoken for a terrour least men should more freely and carelesly commit sinne Hereby is gathered that the church oughte to entreate for the reconciliation of the repentant that they may be reconciled Wherfore an adultresse either sheweth signes of repentaunce or els sheweth not If she shew signes the church oughte to entreate for her that there may be a reconciliation made But if she shewe none the churche shall not entreate for her otherwise it should seme to maintain sinnes Now must we aunswere vnto the arguments which semed to be agaynst reconciliation Aunsweres vnto the reasons on the contrary part The counsell of Orleance The cause why the law of Moses prohibited the returne of a wyfe repudiated vnto her first husbande As touching the ciuill lawes they are to be corrected by the word of God Ierome and Chrisostome do speake of such an adultresse whiche repenteth not which selfe same thing is manifestly vnderstand by the counsel of Orleance For that it is there had He whiche retaineth an adultresse is partaker of the crime but if she repent let her be receaued But why the lawe of Moses suffred not that a wife repudiated should not after the death of her latter husbande returne vnto her first the cause may easely be assigned For if he had permitted that then diuorsements would easely haue bene had in hope somtimes to recouer agayne theyr wife God would that she that was repudiated shoulde returne no more to the ende that shee shoulde not easelye bee repudiated There mighte also bee conspiracies made agaynste the latter husbande whereby the wyfe myghte when hee were dyspatched awaye returne agayne vnto her firste husbande Wherefore the lawe of God was moste iuste whiche pertayned not vnto adultrous women which by the commaūdement of God ought to be stoned By these thinges now it is manifest that it is lawfull for the husband to return into fauor with his wife being an adulteresse so that she repent who yet ought to accuse his wife of adultry if it be a publike crime or if she perseuer in her wickednes or els if she bring forth any children by adultry least the lawful heires should be defrauded for vnlesse she be accused the husbande cannot depriue the son borne in adultry but that he shall inherite Farther let the church entreate and work with him that he would receaue againe the woman being repentāt Wherfore our Leuite ought not to be reproued bicause he receaued again into fauor his wife being an adultresse so that she repented her of her adultery But now will I return to the interpretation 11 When they were nere to Iebus the day was sore spent and the seruant said vnto his master come I pray thee and let vs turn into this city of the Iebusites and lodge al night there 12 And his maister aunswered him we wil not turne into the city of straungers that are not of the children of Israel but we will go forth to Gibaah 13 And he said vnto his seruant Come and let vs draw nere to one of these places that we may lodge in Gibaah or in Ramah 14 So they wente forwarde vpon their waye and the sunne wente downe vpon them nere to Gibaah which is in Beniamin 15 Then they turned thither to goe in and lodge in Gibaah and when he came he sate him down in a strete of the city for there was no man that tooke them into his house to lodging 16 And behold there came an old man from his worke out of the field at euen and the man was of mounte Ephraim but dwelte in Gibbaah and the men of the place wer the children of Iemini 17 And when he had lift vp his eyes he saw a wayfaringe man in the streetes of the city then this old man sayd whether goest thou and whence camest thou 18 And he aunswered him we came from Beth-lehem Iudah vnto the side of mounte Ephraim from thence am I and I wente to Beth-lehem Iudah and go now to the house of the Lorde and no man receaueth me into his house 19 Although we haue straw and prouender for our Asses and also breade and wyne for me and thine handmayd and for the boy that is wyth thy seruant we lacke nothing 20 And the old man said peace be with thee al thy penury be vpon me onely abide not in the strete al night Ierusalem was therfore called Iebus bicause the Iebusites in the old time inhabited it The seruant counselled his master to take iodgynge before the Sunne should set But he would not VVe will not turne in sayth he neither to this city nor to that neither to any other city of straungers which ar Gentiles But it may seme merueilous how Ierusalem is called straunge from the Israelites when as in the beginning of this booke there is mencion made that the Hebrewes toke it named it Ierusalem How it is sayd that Ierusalē was at this time a city of straungers They which sayd that this history is to be referred vnto the fyrst times of the Iudges namely that it was done before Othoniell beganne to iudge from the death I say of Iosua to the gouernment of Othoniell seeme to be ledde by this argument In that space of time they say these thinges happened These mens coniecture hath in dede som shew of truth But it is not very firm For wee muste knowe that the Iewes often times behaued themselues ill in fallinge from the worshippinge of the true God Wherefore he left them destitute of his ayde wherof they being beriued they were again ouercome of those whome before they had ouercome whereby it came to passe that the Iebusites recouered agayne theyr city and dwelled in it Wherfore those thinges which are written in the beginninge of this booke are not agaynst those which are nowe declared For the Iebusites hauing recouered theyr city inhabited it as they did before and it was called after the old name The wise counsell of the seruaunt The seruant did geue his maister wise counsell if a man should loke vpon that the euent For it is daungerous to trauayle by night especially for a man that is a straunger and vnarmed as this Leuite was which had with him onely his wife and his seruant Neyther is
For there are haue bene very many which haue maried wiues cleane without any dowery yea those mē of so great honestye and authoritie that it should seme very rash to condemne their fact seing the holy scriptures are not against it neither do I iudge that matrimony should by any meanes be denied to those womē which are without dowery if thei haue nede of matrimonye Paule furthermore testifyeth the matrimonye shadoweth the coniunction of Christ with the church wherfore if we should loke vpō the truth the church had nothing which it could offer vnto Christ in the name of a dowry yea rather as Ezechiel teacheth God found it rolled in bloud and myre The fathers in the old testament seme to haue had wiues sometimes withoute dowries Wherfore it semeth to be decreed the men may and that it is lawfull to receaue doweryes when they are geuen that the same custome is honest so that the iust meane be not exceded and he which marieth be not allured to matrimony by the name of the dowery as the principall cause The manners and godlinesse of the wyfe ought chiefly to be regarded neither ought any man by and by to persuade himself If I shal marry a wife without a dowery I shall therefore haue her the better and the quieter Ierome The wyfe of Law seing as Ierome declareth in his fyrst booke against Iouinian Cato Censorius had Actoria Paula to wyfe who was borne of a base kinred who was poore also and without a dowerye and yet for all that shew as a dronckard weake and proud vnto the same Cato 16 And the children of Keni Moyses father in lawe went vp oute of the citye of the Palme trees with the children of Iudah into the wildernesse of Iudah that lieth in the south of Arad and went and dwelt among the people In the conquering the citie of Hebron and Debir there is mention made also of the children of Moyses father in law they were Ethniks in dede by kinde Of the Kenites but they wer ioyned with the Israelites in will and fayth from whō also in the fyrst ofspring of kinred they wer not straungers for as much as they came of Madian the sonne of Abraham by his wyfe Keturah And the same Kenites constantly abode with the Hebrues tyll theyr captiuitye into Babilon for as much as the Rechabites came of the Kenites as it is written in the booke of Paralipomenon But why they were called Kenites it is vncertaine But some thinke that it came of this bycause the sonne of Iethro namely Hobab the brother of Moyses wife was called Kin by an other name He therfore in the beginning with his familye dwelled together with the Beniamites in the fieldes of Iericho when the Israelites passing ouer Iordane vnder Iosua possessed the city of Iericho But after when they sawe that the tribe of Iudah possessed the cityes of Hebron Debir they went vnto thē and dwelt more cōmodiously in the plaine of Harad although they had no certayne houses but liued continually as it were in tentes The citie of Palmes Although some suspecte the citie of Palmes to haue bene Engaddi yet moste part of the expositours interprete it to be Iericho with whom Iosephus de Antiquit Hebr. agreeth and also Paraphrastes Caldaicus yea and the booke