all the world so notwithstanding the sinne of the Iewes Christ in Canaan wrought the full saluation of all the world These eleuen sonnes of Canaan were setled in one soyle that is in Canaan which is about 160. myles from North to South and 60. myles from East to West Their names are Zidon who built Tyrus the glory of the world for trafique of Marchandize Heth Gebusi who after Sems death as it should appeare possessed Ierusalem Amori Girgashi of whom there were some left till Christes time as Matt. 8. 28 Hiuits of whom Abraham bought his burying place of whose kindred also Esau tooke him Wiues Arkite Siuite Aruadite Zemathite Hemathite It is supposed there were so many Tongues as there were Nations but it was no otherwise then our Cornish and Northerne men differ in their tongues These were Lordes of the whole soyle to plant buyld and replenish it against time to come that the twelue Trybes of Israel might haue Vineyardes that they neuer planted and Houses they neuer builded Whereupon Moses sayth Deut. 32.8 When the most high God deuided to the Nations their Inheritance hee appoynted the borders of a people according to the number of the Sonnes of Israel And when God promiseth to Abraham Gen. 15.18 that he will giue his seed a Land that shall flow with Mylke and Hony hee bordereth it from Egipt to the great Riuer Euphrates within which borders are contained the seuerall Lordships of Canaan and his Sonnes namely the Kenites the Kenesites the Cadmonites the Hithites the Pheresites the Gyaunts the Amorites the Cananites the Girgashites and the Gebusites Because C ham scorned his father who was the restorer of all the world therefore his Countrie was to be giuen to Sems House the Iewes and they were driuen out of their Land by the Sword of Ioshua except some few who were left in the Land to be Spurres in the sides and Thornes in the eyes of the Israelites who were to possesse it that when through the aboundance of wealth they grew to forget God they might be chastened with his rod of correction Thus Shams curse is extended euen vnto Canaan his youngest sonne and he is made a Seruant of seruantes to Sem that the blessing of Sem might appeare and the open cursed should serue the open blessed although it be nine hundred yeares after Noahs Prophecie to shew that although God suffer the wicked a while and doth deferre his punishmentes vntill the sinne of the Amorites come to a full ripenesse that yet he is a righteous Iudge and sitteth vpon a firie Throne from whose presence doth issue Ryuers of fire to consume all such as will not learne to know The Seed of the Woman to be able to breake the head of the Serpent nor desire to dwell in the Tentes of Sem acknowledging the God of Abraham the God of Isaacke and the God of Iacob to be the true GOD that keepeth couenant with all whose Garments were washed in Wine and his Mantell in the blood of Grapes nor marke that Shiloh is that Emmanuel God with Vs who is that Stone that can grind the mightiest Gyant in the land of Canaan to powder Who haue eyes and will not see how God with fire from Heauen consumed their Cities turned Lots wise into a Piller of Salt ouerthew their kinsmen Pharaoh in the read Sea and made the Walles of Iericho to fall downe without violent handes Chams House was not plagued for building Babel onely but for falling from the Religion of Sem and his posteritie had a deadly minde against true Religion And as Cham the rest are in Gehenna in darknesse so in Scripture they are left in darknesse for there is no time of any mentioned when they died but are left in darknesse The wicked men of Canaan would neuer yeeld to the trueth but praysed Gods of Gold Brasse and Stone Now followeth for Iaphet HIs name signifieth Perswaded He had seuen Sonnes Gomer Magog Madai of whom came the Meedes Jauan of whom the Grecians and Romanes come And Tubal and Mesech of whom the Muscouites come And Tiras of whom the Thracians come Of these were the Isles of the Gentiles diuided in their Landes Iaphet hee was pertaker with Sem in the action of couering thier Father but Sem had the prerogatiue of the Promise concerning Christ notwithstanding Iaphet was the elder And if you marke through al the Bible you shal not finde the first borne of any of Christes auncestors to haue the Promise pronounced to them in open tearmes because Christ the first begotten of his Father would not come according to the lust of the flesh or course of nature but by grace Sem in regard of that had the glory of God preached in his Tentes vntill the acceptable Child did come in whom all Nations should be blessed And when the glory of Sems house which were the Iewes was extinct Iohn was banished into Patmos is commanded to write to the seuen Congregations in Asia the lesser where Iaphets sonnes were first setled to so many Congregations as Iaphet had sonnes Grace and peace from him that was and is and which is to come and from the seuen Spirites expressed in Esay 11.7 which are before his throne from Iesus Christ which is a faythfull witnes and first begotten of the dead Alpha and Omega the first and the last who was dead but is aliue and behold he liues for euer euer and hath the keyes of Hell and of Death giueth light life to Iaphet the Gentile who was in darknes and in the shadow of death perswading him to dwell in the tentes of Sem to be a dweller in the spirituall Canaan and a Citizen in the heauenly Salem where there is no earthly Temple For God almightie and the Lambe are the Temple of it Now for SEM. SEM being an hundred yeares old begetteth Arphaxad two yeares after the Flood So old was Abraham when he begat Isaacke He is in vertue equall with any before the Flood This Sem was a King Prophet Sacrificer He signifieth a Name to teach them that they should looke to him in whom Sem and the whole world should be blessed He had fiue Sonnes Elam Ashur Arphaxad Lud. Aram. Elam of whom the Persians Ashur of whom the Assirians Arphaxad of whom CHRIST Aram of whom the Aramites Lud of whom the Lidians There be diuers which condemne Genealogies warranted thereby as they say by Saint Paules Councell to Thimothie Neither that they giue heed to Fables and Genealogies Endlesse which breede rather questions then godly edifying by Fayth Indeed seeing Genealogies are of great consequence to the prouing of Christ to be the Messias the Iewes to crosse this faine diuers of their owne which S. Paul calleth Endlesse therefore to be auoided as also tales inuented by them whereby they corrupted the story of the Scriptures But this condemneth not the Genealogies which the Holy Ghost penneth but rather approueth them And
concludeth the Fathers vnder the number of Two and twentie Iacob is called The beloued of the Lord before hee was borne in which he is answerable to Dauid whose name signifieth Beloued and to our Sauiour Christ of whom it was said This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased ISaacke is blinde Sem Heber and Abraham being dead onely Esau and Iacob aliue to enioy the Blessing after Isaacks death Now if we examine the sequell we shall see that if Isaacke had not been blinde hee would for his part haue brought destruction vpon the whole eart for hee would haue blessed Esau who vpon any occasion would haue sould it and besides being verie wicked in despising it would haue brought the heauy wrath of God vpon his posteritie for disobedience Therefore his blindnesse was a great blessing euen as Saint Paul speaketh Eueriething turneth to the best to the children of God Isaacke willeth Esau to goe and kill him some Venision that his soule may blesse him before he die So the Prophets vse to desire meate before they prophecie that being refreshed they may be the fuller of spirite and cheerefulnesse The Hebrewes dispute from this place whether Isaacke was growne into pouertie Some thinke hee was by reason of the famine which fell in Canaan and because the Philistines kept not couenant with him for which cause Sampson afterwards taketh occasion to plague them and that iustly Aben Ezra is of this opinion Rebecca she heareth this Commandement of Isaacke knowing that speedinesse in despatching is oftentimes a great cause of aduantage willeth Iacob to goe and fetch a Kid that therof she might make pleasant meate for Isaacke Iacob is affraid she comforteth him for she had her warrant from God that the elder should serue the younger and therefore shee boldly aduentureth Hee commeth to Isaacke who supposeth him to bee Iacob by his voyce but feeling the roughnesse of his handes and necke is perswaded that it is Esau and blesseth him When he was blessed in commeth Esau with his venison and prayeth his Father to blesse him Isaacke was now astonied to thinke of this subtiltie His spirite must needs be full of feare to thinke how hee whom he would haue blessed the Lord would not choose Isaacke therefore seeing the euent acknowledgeth the election of God in Iacob and concludeth that he shall be blessed Now heere is a question to be handled when Iacob sayth I am thy sonne Esau and Isaacke answereth It is Iacobs voyce Whether Iacob doth lie or noe This answere of Iacobs