thus expresly So long O Serpent as the womans children keepe the law they kill thee and when they cease to doe so thou stingest them in the heele and hast power to hurt them much But whereas for their harme there is a sure remedie to heale it for thine there is none for in the last dayes they shall crush thee all to peeces with their heeles by means of Christ their King The particulars wherof Adam neglected not to examine And the woman likewise vnderstanding from thence duly marking embracing the same that God had a purpose to saue her gathereth from these words matter inough 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 vppon him who should bee subiect to death that hee might ouercome him that had power of death For shee knew and so did Adam that if euer man being but onely man might work his owne redemption himselfe was likelyest to haue done it because hee was the chiefest of all the men that euer should be in the world but Adam being the goodlyest man and not able to doe it himselfe he 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 all the sonnes of Adam They both the man and the woman embracing this obtayned the fauour of God and Adam called his wife Euah that is Life to shew that whosoeuer beleeued as she beleeued should bee partakers of eternall life as it is written Rom. 10. Who so confesseth with his mouth and beleeueth with his heart that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of the liuing God he shall be saued But Adam and Euah were driuen out of Paradise Cherubins were set to keep the way of the tree of life they were clothed with skins as it shuld appeare with skins of beasts to shew their beastlines which God for them had slaine to offer for sacrifice to teach thē the vse thereof for no doubt God would not destroy beasts to haue them spoyled seeing that Adam was not to eat any And we see that Kaine and Abel offered sacrifices as being taught from Adam whose sacrifices were of two sorts Abel offred as appeareth in sinceritie of Religion the other for outward ceremonie voide of true Religion wherefore to Abel and his offring God had respect but to Kaine and his offring he 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 he had slaine his brother in stead of asking pardon of God he sayd that his fault was greater than 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 words he sayd than 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 hee gaue death to his owne soule To kill his brother was euill done but to despaire in Gods mercie was euen a transgression of the Deuill For more doe we offend God to esteeme him without mercie than 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 Whereupon he goeth vp and 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 he 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 hee calleth his other sonne Abell that is Vanitie to shewe that if a man haue neuer so large kingdomes or possessions or bee neuer so noblie borne as Kaine was except the sonne of God it is all but vanitie and a vexation of mind It is not now to be vnderstood that Adam had now no more children but Kaine and Abell for doubtlesse Adam had many more as may appeare by Kaines story For it is sayd that Kaine departed into the land of Nod and knew his wife who must needes be Adams daughter and married before the murther 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 words of the holy tongue or the tongue of Adam for vpon three letters doth euery word in the tongue consist Kaine to represent the afflictors of such as in this life esteemed the world and the pleasures thereof Vanitie which is Abell and Seth whose name signifieth setled or foundation to shew the assurance of his faith in the promises of God to the confirming of our faith which was that from him must come that seede of the woman that should bruse the head of the Serpent This sentence they and we and all the world were and are bound to take notice of For this we ought to know and beleeue so assuredly that we might shew our selues setled vpon a sure foundation not vpon sands 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 we 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 mercy is like to eternall mountains that cannot be remoued wherewith hee loued vs vnto saluation before the foundation of the world Thus duly considering his power and wisedome in the particular actions of the creation Adams fall the promise of eternall life Adams faith and his sacrifices the shadowes of our Redemption The seuenth day and the vse thereof we shall spend our dayes in beholding our end and neuer doe amisse sorrowing with a godly sorrowe as Enosh whose name signifieth Sorow did for as in our dayes so in his men fell from the true Religion of Adam Seth and other godly men which were then aliue turning the grace of God into wantonnesse marrying wiues of Kaines poysoned seede respecting beauty and other outward guifts rather than vertue not remēbring their Grandmother Euah that for beholding the beauty of one forbidden fruit commending it to Adam
