for Ieroboam receiueth the Religion of Egypt and maketh two Calues whereby all Israel became Idolatrers Here beginneth Iobs Storie Satan compasseth all the earth c. BEfore wee come to examine Iobs causeâ— there may bee by the way a question discussed concerning succession that is to say Whether succession of Bishops be a necessarie marke of the Church And we shall if we mark the Stories of the Scripture find that is none for in Iobs time where there was a visible Sacrificer to continue the Religion of God in outward policie Satan hauing ouerranne the whole earth telleth God that hee could finde none iust or that feared God So that thereby wee may gather that there were verie fewe whome the world by eye-sight acknowledged godly And to make this more plaine wee are to obserue that the question is not Whether the godly in their owne hearts doe knowe who serue God but Whether there bee continually such an apparance thereof that it may appeare to eye-sight Since Christ wee haue not the like time to this wherein Satan can bragge he ouer-runneth the whole earth For in Iobs time Iacob is dead the Religion which Iobs friends hold is condemned by God Elihu is verie young and Iob himselfe condemned of his friends therefore wee may verie well conclude That it is no sound Diuinitie to affirme that it is no true Church except the policie thereof be so visible as it may be knowne by eye-sight In the Reuleation foure Angels stand on the foure Corners of the earth holding the foure Windes of the Earth that they should not blowe neither on the earth neither on the Sea neither on any greene Tree By this likewise wee may gather that the godly were verie fewe and scarce knowne For the office of these foure Angels was to stay the graces of Gods Spirite from blowing vppon and refreshing the soules of those which dwelt on the earth Wee shall see this cleerer if wee obserue the particular fallings through the Scriptures In Enosh his time Religion decayed in the house of God for the which the flood came and drowned the world After the flood for their wickednesse which they manifested in building the Tower of Babell they haue their tongues confounded and all their families scattered In Iobs time none of the children of Israel forsook the Idols of Egypt In the time of the Iudges you shall finde a great many of fallings away and therefore God gaue them into the hands of diuers and sundry oppressors In Roboams time the ten Tribes fell away In Antiochus time Religion was so corrupted that the Leuites would be Kings and thereby became Saduces maintaining an opinion That after this life the bodie was no more and concerning the soule it was no more to be esteemed than the soule of a beast or any other creature In Christs time all the Iewes were back-sliders except some few perhaps about seuen Thousand which might hold religion sincerely answerable to Elias time After Christ in Vrbanus time all the Christians fell away and then came vp the power and authoritie of Antichrist for whom he made lawes So that if wee consider these things well we shall finde that the godly haue alwaies been so fewe and the outward policie of true Religion so darkened that it could hardly bee discerned This question being thus discussed wee are to consider the time when Iob was afflicted And if we examine things duly we shall find this time to be before Moses There bee slouthfull fellowes that say the time cannot bee prooued when Iobs Storie fell out As though if any one should write Epistles or Orations a good Scholler could not easily from the matter find out the time wherein hee should liue In the Three and Twentie Orations made by Iob and his friends there is mention made of the Creation of the Flood of Babell and the Seuentie Families of Lot of Sodom and his destruction but nothing of the comming from Egypt which being so famous a deliuerance they would not haue omitted For the Prophets continually rehearse it and doe as it were make large Commentaries thereon Further it must bee at such a time wherein Satan had the conquest ouer the whole world for so Satan sayth he had run ouer the whole world and found none that feared God and departed from euil which affirmation cannot bee true but onely when Israel was in Egypt for then all the world but they worshipped strange Gods and of them Ezechiel sayth None of the Children of Israel forsooke their Idols of Egypt Therefore this must needes bee a maruailous Victorie which Satan had gotten Besides Iob himselfe sayth O that God would answere and trie mee This had beene a foolish speech if it had beene after Moses for then his integritie should haue beene determined by Moses lawes When the tongues are diuided you haue Abraham called and made a rare man So when in Egypt all Religion was corrupted you haue Moses borne thereby to shew that when Satan thinketh hee beareth most sway the Lord in mercie will raise vp one to ouerthrowe his Kingdome The temptations of Iob must needes bee about the birth of Moses when the lawe was made of killing the young Children Satan possessing the hearts of the wicked that all their care and studie was bent to the ouerthrowe of the Church and when Aaron was borne but three yeares afore there was peace for wee doe not read that they were faine to hide him Thus much for the time THe place where hee dwelt was Eastward The Sabeans on the one side the Caldeans on the other and Canaan on the other and he as it were in the middest This Country is called Huts God hath in his prouidence dealt so surely that the verie heathen if they bee marked will make plaine the euent of Gods promises Nimrod hee goeth about to ouerthrow Sems blessing and builds him a Tower but God giueth it an ouerthrow Afterwards Nachors Twelue Sonnes ouerrunne the land of Chush Ismaels Twelue Sonnes they doe the like Esau hath eleuen Dukes and Eight Kinges and eleuen Dukes againe and that afore there was any King in Israel as Moses speaketh and they conquer Chush and his Land In Egypt Chush his posteritie imagine by the multitude and strength of their Chariots and Horsemen to reuenge themselues of the Children of Israel but the Lord ouer-whelmed them in the red Sea When the Children of Israel are in the wildernesse they of Canaan and their borders deale despightfully with them and will graunt them no passage thinking therby to starue them in the wildernesse But the Lord by Iesus their Captaine destroyeth them all euen to Canaan the youngest according to the curse of Noah And let Canaan bee his seruant When the Iewes are carried away captiue to Babylon there Chush his posteritie haue a great stroke and seeme to ouerthrow Sems blessing But God raysed vp Cyrus of Sem and Darius of Iaphet to ouerthrow the Babylonians and therby comforteth the Iewes