if we expound in the best sence is no lie for then it is no more but a kind of speach called Ironia So God speaketh in Gen. 3.22 Behold the man is become as one of vs to know good and euill So Christ in the Gospell commeth to his Disciples and finding them asleepe sayth Sleepe hencefoorth Wee may answere it further thus Iacob in respect of the purpose of God which chose him for the blessed might very well be called the onely Sonne Besides in regard of ciuil right now he was his eldest Sonne seeing he had bought the Birth-right of Esau Whether it were a lye or no we will leaue it to God and we can not altogeather condemne this answere seeing God approoueth it by giuing Iacob the blessing Plato sayth When men are dead we cannot aske them what they meant Therefore wee must expounde their speaches and their actions to the best meaning And further wordes are not alwayes to be taken in proper kind of speaking for Abram defendeth himselfe that Sara was his Sister to wit the Daughter of his Father but not the Daughter of his Mother Joseph sweareth By the life of Pharaoh if you take the words as they lie in proper sence he sinned greatly and was euen for his oath the worst of all Iacobs Sonnes But Salamo-Iirkie expoundeth him thus By the life of Pharaoh you are Spies that is Pharaohs life is a Wormes life which in account is no life euen so are ye no Spies in truth though you may seeme so to be So likewise Hushas answereth Absalom for when Absalom saw Hushai Dauids Counseller he asketh him Is this thy kindnesse to thy friend Why wentest thou not with thy friend meaning Dauid Hushai answereth Nay but whom the Lord and his people and all the men of Israel chose his will I bee and with him will I dwell This sentence hath a double meaning either that he meant to serue Absalom or King Dauid Therefore when things are spoken doubtfully we must marke how men may in wit expound them Abraham died Gen. 25.78 being 175. yeares old Hee was buried in Hebron Heber died Gen. 11.16.17 being 464. yeares old Hee was the longest liuer of any that was borne after the Flood Ismael died being 137. yeares old THe Prophet Esay cap. 60.7 prophecying of the calling of the Gentiles nameth the two eldest Sonnes of Ismael Nebaioth and Kedar saying The Rammes of Nebaioth shall serue thee and the Sheepe of Kedar shall be gathered vnto thee Againe he nameth two of Abraham by Ketura Sheba and Seba which two names doe also containe the Gentiles by Cham and the Gentiles of Sem by Iocktan So that vnder the names of the most worthy Gentiles which are the Gentiles by Abraham hee sheweth the calling of all the Gentiles in the World Whereby we are taught that Israels posteritie was not wholly rooted out of the fauour of God as Ameleckes was Iacob goeth to Laban Gen. 28.5 HEe goeth into the Countrie of Mesopotamia to Laban there he serueth twentie yeares This Laban was the sonne of Bethuel and brother to Rebecca and of the house of Nachor the brother of Abraham and Haran who remayned in the land of the Caldies after Abrahams departure so that Laban though of Mesopotamia yet is neere kinsman to Iacob Iacob in this Iourney goeth ouer Iordan with his Staffe and Scrippe as closely and secretly as he could that thereby Esau might not know of his departure for Esau was mighty and as it appeareth afterwardes had a band of foure hundred men Iacob going to Haran stayeth by the way all night because the Sunne was downe and layde of the Stones of the place vnder his head and slept There hee seeth the vision of the Ladder and when he awaketh he sayth Surely the Lord was in this place and I was not ware of it Then he rose and tooke vp the Stones and made a Piller and called it Bethel for he sayd this is no other but the House of Iehouah and the Gate of Heauen Hee seeth a Ladder c. THis Ladder representeth Christ the foote on the Earth his Humanitie and the toppe reaching to Heau enhis Deitie the Angels of God ascending and descending the Mediations betwixt God and vs and the Lord standing aboue vpon it the readinesse of the Father to receiue our Prayers This is expounded Iohn 1.51 Yee shall see the Heauens open and the Angels of God
striuing for darknes we become children of darknes so lose the light of eternall life as the Iewes and Romanes did whose recompence hath followed The one depriued of their earthly glorie the other aduanced to glorie to be a staine of eternall damnation In the begining was the word c. Iohn 1.1 THese words In the beginning are the first wordes in the old Testament whose first word in the Hebrew is Bara which consisteth according to the Hebrew of three letters which closely conteine in them Father Sonne and Holie Ghost as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Ben which singnifieth Sonne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Abba which is Father and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Ruach Hakodesh which is the Holy spirit Thus the Trinity is closely contained in the first word but in the first verse is expressed in open wordes In the beginning God made heauen and earth and the spirit of God mooued vpon the waters and God said Let there be light This is expounded Iohn 1.1 in these wordes In the beginning was the Word the Word was with God and that Word was God shewing that Word in this place is taken for the Sonne of God by whom he made the world as Iohn 1.3 By him were all things created And Heb. 1.2 God made all things by his Sonne who ruleth all things by his mightie power Wherefore Christ in the dayes of his flesh chose the trade of a Carpenter Iohn 6.42 Math. 13.55 And in Esay 43.10 It is sayd This record you must beare me your selues saith the Lord that I am God and euen he I am from the beginning I doe the worke who shall let it Thus saith the Lord the holy one our redeemer Wherein is distinctly expressed Father Sonne and Holy Ghost He was the Light and that Light was the life of man Iohn 1.4 LIfe and light is not here carnally meant but spiritually To which two thinges Aaarons Iewell of Vrim and Thummim had a full relation Vrim signifying Light of the minde Thummim Perfection of vertue which bringeth life to the soule As Iohn 1.9 Christ is the true light that lightneth euery man And hee that abideth in this light hath euerlasting life 1. Iohn 1.5 God is light and in him is no darknes at all If wee walke in light euen as he is light then haue we fellowship with him and the blood of Iesus Christ shall giue vs life and cleanse vs from our sinne We the gentiles were darknes but now are light in the Lord. Ephes 5.8 The vnderstanding of the stories of the Bible doth giue a great light to the mind of man and the practise giueth life vnto euery one that embraceth them as Deut. 8.3 and Mat. 4.4 Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God The despisers of religion continue in darknesse and light to them is death as 1. Iohn 2. 9. He that saith hee is in light and hateth his brother is in darknesse and walketh in darknesse and knoweth not whither he goeth because the darknesse hath blinded his eies 1. Iohn 5.11 But God hath giuen vs eternall life and that life is in his Sonne who layed downe his life for his Sheepe Iohn 10.15 Wherefore while wee haue light let vs walke beleeue in the light that we may be the children of the light Iohn 12.36 The first Adam was made of the Earth earthly c. The second was made a soule giuing life c. HEre before the comparison betweene Adam and Christ we are to consider the Creation wherein we are to vnderstand the Creation of the Heauen Earth and Sea all the hoast of them which doe consist of Wightes visible and inuisible Inuisible as Angels Visible as Sunne Moone Starres Fishes Fowles Plants Hearbs Grasse Beastes and such like which God created before he created Adam by Christ for Adams sake because he purposed not to take the nature of Angels or of any other creature but of Adam and that he might be knowne in his power and louing kindnesse to Adam by his workes For he fore-purposing to make Adam both King and Father of all the Earth would not haue his wittes entangled with cares for this life but to haue his affections setled on heauenly things that he might continue holy and blamelesse before him as Mat. 6.25 Take no care what you shall eate or what you shall drinke nor yet for your body what rayment you shall put on Behold the Fowles neither sow nor reape and your heauenly Father feedeth them Are yee not much better then they How much more then shall he doe the same for you For he knoweth yee haue need of all these thinges But first seeke the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse Math 6.33 For no mans life standeth in the aboundance of thinges which he possesseth Now followeth Adams creation HEe was made the sixt day as it is gathered in September of the dust of the earth vpon Mount Moriah which is a Mountaine adioyning to the gates of the Garden of Eden into which Garden hee was put to dresse it about sixe of the clocke in the morning as we account when men commonly goe to labour as should appeare by the Psal 104.23 where it is said Adam goeth foorth in the morning to his labour This