of Deut in the xxxiiii chap. testifyeth the same For as much as that citie had a notable groue of Palmes of a hundred furlongs Strabo which thing Strabo also testifyeth And yet we may not thinke that the Kenites reedifyed the citie of Iericho for it was accursed by the commaundement of Iosua who amongest other thinges published this as it is to be beleued in the name of God namely that he which should attempt to repayre it should wrappe himself vnder the curse which came to passe in very deede For in the time of Ahab the wicked king one Aiel builte it vp agayne but to his own great hurt Fo his two sonnes Abiram Segub perished whē the citie was in repayring as it is written in the first boke of kings .xvi. chap. But the countrey or ground thereof belonged by diuision vnto the tribe of Beniamin The fielde of Iericho belōged to the tribe of Beniamin And these Kenites as it semeth had pitched tentes there eyther for warfare or els for keping of shepe in which thei liued for a time eyther about the cicie or els betwene the decaied places of the city And there was a regard had vnto thē in distributing of the land in assigning of fieldes as Iosephus also testifieth according to the promise made vnto thē by Moyses which is writtē in the x. chap. of Num. And it is thought to be very lykely that their lot was in the tribe of Iudah which being not yet possessed by the children of Israel they dwelled as it is said in the land with the Beniamites in the field of Iericho This exposition semeth ful and manifest inough Kimhi But Kimhi followeth an other opinion and thinketh that the children of Israell when they after they had conquered Hebron and Debir in the time of Iosua had determined vtterly to destroy the citie of Iericho vnderstanding that the Kenites dwelte there lyke straungers as I thinke bycause they came of the stocke of Madian before they ouerthrew al the city they called them away that they might not perish with the other Chananites The same curtesie dyd Saule shewe vnto them when he should make warre agaynst Amelek as it is writtē in the fyrst booke of Samuel xv chap. For he commaunded the Kenites to depart least they shoulde be destroyed with Amelek and he shewed a cause namely bycause they were good and gentle vnto the Israelites comming vp out of Egipt Kimhi addeth moreouer that Amelek and the Kenites were of a farre contrarye affection toward the Israelites For the Kenites loued thē wonderfull wel But Amelek hated thē deadly Wherfore euē as god had bound himselfe by an othe the warre should be continually made agaynst Amelek so would he haue the Kenites recōpenced alwayes with benifites This interpretation should be very likely if this departing of the Kenites frō Iericho were not put by our history after Hebron and Debir were conquered But Iericho was conquered of Iosua fyrst of all after he had passed ouer Iordane and certainely before he had gotten Hebron Debir Besides thys oure historye entreateth eyther of the Kenites whiche remayned in Madian or ells of those which had ioyned thēselues in fellowship with the people of Israel It semeth that this can not be spoken of the first whē as Iericho is not in Madian yea it is farre distant frō thence but if we shal vnderstand this to be spoken of those which came with Israell how shuld it be vnderstand that they dwelt in Iericho before Iosua toke it Moreouer it is not found in the texte of the history that they were called forth as Kimhi writeth but it is
cause than to deliuer men out of the mouth of the deuyl and by the preaching of the Gospel to loose them from their chaines of errours Christ also for this selfe same cause would trauail and iourney among men that by his doctrine and death he might delyuer mankind frō eternal destruction Wherfore the Kenites may be numbred with these for they also adioyned them selues companions with the Israelites to helpe thē through the deserte For as it is said they hauing good knowledge of those places might stand the Iewes in great steede These counsels are plainlye iudged good and honest for whose causes peregrinations which are taken wythout cōpulsion are honest and prayse worthy There maye be other reasons also of peregrination which as they be not alwaies to be refused yet are they nothing to be compared wyth these eyther in praise or els in worthynes Wherfore let godly men take hede when they iourney into farre coūtries that they apply them selues as much as is possible vnto these causes reasons now mētioned And as God hath not defrauded these Kenites of the fruit which they looked for but made them partakers and that plentifully of those good thinges which he had prepared for his people so seyng also he is now the same God which he was then we must beleue that he wil not suffer him selfe to depart from his accustomed maner and perpetuall goodnes so that we obserue the good and iust causes and reasons of peregrination Seneca What is chiefly to bee obserued in peregrination But in that thing we haue nede of great warenesse and diligēce namely that chiefly as Seneca hath wel admonished in his .105 epistle to Lucillas we depart from our selues that is that we laye awaye our wicked affections bycause the chaunging of places do lytle profit if we cary about together with vs the same affectiōs which we had before Yea and the chiefly helpeth to the renuing of godlynes that we bee made other from our selues For what had the good lawes honest maners and chaste religion which the Iewes professed profited the Kenites if they would haue brought their own thinges with them and continued in the same wherin they wer conuersaunt before Wherfore they which do trauaile into other countries for studye and godlynes sake ought not to haue thys purpose before them to behold the Cities buildinges riuers fieldes vineyards woods playes and qualities of men For all these thynges although they somewhat delite the beholders as chyldren which with pleasure do maruayl at euery new and straunge thing yet they do nothing or very lytle helpe The chiefe cause ought to be that they onely study aboue al other thinges to be made better as touching godlines doctrine For if they shal despise this they shal be sayd to wander rather thā iustly to iourney Let them not therfore retaine with them any longer those euyls which are to be auoided yet let them aboue all thinges iourney from the ignoraunce of God from the vnskilfulnes of the holye Scriptures from corrupt affectiōs and from wicked and pernitious examples This is the iust cause of peregrinatiō which the Kenites by their dede do declare vnto vs. If the Lacedemonians had had a regard to thys they would not by theyr lawes haue prohibited peregrinations But I suppose that they regarded thys The Lacedemonians prohibeted peregrinations which they marked so to come to passe for the most part that the citizens in trauailing into straunge countries learned of the straungers whom they went to see not their vertues and wisdom but rather their vices and errours and afterward being infected with many euyls they returned into their country where they destroied their Citizens by a certayne pestiferous contagiousnes Whych thing surely no man doubteth but that it is a grieuous euyll and discommodity to a publique wealth Why peregrinations do profyt And yet we may not therfore decree that al peregrinatiōs are hurtful For there can be found no City no people nor no publique wealth in the world which hath not many things vnperfect in maners lawes which may be amended and corrected by the sight and knowledge of others Licurgu◠Lycurgus certainly which made that law profited much in trauailing into straunge coūtries Yea and the Decemuiri of the Romanes went them selues into Graecia Decemuiri of the Romanes to the end they would know the lawes of that people and by that meanes they wonderfully prouided for their publique wealth And thus muche for peregrination And now let vs finish this history iudging that the children of Kenite were of that stocke which wer begotten of Hobab in the wildernes among the chyldren of Israel And that Hobab was the sonne of Moyses father in lawe hys wiues brother germaine Neither ought this to moue vs bycause it is saide in the .x. Aben-Esra of Num. Chothen bycause as Aben-Esra there testifieth that woorde signifieth not onely a father in law but also the brother of the wife and some haue translated the same woorde there not for a father in lawe but a kynsman But these Kenites departed out of the fielde of Iericho that they might obtayne possession with the tribe of Iudah And therfore they ar sayd to haue dwelled with the people For first they followed them in iourneyeng with them nowe by the same right they are sayd to haue dwelled with them And they ascended The situation Iericho bycause Iericho was situate in a valley and betwene it an Ierusalem was a deserte longing to Iudah which as it is very lykely had in it wooddy places and mete for pasture And that it was so it is easelye gathered out of the Gospell of Luke where Christ put foorth a parable namely that a man descended from Ierusalem to Iericho and fel into the handes of theeues And certainly if he descended it is manifest that these ascended when they followed the tribe of Iudah going toward Ierusalem And bycause the place was ful of wooddes it was an easy matter especially in the time of Christ when the common wealth of the Hebrues was very much out of frame for it to be ful of theeues There certainly as farre as can be perceaued the Kenites receaued their lot And I think I haue spoken inough as touching this hystory 17. And Iudah went wyth Symeon his brother and smote the Chananites dwelling in Zephat and vtterly destroyed it and called the name of the City Horma 18. And Iudah tooke Hazza and the borders therof and Ascalon with the borders therof and Aekron with the borders thereof Now we are come to that place where the long parenthesis which I before admonished you of endeth And whatsoeuer followeth after these woordes The children of Iudah fighting against Ierusalem tooke it Here the aforesaid parenthesis endeth c. to thys place are declared by a parenthesis For al those thinges happened not after the death of Iosua but when he was yet lyuing And now the
