hope for a pompous belly blessing in this cursed earth In due tyme our Lord cometh to have his tabernacle in vs for which his tabernacle or temple the world was made obedient vnto man And though Moses tabernacle were most diligently thrise described furnished with all dignity of matter forme yet God did sone leave it in smalle regard likewise Salomons temple Yet against S. Stephens doctrine Act. 7. to this day Israel hopeth for a temple of stone city to be built on mount Syon in Chanaan But our Lord leaveth this world to sit on Davids throne for ever Iewes perish in their lyes and blindnes for our Lords brightnes foure Evangelistes tell that one telleth how the Apostles taught that to the heathen holy Epistles comment vpon all Moses to teach Israell the golden building how their Thalmudicall is straw in all hope of Policy good on Earth And when Ierusalem is destroyed to force an end of Moses Ceremonies then more fully the nature of Davids throne is opened by Gracious Iohn in obscure Patmos He sheweth how all the goodly Iewels vsed through Moyses and the Prophetes tend hither how the knowledge of Christ practised openly rightly by his servantes maketh the heavenly Ierusalem the holy Iewes a ey-expectation But this should have two hinderances one by the prophane Caesares whom the Lord wold pay for their partes that all their world should be altered the other by Christianes falling away as Ismael Ephraim did So Mackmad of Ismael sone withdrew all the coÌ„treys of Daniels Image to their old Arabique infidelitie and Christ leaveth them to eternall blindnes as he did the old builders of Babel Also the city that crucified Christ setteth vp an earthly pompe with corruption of all holy truth cariage in hope of life by the waters of Scripture out of which he that is not borne againe by the Spirit can never enter into the Kingdome of heaven Yet against this Pompe Christ ruleth his common weales in perpetuall expectation of the Eternall Throne to be fully manifested And this summe doth the holy Bible afforde Which he that beareth in mynd shall soner see the driefte of every particular Booke And now Ecclesiastes will shew how this world can have no good Kingdome wher all kind of Sortes flow with vanities and vexation of Spirit But to consider his book with more clearnesse of light his kindred life a popular spech of his royall and most witty closse spech divinity chief poinctes yet resisted of his nation these are to be layd forth somwhat familiarly for the help of the vnacquainted with such matters AN ABRIDGEMENT OF SALOMONS LIFE DAVID had sonnes by many vvives The King and his brother Nathan tvvo more named in 1 Chr. 3. 5. by the daughter of Ammiel besides the first borne that sone died That his vvife vvas called Bath-Suagh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Daughter of nobility God closly disposing tongues to that vvhich in story should be most famous After Vrias the faithfull Hettean died for his people the cities of his God by good Davids vvicked sleight and David had made that Psalme of repeÌ„tance to the coÌ„fort of all that should by faith find justice David conforted Bath suagh and svvare that Salomon should reigne called her Bathshebagh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 daughter of Oth. And he savv further that Salomons house vvold not be vpright vvith God but vvold overthrovv the temple nation Lev. 26. and Deut. 28. and that Nathans prophecy should come of Salomons next brother called him Nathan that his name should abridge the Prophecy Bath shebagh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also hath her honour from God Prov. 31. Being an holy teacher of holy truth and joying that Christ should come of her as of Thamar Rachab and Ruth the Moabite and not also of Roboams mother the Ammonite nor of any King aftervvardes SalomoÌ„ vvas borne about the time that Adoniah defloured Thamar as the story shevveth and is cast by the Rabbines and Grekes to be tvvelve yeres old vvhen David dieth His Father and his mother and the Prophet Nathan instructed him in the vvayes of God he craved vvisdome of God and had it above all Kinges and the more he increased in vvisdome he taught the people knovvledge and fitted many Proverbes Three bookes he left The Songe of Songes shevving the ioy of the Church that truly folovveth Christ and the Proverbes vvarning much the Tribes that they vvill fall avvay from God In the same booke he joineth the vvordes of Agur Ben Iakeh a vvise Prophet of his time vvho in fevv vvordes taught much of mans corruptioÌ„ and spake of God to dvvell in Christ named â—thiel and Vcal that is vvith me God euen the Mighty And Koheleth in his third book The K. had fovver names Salomon and Iedidiah 1 King 12. Lemoel Prov. 31. and Koheleth Eccl. 1. The notation of the last should here be opened 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cahal the verb is Gather and the novvne Ecclesia a company gathered to one assembly as the 600000. vvhich at once denyed God Num. 13. called there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ghedah elsvvhere often 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cahal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synagogue