is not particularly meant of Adam but generally of all men no doubt alluding to the time of Adams creation Hee had dominion giuen him ouer all things and witte like to an Angell to giue names to all Beastes free libertie to eate of all the Trees in the Garden The Tree of knowledge of good and ill onely excepted As if God should haue said vnto him as Moses afterwardes sayd to the Children of Israel I set heere before you life and death eate of the one and liue and eate of the other and die eternally Yet could not he be content with this glorious estate but did eate of the forbidden Fruite by the perswasion of the Woman which God framed out of Adams Ribbe and ioyned to him to be an helpe for him before they had continued in Paradice one day as it is written Psal 49.20 Adam being in honour continueth not a night but is like to the Beastes that perish which Woman was deceiued by the subtiltie of a Serpent that is of the Deuill speaking in a Serpent which Beast was fittest to possesse to the deceiuing of her because he excelled all other Beastes in the Field in witte For if an Asse had sayd so much to her as did the Serpent it is very likely shee would haue examined the cause further But hee hauing once been an Angell of light but not keeping his first originall being throwne downe from Heauen continuing his knowledge though he lost his vertue was not to seeke either for meanes matter or oportunitie enuying their estates to bring his murtherous purpose to passe for so is he called the Serpent the old Deuill or Satan who was a
Murtherer from the beginning but knowing the prohibition commeth to the Woman saying Yea hath God said yee shall not eate of euery Tree in the Garden To whom the Woman answereth saying Wee may eate freely of the fruite of the Trees of the Garden but as for the Tree in the middest of the Garden God hath sayd Yee shall not eate of it nor touch it least happily you die Out of which speaches the Serpent being a Ramping and a roaring Lyon going about seeking how he might deuoure her quickly sucketh aduantage finding her to haue digressed from the wordes of the Commandement adding thereto a tricke of his owne head sayth to the Woman Yee shall not die at all but you shall be as Gods knowing good and euill In that hee saith Gods hee meaneth not the true God for whatsoeuer hee speaketh is to be taken in the worst meaning that can be made of it but he meaneth you shall be in the state of Damnation as Deuils which are called Princes Gods of the World And likely enough that hee touched the Fruite because shee added to the commandement the word touch Now the Woman beholding the fruite that it was Good to eate Pleasaunt to the eyes A tree to be desired to get knowledge She tooke of the fruite did eate gaue also to her husband he did eate These 3. properties aboue are expounded in Iohn Wantonnes of the eies Lust of the flesh The pride of life By reason of which sinne Adam and Eue seeing their owne nakednesse sowed figge-tree leaues together and hidde themselues from the presence of God among the Trees of the garden their soules beeing then in the state of Damnation with a light shining in darknesse but their Darknesse not comprehending the same shewing thereby the weaknesse of their nature and of their posteritie God but a little leauing them to their selues that when they had sinned they had rather hide themselues in Darknesse and seeke to stockes and trees that haue no helpe in them than to God that made them But Dauid afterwards being clothed with the spirit of wisedome and vnderstanding acknowledgeth the power of God to ouer-reach the compasse of mans vaine imagination when he sayth Whither shall I flie from thy presence If I take the winges of the Morning and flie to the vttermost partes of the World thou art there If I climbe vp to Heauen thou art there If I goe downe to Hell thou art there also For God who made the eye shall not he see all the dwellers vpon the earth who hath weighed all men in a ballance numbring the dayes verie haires of the head diuiding to euerie one their double portion according to the fore-purpose of his election being a righteous Iudge sparing not the person of Adam though he were a King and the stateliest King that euer should be but calleth him to account in the coole of the same day wherein he was created and fell punisheth him though not according to the desert of his transgression like a mercifull Iudge that would saue as a Father that pittieth his owne child knowing wherof he was made and that he was but dust sayth to Adam What hast thou done and leauing him to consider of his sinne goeth to the woman in like tendernesse saying What hast thou done as if he should haue said Oh daughter haue I made the heauens the hoast therof that is Angels Sun Moone and Starres c. to be thy seruants and the earth and all that therein is to be obedient to thy call breathing into thy nostrils life whereby thou becamest a liuing soule in the image of God that is in righteousnesse and true holynesse to be a temple and a Tabernacle for the holy of the holyest to dwell in and hast thou defiled the same with fond lusts regarding the wordes of the Serpent the Father of lyes not respecting my power and my seueritie that as I made thy body and soule so I could destroy the same whereby thou hast purchased the execution of my law established at thy creation to thee and thy husband what hast thou done But God hauing examined the matters and finding them both guiltie and the malice of the Serpent to bee the cause of their guiltinesse neuer stayeth iudgement nor vouchsafeth once to reason the matters with him but presently curseth him and punisheth Adam and the woman and curseth for their sakes the earth plants and whole course of nature and made them of obedient seruants rebellious enemies to Adam and his posteritie And because Adam was not deceiued but the woman became into the transgression he maketh her will subiect to the desire of her husband increasing her sorrowes her conceptions Thus he chastiseth them but giueth them not ouer but pronounceth to the woman a short but a pithy sentence That the seede of the woman should breake the head of the Serpent That is to say I will cause one to be borne of the Womans seede which shall subdue the Diuell and the Diuell shall doe his endeavour to trip vp his heeles by tempting him The particulers wherof Adam neglected not to examine and the Woman likewise vnderstanding from hence duly marking and imbracing the same that God had a purpose to saue her gathereth from these wordes matter enough to saue her and all the world after her which receiue like comfort of the same Promise For she rightly vnderstood that this Seede must needs be Christ who must come and take Adams nature vpon him who should be subiect to death that hee might ouercome him that had power of death For she knew and so did Adam that if euer man being but onely man might worke his owne redemption himselfe was likeliest to haue done it because he was the chiefest of all the men that euer should be in the world But Adam beeing the goodliest man and not able to doe it him selfe hee knew it must needs be God who must appeare in the similitude of Adams nature and suffer death that hee might rise againe to sit at the right hand of his Father to make intercession for the Sonnes of Adam They both the Man and the Woman embracing this obtained the fauour of God and Adam called his Wiues name Euah that is Life to shew that whosoeuer beleeued as she beleeued should be partakers of eternall life as it is written Rom. 10.9 Whose confesseth with his mouth and beleeueth with his heart that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of the liuing God hee shall be saued But Adam and Euah were driuen out of Paradise and Cherubines where set to keepe the way of the Tree of life and they were cloathed with Skinnes as it should appeare with the Skinnes of Beastes to shew their beastlinesse which God for them had slaine to offer for sacrifice to teach them the vse thereof For no doubt God would not destroy the beastes to haue them spoyled seeing that Adam was not to eate any And wee see that Kaine Abel offered