They were reproued in dede by Esdras Nehemias Zachary but they were litle the better therby And how much the Hebrues wer corrupted by their long conuersation with the Egyptians the things which were by by done in the wildernesse do playnly testifie For although they had yet before theyr eyes the singular benefites of God towards them yet they fell frō hym to Idolatry and bycause in Egypt they had sene an oxe supersticiously worshipped Numeri 2◠they therfore instigated Aaron to make them a calfe to worship Whiche beyng geuen thē with great reioysing they began to crye These are thy gods O Israell which brought the out of Egypt Besides this they iorneyng thorough the wildernesse when they came to the borders of the Moabites and were conuersaunt with that nation more familiarly than was mete they were brought to thys pointe that they did not only commit filthy whoredome with the shamelesse womē of the Moabites but also they offred sacrifice vnto the most filthy idole namely Baal-Peor and suffred them selues to be admitted to his most vnpure sacrifices Peter the chief Apostle Mathew 26. when he had entred into the vngodly hawle of the chief Priest and had there ben conuersaunt with the maydens and vngodly seruauntes forswore his maister Iesus Christ our sauiour For the whiche faulte afterward when he departed he wept most bitterly Isay 6. Isay when he sawe God syt in the temple like a iudge and angels standing about hym whiche most purely celebrated prayses vnto him althoughe he semed not to himselfe to be guilty of his owne faulte yet he cried out Wo vnto me bycause I dwell in the middost of a people that haue vncleane lippes For the man of God felte that he had gotten no small infection by reason he had dwelled so long with an vncleane people Alexander that Macedonian Alexander of Macedonia which by strength and most noble victoryes had subdued vnder him the most part of the earth was so weakened and effeminated by the maners of the Persians that those whom he ought to haue drawen to his own maners and qualities he himselfe tooke their garments weaknesse hawtenesse and pride so farre was he from bringyng them to the institutions of the Macedonians Wherfore he rā into great hatred of his soldiours Neither is this to be passed ouer that long conuersation of the godly with infidels except there appeare some fruite of their cōuersion and that the same be by all meanes sought for doth breede a let or hinderaūce to their saluation For when they perceaue that our men do liue so familiarly with them they thinke that the superstitions and idolatries wherwith they are infected are not so euill and so much to be detested And peraduentur they are brought to this poynte that in perseueryng in them they distrust not but that they may attayne to saluation For vnlesse it were so they could not persuade them selues that our men would dissemble it Besides those things there are very many of our men whiche by the example of this mingled conuersation do thinke that they also may do the same which they se others to do Wherby by the dede or exāple of certain euill should spreade abrode more amply and our fayth and godlynesse should be had in derision of the Ethnikes and Papistes And that oftentymes cōmeth to passe which we know to haue happened in the tyme of Paul as it is written in the first Epistle to the Corinthians that they which otherwise were faithful by this conuersation do communicate with wicked and polluted rites For by ouermuch familiarity with the Infidels is by littell and littell made a steppe to followe theyr superstition and Idolatry Wherefore not without a cause did the Apostle crye Flye from Idolatry I will not speake also how that it is not possible but that where our men whiche are weake without learning and knowledge are conuersant with infidels sometymes there may happē some talke of religion wherin althoughe they slippe not yet when they can not ouerthrowe the Sophistical and crafty argumentes of their aduersaries brawling and strife sometymes ariseth frō that they fall into hatred cursing reproches which haue no edificatiō but rather hinder it so farre is it of to get a steppe to set forwarde To this serueth the which Paul hath written in the secōd Epistle to the Corinthians draw not the yoke with vnbeleuers For what fellowship hath righteousnesse with vnrighteousnesse What participatiō hath light with darckenesse or what concorde betwen Christ and Belial what part hath the faithfull with the vnfaithfull or what agreeth the temple of God with Idoles These things are so manifest that they nede not the light of interpretation neither ought they to be vnderstand onely for contracting of matrimonyes when as they extend farre and ouer all pertayne also vnto all kinde of conuersation with the vngodly whiche we haue with them for our owne cause I know that the shadowes of the olde law are now by the benefite of Christ remoued frō vs. Howbeit it is not to be doubted but that those things abide of which the people of God was by them at that time admonished What was meante by the hemmes of the Hebrues Wherfore I demaunde what God ment when he commaunded the Iewes to sowe hemmes to their garmētes which they ware Vndoubtedly this he mēt that they beyng taught by that signe might vnderstand that they were seuered frō the Ethnikes and that it was not lawfull for them to ioyne them selues with them but as muche as necessitie should compell God oftentymes forbad them that they should not returne into Egypt and that they should not seke ayde of straunge nations For he would haue cut of from his people all occasions of superstitions and Idolatry yea and the place whiche we are now in hande with testifieth that the Israelites grieuously sinned bycause they had brought these Idolatrous nations vnder tribute and had made a league with them and dwelled together in the same cities fieldes with them And assuredly to what euill it torned them vnto the history it selfe declareth for they brought not the Chananites to the true worshippyng of God but they them selues rather forsakyng their God became lyke Idolaters I speake not how that the conuersation betwene the Hebrues and Samaritanes was so odious euen to the tyme of Christ that the woman of Samaria of whom Iohn mencioneth sayd vnto Christ Iohn 4. that the Iewes were not wonte to be familiar with the Samaritanes Moreouer it is not mete for Christians to take away from them selues the boldenesse and liberty frely to speake of Christ Whiche they must nedes do if they dwell among infidels For if they dwellyng with infidels should familiarly haue free talke of Christ either should they be laughed to scorne or elles they should not be suffred Vndoubtedly the holy fathers in the old tyme were both grieued and also mourned when by any necessitie they were compelled