perfect Sabbath hee had performed some part of the Lawe and thereby beene 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 Sabbath hee would haue performed the ordinances of the Sabbath which was to eate of the tree of life which was made for a Sacrament of conseruation vnto him and should not haue needed a Redeemer Hee did not eate of the Tree of Life for God after his fall setteth Cherubims to keepe the way of the Tree of Life least Adam eating should liue for euer Whereby it appeareth that if hee had eaten thereof before hee had not fallen Therefore it cannot be that Adam continued perfect vnto the Sabbath And further it is written Psal 49. Adam being in honour continueth not one night but is like to the beasts that perish Cedrenus a Greeke writer saith that Adam fell the sixt day of the first weeke Saint Augustine saith the woman streight way after her creation before she accompained with Adam became into the transgression otherwise Kaine had beene conceaued without sinne Theophilact vpon Matthew sayth that as man was formed the sixt day and did eate of the tree the sixt howre so Christ reforming man and healing the fall was fastened to the tree the sixt day and the sixt howre And in the storie of the creation in Genesis presently after the fall Moses speaketh of the Redemption And without wee compare the Creation with the Redemption wee misse of all For Adam to bee compared with Christ is the summe of all And wherefore should all the actions of the Redemption bee accomplished in such rarenesse except to bee aunswerable both to the fall and to the time of the fall Wherefore it is needfull wee should know our thraldome if wee will receaue comfort by the Redeemer thus First Christ the Restorer was borne of a Virgine Why because by a Virgine destruction came to the world Chrysostome compareth Eue and Marie together thus Eue beeing a Virgine hearing the wordes of the SERPENT and beleeuing them brought foorth DEATH The Virgine Marie hearing the wordes of the Angell Gabriel and beleeuing them brought foorth Life Againe why should Christ die on the sixt day rather than on the fifth or fourth And why was there darkenesse vntill the coole of the day rather than till the Sunne setting but to make the Redemption answerable to euery part of the fall because God according to the secret counsell of his owne will before the foundations of the earth were laide would make the Art of saluation so easie and the harmonie of the Bible so tuneable that no musicke in the world can bee more pleasant to the eare than the meditation of the loue of God towards vs in Christ is comfortable to the heart of man Therefore the meditation of Adams fall and the victorie of Christ ought to bee continually in our mindes Now compare Christ with Adam Adam Christ The first Adam was made a soule hauing life of earth earthly therefore by the earthly one came disobedience sinne iudgement condemnation death was created on the sixt day and did eate of the tree the sixt howre was made a man without a Father made not inferiour to the Angels 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 darkenes from the sixt houre vntil the ninth howre by breaking one commandement lost all was called to account at the ninth howre was debarred of the tree of life was driuen out of Paradise was the head of his Wife was a King Prophet Sacrificer liued a thousand yeeres wanting seuentie The second Adam was made a spirit giuing Life from heauen heauenlie thetefore by the heauenly one came obedience grace forgiuenesse iustification life reforming man healing the fall is fastened to the tree the sixt day the sixt howre was made a man without a Father made lower then the Angels is crowned with glory and all the Angels worship him being man whereby wee may know the world was made subiect to a 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 darkenes to couer the whole earth from the sixt howre till the ninth howre by fulfilling all the commaundements brought life to all at the ninth howre yeeldeth vp the Ghost and goeth to giue account to his Father is the true Tree of Life on that day openeth Paradise to the poore theefe the head of his Church was a King Prophet Sacrificer was borne seuentie yeeres before foure thousand BEcause these two Tables consist onely of numbers and that numbers in the scripture are great helpes for the vnderstanding of the same before wee 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. 1 Expressing the vnion of the Godhead and from thence the vnitie of all godly as being members of one head Christ Iesus which is made plaine Psal 133. Behold how good and comely a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in vnitie c. 3 The distinguished Trinitie within which number many excellent things fall out still to put vs in minde of the vndeuidable coeternitie of Father Sonne and holy Spirite To shew that neither in eldest yongest or middlemost but in Gods free election standeth our eternall happinesse Adam Kaine Of Adam the eldest extreame wicked Abel Of Adam the eldest extreame wicked Seth. Of Adam the eldest extreame wicked Noah Iaphet Of Noah the youngest wicked Sem Of Noah the youngest wicked Cham. Of Noah the youngest wicked Terah Haran Of Terah the middlemost was wicked Nachor Of Terah the middlemost was wicked Abram Of Terah the middlemost was wicked Three Angels appeared to Abraham in his Tent. Three Fowers of precious stones were set in Aarons breast Three Things reserued in the Arke Three Taken vp in the old Testament and 3 in the new The Booke of the Lawe The pot of Manna and Aarons rod that did alwaies flourish Three Parts was Ierusalem diuided into Three Letters the root of euerie word in the Hebrew tongue Three Captiuities of the Iewes Three Times was the Temple grosly poluted by the Babilonians Antiochi Romanes Three Times a yeere were the Iewes bound to come to Ierusalem to giue account of their Religion Three Dayes and Nights was Ionas in the Whales belly Nights and dayes was Christ in the graue Iohns viz. Iohn Baptist Luk. 1. Iohn Euangelist Mat. 4. Iohn Marke Act. 12. Iob saued 3 Eliphaz Sophar Bildad Daniel saued 3 Ananias Azarias Mishael Noah saued 3 Sem. Cham. Iaphet In the 3. seuenth Iubile the Iewes felaway and then Ieremie said O earth earth earth Heare the word of the Lord