sacrifices as being taught from Adam whose sacrifices were of two sortes Abel offered as appeareth in sinceritie of religion The other for outward ceremonie voyd of true religion Wherefore to Abel and his offering God had respect but to Kaine and his offering hee had no regard Wherefore Kaine being possessed with the Poyson of the Serpent enuied Abel because his workes were good and his owne euill and killed him and being asked of God why hee had slaine his brother in steede of asking pardon of God hee said that his fault was greater then that Gods mercie could forgiue it Against whom Saint Augustine cryeth vehemently that by how much lesse the mercie of God could be inferiour to the fault of Kaine seeing that to forgiue is a thing proper to God and to reuenge and punish is farre estranged from his nature by so much more great was the offence of Kaine in the wordes he said then in the murther he did seeing that by the stroke of the Sword hee tooke away but the life of his Brother but by the blasphemie of his tongue he gaue death to his owne soule To kill his Brother was euill done but to dispaire in Gods mercie was euen a transgression of the Diuell For more do we offend God to esteeme him without mercie then in any other sinne we commit against Man For which God curseth him giuing him a marke of a guiltie Conscience alwayes accusing him of sinne against God and inhumanitie against Nature Wherevpon he goeth vp downe wandring as one finding no rest or peace like an excommunicate person from the place of true Religion into the land of Nod which signifieth Fugitiue This Kaine was the eldest Sonne of Adam whom hee named Possession for so doth Kaine signifie as if he had gained a goodly Possession But seeing what might be the comfort of such Possession he calleth his other Sonne Abel that is Vanitie to shew that if a man haue neuer so large Kingdomes or Possessions or be neuer so nobly borne as Kaine was except the Sonne of God it is all but Vanitie and vexation of minde It is not to be vnderstood that Adam had now no more Children but Kaine and Abel for doubtlesse Adam had many more Children as may appeare by Kaines Storie For it is sayd that Kaine departed into the land of Nod and knew his Wife which must needes be Adams Daughter and married before the murder for we are not to thinke that Adam would afterward haue bestowed his Daughter vpon a Reprobate The holy Ghost nameth onely three of Adams Sonnes Kaine Abel and Seth to make a proportionable number answerable to the number of the letters of the wordes of the Holy tongue or the tongue of Adam For vpon three letters doth euery word in that tongue consist Kaine doth represent the afflicters of such as in this life esteemed the World and the pleasures thereof Vanitie which is Abel And Seth whose name signifieth Setled or Foundation to shew the assurance of his Fayth in the Promises of God to the confirming of our Fayth which was that from him must come that Seed of the Woman that should bruse the head of the Serpent This sentence they and wee and all the World were and are bound to take notice of For this we ought to know and beleeue so assuredly that wee might shew our selues setled vpon a sure Foundation not vpon Sandes where Sea and Wind may ouerthrow vs but vpon the Rocke Christ Iesus that our building may remaine as the Mount Sion and as the heauenly Ierusalem which is builded foure square of three foures of precious Stones that howsoeuer wee be tossed with afflictions of this life we may stand firme acknowledging Iehouah to be the one true and euerlasting God Father Sonne and Holy spirit and that his mercie is like to eternall Mountaines that cannot be remooued wherewith he loued vs vnto saluation before the foundation of the World Thus duely considering his Power and Wisedome in the particular actions of the Creation Adams fall the Promise of eternall life Adams Fayth and his Sacrifices the shadowes of our Redemption the Seauenth day and the vse thereof wee shall spend our dayes in beholding our end and neuer doe amisse sorrowing with a godly sorrow as Enosh whose name signifieth Sorrow did For as in our dayes so in his men fell from the true Religion of Adam of Seth and other Godly men which were then aliue turning the grace of God into wantonnesse marrying Wiues of Kaines poysoned seed respecting Beautie and other outward giftes rather then Vertue not remembring their Grandmother Enah that for beholding the Beautie of one forbidden Fruite commending it to Adam for the pleasantnes of the Taste and the vnlawfull desire that she had of diuelish Knowledge not long before was driuen out of Paradse whose blessing of Procreation was ioyned with sorrow of Conception Whose innocent Soule by breaking but one Commandement became guiltie of eternall death lost the whole glorie of Paradise and was driuen out into Mountaines as not worthy to enioy the benefite of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden But Enosh being a Godly man and knowing that the fruites of worldly sorrow are likewise eternall Death and of Godly sorrow Repentance which word signifieth a changing of Iudgement from Ignorance to true Knowledge to the renewing of the spirit nameth his Sonne Kenan Contrite or Repenting or a looking backe into their impieties detesting their vaine conuersation to the killing of sinne in him selfe and to the imbracing of righteousnes For it is not onely required of a man to eschew euill but withal to do good to flie darknesse if we will enioy the light to follow the right way if we will not erre to auoy de the myre durt if we will be cleane and without spot and forbeare to be euill if we will begin to be good For it is not enough for a Valiant man to doe what he may but also he is bound to attempt nothing but what he ought And as repentance is the fruit of godly sorrow so thankfulnes to God for deliuerances from like trials proceedeth from Repentance Therefore Kenan the Contrite nameth his son Mahalaleel My praise God which none can doe effectually without a lowly minde sanctified first by Grace by the subduing of the flesh Mahalaleel knowing that such fruite is required of such a tree nameth his sonne Iared the Lowly which giftes of grace God bestoweth vpon such onely as he accepteth vnto himself as it is written Blessed is the man vnto whom God imputeth not his sin c. So that a man hauing thus purged himselfe from the iniquitie of wicked men marking the rules of Gods eternall Wisedome He shall be a vessell sanctified vnto honour meete for the vses of the Lord 2. Tim. 2.21 Therefore Iared the lowly nameth his sonne Henoch the Holy Now God commanding al men to direct their steps by the straight line of his word first layeth downe
his will what we ought to doe to please him and then induceth vs thereunto not onely by hope of eternall life but promiseth vs in this life long and happy dayes as in the eternall Law is expressed Loue God aboue all and thy neighbour as thy selfe that thy dayes may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee c. Henoch therefore being assured of the infinite mercies of God towards him and his seed by fayth still beholding as in a glasse the Redemption by the Sonne of God the summe of all saluation nameth his sonne Methushelah Long life or Speare-death For euen as the poynt of a Speare keepeth off that which would otherwise destroy euen so Methushelah kept away the Flood a long time from drowning the World But because men should not thinke that any liueth without calamities least outward happines should make men to forget God Methushelah hauing heard his fathers and himselfe also being a Prophet preach of the destruction of the World by the Flood calleth his sonne Lamech that is Stroken or Heart-wounded which is to be vnderstood that in respect that he being neere those times of dangers many of his posteritie were like to be drowned not onely in the flood but eternally tormented for ioyning with the wicked mockers which despised the preaching of the Fathers But although God throweth mens consciences downe for a while with griefe of other mens iust punishment yet he rayseth them vp againe giuing them hope of his assured Promises and a sweete comfort of eternall life Lamech being thus strengthened with the fayth of his Fathers ayming still to the sentence of Saluation pronounced in Paradise calleth his sonne Noah Restorer or Comforter saying This Sonne shall comfort vs concerning the sorrow of our hands and concerning the earth which the Lord hath cursed Wherein he sheweth that he both looked backward to the Creation formard to the Redemption by Christ The Seed of the Woman that should bruse the head of the Serpent Thus much for the vse of the names of the ten Fathers before the Food in generll Now followeth the liues and deaths of the Fathers in particular and first of Adam There is a great doubt made of the time of the yeare of Adams Creation and of the day of his fall and is refused as a thing vnprofitable to be knowne and Vnpossible to be prooued First for the time of his Creation IT is certaine hee was created in September at the time that Fruits be ripe which is at the fall of the Leafe And that was the fittest time seeing in the course of Nature there was no fitter time to expresse the nature of Adams fall And as the fall of Adam was answerable to the fall of the Leafe because by his fall death was brought vpon all So the death of Christ beeing contrary to Adams fall because it brought life to all the fittest time to resemble this life in the course of Nature was the Spring Therefore Christ dyed at the Spring to deliuer vs out of the spirituall Prison when as all thinges shew them-selues to be deliuered out of this earthly Iayle Now for the day of Adams fall IT was on Fryday the sixt day the day of Adams creation at the time of eating For we doe not read that euer Adam did eate before he did eate of the forbidden fruite Therefore when by the storie the time of eating cannot be seperated in time reason sheweth vs to ioyne them in time For Satan was a murderer from the beginning and wee must bring it