God euen then vseth by a certayne wonderfull manner to styrre vp great miseries and calamities out of ashes and sparckels which wer thought to haue bene long time quenched Iabin the king of Chanaan was kylled by Iosua as it is written in his booke the .xi. chap. and Hazor his kingly City destroied and burnt with fire Wherfore none would haue looked that war shoulde haue bene renued againe on that part But an other Iabin the sonne or sonnes sonne of him that was killed tooke courage againe and inuaded and oppressed the Israelites But least al that should be ascribed vnto his strength it is added that God intermedled in the matter when hee solde the Hebrues vnto him that is graunted vnto him to vse them as he thought good hymselfe euen to all most vile seruices and that as most abiect bondslaues And this calamity is amplified by many names First by the longnesse of the tyme for it continued .xx. yeares when as before Othoniels time they were afflicted onely .viii. yeares And before Ehud was stirred vp they serued .xviii. yeares It is declared that this seruitude was very cruell bicause Iabin oppressed the Hebrues by strength and violence And Iosephus writeth that it was in such sort that they durst not so much as to lift vp their head And the cause of his so great crueltye was Why Iabin was so cruel vnto the Hebrues bicause he remembred that the Iewes in the time of Iosua had killed his Father or Grandfather And had ouerthrowen the kingly City Hazor in wasting and burning it wyth sword and fyre Farther the violence and power of his tyranny is by this declared in that he had so great a number of yron or hooked chariots and if we may beleue Iosephus he went a warfare with three hundred thousand footemen Iosephus ten thousand horsemen and three thousand chariotes among which .ix. hundred of them were of yron Neither for al his great host had he ben able to haue brought the Hebrues vnder subiection vnles God as we haue before said had solde thē And vndoubtedly it is to be thought that Iabin vsed these .ix. hundred chariots which the history speaketh of by name to afflict the region of the Iewes which he had now conquered and to the end they should not fal from him And he dwelt in Hazoreth Howe raigned this man in Hazor whē as in the time of Iosua the City was ouerthrowen To this we answer first that after the ouerthrow which happened vnder Iosua the rest of the Chananites fled into a very huge wood which is called Of the Gentiles ther bi litle litle they so increased their power that thei set ouer thēselues a king which was of the surname of the first king namely his sonne or els his sonnes sōne which is therfore said to haue raigned in Hazor bicause he stil retained the title of the place as very many kings do at this day which keping the title of certain places do cal thēselues kings of the same places wherin in very dede they haue no possessiō at all But the Hebrue interpreters think the Hazoreth was a large huge wood which cōtained in it many cities Castels Vnto which sense the Chaldey paraphrast leaneth which turneth that worde munition of Castels This day also in Germany there is the wood of Hercinia wherin are both Cities and very many Castels And it is called Of the Gentiles either bicause a great number of diuers people resorted thither or bicause those places were built and fenced by the labour of manye Gentiles We might otherwise also answer that much more likely to be true namely that the citi of Hazor was after Iosua recouered reedefied by the Chananites so that it was the kingly city agayne wher Iabin either the sonne or els the sonnes sōne of the first Iabin raigned And to this reedefieng the times serued very aptly For from the burning of Hazor there wer passed .150 yeares more or lesse that is eight yeares of bondage which happened vnder the king of Mesopotamia .40 yeares of Othoniel .18 yeres of seruitude vnder Eglon king of Mesopotamia .80 yeres wherin Ehud peaceably iudged the Israelites and .20 yeres this Iabin afflicted the Hebrues Wherfore he might easily reigne in Hazor being againe reedified and this maketh with it bicause it is not writtē of this Iabin that he dwelled in the wood but that Sisara his captayne dwelt there For kinges vse not to kepe an house in their kingly citye but rather to haue them in their borders or in the fieldes wher they may be prompt and redy to accomplysh thinges to be done 3 And the children of Israel cried vnto the Lord for he had .900 chariottes of yron and .20 yeares he opressed Israel very sore 4 And Deborha a Prophetesse the wife of Lappidoth iudged Israel the same tyme. Both by the thinges before declared also by these which are now spoken of we may vnderstand the frowardnes of mans nature for vnles it be by troubles and aduersities brused and broken Men in desperate thinges call vpon God it regardeth not God yea as long as there is any hope of other helpes it neglecteth God and vseth them But whē thinges ar past all hope and do seperat then god is required as a certayne holy ankerhold Wherfore it is no maruayle though the Hebrues deferred their repētance 20. yeares long Surely I am persuaded that they did oftentimes grone and cry But bicause they lamented not that they had offended god and wickedly committed sinnes but only desired him to take a way the payne long punishment and paraduenture murmured against God therfore wer not their praiers heard But now at the last at the .20 yeares ende when with fayth and godlynes they prayed vnto God Though God deferre his help yet wee muste not dispaire he heard their prayer and graunted them their requestes By this example let vs learne that we must neuer dispaire of the help of god although it be deferred We all in deede desire to be strayghtwaye deliuered of our troubles but god in his counsel thinketh not good so soone to take away his punishments Wherfore that which he hath decreed we also must pacientlye suffer Deborah a Prophetesse God which before to deliuer Israel had chosen Ehud which had an impediment in his right hande and then Sangar a husbandman armed onely with the goade of an Oxe nowe choseth a woman by whose conduct the Iewes might be deliuered from a most grieuous enemy God vseth both stronge and weake a lyke Wherefore by these examples he aboundantly sheweth that his power is not bounde vnto noble men and to strong men but hee can easilye vse the weake and feable ones Yea and he sheweth forth his power rather in these than in the other Howbeit to declare that it is all one vnto him as touching both kynde of instrumentes sometimes he vseth the strong ones and other sometimes the weake ones And
be praysed namely bycause althoughe meate wanted and he was despysed of the Hebrues yet he desisted not from that vocation wherein he was constituted by GOD. But nowe both prynces and ministers of the Churche will not abyde in theyr office vnlesse thynges necessary for theyr lyuyng be moste aboundantly ministred vnto them He threateneth thornes and briars vnto the princes of Succoth For that Citie whiche the Ethnikes call Trogloditis had a desert in the circuite therof Why he threaâ—neth thornes briars Penuel wherin grewe many thornes and briars Penuel is of Strabo called the face of God in which place Iacob wrasteled with the aungell and sayd at the last I haue sene the Lorde face to face and my soule hath escaped safe The menne of Penuel in mockyng Gideon imitated them of Succoth and bycause they puttyng theyr confidence in the Tower whiche they had did so scoffe at Gideon therefore he threatened to ouerthrowe it after hys victorye But howe thys Capitayne of GOD got meate it is not written and peraduenture GOD so strengthned him and hys hoste that without meate he perfectly obtayned the victorye whiche he had begon He fyndeth hys enemyes lyuing in securitye it was nyght when he passed ouer Iordane and they had but euen nowe escaped out of the borders of the Israelites and they thought the Gideon would be in quiet at the least for that nyght These were the causes that they so securely rested themselues There were fifttene thousand souldiers together as certayne small remnauntes for at the begynnyng there came one hundreth and twenty thousand fighting men which stoode in the brunte and bore weapons Whereby we may easely gather what a greate number there were of boyes scullions and vnprofitable men whiche vse to followe hostes When the two kynges were taken Gideon returned when the Sunne was eleuated that is after his rysing by whiche kynde of speakyng we manifestly know that this warre as it was begon in the night tyme so also was it finished by nyght 14 And he tooke a seruaunte of the men of Succoth and enquired of him and he wrote to him the princes of Succoth and the Elders therof euen seuentye and seuen men 15 And he came vnto the men of Succoth and said Behold Zebah and Zalmonah by whom ye vpbrayded me saying Are the hands of Zebah and zalmonah now in thy hande that thou desirest that we should geue bread vnto thy weary men 16 Then he tooke the Elders of the City and thornes of the desert and briars and brake with them the men of Succoth 17 Also he brake downe the Tower of Penuel and slewe the men of the City Gideon required of this fellowe beyng either a younge man or a seruaunte to describe vnto hym the names of the princes or Senators of Succoth He trusteth not his memory but will haue their names written and studieth for this thing onely not to commit any thing by anger with a furious minde And therfore with mature deliberation he would punish onely the guilty and not destroy the vnguilty together with the guilty He sawe that onely the heades of the City resisted him wherfore he determined to punishe them alone Theodosius A fall of Theodosius an Emperor otherwise most worthy of prayse fell grieuously bycause in the City of Thessalonia for the kyllynge of one Souldier whiche bare rule vnder him he commaunded a great number of Citezins to be slayn without any choise wherby both the guilty and the innocent were killed Wherefore he was corrected by the authoritye of