abideth still in the solenesse of his vnitie which thing farre exceedeth all abilitie of vnderstanding This is the originall patterne of him that is called both Father to himselfe and sonne to himselfe and is the Father of one alone and God verily good indeed Aemelius the disciple of Plotine notwithstanding how great an enemy he was to Christians speaking of the second person yeeldeth to this which Saint Iohn speaketh Surely saith he this is the Word that was from euerlasting by whom al things that are were made As Heraclitus supposed and before God saith he it is the very same Word which that barbarous fellow auoucheth to haue bene with God at the beginning in the ordering and disposing of things when they were confused and to be God by whom all things were absolutely made and in whom they bee liuing and of whom they haue their life and being And that the same Word clothing it selfe with mans flesh appeared a man insomuch that after he had bene put to death he tooke his Godhead to him againe and was very God as he had bene before yer hee came downe into body flesh and man Another of Platoes imitators speaking to the same effect said That the beginning of S. Iohns Gospell was worthy to be written euery where in letters of gold And the deuill himselfe being asked of the King of Egypt who he was that raigned before him and who should raigne after him answered in these foure verses Suidas First God and next the Word and then their Sprite Which three be one and ioyne in one all three Their force is endlesse get thee hence fraile wight The man of Life vnknowen excelleth thee Seeing then that Iewes Philosophers and the Deuill are compeld to glorifie God in their speeches making as it were large volumes of the creation of God by his word and that the same Word is his sonne How can they escape the wrath of God for not embracing it And againe seeing they but through a mist did see a clearenesse of his brightnesse How skilfull ought we to bee whom hee hath noursed in his owne bosome and comforted with the grapes of his owne vineyard and fedde with the bread of his owne flesh and bathed in the blood of his owne heart in prouing the truth of this doctrine against Iew Turke or Pagan Let vs shew a word or two what the Poets themselues speake of the Beginning Architas saith that he accounteth no man wise but him which reduceth all things to one selfe same originall First to God who is the Beginning Middle and end of all things Empedocles hath these verses All things that are or euer were or shall hereafter bee Both man and woman beast and bird fish worme herbe grasse tree And euery other thing yea euen the ancient Gods each one Whom we so highly honour heere come all of one alone Simplicius saith Whatsoeuer is beautifull commeth of the first and chiefest beauty All truth cōmeth of Gods truth all beginnings must be reduced to one beginning which must not be a particular beginning as the rest are but a beginning surpassing all other beginnings and gathering thē all into himselfe yea giuing the dignitie of beginning to all beginnings as is conuenient for euery of their natures Also one good saith he is the originall and wel-spring of all things It produceth all things of it selfe both the First the Middlemost and the Last The one goodnesse bringeth forth many goodnesses the one vnitie many vnities the one beginning many beginnings Now as for Vnitie Beginning Good and God they all be but one thing For God is the first cause of all and all particular beginnings are first setled and grounded in him he is the cause of causes the God of gods and the Goodnesse of goodnesses The vnderstanding of the stories of the Bible do giue a great light to the minde of man and the practise giueth life vnto euery one that embraceth them as Deut. 8. and Mat. 4. Man liueth not by bread onely but by euerie worde which proceedeth out of the mouth of God The despisers of Religion continue in darkenes and light to them is death as 1. Ioh. 2.9 Hee that saith he is in light and yet hateth his brother is in darknes and walketh in darknes and knoweth not whether he goeth because the darknes hath blinded his eyes 1. Ioh. 5.11 But God hath giuen vs eternall life and that life is in his Sonne who laid downe his life for his sheepe Ioh. 10.15 Wherfore while we haue light let vs walke and beleeue in the light that we may be the children of the light Ioh. 12.36 The first Adam was made of the earth earthly c. The second Adam 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 Heauen Earth and Sea and all the host of them which doe consist of wights visible and inuisible Inuisible as Angels visible as Sunne Moone and Starres fishes fowles plantes hearbes grasse Beasts and such like which God created before hee 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 kindnes to Adam by his workes For he fore-purposing to make Adam both King and Father of all the earth would not haue his witts entangled with cares for this life but to haue his affections setled on heauenly things that hee might continue holie and blameles before him as Mat. 6. Take no care what