or Ecclesia Of Gathering the best thing that is vvisdome he is called Koheleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aben Ezr. Ecclesiast 1. That is He is called Koheleth by the terme of wisdome which was gathered in him finding by experience that all thinges vnder the sunne are vaine common vveales full of folly madnes that men should look to the Kingdome of Christ in heaven The LXX made a nevv terme of their ovvne Ecclesiastes a vvise Doctor And this book commenteth vpon Nathans Prophecy cited afore and teacheth closly that many Kinges of his posterity by foolishnes vvold breake the hedge that Serpentes should bite them vvold speak great vvordes as did Roboam so foolish as one that knevv not the vvay to the city And he himselfe vvas entangled by his vvives to build Idolea for them But he proclameth their vvickednes and hovv Iedidiah the beloved of God vvas delivered from them None should doubt but that he is in the Kingdome of heaven seing all the Prophetes be there Luc. 13. and he spent all his life to teach the vanities of this vvorld His posterity ended in Iechonias and the Ievves misse of all the Prophetes meaning vvhich say that Messias should come of Iechonias vvho left no child naturally Iere. 22. But sonnes to his Kingdome many 1 Chr. 3. Salathiel of Nathan Mat. 1. Luc. 3. This poinct should specially be noted of Christianes The Ievves vse all endevour to overthrovv S. Luk for our Lords Kindred mightily labour to prove that Salathiel vvas naturall sonne to Iechonias and not onely S. to the Kingdome as troupes of others 1 Chr. 3. but properly sonne as any other to his father in private spech And as they look for
the vvordes of the mouth of the vvise doe beare grace as specially the speches in David for the Kingdome of Christ but the lippes of the foole Ieroboam svvalovved vp all his house vvhen he bade vvorship calves at Dan and Bethel and forbade to go vp to Ierusalem The begining of the vvordes of his mouth vvas foolishnes and the end of his mouth an evell madnes The other Kinges foolish before God multiplyed vvordes against Iudah but savv not their fall Great toyle they tooke familie after family and vvearied them selves in their Idoles being as men that knevv not the vvay to the city And such vvere all the Kinges of Israell and the vvicked of Roboams Kingdome And vvo be to the kingdome vvhere the Princes be given to feasting as the true noble and sobre bring happines A King dome is like an house vvher by slougth the timber vvork rotteth and by dissolute hād the house vvilbe dropped through vvhen they make feastes for laughter and that vvine chear the hart and mony must affordall And herein the meddlers vvith Kinges find their ovvne ruine this vanitie is comon But they that look to the kingdome of Christ vvill not in thought medle vvith Caesar for listeners vvill fly to report all that is once vttered But men should ambitiously seke to meddle vvith their ovvne matters and to do good for the hope to come as Pilgromes strangers This vvil be a casting of seede vpon moyst ground vvhich vvill fructifie that as one soovveth he shall reape Therfore vvhile vve have time vve should doe good to all lest God alter our ability or occasion The cloudes and trees teach that the cloudes fall to moysten the hearbes and vvher the trees fruct falleth gatherers vvilbe ready And herein vve should not be casting doubtes eyther for others successe or lest vve in time vvant our selves of our joyes The husbandman plovv eth in hope not loking to the cloudes for sovving or reaping as vve knovv not the vvindes vvay nor the Embryones grouth so vve knovv not hovv sone God altereth times from life to death from planting to vnrooting from building to breaches from laughter to vveping from seking to losing from spech to silence from love to hatred from peace to vvarre from youth to old age morning and evening vve should not be vveary doing good for in due tyme vve shall reape yf vve doe not faint It is a good thing for one to chere his ovvne life vvill mans hart say but long and mery life vvilbe nothing sauing vanity vvhen vve thinke vpon the tyme after this life hovv it shall never haue end This thought vvill make yong men litle joy in the morning of age considering that God vvill bring them into judgement And the vvekenes of our earthly tabernacle should put vs in mind hourely For dayes void of all delite vvill sone come vvhen our eyes ribbes armes stomake eares and tongue and all helpes of voice the legges faile graynes buddeth vve are shaken off like a grashopper and the chine liuer brain pan all vvil be rent and man returneth to his endlesse home mourners go about in the strete This may teach vs hovv all temporall thinges be vainesse teach from Scriptures to find out Christ his Kingdome that vvhen the outvvard man is corrupted the invvard man be fully renued For Christ is our life and to die in him that is all our gain And mans sone passage hence vp to Goddes throne to receaue according to the vvorkes done by the body good or evell should print this in our hartes And vve should giue more aboundant hede to Koheleth his vvordes lest they flovv aside from our eyes as they from Ephraim Prov. 3. and