Ambrosius beynge Byshoppe The Emperor corrected of the Bishop and compelled to publique repentaunce and by the commaundement of the same man of GOD he made a lawe whiche is yet in the Code that the sentence of death beyng pronounced agaynste any man should be stayed the space of thirty dayes before he should be put to execution But nowe a dayes it oftentymes commeth to passe that some publique wealth is moste grieuously oppressed if two thre or foure Citezins thereof haue offended all priuileges liberty and other ornamentes are in a moment taken awaye Why he saued the kinges of Madian on lyue Farther we muste consider that Gideon did rashely saue one lyue Zebah and Zalmonah whome he had taken for he woulde shewe them vnto the menne of Succoth and Citizens Penuel that GOD had deliuered them vnto hym He vexed the princes both with thornes and briars as he threatened that by theyr euill they myght learne howe muche and what they had offended Thornes are vnlucky plaÌ„ts Iodeach is in thys place not onely to instruct but as I suppose it signifieth in Lattin animaduertere whiche is to punishe Thornes are counted euen of the Ethnikes among vnluckly plantes and therfore it is no meruayle if they be occupied in punishementes But whether he slew them or onely chastised them by the wordes of the Hystory it appeareth not But of Penuel it is manifest ynough both that the tower was ouerthroweÌ„ and the Citezins slayne bycause either they scoffed more wantonly than the menne of Succoth did or els trustyng to the fense of the place they resisted Gideon wherefore when they came to the battayle they were slayne or els let vs graunt that they of Succoth also perished with thornes and briars 18 Then said he vnto Zebah and Zalmonah What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Thabor and they aunswered As thou art so were they euery one was like the children of a kyng 19 And he sayde they were my brethren euen my mothers children As the Lorde lyueth if ye had saued theyr lyues I would not slaye you 20 Then he sayde vnto Iether his firste borne sonne Vp and slaye them But the boye drew not hys sworde for he feared bycause he was yet a childe 21 And Zebah and Zalmonah sayde Rise thou and fall vpon vs for as the man is so is his strength And Gideon arose and slewe Zebah and zalmonah and tooke awaye the ornamentes that were on the camels neckes Nowe is set forth the punishement of these two kynges of Madian whiche Gideon had therefore saued on lyue to shewe them vnto those Israelites whom he had determined to punishe when he had obtayned the victory Firste he asketh them what manner of men they were whom they slewe in mount Thabor They aunswered that they were like hym and so comely and beautiful that they myght appeare to be the chyldren of a kyng And that maye also be vnderstande of one of them when as it is sayde Echad we maye also vnderstande it of euery one of them There are some also which thynke that those that were slayne were in semblance and beauty lykened vnto the children of Gideon Gideon was exceding beaufull whome therefore they called a kynge bycause they sawe hym beare dominion in the hoste Hereby is gathered that Gideon was excedyng beautifull But when hys brethreÌ„ were kylled we can not finde by the holy History But it myght be
it was peculiar and aboue the common institution of others by the deede I say and not by the ryght or vowe of the parentes Samson ought to haue obeyed althoughe he had not vowed Whether it was lawful for Hanna â—o vow for her sonne bicause it was done by the word of god Howbeit of Hanna the mother of Samuel it may be doubted how it was lawfull for her to vow for her sonne For it may scarse seme iust that the sonne should be bound by the vowe of the parent It was demaunded in the tyme of Benedict whether the children offred by the parentes vnto monasteries when they came vnto mans state might mary Gregorius Gregorius Magnus to Augustine a Byshop of England aunswereth that it is vtterly vnlawful Whiche is a verye hard saying and agaynst the word of god For Paul sayth it is better to mary then to burne And he whiche can not conteyne let him mary ConciliuÌ„ Carthaginense In the counsell of Carthage the .3 wherat Augustine also was present it was decreed that childreÌ„ offred vnto the Church when they came to mans estate should either mary or els vow chastity This also was rough ynough For who shuld require this at that age being vnskilfull of thinges not certayne of his own streÌ„gth But these things I speake that we might knowe that decrees are contrary to decrees But to returne to the matter I saye that Hanna mought vowe for her sonne for as touching the performyng of the vow as longe as he was brought vp by his pareÌ„tes she might easely prouide that he should not drinke any wyne nor cut of hys heare nor be at any funerals But after he came to lawfull age it was Samuels duty to obserue these things not in dede in respect of the vow but bycause of the obedience whiche he ought vnto his parentes For children ought to obey theyr parentes in all those thinges which are not agaynst piety the word of God So the Rechabites as it is in Ieremy wheÌ„ they obeyed their father Ionadab The Rechabites who coÌ„maunded them to drinke no wine all their lyfe tyme or to dwel in Cityes were for the same cause praysed of God Howbeit Hanna vnles she had had a peculiar inspiration from God she could not haue vowed that Samuel should all his lyfe tyme haue ministred at the tabernacle of the Lord for as much as the law of god absolued meÌ„ froÌ„ the ministery at a certaine space of yeares namely in the .50 yere Magister sententiarum But that which I haue sayd that it was lawful for Hanna to vowe the vow of a Nazarite for her sonne it semeth not to be firme with the definition of a vow whiche is thus brought of the Master of the Sentences A vowe is a testificatioÌ„ of a willing promise made vnto God The definition of a vowe of things which pertayne vnto God But a vowe which is vowed by the parent for the sonne can not seme willing Yea but it is bycause the parentes vowed not being compelled but of their owne fre will farther it is mete for the children to obey the will of their parentes freely of their owne accorde especially when they commaunde no vngodly thyng or contrary to the worde of God By this place some gather that Samson was sanctified in the wombe of hys mother whiche selfe same thyng is beleued both of Ieremy and also of Iohn Baptiste How some are sayd to be sanctified froÌ„ the wombe And they will haue him so to be sanctified that afterwarde he committed no mortal sinne as they call it But this is false and vayne Neither to sanctifye in this place is anye thyng els then to appointe one to the execution of some certayn worke Samson therefore was sanctified that is appoynted of God to deliuer his people So was Ieremy ordeyned to Prophesie And Iohn to be the voyce of a crier in the wildernes Neither of this kinde of sanctification doth it follow that these holy men neuer sinned For euery maÌ„ is a lyer also there is no maÌ„ sayth Salomon whiche sinneth not Farther what shal we say of Samson Did he neuer sinne He fel vndoubtedly and that greuously Paul also who sayth to the Galathians that he was himselfe separated from his mothers wombe and yet he persecuted the Churche of God Moreouer the children also of Christians are called holy for as muche as God is not our God onely but also the God of our seede according to that saying of Paul to the Corinthians Your children are holy who yet no man doubteth but that they afterward fal and grieuously sinne If the vow be against charity it is to be broken One thinge remayneth to be spoken of and afterwarde I will returne vnto the history When the father voweth and the sonne desireth to performe the vowe of the father what if the vow be a gaynste the health of the sonne He shall peraduenture fal into some disease and he must nedes drinke wine or cut away his heare what is to be done in this case I haue in an other place admonished that the preceptes of god ar of diuers sortes so that some ar greater and some easier As touching god whiche is the commaunder all are equall and like one to an other But as touching the thinges which are coÌ„maunded there is some difference Wherfore the lesse precept must geue place vnto the greater For whiche cause Christ sayth by the wordes of the Prophet I will haue mercy and not Sacrifice not as thoughe God vtterly contemned Sacrifices which he had commaunded but bycause he more estemed mercy And Christ also admonisheth in the Gospell in the .5 chapter of Math. that if thou offer thy gift at the alter and there remeÌ„berest that thy brother hath somewhat agaynst thee thou must go first and reconcile thy selfe vnto thy brother and then returne and offer thy gifte Whereby he declareth that he altogether wil haue the les precepte geue place vnto the greater Wherfore we must thus aunswere vnto the question God commauÌ„deth the Nazarites to absteyne from wine he also commaundeth euery man to defend his life by good meanes Here when as the sicke man can not preserue both the preceptes it is necessary that he preferre the greater before the les For so dyd the Rechabites the sonnes of Ionadab behaue themselues For althoughe theyr father coÌ„maunded them that they should not dwel in Cities neither drinke any wine and were also commended of God bycause they obeyed the preceptes of theyr father yet at that tyme when Ieremy wrote these thinges of them they dwelled at Ierusalem contrary to the precept of their father For the Chaldeyans had wasted all the fieldes Wherefore they perceaued that there was then no place for their fathers precept But in monasteryes they doo contraryly For if the father be sicke the sonne is so bound by religion that he can by no meanes helpe him 6 And the