you shall eate or what you shall drinke nor yet for your bodie what rayment you shall put on Behold the fowles neither sowe nor reape and your heauenly Father feedeth them are ye not much better than they how much more then shall hee doe the same for you for hee knoweth that yee haue neede of all these things but first seeke the kingdome of God and the righteousnes thereof for no mans life standeth in the aboundance of things which he possesseth Now followeth Adams creation HE was made the sixt day as it is gathered of September of the dust of the earth vppon Mount Moriah which is a Mountaine adioyning to the gates of the garden of Eden into which garden he was put to labour the earth about six of the cloke in the morning as wee account when men commonly goe to labour as should appeare by Psal 104. Where it is sayd Adam goeth forth 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 creatiō He had dominion giuen him ouer all things and witte like to an Angell to giue names to all beasts free libertie to eat of all the trees in the garden the tree of knowledge of good and ill onely excepted As if God should haue sayd to him as Moses afterwards
sayd to the children of Israel I set here before you life and death eate of the one and liue and eate of the other and die eternally Yet could not be content with this glorious estate but did eate of the forbidden fruit by the perswasion of a woman which God framed out of Adams ribbe and ioyned to him to be an helpe for him Before they had continued in Paradise one day as it is written Psal 49. Adam being in honour continueth not a night but is like to the beasts that perish which woman was deceiued by the subtiltie of a Serpent that is of the Deuill speaking in a Serpent which beast was fittest to possesse to the deceiuing of her because he excelled all other beasts in the field in wit For if an Asse had sayd so much to her as did the Serpent it is very likely shee would haue examined the cause further but he hauing once bin an Angel of light but not keping his first originall being throwne downe from heauen continuing his knowledge though he lost his vertue was not to seeke either for matter or oportunitie enuying their states to bring his murtherous purpose to passe for so is he called the Serpent the old Deuill or Satan who was a Murtherer from the beginning but knowing the prohibition commeth to the woman saying Yea hath God sayd Yee shall not eate of euery tree in the garden to whome the woman answereth saying We may eate freely of the fruite of the Trees in the garden but as for the Tree in the middest of the garden God hath sayd yee shall not eate of it nor touch it least happily you die Out of which speeches the Serpent beeing a ramping and a roaring Lyon going about seeking how hee might deuoure her quickly sucketh aduantage finding her to haue digressed from the words of the commaundement adding thereto a tricke of his owne head saith to the woman Ye shall not die at all but you shal be as Gods knowing good and euill In that he saith gods he meaneth not the true God for whatsoeuer hee speaketh is to be taken in the worst meaning that can be made of it but he meaneth you shal be in the state of damnation as Deuils which are called Princes Gods of the world And likely enough that he touched the fruit because that shee added to the Commaundement the worde touche Now the woman beholding the fruit that it was good to eate pleasant to the eyes a Tree to be desired to get knowledge She tooke of the fruit did eate gaue also to her husband and he did eat These 3. properties aboue are expounded in Iohn Wantonnes of the eies Lust of the flesh The pride of life By reason of which sinne Adam and Eue seeing their owne nakednes sowed figge-tree leaues together and hidde themselues from the presence of God among the Trees of the garden their soules beeing then in the state of Damnation with a light shining in darknes but their darknes not comprehending the same shewing thereby the weaknes of their nature and of their posteritie God but a little leauing them to their selues that when they had sinned they had rather hide themselues in darkenesse and seek to stockes and trees that haue no help in them than to God that made them But Dauid afterwards being clothed with the spirit of wisedome vnderstanding acknowledgeth the power of God to ouer-reach the compasse of mans vaine imagination when he sayth Whether shall I flye from thy presence If I take the winges of the morning and flye to the vttermost part of the world thou art there If I climbe vp to heauen thou art there If I goe downe to hell thou art there also For God who made the eye shall not hee see all the dwellers vppon earth who hath weighed all men in a ballance numbring the dayes and verie haires of their heads diuiding to euerie one their double portion according to the fore-purpose of his election being a righteous Iudge sparing not the person of Adam though hee were a King and the stateliest King that euer should bee but calleth him to account in the coole of the same day wherein he was created and fell punisheth him though not according to the desert of his transgression like a merciful Iudge that would saue and as a Father that pitieth his owne childe knowing whereof he was made and that he was but dust sayth to Adam What hast thou done and leauing him to consider of his sinne goeth to the woman with like tendernesse saying What hast thou done as if he should haue sayd Oh daughter