from the beginning as neare as can be not crossing any Scripture The searching of this matter is not of small importance For from the true vnderstanding of the Creation we see the clearenes of the Redemption and not marking the Creation aright is the cause of much folly and they that misse of the lawes of Creation are sure to misse of the lawes of Redemption and Moses making mention of many Times hee would not haue omitted the time of the Fall except it had been done presently after the Creation therefore Adams fall must needs be layd as neere the beginning as may be not crossing the Storie The bare Narration sheweth that no famous action went betweene the Commandement and the Fall And the shortnesse of the time doth shew the force of the Aduersarie Besides it is a great sinne to say that any man except Christ could fulfill perfectly any one poynt of the Law for thereby we darken the glory of Christ and prooue him not to haue performed the whole Law If Adam had continued vntill the Sabaoth in his innocencie no doubt he would haue kept a perfect Sabaoth And if he had kept a perfect Sabaoth he had performed some part of the Law and thereby been partaker with Christ in the worke of our Redemption Againe if Adam had continued in the image of God which is in righteousnesse and true holinesse vntill the Sabaoth he would haue performed the ordinances of the Sabaoth which was to eate of the Tree of life for God after his fall setteth Cherubins to keepe the way of the Tree of life least Adam eating should liue for euer Whereby it appeareth that if he had eaten thereof before he had not fallen Therefore it cannot be that Adam continued perfect vnto the Sabaoth And further it is written Psal 49.20 Adam beeing in honour continueth not one night but is like to the Beastes that perish Cedrenus a Greeke writer sayth That Adam fell the sixt day of the first weeke Saint Augustine sayth The Woman straight way after her creation before she accompanied with Adam became into the transgression otherwise Kaine had been conceaued without sinne Theophilact vpon Matthew sayth That as Man was formed the sixt day and did eate of the Tree the sixt houre so Christ reforming Man and healing the fall was fastned to the Tree the sixt day and the sixt houre And in the storie of the Creation in Genesis presently after the fall Moses speaketh of the Redemption And without we compare the Creation with the Redemption we misse of all For Adam to be compared with Christ is the summe of all And wherefore should all the actions of the Redemption be accomplished in such rarenesse except to be answerable both to the fall and to the time of the fall Wherefore it is needfull we should know our thraldome if we will receiue comfort by the Redeemer thus First Christ the Restorer was borne of a Virgin Why Because by a Virgin destruction came to the world Chrysostome compareth Eue and Marie togeather thus Eue being a Virgin hearing the wordes of the Serpent and beleeuing them brought foorth Death The Virgin Marie hearing the wordes of the Angel Gabriel and beleeuing them brought foorth Life Againe why should Christ die on the sixt day rather then on the fifth or fourth And why was there darkenesse vntill the coole of the day rather then till the Sunne setting But to make the
Redemption answerable to euerie part of the Fall because God according to the secret counsell of his owne will before the foundations of the earth were layd would make the art of Saluation so easie and the harmonie of the Bible so tunable that no musicke in the world can be more pleasant to the eare then the meditation of the loue of God towardes vs in Christ is comfortable to the heart of man Therefore the meditation of Adams fall and the victorie of Christ ought to be continually in our mindes Adam dieth THe Hebrewes descant very strangely vpon the Arithmeticke of Adams yeares which he liued which were 930. vpon a sentence in the 24. of Iob where it is sayd All the dayes of man vpon earth are but a shadow as if hee should say All the dayes of Adam are but Abel for Adam in Hebrew signifieth Earth and Abell signifieth shadow or vanitie Whereby we are taught that from the Earth we came and to the Earth we must returne againe according to Gen. 3.19 Wee are also to vnderstand from hence that although God deferre his punishmentes yet hee is mindfull of his promises for not one tittle or iod of his Word shall passe as appeareth in Adams death which God before had promised and was accomplished though it were 930. yeares after Wherefore howsoeuer we be setled on the pleasures of this life or be aduanced to thrones of Maiestie as Adam was we are to know that it is but a Steward-ship bestowed vpon vs for a season and that in this world we are to looke for no abiding place for we are but Grasse we are consumed as Smoake our dayes come to an end A thousand yeares in Gods sight is as yesterday He turneth Adam to dust and sayth Returne to dust yee sonnes of Adam He bringeth our yeares to an end as it were a tale that is told Wherefore let vs pray to God with Moses To teach vs to number our dayes aright that we may apply our heartes vnto Wisedome Adam commeth short of 1000. yeares so much as is the dayes of mans life Iared Methushelah and Noah ouer-reached Adam in long life because of the power of the word of God Hee died about Mount Moriah where he was made He liued till he saw many Kings he himselfe the greatest and vntill he had erected a stately gouernement taught them humane artes who was fittest to doe it being a King to commaund whom he would and what he would and hauing witt excelling all the men in the world And as in a Princes court it is requisite to haue Noble men some higher and some lower and men of all degrees so Adam liued till he might haue a stately Court Now if a King should commaunde a Diuine to make Adams Will from his Storie he would make it in this sort O my Sonnes gather you togeather and harken vnto the wordes of your Father Adam the last that euer he shall speake vnto you I was voyde of saluation and enioyed not happinesse by disobeying which disobedience I then practised when I harkened to the perswasion of Heua and did eate the forbidden Fruite I then felt the heauie iudgementes of God against sinne and saw my nakednesse whereof I was ashamed Thereby I brought death vpon all my posteritie which Curse had continued if the Mercie of God had not remooued it by offering a Blessing in the Seede of the Woman I haue ruled you all the dayes of my life as a Father that you may learne to choose Gouernours which resemble Fathers in behauiour I haue instructed you to loue obey their gouernment you must know that as my saluation resteth vpon beliefe in the Seede of the Woman so must yours But the house of Kaine despising this and killing Abel a figure of him who by dying shall ouercome the power of the Serpent will cause the Flood to destroy the earth Few shall embrace this Doctrine for though eight be saued by the Arke yet seuen onely shall keepe sinceerely the beliefe in this Promise of the Seed of the Woman My dayes haue been long with the rest of your Fathers but the end of all flesh is come vpon mee for out of the Earth I came and to the Earth I must returne Now compare Christ with Adam The first Adam was made a soule hauing life of earth earthly therfore by the earthly one came Disobedience Sinne. Iudgement Condemnation Death The second Adam was wade a spirit giuing life from heauen heauenly Therefore by the heauenly one came Obedience Grace Forgiuenesse Iustification Life Adam was created on the sixt day did eate of the tree the sixt houre Was made a man without a Father made not inferior to the Angelles â— lost all Was tempted lost saluation at the time of eating Was made Ruler of the world and did not hold it Did fall in the Garden His soule was in darknes from the sixt houre vntill the ninth houre Christ Reforming man and healing the fall is fastened to the tree the sixt day and sixt houre Was made a man without a Father Made lower then the Angels is crowned with glory all the Angels worship him being man whereby we may know the world was made subiect to man Was tempted Brought saluation to all at the time of eating Was made Ruler of the World and did hold it went into a garden to recouer Adams fall in the garden when he suffered caused darknesse to couer the whole earth from the sixt houre till the ninth houre Adam By breaking one Commandement lost all Was called to accompt the ninth houre Was debarred of the Tree of life Was driuen out of Paradise Was the head of his Wife was a King Prophet Sacrificer Liued 1000. yeares wanting 70. Christ By fulfilling all the Commandementes brought life to all At the ninth houre yeeldeth vp the ghost goeth to giue accompt to his Father Is the true Tree of life on that day openeth Paradise to the poore Theefe The Head of the Church was a King Prophet Sacrificer Was borne 70. yeares before 4000. Because these two Tables consist onely of Numbers and that Numbers in the Scriptures are great helpes for the vnderstanding of the same before we come to speake of Seth it is not amisse to lay downe what Numbers are of most vse in the Bible namely 1.3.4.5.6.7.8.10.12 ONE One Expressing the vnion of the God-head and from thence the vnitie of all Godly as being members of one head Christ Iesus which is made plaine Psal 133.1 Behold how good and comely a thing it is for Breathren to dwell togeather in vnitie THREE Three Expressing the distinguished Trinitie within which number many excellent things fall out still to put vs in minde of the vndeuidable coeternity of Father Sonne and Holy Spirit Adam Kaine Of Adam the eldest extreame wicked Abel Seth Noah Iaphet Sem Cham Of Noah the youngest wicked Terah Haran Nachor Of Terah the middlemost was wicked Abram To shew that neither in eldest youngest