died together with thē for thirst Or it was done that the power and beneuolence of God towardes his people should be made the more notable which had not onely deliuered Samson from his enemyes but also had quenched his thyrst by a wonderfull meanes Wherefore Samson turneth himself vnto prayers whiche God maketh him to expresse both by his spirite and also by this present necessitye We are not able to thinke how much God delighteth in our submission Thou sayth he Lord God hast geuen me this victory and wilt thou now forsake me Hereby we vnderstand that the remembrance of the benefites past do excedingly stir vp our prayers for they encrease fayth whereby we hope that we may obteyne the like and also greater things Neither is this a thing to be passedouer that he calleth him self the seruāt of God I am sayth he thy seruāt For I haue not slayn these mē at myne owne lust and motion I haue done thy busines and I haue executed thy warre And wilt thou now suffer me to dye for thurst And by that meanes to fal into the handes of mine enemies And which is most greuous into the handes of the vncicumcised For I vndoubtedlye whatsoeuer I am am thine and I haue set abrode the glory of thyne name Thou hast promised that I should be a iudge vnto thy people suffer me not therfore to come into the power of mine enemies contrary to that promise which thou hast promised me ¶ The .xvi. Chapter 1 THen went Samson to Azzah and he sawe there a harlot and went into her 2 And it was told to the Azzathites Sāson is comhither And they went about and layde waite for him all night in the gate of the city and wer quiet al the night saying Abide til the morning early and we shal kill him 3 And Samson slept till midnight and rose at midnight and toke the dores of the gate of the city and the two postes and lift them away with the barres and put them vpon his shoulders and caried them vp to the top of the mountaine that is before Hebron It is no rare or vnaccustomed thinge that excellent men when they haue accomplished thinges after theyr minde There happen sometimes greuous falles of godly men of churches doe slacke good studies and honest entenprises as though they had done with labors are nowe in that place that they can not fall God suffreth them sometimes so to fal that they shoulde acknowledge thē selues be called back to repentance But that is not done by the merite of the sinners but by the goodnes and mercy of god So God suffred Dauid to fal so Salomon contaminated hymselfe with a most greuous wicked crime so Iudas the sonne of Iacob being in good estimation among his bretherne yet committed incest with Thamar Neyther do these things happē only vnto singuler mē but also vnto the church as well the new as the old In the time of Byleam whē the Israelites could not be won by any other meanes they wer cōquered by harlots And the church of the Corrinthians was at the firste so contaminated with whoredomes that Paule was compelled to shewe by arguments and testimonies of the word of god that foricatiō was sin Yet did not god straightway depart from those which I haue mencioned God doth not straightway after sinne take a way from men hys free gratious giftes nor from Samson as touching his free gracious giftes as are strength gifte of tongues prophesies and suche like bicause they are geuen not for theire sakes whiche possesse them but for other Bileam though he was an euill man yet had he still the gift of prophesy yea and he prophesied most excellently of Christ The Lord also sayth many shall say vnto me in that day Haue not we cast out deuils in thy name And in thy name haue we prophesied it shal be sayd vnto them verely I say vnto you I know you not Howbeit for discipline sake free gracious giftes are also sometimes taken away sometimes I saye not alwayes And Samson did not strayghtewaye at the first time when he sinned lose those giftes of God yet afterwarde he loste them But seyng these ar not alwaies taken away Whither the giftes which follow iustification are firme what shal we affirm of other gifts which of necessity follow iustification Those vndoubtedly ar takē away in sins that ar most heinous For he which hath committed any greuous sinne agaynst himselfe holdeth not peace of conscience neyther the zeale to call vpon God nor hope towardes God Fayth also for that time either sleepeth and lieth still or as some think is taken away although it be afterward restored vnto the elect and those that are predestinate when they repent Suche fals of excellente men are setforth How great the verity of the holy scriptures is How the countrey of the Philistians was deuided that we by them should haue an example that if at any time we fal we should not dispayre And hereby we vnderstand how greate the veritye of the holy scriptures is For they dissemble not errors and vices in the greatest mē in those specially which they haue taken in hand to prayse Azza was one of the head cities of the Philistians For that coūtry was deuided into prouinces and Lordshippes of which in euery one of them there was some one excellent and notable city Our interpretors haue translated Azza into Gaza for it is written by this letter Ain whiche our men turne by g And so the Ammorhites they call Gomorhites But why went Samson downe hither bycause now hauing obteined so manye victories he contemned his enemies and peraduenture he sought occasion to inuade them But in this citye he fell for he had there to doe with a harlot This woorde Zonah signifieth in Hebrewe a harlot of whiche thinge wee haue spoken in an other place Some thinke that Samson did nothing here offend but onely turned into a woman that kept a vitling house For by that word is also signified a woman that kepeth a vitling house bycause she prepareth meate and other necessarye thinges for gestes So some thinke that Rahab in the booke of Iosua whiche receaued the spies was not an harlot but onely one that kept a vitling house But I thinke that Rahab was an harlot For so is she called in the Epistle to the Hebrewes which had doone her iniury now being deade How women that kept vitling houses are called by the Romain lawes if it called her beinge a chaste woman an harlotte The Romaine lawes called such women as kepte vitlinge houses stabulariae as it is had in the title de furtis stabulariorum Ambrose sayth that Helena the mother of Cōstātine the gret was a stabularia after this sort he calleth her a good stabularia He entred into her This Hebrew forme of speaking signifieth carnall fellowship namely that he had to do with her Other think as I haue said that he
this any new or vnaccustomed thinge that seruantes ar somtimes wiser thē their masters although it oftētimes happeneth that counsel hath authority of the geuer as we vnderstand happened here wher counsel although it were profitable Aristotle is despised peraduēture bycause it came frō a seruāt Aristotle in his Politikes saith they which excel in mind coūsel ought to beare rule and they which are strong of body must obey But that cōmeth not alwayes to passe yea rather it oftentymes happeneth that masters which are not of the wisest but yet strong in body haue seruaunts far wiser then themselues although they be not very strong in body Farther we must not deny The giftes of God are not bound vnto the estates or cōditions of men but the prudence and counsels whiche are the giftes of God are not bounde vnto the conditions or estates of Lordshyp and seruitude nor also to the temperatures of bodyes God geueth them to them whom he thinketh good that most freely somtymes to seruauntes and sometymes to Lordes sometymes to poore men and sometymes to riche men GOD ministred vnto a man beyng a seruaunt good counsell whiche yet the Leuite would not fellowe to his great hurt For if he had turned into the City of the Iebusites peraduenture he had not fallen into that calamity whiche followed These thinges are spoken concernyng the counsell of the seruaunt if we consider the vtility therof but yet a thing is not to be iudged by the euent The Leuite is excused Neither is the Leuite in this place rashely to be accused bycause it seemeth that he had a shewe of honesty piety For he thought that if it were possible he should not go vnto the vngodly