haue I made the heauens and the host thereof that is Angels Sunne Moone and Starres c. to be thy seruants and the earth and all that therein is to be obedient at thy call breathing into thy nostrils life wherby thou becamest a liuing soule in the image of God that is in righteousnesse and true holynesse to be a temple and a Tabernacle for the holy of the holyest to dwell in and hast thou defiled the same with fond lusts regarding the wordes of the Serpent the Father of lyes not respecting my power and my seueritie that as I made thy body and soule that I could destroy the same whereby thou hast purchased the execution of my law established at thy creation to thee and thy husband what hast thou done But God hauing examined the matters and finding them both guiltie and the malice of the Serpent to bee the cause of their guiltinesse neuer stayeth iudgement nor vouchsafeth once to reason the matters with him but presently curseth him and punisheth Adam and the woman and curseth for their sakes the earth plants and whole course of nature and made them of obedient seruants rebellious enemies to Adam and his posteritie And because Adam was not deceiued but the woman became into the transgression he maketh her will subiect to the desire of her husband encreasing her sorrowes and her conceptions Thus he chastiseth them but giueth them not ouer but pronounceth to the woman a short but a pithy sentence That the seede of the woman should breake the head of the Serpent That is to say I will cause one to be borne of the womans seede which shall subdue the Deuill and the Deuill shall doe his endeauour to trip vp his heeles by tempting him In this beginneth a controuersie against the Iewes of later times who hold opinion that the Messias or Christ whome wee vphold to be the mediator between Gods iustice and mans sinne shall be some great Emperor that shall deliuer them from bodily oppression howbeit they cannot deny but that by the death which God threatneth to Adam for his transgression Rabbi Moses vnderstandeth a spirituall death that is to wit the death of the soule wounded with sinne and forsaken of her life which is God and that by the venome of the Serpent he meaneth sinne it selfe which shall cease saith he vnder the Messias And the Thargum of Ierusalem sayth
Noah that would haue a name and turned their speech into babling He plagued that flouting Ismael and quailed that doughtie Esay Hee drowned stout Pharaoh in the red sea and ouerthrew the iron charets of Sisera at the waters of Mageddon He smote diuers nations and slue mightie Kings Sehon King of the Ammorites and Ogg the King of Basan and all the kingdomes of Canaan he foiled that proud Philistine and hewed the horne of Agag in peeces He made Iesabel a pray for dogges and wicked Achab to be slaine in the valley of Iesreel He made King Ioakim to be buried like an asse and prophane Nebucadnetzar to eat grasse like an oxe He made drunken Baltasar to tremble like a leafe and Antiochus the vild to be deuoured of wormes to shew that he regardeth not proud lookes or feareth the Kings displeasure for he setteth vp Kings and putteth downe Kings as Luke 1. He looked on the low degree of his handmaid he hath shewed strength with his arme he hath scattered the proud in the imaginations of their hearts he hath put downe the mightie from their seats and hath exalted the humble and meeke As Ioseph out of the dungeon Dauid from the sheepecoats Daniel from the Lyons denne Peter and Iohn from mending their nets and made them rulers ouer mightie Nations teachers to the Princes of the earth Matth. 5. Therefore blessed are the meeke for they shall receiue the inheritance of the earth Christ being meeke was ledde as a sheepe vnto the slaughter not opening his mouth 162. Henoch borne HIs name signifieth Holy or Dedicated to God The name sheweth his fathers affection in giuing him vnto God answerable to Abraham in offering Isaack Henoch of Kaine was contrarie in signification to this Henoch the one dedicated to God the other to the possessions of this world For Kaine after his curse wandring to the land of Nod buildeth a Citie and calleth it after the name of his sonne Henoch The other Henoch though indeed a rare man yet was 65. yeres without any mention of his integritie and after that his holinesse is made manifest in this that he found fauour with God His calling was very glorious being made a preacher to declare salvation to all that would beleeue in Christ and his owne actions of life to be performed in the highest degree of vertue Whereby we are taught to bee holie and blamelesse before God not giuing our members subiects vnto wantonnesse or pleasures of this life but esteeming the world as though it were not and possesse it as though wee possest it not putting on the new man Christ Iesus that we may be holy euen as he is holy 7. You haue heere the number of seuen to shew that Henoch is the seuenth from Adam for so is he called in the Epistle of Iude. He was no doubt a very rare man seeing that hee is commended of the holy Ghost to haue walked with God to haue his yeeres answerable to the dayes of the sunne and registred to be the seuenth from Adam a Sabbath keeper for his yeeres doe agree with the number of the Sabbath Which number of seuen or of the Sabbath throughout the Bible doth still put vs in mind of the Creation and so of the true keeping of the Sabbath For in the beginning God made the world in sixe dayes and rested the seuenth and hallowed and