from the men of Ierusalem Eb. 2. vvhom sin platting about them entangled to destruction Koheleth as all the other Prophets hath vvordes of delite Scripture of right vvordes of truth as Goades to direct vs nailes fastened in the shepe foldes geuen from Christ the only Shepheard of vvhom Dauid spake Psa 72. his last vvordes therin these Blessed be the Eternall God the God of Israell blessed be his glorious name for euer and let all the earth be filled vvith his glory Amen yea amen A TREATISE OF THE Holy Trinity NOW for the trinity I will folow those textes at which the very Iewes be amased I will make my style alltogether from theyr wordes saving that their future for MESSIAS to come I will turne into the tyme passed In the Babylonian Thalmud in Sanedrin fol. 38. excellent places be cited for vnity plurality touching also MESSIAS from Dan. 7. wher Rabbi Sadaias speaketh matter worthy regard also from Ex. 23. wher Ramban writteth well I saak Ben Arama vpon Ex. bringeth the whole Thalmudique consent that MESSIAS is greater then the Angels inferreth therupō that he must be God which matter Koheleth toucheth for plura lity of Persones in Boreeicha Thy creatours I have ioined an Ebrew style to the English that the one may help the other OF THE VNITY IN GOD-HEAD AND PLVRALITY of Persons THE ETERNALL our God the Eternall is one his nature is made knovven by himself for the Persons the father the Sōne the holy Ghost vve must folovv marke the mystery of the Scriptures for the plurall number and for the Sonne òf God and for the holy Spirit In these there is a great mystery Let VS make man according to OVR image This for the persons And for the vnity of natures this God created man after his owne image So Come Let VS goe downe and Let VS confound there theyr Lippe And the Lord Went downe to see the city and the towre And For there Elohim WERE reucaled vnto him the God which heard me in the day of my distresse And who is like thy people Israel one nation on the earth for whom THEY went euen Elohim to redeme them vnto him selfe for a People And Vntill THRONES were set vp and the Euerlasting Sate what is to be said of that One for himself one for the Sonne of David as it is written behold with the cloudes of heauen one like the Sonne of Man came This is Messïas our righteousnes And is it not written of the Messias Meeke and riding vpon an Asse In deed he came in humblenes came not vpon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 horses with pride And wheras it was written with the cloudes of heaven They are the Angels of the host of heaven This is the great dignity which the Creatour gave Messias And to the Everlasting did they bring him as it is writtē The Eternall sayd vnto my Lord sit thou on my right hand c. A certen Saducie said to Rabbi Idith in the Babil Thal. San. fol. 38. It is written to Moses he said Come vp vnto the Eternall vnto me he should have said This is Matatron the Angel that led the People of whome it
cōmeth according to the work of the just I thought that this also is vanitye 15. And I praysed joy For a man hath no better thing then to eate to drinke and to rejoyce for this will stick to him of his labour the dayes of his life that God hath given him vnder the sunn 16. VVhen I applyed myne hart to know wisdome to behold the busines that is done on the earth how day night a man would not see slepe with his eyes 17. Then I marked all workes of GOD that man cannot find out the worke which is done vnder the sunne Though man laboure never so much to seeke yet he cannot find it yea allthough the wisest thinke to know it he cannot find it Chap. 9. 1. FOR all this have I applied vnto myne hart even to try out all this that the just the wise ther workes are in the handes of God neither love nor hatred doth men discerne by all that is before them 2. Euen all they finde as if all had one happ the iust the vniust the good the cleane and the vncleane the sacrificing he that sacrificeth not the good the bad have alike the swearer as he that reverenceth an oath 3. This is the most grievous of all that is done vnder the sunne that all have one hap Also the hart of the sonnes of man is full of euill and madnes is in their heartes whiles they live and afterward they go to the dead 4. For all that be yet accompanied vnto all the Living say the men of an euill hart they have assurance For it is better vvith the dog alive then vvith the Lion that is dead 5. For the living knovv that they shall dye but the dead knovv nothing at all neither have they any more a revvard For their remembrance is forgotten 6. Also their love and their hatred their envy is already gone they have no more portion for euer in all that is done vnder the sunne 7. Goe eat thy bread vvith joy drinke thy vvine vvith a cheerefull hart For God novv accepteth thy vvorkes 8. At all times let thy garments be vvhite let not oyle be lacking vpon thine head 9. Enjoy life vvith the vvife vvhich thou doest love all thy dayes of vaine life vvhich HE hath given thee vnder the Sunne all thy vaine dayes For this is thy portion in life in thy Labour vvhich thou doest take vnder the sunn 10. All that thy hand can finde to doe do it as thou canst For there is