Idolatrers such as wer the Iebusites and he had a great deale better opinion of the Hebrues then of straungers Yea and the seruaunt for that he so earnestly desired to turne into the Iebusites may be accused either of sluggishnes for that he being weary of the waye would take no paynes to go any further or els he may be accused of vnaduisednes bycause he considered not with himselfe that the Iebusites wer enemyes vnto the Hebrues or els of an vngodly mind for that he litle passed to turne vnto Idolatrers Wherfore it seemeth that the Leuite did rightly and wisely if we looke vpon the ordinary way and law of piety and not vpon the end But all thynges happened contraryly For in Gibaa as we shall heare his wife was by violence oppressed and so died and ciuile warre stirred vp wherin many thousandes of men died What we ought in counsell to counte doubtful and what certayn Wherfore we ought alwayes to suspect our counsels as touching the ende but yet not as touchyng iustice not that we should feare least god shuld cast vs away but least for our sinnes there might happē some miserable end Wherfore whē we haue determined to do any thing we must with most feruent prayers pray vnto God to turne to good the counsell whiche we haue taken and to direct our purpose For vnles he build the house What is to be doone after we haue taken coūsell they labour in vayne whiche build it And except he prosper our enterprises all thynges are in vayne taken in hand And yet in the meane tyme we must vse a very great diligence But now we rede not that the Leuite called vpon God when as yet he was in some daunger Iacob when he should iorney into Mesopotamia called vpon God with a great fayth The counsell or purpose of the Leuite was to turne into Cities which the Hebrues inhabited especially either vnto Gibaa or vnto Rama These Cityes were not farre from Ierusalem He entred into Gibaa where no man bad hym to hys house That City longed to the tribe of Beniamin It may seeme that he would rather haue gone to Rama but as it is written the sunne went downe vpon him nyghe vnto Gibaa wherfore he entred into a City of men vncurteous For whē the man being a straunger stoode in the streetes in the night tyme no man receaued him into his house But where as barbarous inhospitality reigneth there also are more grieuous wicked vices wont not to be wantyng Why no man bad the Leuite to his house But why no mā receaued him into his house the cause was for that in a great number of euil Citezins there were very few good men if there were any the same wer afrayed to receaue him into their house least for his sake some euill should happen vnto them For they knewe the wantōnes and the filthy lustes of those men And so whilest the straunger was despised the law of God was in that City had in contempt For it commaunded that gentlenes should be shewed vnto straungers yea and God called himselfe the tutor and reuenger of straungers neither could those Citezins seeme any longer to be the people of God seyng they had cast awaye hys lawe A praise of hospitality And euen as to contemne straungers is a most grieuous vice so is Hospitality a vertue most excellent Wherfore in the Epistle to the Hebrues it is writtē Forget not liberality and Hospitality Although not to dissemble in Greeke it be somewhat otherwise written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is the general worde of hospitality But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the general word of Hospitality Then it followeth For with such sacrifices God is wel pleased Out of which place the Papistes go about to defende merites as though he whiche sheweth himselfe liberall towardes the poore shall deserue something at Gods hand But in the Greke is rede 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whiche signifieth not shal be wonne by deserte but receaueth with a glad and chearefull minde which is to be referred vnto God and not to those whiche shew liberality vnto the poore The sense therfore is this that god doth reioyse in such sacrifices doth accept them with a glad mynde yea and Christ himselfe also shall say in the last iudgement I was a straunger and ye lodged me for he that receaueth a straunger receaueth Christ in him So Abraham Lot when they thought that they had had straungers in their house receaued the sonne of God aungels The Gabaonites being voyde of this vertue contemned the Leuite beyng a straunger walkyng in the streete But there was in that City a certayne other straūger whiche was borne in mount Ephraim who being moued with mercy receaued the Leuite into hys house And so in Gabaa a straunger was better then the Citezins This man peraduenture was a husband man and in the euenyng returned out of the field frō his rusticall worke The Leuite telleth him that he hath prouendre for his Asses and also that he wanted not bread and wine that he might the easelier and willinglier be receaued As thoughe he should haue sayd we shall not be burdenous vnto any man for we haue all things
that are necessary for our liuyng Peace be with thee Thy pouerty be vpon me Care not sayth he I wil furnishe that whiche wanteth I nothing passe what thou hast with thee or what thou hast not The humanity of this man was great whiche appeareth so muche the more excellent bycause he dwelled among the inhumane and cruel Gabaonites He was borne brought vp in an other place where the feare of God was more regarded then among the Gabaonites Yet he seemeth not herein to be praysed for that he dwelt so longe among vngodly and wicked men We must flye the fellowshyp of wicked men For we ought not to esteme any thyng so much that for the cause therof we should haue a will to dwell among idolatrous wicked men Wherfore if any greuous chaunce happen in that society vnto men which are otherwise good they can not complayne that the same happeneth vnto them vndeserued Lot sped yll bycause he dwelt among the Sodomites He saw the coūtrey fertyll and plentifull hauing great plēty of heardes and flockes he would abide there But with that he escaped not vnpunished For once he was led away prisoner and except Abraham had delyuered him with an army which he had assembled he should al his lyfe tyme haue serued in most hard bondage Afterward when these Cityes were burnt he scarsely escaped frō burning Whiche benefite he may ascribe rather vnto Abraham then vnto himself How vnprofitable euill fellowship is for if he had perished together with them he should haue had no cause to haue cōplained of God Euill fellowship alwayes for the most part either hurteth or eis engendreth daunger The Gabaonites beyng of the tribe of Beniamin are called also the children of Iemini bycause that famely was noble in the tribe Wherfore this famely possessed the City D. Kimhi although Dauid Kimhi expoundeth the sonnes of Iemini for strōge and migthy men for Iemini in Hebrew signifieth the right hand Wherfore the children of Iemini as he thinketh are they whiche haue lawe and ryght in the right hand and therfore do not what is lawful but what they can I do not deny but that the Gabaonites were such but I rather allowe the first exposition as the truer and more simple For it is manifest that it was a famely in Beniamin of whiche came Saul also Mesapua signifieth in Hebrew whatsoeuer meate is geuē vnto cattell besides straw and chaffe that is Tares Otes and Barley The old man had compassiō of the straunger either peraduenture bycause he was his contreyman or els at the least for that he himselfe also dwelt there as a straunger For common miseryes do oftentymes ioyne men together Wherfore in Virgil Dido sayth Virgil. I not beyng ignoraunt of euil do learne to succor the miserable After the same maner the Lord sayth in the law afflict not straūgers bycause ye were sometymes straūgers your selues in Egypt But the Gabaonites had vtterly forgotten their olde estate But the old mā bicause in time past he had ben a straūger or rather bicause he was euen then also a straūger was moued with mercy Yea God doth somtymes somewhat afflict those that are his that they should learne to haue cōpassion ouer other For they whiche alwayes florishe in wealth and riches are not greatly moued with the miseryes of other men And Paul to the Hebrues sayth that Christ was made lyke vnto his brethren in all thynges that he myght haue compassion of other The Leuite maketh mention that he would go vnto the house of God that is in Siloh where the arke of the Lord was And Siloh was in mount Ephraim He would therfore go thether peraduenture to geue thākes vnto god bicause bringing home his wife agayn he had luckly finished his busines Other thinke that the yong man added these things of the arke and house of God to the end the old mā should be the more gentle vnto him when he should vnderstand that he was no common man but a Leuite which would go vnto the holy tabernacle of God 21 So he brought hym into his house gaue foddre vnto the Asses Afterward they washed their feete and did eate and drinke 22 And as they were making