sanctified the same and commaunded it to be kept holie throughout all generations and to resemble the same in his Creation before there was a Sabbath He made seuen starres in the heauens which Philosophers call planets which haue force in the whole course of nature which he in his wisedome placed there that the very heathen and such as would not take notice of the Sabbath might haue the name thereof in their mouthes although they made no vse thereof in their hearts 65. Methushelah borne His name signifieth Long life or Speare death 187. Lamech borne HIs name signifieth Striken or heart-wounded He is called so in respect of some inward griefes that he should beare for the afflictions of the world You haue an other Lamech of Kaines house but of contrarie nature to this Lamech Lamech of Kaine was a striker Lamech of Seth striken the one a Preacher of destruction to the world the other an example of impietie to the world and being 1600. yeeres after Kaine knew Kaines storie He had two wiues it was not so from the beginning Some hold that he was the first that had two wiues but doubtlesse many others had the like but God in one doth shew the manners of the rest Hee saith to his wiues I will kill a man c. So that as the world began with killing so it continueth in wickednesse and violence The other Lamech doth make a confession full of contrition and in naming his sonne Comforter 600. yeeres before the flood sheweth that he was a Prophet of verie liuely skill Compare him with Christ CHrist is both outwardly striken and inwardly wounded Outwardly when in the open hall he was buffetted scourged and spitted at and vpon the crosse pierced both handes feete and sides Inwardly when hee was reuiled with blasphemous speeches at his death and when in stead of drinke to comfort him they gaue him gall and mirhe mingled together but most especially when his guiltlesse soule did suffer the torments of hell to redeeme our guiltie soules and bodies from the thrall of Satan as may appeare when from his sides issued water and blood 56. Adam dieth THe Hebrewes descant very straungely vpon the Arithmeticke of Adams yeares which hee liued which were 930. Vpon a sentence in the 24 of Iob. where it is sayd All the daies of man vpon earth are but a shadow As if he should say all the dayes of Adam are but Abell 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 according to Ge. 3. We are also to vnderstand from hence that although God deferre his punishments yet he is mindfull of his promises for not one tittle or iot 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 bee aduaunced to thrones of Maiestie as Adam was we are to know that it is but a Steward shippe bestowed vpon vs for a season and that in this world wee are to looke for no abiding place for we are but grasse wee are consumed as smoke our daies come to an end A Thousand yeares in Gods sight is as yesterday He turneth Adam to dust and saith Returne ye sonnes of Adam He bringeth our yeares to an end as it were a tale that is tould Wherefore let vs pray to God with Moses to teach vs to number our daies aright that wee may apply our harts vnto wisedome Adam cometh
of Israel come to Kadesbarnes Then there are Spies sent out to view the Land they are Fortie daies in viewing it They bring word and tell strange things of the goodnes and fatnesse of the Land but they discourage the people and feare them for they told them of huge and great Giants the Sonnes of Anak Iosua he answereth them Let vs goe vp and possesse the Land For if God shall be mercifull vnto vs he will giue vs the Land flowing with milke and honie Vpon this God sweares that they shall not enter into his rest They were for this Forty yeres in the Wildernes Forty daies in viewing the Land S. Paul repeateth this in the Acts 13. God suffered their manners in the Wildernesse they wandred to punish the hardnesse of their hearts for not beleeuing They went vp and downe that all the world might woonder at this dealing of God and thereby learne to feare him for euerie sinne fitteth the prouidence of God and serues for his glorie By this all the world might learne diuinitie For it is sayd of them that their sound was heard to the end of the world So that a man of England meeting with one that had beene about those parts might enquire When doe those people leaue their wandring They were brought out of Egypt strangely for the sea parted and suffered them to goe through and was a wall to them but drowned the Egyptians which followed after Did you euer heare that one striking a Rocke water should come forth Yet this is not all for they had meat from heauen Manna which in English signifieth What shall I call it Besides for their apparell it neuer weareth not so much as their shooes their apparell groweth with their bodies A Childe hath the same apparell being a man that hee had being a Child and the neighbours are in such feare of them as they dare not touch them Surely their God is wonderfull and exceedeth the Gods of other Nations Diodorus Siculus hee speaketh of Moses reuerently Strabo mentioneth these Standings but speaketh wickedly So doth Iustine Hereby is their condemnation iust and they made inexcusable 2554. Moses died Deut. 34. being One hundred and Twenty yeres old Shorter in life than his Father or Grandfather So that seeing long life a great blessing and he so excellent a man euen by the testimonie of the scripture it might be asked why his life was no longer Wee shall see that these his