nether vvorke nor invention nor knovvledg not vvisdome in the grave vvhither thou goest 11. Againe I marked vnder the sunne That the suift winne not the race nor the valiant the victory nor the wise the bread nor nor the subtile riches nor the cunning favour But a time occurrent happeneth to them all 12. For assuredly man knoweth not his time As fishes are taken in a mischevous net as birdes are caught in the snare So they the sonnes of man are intangled at the evill time when it falleth vpō them suddēly 13. I have also seene this wisdome vnder the sunne me thought it great 14. A little city had few men in it and a great King came against it compassed it about builded fortes against it 15. And there was found therein a poore wise man he saved the city by his wisedome But none remembred this poore mā 16. Then sayd I. Better is wisdome then strength yet the wisedome of the poore is despised his words are not heard 17. The words of the wise are more heard in quietnes then a Lords cry over fooles 18. Better is wisedome then weapons of warre as one vncircūspect destroyeth much good Chapter 10. 1. One dead fly putrifieth corrupteth much precious oyntment so doth a little folly him that is in estimatiō for wisdome for glory 2. The hart of a wise man is at his right hand but the hart of a foole is at his left hād 3. And also when the foole goeth by the way his hart fayleth and he telleth vnto all that he is a foole 4. If the spirite of him that ruleth riseth vp against the leave not thy place For a soft cure pacifieth great sinnes 5. There is an euill that I have seene vnder the sunne as an errour that proceedeth from the face of him that ruleth 6. Folly is great height and the rich sitt in low place 7. I have seene seruants on horses and princes walking as seruants on the ground 8. He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it And he that breaketh dovvne a hedge a serpent shall sting him 9. He that removeth stones shal find sorrow therby And he that cleaveth wood shal be heated therby 10. when the Iron is dul the mā whetteth not the Edge but vseth might But the best helpe to bring a thing to good passe is wisedome 11. when the serpēt hath bit before charming then the cūning charmer profiteth nothing 12. The words of the mouth of a wise mā give grace but the lippes of a foole devour himself 13. The begining of the wordes of his mouth is foolishnes and the later end of his mouth is wicked madnes 14. And the foole will multiply wordes But the man knoweth not what shal be And who can tell him what is following him 15. The labour of the foolish doth weary him For he knoweth not how to go into the city 16. woe to the O land whose King is a childe whose princes eat in the morning 17. Blessed art thou O land whose King is the sonne of nobles and whose Princes eat in time for strength not to drink 18. By slothfulnes beames come to decay by holding downe the hands the house droppeth thorow 19. Men making feastes to be merry that wine make glad the living mony must affoard all 20. Curse not the King no not yet in thy thought neither curse the rich in thy bed chamber for the foule of the heauen will cary the voice the winged bird will declare the matter Chapter 11. 1. Cast thy seede vpō the moist groūd for after many dayes thou shalt finde it 2. Give a portion to seauē also to eight For thou knowest not what evill shal be vpō the earth 3. If the cloudes be full they will poure fourth rayne vpon the earth And if the trees fruite fall toward the South or toward the North ī the place that the trees fruict falleth there fruite gatherers will be 4. He that looketh vpon the winde will not sow he that looketh vpon the cloudes shall not reape 5. As thou knowest not the way of the winde as nor of the bones in the belly of her that is with childe so thou knowest not the worke of God that worketh all 6. In the morning sow thy seede in the euening remit not thy hand For thou knowest not whether will come to good this or that or
in Aarons Brest lap or Care of iudgement And to shew what iustice God required they have plain Lawes of perfect Equity with a curse to all that kepe not every one that men might know how sinne aboundeth to the poore in spirit the redeemer is declared in mysteries that the prophane should not skoff yet plainly to such as mark how Adam Abraham heard of him life of the soule is shewed by dwelling with God as the second death for the soule by anger from the face of God Thus closly the world to come is shewed Also the tabernacle appartenāces shewed Christ his dwelling with man by sacrifices birdes escaped his death resurrectiō that for iustice hence by faith men should not say who can go vp to heaven to bring Christ downe or who can goe to the depe of the earth to bring Christ from the dead but might know that Iesus should be the Eternal that the Godhead should raise him frō the dead And the saving of our soules appeared in the Brasen serpent when Moses lifted vp the serpent in the wildernes the stonged by serpentes weare healed Many dout lesse asked him what was meant therby he told that so the sun of man should be lifted vp that they who beleved on him should not perish but have life everlasting Moses