their hartes merye Behold the men of the City wicked men be set the house round about and smote at the doore and spake to this old man the master of the house saying Brynge foorth the manne that came into thyne house that we maye knowe hym 23 And this man the master of the house went out and sayde vnto them Nay my brethren do not so wickedly I praye you seyng that this man is come into mine house do not this vilannie 24 Beholde here is my daughter a virgine and his concubine thē will I bryng out nowe and humble them and do with them what seemeth you good but to this man do not this detestable acte 25 But the men would not harken to hym therfore the man tooke hys concubine and brought her out vnto them and they knew her and abused her all the night vntyl the mornyng and when the day began to spryng they let her go 26 So the woman came in the dawning of the day and fell downe at the dore of the mās house where her Lord was till the light day 27 And her Lorde arose in the mornyng and opened the doores of the house and went out to go his waye and behold the woman his concubine was dead at the doore of the house and her handes laye vpon the threshold 28 And he sayde vnto her vp and let vs go but she aunswered not Then he tooke her vp vpon the Asse and the man rose vp and went vnto his place 29 And when he was come to his house he tooke a knife and layde hand on his concubine and deuided her in peces with her bones into twelue partes and sent her throughout al the quarters of Israel 30 And all that sawe it sayd There was no suche thyng doone or sene since the tyme that the children of Israell came vp from the lande of Egypte vnto this daye consider the matter consulte and geue sentence Where as it is sayde And he gaue his Asses foder In Hebrew it is written Vaiabol whiche signifieth he mingled for this verbe Balal signifieth to myngle For in those regions they vse to mingle chopped straw with barley so to geue them vnto their cattell The maner of washing of fete very muche vsed in Syria And washed their fete In those places that are extreme hot when men haue done their iorney they vse to washe their feete to wipe away the dust which office was sometymes shewed vnto Christ our sauiour and he agayne executed the same vnto his Apostles Paul also required this of good widowes namely to washe the feete of the Saintes Bring out the man that we may know him By these words is described a thing most filthy an horrible act There was
That was of al the tribes most populous and noble vnto which afterward came the kingdome They enquired not who should be the captaine of the warre but which tribe shoulde begyn the battaile first against the enemies Why thei doubted not of the victory Wherin the Israelits synned They nothing doubt of the victory neither demaund they any thing concerning it They saw that their quarrell was iust They sawe also that they were more in number and multitude and that it would be easy to ouercome so fewe wherefore they pray not vnto God to geue them the victory which was a grieuous synne as R. Leui ben Gerson affirmeth Wherefore God being offended suffred them twise to fal before their enemies and that wonderfullye For God hateth nothing more then pride and to much trust in our owne strengthes He wil also haue men knowe that victory is both to be required D. Kimhi and also to be hoped for at his handes onelye But Kimhi sayth that other thinke that this so great misfortune of warre happened bicause of the idolatry of Micha the Israelite As though God should in this maner haue delt with them Ye will auenge the iniury done vnto a man being a Leuite but ye neglect and wyncke at the contumely which I suffer at the Danites handes who publikely worship Idoles Either of these sentences is very likelye althoughe neither of them is gathered out of the text Howbeit this we may affirme that there were some certain causes wherby God was excedinglye prouoked of the Israelites But what those causes were though we know not it is no meruayle For the counsels of God are hidden and obscure Order at the length required this that the Israelites should first auenge the contumely of God himself and afterward of the Leuite But this is sufficiently declared in the text What thynges the Israelites had omitted that they at those twoo first tymes came not vnto God earnestly inough They came in deede but they neither fasted nor killed sacrifices nor made any praiers as far as the holy history declareth But at the last hauing already two ouerthrowes all of them with a lowly and humble minde come vnto God al pray together and fast These thinges seme sufficiently to declare that they were not before in the house of the Lord in suche maner as they ought to haue beene For if they had had true fayth they would haue before also proclaimed both cōmon prayers and also fasting Mourning fasting and praiers are the effectes of faith and true repentaunce These thinges for that they had not it is probable that therfore they receaued so great losse at the first and second conflict This thing also might bee a cause for that they made warre to much securely and contemptuously as they which dyd put their confidence in the number and strength of their own men Wherefore they contemned the enemy The contempt of enemies hurteth very much then the which nothing is more vnprofitable to those that shal fight For contempt of the enemies engendreth negligence in the hostes 26 Then al the children of Israel ascended and all the people and they came into the house of God and wept and abode there before the Lorde They fasted also that day vnto the euening and offered burnt offringes and peace offeringes before the Lord. 27 And the chyldren of Israel asked the Lorde for there was the Arke of the Lord in those dayes 28 And Pinhas the sonne of Eleazar the sonne of Aaron stoode before it in those dayes saying Shal I yet go any more to battayle against the children of Beniamin my brethren or shal I cease The Lord answered Go vp for to morow I wil deliuer them into your hand 29 And Israel set men to lye in wayte round about Gibea 30 And the children of Israel went vp against the children of Beniamin the thyrd day and put them selues in aray against Gibea as at other tymes 31 Then the children of Beniamin comming out to meete the people were drawen from their City and they beganne to smite and to kyl of the people as at other times euen by the wayes whereof one goeth vp to the house of God and the other to Gibea in the fielde vpon a thirty men of Israel 32 And the chyldren of Beniamin sayd They are fallen before vs as at the first But the children of Israel said Let vs flie and pluck them away from the city euen to the high wayes 33 And when al the men of Israel rose vp oute of their place and put them selues in aray in Baal-Thamar in the meane while the men of Israel that lay in wayte came forth of their place euen out of the medowes of Gibea 34 And they came ouer agaynst Gibea ten thousande chosen men of all Israel and the battayle was sore for they knewe not that the euyll was neare them 35 And the Lord smote Beniamin before Israel and the chyldren of Israel destroyed of the Beniamites the same day .xxv. thousand and one hundreth men All they coulde handle the swoord 36 So the children of Beniamin saw that they wer smitten down for the children of Israel gaue place vnto the Beniamites bycause they trusted to the men that lay in wayte whych they had layde besydes Gibea 37 And they that lay in wayte hasted and brake forth toward Gibea and the embushment drew themselues along and smote al the City wyth the edge of the swoord 38 Also the men of Israel had appointed a certayne tyme with the embushmentes that with great speede they shoulde make a great flame and smoke ryse out of the City 39 And the men of Israel retired in the battayle and Beniamin began to smyte and kyll the men of Israell about .xxx. persons for they sayd Surely they are striken downe before vs as in the fyrste battayle 40 But when the flame began to aryse out of the City as a pyller of smoke the Beniamites looked backe and beholde the flame of the City began to ascend vp to heauen 41 Then the men of Israel turned againe and the children of Beniamin were astoyned for they saw their destruction at hand 42 Therefore they fled before the men of Israel vnto the waye of the wyldernes but the battayle ouertooke them also they whyche came out of the Cities slewe them among them 43 Thus they compassed the Beniamites about and chased them at ease and ouerran them euē ouer against Gibea on the East side 44 And there fel of Beniamin .xviii. thousand men which were all men of warre 45 And they turned and fled vnto the wyldernes vnto the rocke Rimmon and the Israelites glayned of them by the way .v. thousand men and pursued after them vnto Gidehon slew two thousand men of them 46 So that al that were slayne that day of the Beniamites were 25 thousand men that drew sword which were all men of warre 47 But .vi. hundreth men turned and fled to the wyldernes vnto the rocke of