for so long was hee in making it not because hee could not haue made it sooner for God could haue commanded it to be made with a word as well as he made all the world but to shew the patience and long suffring of God in sparing his iudgementes that they who would not heare the preaching of Noah might iustly be condemned Many thinges fall out in the Bible whose number are answerable to this of 120. yeares 120. Nations payde tribute to bring the Iewes home from Captiuitie The gouernment of the Persians was about 120. yeares 120. Seuerall Nations that is some of euery Nation were at Ierusalem after Christes Resurrection The Hebrewes descant very strangely with the letters of Iehouah and the 120. yeares wherein the Arke was in making thus Multiply 120. by the letter which is 5. then you haue 600. which is Noahs age at the Flood with the letter which is 10. then you haue 6000. The end of the world This is the consent of all the Hebrewes Heere is a doubt to be discussed concerning the wordes spoken in Gen. 6. The occasion of the doubt ariseth thus God sayth in Gen. 6.3 My spirit shall not alwayes striue with man his dayes shall be an hundred and twentie yeares In Gen. 5.32 Noahs age is reckoned and hee is then said to be Fiue hundred yeares old and begetteth Shem Cham and Iapheth When his age is reckoned againe at the Flood the summe is but Sixe hundreth yeares So that if the sixt Chapter be in time after the fifth and in the fifth Noah is 500. yeares old and that afterwards God saith The daies of all flesh shal be an hundreth tweentie yeares then Noah at the flood must be 620. yeares for put 120. to 500 and you haue 620. but his age at the Flood is but 600. Therfore some thinke that either the Chronicle is false or else the 20. yeares were shortened like as it was in Ierusalems straytes least no flesh should be saued To answere this doubt we must obserue that it is no reason in diuinitie that because a matter commeth or is made mention of in a Chapter afterwards that the time therefore of that storie or action followeth the Chapters or actions going before for this is but a circumstance of methode For Moses in penning the Scriptures vsed this order He layeth downe things of like nature together as Genealogies together such like though they differ in time because else he should make often repetion of the same thinges The obseruation of this caused the Hebrewes to set downe this Rule that Moses in penning his Storie doth not regard the circumstance of first latter To weete hee doth not set downe that in the first place which is first in time and so that which is latter in time afterwardes but sometimes that which is latter in the first place and that which is first in time in the last as the necessitie of the narration giueth occasion This being thus made plaine the doubt is easily discussed for neither is Noah 620. yeares old at the Flood neither are the yeares of the Flood any thing shortned but the Chronicle is altogeather true For if we referre the 120. yeares of the Flood 20. yeares before that Chapter in which it was sayd Noah was 500. yeares old and begot Sem Cham and Iaphet then doe we make all thinges agree without crossing one another and this of necessitie wee must needes doe For seeing God hath layde downe the generals in proper and plaine termes we must so cast the particulars that they may make the generall true and no way alter it Besides we haue a like example for although all the liues and deathes of the Fathers before the Flood are reckoned and summed vp togeather in one Chapter wee must not thinke that all their liues are precedent to the Chapters following For the Chronicles sheweth that Lamech liued 5. yeares before the Flood and Methushelahs death and the beginning of the Flood are very neare Euen so heere this sentence of the 120. yeares is to be counted before the fifth Chapter wherein Noahs age is reckoned and for the shortning of the dayes in Ierusalems besiedging the holy Ghost sayth it shall be so but for the shortning of the dayes at the Flood we haue no such warrant in Moses Therefore we are not to beleeue it Cxx. yeares begin Gen. 6. In which the spirit of Christ preached while the Arke was in making VPon this sentence there dependeth a great question whether Christ descended into Hell in his humane soule The cause why this question is necessarie to be handled is because diuers of the auncient Fathers hold opinion of Christes discent into Hell in his humane soule Whose opinions hauing been so superstitiously receiued haue drawen others of latter time into the like errours But if men would follow the plainnes laide downe in the Bible and with humilitie search it auoyding curiositie they need not trouble themselues with the errours of the Fathers The wordes of the text 1. Pet. 3.18 are these Christ was dead concerning the flesh but was quickned by the Spirit By the which he also went and preached to the spirits in prison which in times past disobeyed when once the long suffering of God abode in the dayes of Noah while the Arke was in making Now the words whereupon this error is grounded are these Christ being dead as concerning the flesh went and preached to the spirits in prison Vpon this they gather that the spirits mentioned there are meant those in Hell and went and preached that is after hee was dead But if wee compare these words with the residue and consider the time when this preaching was we shall see Saint Peter meaneth nothing lesse than the descending of Christs soule into hell For first the text saith Hee went and preached by the same spirit by which he was quickned This spirit is of necessitie the Godhead For what spirit was there that could loosen the sorrowes of death that they should not hold him and raise Christ from the dead but the Godhead of Christ Then the soules of all men Godly or vngodly being immortall cannot die and therefore this quickning cannot be meant of his humane soule for it needed none Besides we must consider to whom Saint Peter wrote to wit to the Iewes Now seeing Christ taught nothing but Moses and the Prophets and the Apostles nothing but what they learned of Christ with what conscience could Saint Peter write a storie to the Iewes of the seueere iustice of God which was neuer in Moses for Moses neuer mentioneth Christs descent into Hel there to cause the wicked to be more tormented Therefore seeing this old opinion gathered out of the workes of the fathers and bred by them maintaineth manifest absurdities we must seeke for another exposition If we consider the old Testament we shall find that Eliphaz in the booke of Iob. preacheth the same doctrine that S. Peter doth and therefore
Sonne from the malice of Athalia which had destroyed all the rest of the Kings seede and dieth being 130 yeares old While he liued Joas kept Religion and Worshipped the God of his Father After his death he fell away and suffered incense to be offered in the groues to whom Zacharias the Sonne of Barachias said Is this the reward of all my Fathers paines that as soone as my Father is dead you forsake the true God and worship the Gods of the Nations For which cause Ioas caused him to be slaine betweene the Alter and the Temple So that as death is contrarie to life and as at the birth of Seth and Abraham the graces of God were manifested to the world so at Iehoiadahs death the Tribe of Iuda lost all Religion It is a question how Torah being an Idolater could name Abram Hie Father son so doth the word signifie Hee might guesse like a worldly man that his Sonne Abram should be likely to be Rich and Mightie and so should haue many vnder him Howsoeuer it was this is certaine that God directed the tongue of this Idolater to set foorth and preach his glory though his life had no shew of vertue Here is an other question to be discussed of the age of Terah when he begat Abram Of Terah his age when he begat Abram SOme will haue Abram to be borne at Terahs Seuentieth yeare because in Gen. 11.26 it is sayd Terah liued seuentie yeares and begat Abram Nachor and Haran Wherevpon they gather that Abraham was the first borne because hee is put in the first place and that hee was borne in that yeare of Terah to wit the Seuentie But they marke not that Terahs Sonnes are reckoned not according to their age but according to their dignitie as Gen. 5. The sonnes of Noah Sem Cham and Iaphet are so rehearsed that in the first place there is