mynd shined with knowledge of all as did his face shine with light Levies Sunlike Smaragd his Prophecies abridg all the holy stories he maketh the twelve dum stones tell much from Aarons brest And the Patriarkes lives have the like revolutiones in their children how for cleaving to the redeamer they should find glory againe shame in refusing their fathers God folowing the blindenes of the God of this world Now in David God historically expresseth Christ his Kingdome David cometh to his Kingdome by continuall afflictiones so all that will folow the religion of Christ shal be persecuted And by whom the covenant of God his law shall be kept to vanquish Satan David is told evē that Christ shall come of his loynes to reigne vpon his throne for ever Of him he shall come to be a man a King in this world but he shall have no Kingdome in this world the earth which God hath cursed but to him is the world to come subdued being the creator David sheweth how yet in his suffringes death he was made inferior to Angels but crowned with glory honour since he sate on the right hand of God And when he came into the world all the Angels of God worshipped him And that Iuda should consider how by suffrings this glory cometh David describeth as an Evangelist the suffringes of Christ This David doeth And telleth in Prophecies the overthrow of his nation theyr captivity retarne Antiochus persecutiones the Iewes reiection even all their times how God toke a time to plant them will pluck them vp to seke them will destroy them to kepe them will cast them off to love them and will hate them Now for experience that a Kingdome vnder the Sun was not promised in Christ Salomon had all wisdome wealth pleasure found all to be vanitie by his pleasures fell from God but returned and teacheh in Ecclesiastes in all particular sortes that all here is but vanitie vexation of spirit by mans dealinges and by the sorowes of theyr handes and closly warneth that his sonne shall not rule all his foreseying how Iosephs Ieroboam vold leave only Iuda to be an whole tribe till Shiloh his childe by the Virgin the King Eternall came in the flesh Part of Rachels house and a litle of Beniamin because God built half Ierusalem and the Temple in his tribe for that part of Beniamin cleaved to Iuda as a wolf though not a lion in Mardochai and Atossa the mother of Great Artaxerxes that built the temple which abode till our Lord came into it And Salomon warneth the ten tribes how they wil be robbers making one purse and refuse the love of the truth and how God wold laugh at their destruction by Assur and fitted Proverbes to have kept them from destruction And the sonne of Thamar of Rachab of Ruth of Bathsuagh in the Canticles turneth all ioy to the Kingdome of Christ that Iosephs house should not despise the root of Iessai though Iesus Son of Nun conquered the Land made the Sun to stay A matter shewing that which foloweth IESVS the Sonne of GOD and the Sonne of David after the flesh wold darken the Sun and shake all the earth And yeres nere a thousand GOD still so governed Iuda that they should look for the Kingdome of heaven alwayes opened by CHRIST and still feele their state on earth to be full of sorow That did they sone prove true For the Kinges of Iuda were all eyther worshippers of Devels with many of theyr people or in some feeling of great danger distresse or in open hearing of Prophetes and that many at once that Babel should end their state and Salomons house because they followed Babel built to make Gōddes of creatures Salomons house vtterly perished And in Babel the Image and other Pictures telles them in expositiones seaven times over how heathen shall withold Iudahs kingdome even from Salathiel and Zoroba babel our Lords Fathers after the flesh vntill he came into the world And they saw how yet vnder Heathen they were defended And when they saw not only the fall of Salomons race temple city kingdome but of mighty Babel in 70. yeres reigne then they were in fit case to be taught of Davids Throne that should stand for ever Aethan of Phares brother Zarach told it afore Psal 89. But the Angel Gabriel telleth it more properly even to the very yere and day that all the world might reckon 490. yeres to gather how many yeres monethes and dayes they were from the end of Moses how nere to the work of redemption by the sonne of God dwelling in our tabernacle And poor Iewes from 120. nationes are sent to Ierusalem by Cyrus proclamation of the true God who all could teach Heathen that the world was made and also how longue then it had stode wher still infidels will erre And for receaving of Christ his Prophecy the poore nation that returned to Ierusalem in hope of life by it is recorded by the holy spirit which beautified the heavens in high honour how many theyr whole number to every man did make This honor had the sainctes their poore state in Ezra Nehemias is from God set downe their defence affinity with the Persiā kinges also is pēned frō Gods wisdome religion is expōded by Aggei Zachary Malachy evē to Iohn Bap. to the meke King Christ himself to the destructiō of their natiō which will not beleve that all kingdomes vnder the Sun are vanity but doe and will still