yeares are more glorious than if they had been longer For this comparison of One hundred and twentie yeares with the One hundred and twentie yeares of the building of Noahs Arke is of rare excellencie and euen in this comparison his face must so shine in their harts that they could not behold him without a vaile By this they must likewise remember the promise made to Abraham to be performed for the which he was raised vp And they must ascend higher to Melchisedech who blessed Abraham in whom also the heathen receiued a blessing Then they must goe further to the taking vp of Henoch Homer bringeth in the mother of Achilles telling her Sonne that there was decreed for him a double destinie If he would haue a long life it should then bee obscure If short famous This hee fayneth but yet in fables there is a colour of truth We are to consider further the words of Saint Iude vpon the death of Moses Yet Michael the Archangell when hee stroue with the Deuill and disputed about the body of Moses durst not giue rayling speeches but said The Lord rebuke thee It may be demanded where Saint Iude hath these words seeing they are not expressely laid down in Moses This obiection is thus answered Any Scholler may from a true ground frame a disputation and it is free to vse this kinde of amplification or any other The meaning of Saint Iude is that Iehouah the Eternall buried Moses In the Prophet Zacharias you haue the like in a vision Iehosua the high sacrificer standeth before the Angell of the Lord Sathan at his right hand to resist him and the Lord sayd vnto Sathan The Lord reprooue thee Sathan Here the second person Christ Iesus is called Michaell and here is the like kinde of speaking So that if wee will frame a speech we may thinke that at Moses death God might commaund Michael to go fetch vp the bodie of Moses Satan resisting he forbad him and added The Lord rebuke thee The meaning of Saint Iude is thus much Those which rayle on officers haue not marked Christs dealing who like a stately King in one word rebuketh them This exposition the Iewes in their Talmed agree vnto The end is to this purpose that seeing it is not written by Moses and the holy Ghost cyteth not the place from whence it is taken wee must diligently looke to the matter and searching the scripture for the like Stories we shall easily finde out the vse and order which the holy Ghost vseth in amplifications Moses was a figure of Christ MOses was cast into the flagges Marie the Daughter of Pharaoh saued him so as Marie saued Moses the deliuerer so the Virgine Marie saued Iesus Christ the Redeemer Moses was persecuted of Pharaoh Christ was persecuted of Herod a new Pharaoh Moses deliuered the people from the bondage and slauerie of Egypt so Iesus Christ hath deliuered vs from the spirituall bondage and Tyrannie of the spirituall Pharaoh Satan Moses when he died was buried by Christ Euen so Iesus Christ by his owne death buried all the Ceremonies of Moses 2555. Ioshua ruleth Seuenteene yeares His name was altered by Moses to Iesus because hee was to be a figure of Iesus Christ He with Caleb encouraged the people when the other ten Tribes misbeleeued when they were sent to spie the Land These Seuenteene yeares are not set downe expressely in the Scripture but are gathered from the circumstance of the Storie in this sort From the comming out of Egypt to the building of Salomons Temple are Foure hundred and Eightie yeares 1. King 6.8 All the particulars of this account are layd downe saue Ioshua his gouernment and they make foure hundred sixtie and three to which adde Seuenteene yeares the time that Ioshua ruled you haue full Foure hundred and eightie So you haue another Seuenteene for Iacob and Iosephs Seuenteene yeares Thus much for the time Now for his name Iesus HOseas the Sonne of Nun which was to take the gouernment from Moses hath his name altered and is called Iesus in the 72. Psalme You haue his name repeated Ganushemo 1 He shall increase The Hebrews in their Cabala say that this is the name of Christ they meane nothing else but to keepe in memorie euerie name wherby the glorie of the Kingdome of the Messias is expressed When the Iewes come from Babell you haue Iesus again the Sonne of Iehosadach In Ierem. 31. the Lord speaketh Behold the day commeth that I will raise vnto Dauid a righteous braunch and a King
fallen it is fallen Babylon the great Citie For she made all nations to drinke of the wine of the wrath of her fornication And I sawe a woman sitting vpon a scarlet coloured beast full of names of blasphemie which had seauen heads and ten hornes and in her forehead was a name written A mistery Great Babylon the mother of whoredomes and abhominations of the earth And I sawe the woman drunken with the bloud of Saints and with the bloud of the Martyrs of Iesus And the Angell said vnto me The woman which thou sawest is the Great City which raigneth ouer the Kings of the earth Ap. 18. And after this I saw an other Angel come downe from heauen and hee cryed with a loude voice saying It is fallen it is fallen Babylon the great Ciâ—ie and is become the habitation of Deuils and the hould of al foule spirits and a cage of euery vncleane and hatefull bird For all nations haue drunke of the wine of her fornication and the Kings of the earth haue committed fornication with her and the Marchants of the earth are waxed rich of the abundance of her pleasures And I heard an other voice from heauen say Goe out of her my people that ye be