mention made of Sem who for all that was not the first borne neither could be borne in the Fiue hundreth yeare of Noah fith two yeares after the Flood in which yeare he begat Arphaxad hee was but an hundreth yeares old Now the first of this opinon whom I follow was Caluine that famous Doctor of the Church of Geneua who in his Commentaries vpon Gen. 11.27 expresseth it in plaine wordes Him followed Beroaldus who did much in the illustrating of time and Mangoldus This demonstration is set downe Act. 7. Abraham is said to goe out of Haran after his father Terah died Now Terah liued 205. yeares And Abraham went out of Haran in the 75. yeare of his age which yeares if you subtract from Terahs age there remaine 130. yeares in which Abrams natiuitie falleth The same may be confirmed by Sarahs age Abrams wife who is thought to be the Daughter of Abrams brother Abram exceeded her no more but ten yeares whereupon it followeth that hee was borne long after him that was both his Brother and Father in law Abram therefore was called and began his Peregrination in the 2084. yeare of the world the very same day that his posteritie went out of Egipt namely the 15. of Nisan as it is sayd in Exod. 12. The third ioynct of this first time which containeth the diuine couenant of Abraham endeth in the yeare when the Law was giuen in which the Israelites by the goodnesse of God were brought foorth and deliuered out of Egipt by many and strange Miracles This containeth 430. yeares which is confirmed by the testimonie of S. Paul who expresly sayth Gal. 3.17 That the Law began 430. yeares after the confirming of the Couenant or Testament And concerning the confirmation of which Couenant he speaketh he expresseth in that which went before namely of that same which was made when being called of God he went out of Haran For in vers 8. hee cyteth the same Promise In thee shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed Which Gen. 12. is rehearsed in the narration of his calling vers 3. Hitherto also it appertaineth which is written Exod. 12. vers 40. The Peregrination of the Children of Israel as learnedly and truely translateth that worthy man Beroaldus which they dwelt in Egipt was Foure hundred and thirtie yeares Which surely the Seuenty Interpreters so translate that they account the Peregrination of the Fathers made in the Land of Canaan in this dwelling Neither doth the place of Gen. 15. vers 13. concerning the Seede of Abrham to be afflicted 400. yeares hinder it For Abrahams Peregrination is to be deriued frō his Calling and his Seed began to be afflicted when Isaacke the Sonne of Promise borne 25. yeares after his Calling being a Child peraduenture of fiue yeares old suffered the scoffinges of Ismael borne of the Hand-mayde which surely the Apostle Gal. 4.29 expressely nameth Persecution Adde hereunto the rest which Isaacke and Iacob suffered among Strangers Now that time wherein the Israelites abode in Egipt that it is farre wide of 400. yeares is clearer then the light at noone day to them which consider that Koath the Sonne of Leui went downe into Egipt and liued 133. yeares and that his Sonne Amram liued 137. yeares Exod. 6. and that Moses his Sonne was 80. yeares old when he went out of Egipt All which make but 350. yeares and if from these those yeares be subduced which they liued after their Sonnes were borne the yeares remayning would be few But these thinges Doctor Beroaldus and others haue learnedly set foorth Those notable men Bullinger Phlinspachius Scalinger and others agree vnto it It is said that Terah being 70. yeares old begetteth Abram Haran Nachor The Iewes say That Abraham was the eldest but thereby they bring notable absurdities for they agree that Sara was Harans Daughter she is but Ten yeeres younger than Abram and then Abram being elder than Haran and yet married his daughter but Ten yeares younger then her Husband Haran must needes beget her at Nine yeares of age which is impossible Therefore it is certaine that Nachor and Haran were elder then Abram For if wee looke to Gen. 12. and consider that Abram being Seuentie and fiue yeares old receiued the promise and to Saint Stephens Oration Act. 7.2 by which it appereth that Terah was dead before Abram had the promise or else the promise might haue had reference to Terah as well as to Abram we shall by good Arithmetique cast Terah at the birth of Abram to be 130. yeares for take 75. yeares out of 205. which is the time that Tenah liued and there remaineth 130 the age of Terah when he begat Abram To inlarge this further If Abram had beene the eldest Sem would not haue giuen him the blessing for then he should haue died before Sem and men doe not giue their inheritance to their sonnes which die in their life but he would rather haue kept it for Isaack with whom he liued 50. yeares this may be made plaine by another of the same sort Rebecca being with child and they
is the difference the Lawes of the godly are so reasonable that euery one may see presently the equitie of them on the contrarie it is enough in the Lawes of the wicked That it is the Kinges pleasure or that it satisfies their Humors To returne wee may gesse that Isaacke was fiue yeares old when Ismael mocked him for otherwise Isaacke could not haue perceiued it Ismaels flouting might be after this sort Is this hee that shall haue the Promise in whom the Nations shall be blessed a goodly one I warrant you What continuance or strength can there be in him seeing at the time of his birth his father and mother were very old and decayed in strength and yet when hee is weaned there must be great Festing and iolly cheare If we consider what an offence it is esteemed if one being a Subiect or otherwise inferiour should contumeliously and despightfully taunt and vpbraide the Heire apparant to a Kingdome wee will thinke this an iniurie not sufferable If we obserue the time when the Children of Israel came out of Egipt which was about Easter and that this time of flouting that time maketh 400. yeares we shall find that this mocking was likewise about Easter Selah died Cen. 11.14.15 being 514. yeares old Iosephus thinketh that Jsaacke was appoynted to be sacrificed at 35. yeares Codomanus is of opinion that Isaacke at this time was offered being now 32. yeares old and three quarters answerable to the death of Christ at his death seeing his death was a figure of the death of Christ There is nothing precisely determined by the Scriptures and therefore it is left for vs to follow which we will This Isaacke in respect of the commandement of God that he should be offered vp and the obedience of Abraham in offering him was dead and was restored to Abraham as if he had been risen from the dead He was offered on Mount Moriab a part of the Mountaine of Sion called afterwardes Ierusalem Of this Christ speaketh O Ierusalem Ierusalem thou that sawest those thinges that concerne thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes therefore thou art Iebus that is troden downe God altereth the name Moriah to Ierusalem because he would haue kept in memorie Abrahams Obedience Sems Religion and therefore giueth it a name comprehending both for in respect of Abraham he calleth it Iirie Abraham giuing it the name Iehouah Iirie that is In the Mount will the Lord be seene In respect of Sem he keepeth the name of Salem still and so it is called Iirie Salem The sight of Peace From this Storie the Iewes might haue knowne the death of Christ seeing Christ compareth them togeather and yet by putting Christ to death haue saued the world though not heaped condemnation on their owne heads for as it was prophecied that one man must die for all the people so they might haue thus reasoned we know this is the Messias and that he must die for the sinnes of the people Isaacke being a figure and this time wherein hee now is on the earth agreeth with Daniels seauens Therfore as Abraham offered vp Isaacke so let the high Sacrificer according to the law put him to death but then as Saint Peter speaketh if they had knowne this they would not haue crucified the Lord of glorie But as the windows of Salomons Temple bee narrow without wide within so Christ speaketh of parables that they are therefore spoken that in hearing they should not heare and in seeing they should not see least they should repent and be saued The author to the Hebrewes sayth By Fayth Abraham offered vp Isaacke and hee that receiued the promise offered his onelie begotten Sonne to whom it was sayd In Isaacke shall thy seede bee called for hee considered that GOD was able to raise him vp euen from the dead from whence he receiued him also after a sort Christ in the Gospell affirmeth that Abraham saw my dayes That is in Isaacke and reioyced God speaketh from heauen to Abraham in this sort By my selfe haue I sworne because thou hast done this thing and hast not spared thine onlie Sonne therfore will I surely blesse thee In Rom. 8.32 Saint Paul speaketh thus What shal we then say to these things if God be on our side who can be against vs who spared not his owne Sonne but gaue him to death for vs How shall hee not with