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
ond the Prophets shall bee as winde and the word is not in them Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hostes because yee spake such wordes I will bring a Nation vpon you from farre O house of Israel which is a mighty Nation and an ancient Nation and a Nation whose language thou knowest not neither vnderstandest what they say whose quiuer is an open sepulchre they are all very strong and they shall eate thine haruest and thy bread and they shall deuoure thy sonnes and thy daughters they shall eate vp thy sheep and thy bullockes they shal eate thy vines and thy figge trees they shall destroy with the sword thy fenced cities wherein thou didst trust Neuerthelesse saith the Lord at those daies I will not make a full end of you And when you shall say Wherefore doth the Lord these things vnto vs then shalt thou answere them Like as you haue forsaken me and serued strange Gods in your land so shall yee serue strangers in a land that is not yours Declare this in the house of Iacob and publish it in Iudah for among my people are found wicked persons that lay waite as he that setteth snares and as a cagefull of birdes so is their housefull of deceit they do ouerpasse the deeds of the wicked they execute no iudgment no not the iudgment of the fatherlesse And shall not visite for these things saith the Lord or shall not my soule be auenged on such a Nation as this an horrible and filthy thing is committed in the land the Prophets prophesie lies and the Priests receiue gifts in their hands ard my people delight therein Here the crowne and kingdome is ouerthrowen according to that prophecie I will ouerturne ouerturne ouerturne the kingdome vntill he come vnto whome the crowne and diademe doth belong meaning Christ And indeede the Iewes after this time had neuer an established kingdome seuerall to themselues free from forraine gouernment 3414. Ezechiel prophecieth WHo cap. 1. sawe the heauens open and foure beastes that is Angels like a man a lyon an eagle and an oxe full of eyes and with foure winges and aboue the firmament that was ouer their head was the fashion of a throne like vnto a Saphir stone and vpon the similitude of the throne was by appearance as the similitude of a man vpon it and the likenesse of the bow that is in the clowd in the day of raine so was the apparance of the light round about it this was the apparance of the similitude of the glory of the Lord. Ezechiel being in Chaldea in a vision is carried into Ierusalem and there seeth the glory of God as before and sawe horrible idolatrie The similitude of creeping things and abhominable beasts and all the idols of the house of Israel painted vpon a wall whence the wrath of Christ kindled against them is thus signified one from the throne of Saphir stone clothed with linnen filleth his hands with coles of fire scattereth them ouer Ierusalem So in the fall of the Church Ap. 8. The Angell tooke the censure and filled it with fire of the Altar and cast it into the earth and there were voices and thundrings and earthquakes 3419. Temple burnt IN the Nineteenth yeare of king Nebuchadnetzar king of Babel came Nebuzaradan cheefe Steward and seruant of the king of Babel to Ierusalem and burnt the house of the Lord and the kings house and all the houses of Ierusalem Also all the pillars of brasse the bases the brasen sea did the Chaldees breake and carried the brasse of them to Babel The pots also and the besomes the instruments of musick and the incense ashes and all the vessels of brasse that they ministred in tooke they away It is to be noted that so long as the Temple stood there was peace in all the earth but it being once ouerthrowne there was after that generall warres the Persians against the Babylonians and the Babylonians against all Nations and the Grecians against the Persians For when God once plagued his owne people his iustice was extended ouer all and as it was Seuen yeres in building so Nebuchadnetzar was Seuen yeares a beast for destroying it that is the heart of a man not the bodie of a man was taken from him Megastenes an ancient author writeth that Nebuchadnetzar at his return home was striken with madnes and died crying incessantly to the Babilonians that a great mischiefe was nere them which all the power of their Gods could not stay For quoth he a Hafeasse of Persia shall come make vs thrals The man that he spake of was Cyrus who as Alexander Polihistor witnesseth builded vp the temple of Ierusalē againe Here is performed Iere. 20. I will make this Citie desolate and an hissing so that euerie one that passeth by shall be astonished and hisse because of all the plagues thereof for the people are all rebellious traytors they are brasse and yron they all are destroyers And Ierem. 7. Wherefore thus saith the Lord Is this house become a denne of Theeues wherevpon my name is called before your eyes This our Sauiour Christ in the 21. of Mathew vseth to the mony changers Behold I see it saith the Lord. But goe ye now to Silo where I set my name at the beginning and behold what I did to it for the sinnes of my people Israel euen so will I doe to this house wherein also ye trust euen to the place that I gaue to you and to your Fathers as I haue done vnto Silo. And I will cast you out of my sight as I haue cast all your brethren euen all the children of Ephraim For seest thou not what they doe in the Cities of Iudah and in the streetes of Ierusalem The children gather wood the fathers kindle the fire and the women knead the dough to make Cakes to the Queene of heauen and to powre out drinke offerings vnto other Gods that they may prouoke mee vnto anger Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold my anger and my wrath shall be powred vpon this place vpon man and vpon beast and vpon the tree of the field and vpon the fruite of the ground and it shall burne and not bee quenched Ezech. 4. And behold I will breake the staffe of bread in Ierusalem and they shall eat bread by waite and with care and they shall drinke water by measure and with astonishment And Ezek. 5. the third part of thee shall die with pestilence and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee and another third part shall fall by the sword and I will scatter the last third part into all the winds and I will draw a sword after them saith the Lord so thou shalt be a reproach and shame a chastisement and astonishment vnto the Nations when I shall execute my iudgments For I will send vpon you a famine and beasts and pestilence and blood shall passe thorough thee I the Lord haue spoken it These plagues were