not partakers in her sinnes and that ye receiue not of her plagues for her sinnes are come vp to heauen and God hath remembred her iniquities Reward her euen as she hath rewarded you and giue her double according to her workes and in the cup that shee hath filled to you fil her the double in asmuch as she glorified her selfe and liued in pleasure so much giue ye to her torment and sorrowe for she saith in her heart I sit being a Queene and am no widdow and shall see no mourning Therefore shal her plagues come at one day death and sorrowe and famine and she shal be burnt with fire for strong is the Lord God which wil condemne her O heauen reioyce of her and yee holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath giuen your iudgment on her Then a mighty Angel tooke vp a stone like a great milstone and cast it into the sea saying With such violence shall the great citie Babylon be cast and shal be found no more And as the Iewes doe praise God after their deliuerance so is it said that vpon the deliuerance from this spirituall bondage all Christians shall say Let vs be glad and reioyce and worship God saying Amen Hallelu-iah for our Lord God Almighty hath raigned At this deliuerance out of Babell about the euening offering the Angell Gabriel appeareth to Daniel and telleth him the exact houre of Christs death Dan. 9. in these wordes Seauenty seauens or 490 yeares are exactly decreed for the death of Christ the King the most Holy to finish sinne to bring in iustice to reconcile iniquity to annoint the most Holy and to performe euery vision and prophecie By this key the Iewes might haue vnderstoode the death of Christ the sonne of all saluation These seauenty seauens are distinguished into seauen seauens and the Temple shall be built into sixtie two seauens wherein Religion shall seeme to be vtterly obscured and into one seauen in the halfe of which Christ the King must be killed not for himselfe but for the people as Dan. 9. The time of the sixtie two seauens is prooued out of the Grecians Storie whome God in his secret wisedome vsed though vnwittingly to themselues to be recorders of his truth These seauens of weekes I wil handle more at large at the death of Christ where they are fully accomplished Vpon the vision of the foure Beasts in Dan which represent foure stately kingdomes figured before in Nebucadnetzars image which he sawe in his dreame Dan. 2. ariseth a great question Whether the fourth Beast containe the kingdome of the Romanes or not It is certaine it doth not and thus it may be prooued Of the first which is the Lion to be meant of Babylon the Beare to be the kingdome of the Medes and Persians and the Leopard to be Alexanders kingdome there is no controuersie but then of the fourth Beast with ten hornes lyeth the question It is said that a stone shall be cut without hands and shall become a great mountaine and shall fill al the earth and shal fal vpon the image and punne it to dust This stone is Christ vpon whose birth this vision ends for the stone falling vpon the feete of iron clay the whole image fell and was beaten to powder If then vpon the birth of Christ the fourth kingdome must be punned to dust and al the beasts be consumed in the fire by the Ancient of daies as Daniel 7. then the fourth kingdome cannot be the Romanes For vntill the comming of Christ they were in no glory and then were they in their chiefest glory for although a little before indeede they had conquered all the world yet the world did not consent to pay tribute vntill Christs time and therefore it could not bee said a full conquest For it is neuer a full conquest vntill a generall consent of tribute be graunted If it be obiected that it is meant of the second comming of Christ how is euery vision and prophesie performed in Christ and with what authority could Daniel speake of the second comming before hee had mentioned the first Therefore to hold this to be meant of the Romanes proueth Christ not to be yet come nor the ceremonies of Moses to be abolished Againe the fourth Beast that is the fourth kingdome hath relation to the fourth part of the image And by the legges of iron clay and thereby as the legges of one body being twaine are expressed Wherefore as the legges of contrary natures that is of iron and clay being twaine proceede out of one body so the kingdome which by them is signified must be a diuided Nation ruling one kingdome which the Romanes were not for Augustus Caesar was onely Emperour otherwise you darken the Romanes glory Againe it is said of these legges that is of this fourth kingdome that they shall striue by marriages because they were two Nations that is of Syria and Egipt to be as one body But as iron cleaueth not in nature with clay no more should they bee one Whose stories if you examine in Iustine and other heathen Authors you shall find they were from time to time preuented by vntimely deathes For the wiues killed their husbands the mothers their sonnes the sonnes their mothers so that they could not bring to passe their purpose This cannot be applied to the Romanes for they were still one sole gouernment and vniuersall Emperours of themselues Againe the little horne that is the tenth horne of the fourth beast is Antiochus the vilde who is the last part of the fourth beast whose villanies indeede are answerable to the impieties of the Romanes therefore in the Reuelation the whole time of their gouernment is by allusion called daies 1260. a time 2. times and halfe