him giue vs all thinges also Compare Isaacke with Christ Was not Abraham our Father iustified by Workes when he offered his Sonne Isaacke vpō the Altar Iam. 2. Isaacke was bound Isaacke after three daies was offered vp to death and after a sort reuiued to life God spared not his owne Sonne but gaue him for vs all to death Christ was bound Christ hauing suffered death riseth vp againe the third day to life Sara died being 127. yeayes old She was buried in Canaan in the Fielde of Machpelah which Abraham hought of the Hittits This place they would haue giuen Abraham freelie for they confessed that he was a Prince of God amongst them but he would buy it because they should not say that they had made Abraham rich wherefore we must know if we will be godly that all our life is but a Pilgrimage and that wee are but Strangers and that all our Inheritance is nothing else but a place for Buriall The Hebrewes expound Sarahs death a mortification and dying vnto sinne Rebecca is married to Isaacke Gen. 24.47 when he is 40. yeares old SHee is the Daughter of Bethuel the Sonne of Nachor the Sonne of Terah and Brother of Abraham her Grandfather Nachor was an Idolater but her Grandmother Milka is thought to be of a good Religion in that two of her Sonnes Bethuel and Kemuel haue El the mighty God in their names Isaacke goeth to Mesopotamia for a Wife of his owne kindred for in Canaan there were none of his owne kindred and of the women of the Land he might not marrie Iacob his Sonne likewise goeth to Mesopotamia to Laban the brother of Rebecca and there taketh him Wiues of the same kindred SEM died Gen. 11.10 being 600. yeares old borne 98. yeares before the Flood and was taught by Methushelah and Lamech who saw Adam many yeares THis Sem was a great King and liued sixe hundred yeares as Noah before the Flood He is called Melchisedech the King of Peace He dwelt at Salem where his name continued 65. ages halfe one hundred and thirtie answerable to Seth till that the Apostles receiued the holy Ghost after the ascention of Christ Hee is resembled to the Sonne of God Sems house beleeued that Christ should come till hee came and when he came they denied him and were cut off Esau Iacob borne Gen. 25.25 their grandfather Abraham bing 160 and their father Isaacke 60. yeares old THe first matter in this Storie to be considered is how the two Twinnes in Rebeckahs wombe are called two Nations Malachi
speaking in the person of God sayth I haue loued Iacob and hated Esau So Saint Paul sayth to the Romanes Ere they were borne it was sayd the elder shall serue the younger as it is written Esau haue I hated and Iacob haue I loued Rom. 9.13 Esaus description is thus layde downe in the Scriptures First that he was Hayrie that he was of great courage and at his birth Iacob holdeth him by the heele God thereby shewing at their birth what should be the course of their liues afterwards Homer maketh mention that Vlâ—sses ouerthrew Aiax by striking him on the Leg. The Greeke translators handle it so and call him Thermistes that is to say a Heeler Esau was a Hunter liuing like the Ruffians and Roysters of our time Hee selleth his Birth-right for a messe of Pottage for Iacob would not giue it vnto him except Esau would first sweare to sell him his Birth-right Sayth Esau I am contented for it will be so long ere it will be enioyed that I and my Sonnes Sonne shall be dead first So with an Oath he sold Iacob his Birth-right therefore he was called Edom Redde Pottage No doubt Jsaacks men knew this to be a rare Blessing and seeing he had despised it they must needes when soeuer they called him Edom keepe his wickednesse in memorie for by this sale he despised Noah Som Heber and Abraham and all his victories in the fayth of which Blessing Abraham ouercame so gloriously This is the first combat by which Iacob a Heeler supplanteth Esau The whole posteritie of Esau bare the name of this infidelitie hee thought it a long time to the performance of a Promise to be accomplished almost 400. yeares after ayming like a prophane worldling at the outward Inheritance of the Land of Canaan and not respecting the Blessing of the spirituall Salem Hee was the eldest and extreame wicked notwithstanding he was the Sonne of a righteous Father to shew that the sinceerest nature of the godliest men is extreame wicked Hee was to Iacob as Kain to Abel and as Ismael to Isaacke And as in his owne person hee persecuted and sought the death of his brother Iacob so his posteritie were continuall enemies to the seed of Iacob Ameleck of Esau lay in waite for the children of Israel when they went out of Egipt to destroy them but God commaunded them to put out his name from vnder Heauen Wicked Haman would at once haue destroyed all the Jewes but hee and his ten Sonnes were hanged Haman was of Agag the Amalekite of Esau In him is performed a Prophecie in Numb 24.20 Amaleck is the beginning of Nations but his latter ende shall perish vtterly Herod of Edom likwise seeketh to put Christ the true Israel to death wherein you may see the malice of Esau to continue euen till Christ Esau was hated of God before he was borne therefore whatsoeuer he did it turned still into a curse vnto him Hee prepareth Venison for his Father and the whiles loseth the blessing of eternall Life Hee would please his Father by marrying into Abrahams stocke and marryeth Ismaels Daughter Hee wept for the Blessing but found no place of repentance though hee sought the Blessing with teares In like sort is the repentance of euery wicked man when hee is touched with the conscience for sinne hee will then acknowledge his sinne and with teares shew foorth sorrow for his transgressions but through the hardnesse of his heart which can not repent hee returneth like to Esau to his vomite againe And further we are to note in this Storie how Esau by haste not willing to stay for the Promise till the time appoynted felt the heauie iudgement of God wee haue the like example of this haste the like punishment in Saul Samuel annoynted Saul King and willed him to goe before him to Gilgal and to stay for him seauen dayes till hee come Saul tarryeth seauen dayes according to the time appoynted but Samuel came not therefore the people were scattered Saul seeing the peoples mindes seuered that he might vnite them againe offered a burnt Offering Then came Samuel and rebuked him saying Thou hast done foolishly thy Kingdome shall not continue the Lord hath sought him a man after his owne heart Thus haue you the like example both for storie and prophecie IAcobs Storie will appeare the better by declaring Esaus euen as contraries are set togeather that thereby euery one may shew the clearer His name signifieth Supplanter or Heeler and all his life sheweth him to be contrary to Esau The one an image of al Impietie the other a mirrour of al Godlinesse The one a Persecutor the other persecuted The one a despiser of Grace the other an imbracer of Vertue You haue from the Creation to Iacob two and twentie Fathers answerable to the two and twentie Letters in the Hebrew tongue So Epiphanius in Ankorato handleth them Thus by comparisons God maketh his dealinges easie to be kept in memorie Iacob though the two and twenty from Adam yet the third Seuenth of those that were borne after Adams creation Now the Chronicle is ended for particular liues for after Iacobs Storie the Scripture containes whole Stories of whole States and Kingdomes Noah is the tenth from Adam Abraham the tenth from Noah Iacob the twelfe so you haue the two and twentie The Hebrewes admire the patience of God that ten whole ages God gaue them to repent and yet Esay sayth That the Lord looked about and saw that there was none good vpon the earth The seuentie Interpreters translating the old Testament into Greeke thrust in one Kenan whose name is not in the Hebrew If the reason be demaunded why they did so this may be answered The 70. Interpreters knew that a great deale of wisedome was contained in the comparison betweene the two Twentie Letters of the Hebrew tongue and the two and Twentie Fathers Now because they enuied the Egiptians and were loth they should gaine any wisedome by them of purpose they adde Kenan to disturbe this proportion and so they make Iacob the twentie three S. Luke setting downe the Genealogie of Christ alleadgeth Kenan following the Genealogie penned by the Seuentie Interpretors for S. Luke was to take it as he found it he knew that all the Iewes were well acquainted with the reason why Kenan was added Therfore there could no danger grow in his time though Kenan were kept still in the Genealogie Beza translating the new Testament leaueth him out for the which the Iesuites accuse him Now Beza to the end ignorant men should not stagger by finding him in Luke which is not in Moses leaueth him out and this may Beza do wel enough for any one may know that S. Luke neuer meant that Arphaxad begat Kenan seeing that hee addeth being as men supposed the sonne of Arphaxad to wit of those men that knew not the meaning of the Translators Besides Epiphanius being a Grecian and being acquainted with the Greeke Translation yet