Gath and Ekron which they once Samuel 27 had Josh. 15. 45 46. but lost Judg. 3. 3. Peace made with Amorites for the Samuel 28 third and fourth Generation of those haters of the Lord had had the sins of their Samuel 29 fathers visited upon them Samuels two Sons cause the people to abhor the Samuel 30 Government as Elies two Sons had caused them to abhor Religion Then degeneration Samuel 31 is still coming on CHAP. IX X. XI XII World 2941 Sam. 32 SAUL seeking Asses findeth a Kingdom He is anointed at Ramah which was not far from his own Town of Gibeah Gibeah once so abominable and abominably destroyed Judg. 20. affordeth their first King He prophecieth at Kirjath-jearim among a company of Prophets that attended the Ark 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Is Saul also among the Prophets And one of the same place answered and said Yes one that is their Father Not Et quis but Et qui pater â—orum Chap. 10. 12. And he becomes one that is their Father or chief Prophet amongst them At Mizpeh where the Sanhedrin sate he is proclaimed King by Lot and by the people He befriendeth Jabesh against Ammon for Jabesh had been a friend to Gibeah and suffered for it Judg. 21. At Gilgal he is annointed again and God in thunder and lightning telleth the people of his displeasure for their asking a King Their occasion of so doing was Nahash the Ammonite his coming against Jabesh at first to besiege it Chap. 12. 12. The siege was long and when it begun to capitulate for surrender Nahash demands every right eye in the Town c. CHAP. XIII XIV XV. Sam. 33 Saul 2 SAUL reigned one year And he reigned two years over Israel That is Sam. 34 Saul 3 he had now been King one year from his first anointing by Samuel at Ramah to his second anointing by him at Gibeah And he reigned after this two years more before the Lord cast him off and anointed David And the time he ruled after that was not a Rule but a Tyranny and Persecution In these two years he beateth the Philistims Syrians Moabites and Ammonites that invade the Land and invadeth Amalek and destroyeth it but undoes himself by sparing Agag Here the Lord casts him off CHAP. XVI World 2944 Sam. 35 DAVID anointed in Bethlehem And from henceforward the Spirit of the Lord resteth upon him by the power of which he killeth a Lion and Bear And by the direction of which he becometh musical and penneth Psalms This is that that makes musick by Davids hand able to hush and master Sauls Devil CHAP. XVII Sam. 36 DAVID killeth Goliah A type of Christs victory over Satan the chief Captain of the uncircumcised He bringeth the Giants head to Saul and Saul questioned Whose Son art thou Not that either Saul or Abner were ignorant who David was for he went but from harping to Saul when Saul went to this War ver 15. but they wonder what kind of man it was that had such Sons as Jesse had now in the Army And his question is not so much Filius cujus as Filius qualis viri or not of Davids Person but of his Parentage The 55 and 56 verses in their proper order should lie after verse 40. but they are put off to the place where they lie that Sauls question which was before the Battel and the resolution of it which was not till after might be laid together and so the Story of verse 54. of Davids laying up the Giants head at Jerusalem is laid before its time as they were laid after for he laid not that there till some space of time after and what time uncertain But the relation of it is mentioned in this place because he would dispatch the Story of Goliah at once PSALM IX UPON this Victory over Goliah David penned the ninth Psalm 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon the death of the Champion for Goliah is called Ish Benajim 1 Sam. 17. 4. And so the Chaldee Paraphrast interprets it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon the death of the man that came out between the two Armies That Psalm is to be taken in at this place CHAP. XVIII UPON Davids discourse with Saul and upon former acquaintance with Davids behaviour Jonathan affects him Saul that day retains him for a Courtier and Jonathan puts him into a Souldiers and Courtiers garbe And so they march from the Camp to Gibeah where Saul dwelt By the way the women came out and sing so as they displease Saul and from thenceforward he spites David casts Spears at him to kill him but seeing him escape he puts him into command in the Army that he may fall there Thus lieth the Story to vers 16. and therefore the fifth verse which speaks of his going in and out before the people is set there as a general head which was to be explained afterward when David is thus set at large from Saul to go in and out at his pleasure then it is like he bringeth Goliahs Armor to Bethlehem and his head to Jerusalem laying up these trophies of his valor victory and success among his own Tribe that when occasion should be and he should need men to stand to him he being already anointed King these very things might have made a good party for him against that time CHAP. XIX Sam. Saul 37 ANother war with the Philistims Another Spear thrown at David His house watched that he might be slain PSAL. LIX HERE cometh in the fifty ninth Psalm made upon this watching of his house as the title telleth and it is to be laid between the 12 and 13 verses of this 19 Chapter Samuel and Saul and David are met altogether Chap. 19. 22. 24. and Saul Prophecying naked for 24 hours whereas it is said in Chap. 15. 35. that Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death It is to be understood as by way of homage for he seeth him now at Ramah by Sauls coming to him but he never after Sauls transgression in sparing Amalek went to him to present himself or service to him for then did the Lord cast him off and he would own him no more as King CHAP. XX. SAuls coming to Ramah putteth David to fly to Gibeah to confer with Jonathan Sauls bloody intention being discovered David is now forced to a perpetual exile It beginneth now CHAP. XXI DAvid cometh to Nob to Ahimelech or Ahijah 1 Sam. 14. 3. In the days of Abiathar Mar. 2. 26. our Saviour nameth him rather then Ahimelech because he was not only one of the Priests there now Chap. 22. 20. but he alone escaped of all Ahimelechs house from Sauls fury and he was of special note afterward From Nob David is forced to flee to Gath the very Town of Goliah and Goliahs sword now about him There is he discovered who he is and hears the very Song repeated that was sung to him when he returned from the slaughter of Goliah
hath 600 men with him a Guard to himself and an help to Achish against Saul David dwelleth at Ziklag and invades the Countries thereabouts c. I CHRON. XII from beginning to Verse 8. World 2959 Sam. Saul 40 THither divers of Sauls own Tribe and kinred resort unto him and these are named in this Chapter before the men of Gad that had fallen to him before because these mens coming to him was most remarkable as being of Sauls own kinred CHAP. XXVIII SAULS end is now approaching He consulteth a witch He had neither Priest nor Prophet to inquire after he had despised and persecuted both He seeth a Devil in Samuels likeness and heareth of his own ruine CHAP. XXIX THE Philistims dare not trust David in battel And thus the Lord provideth for him that he might neither prove perfidious to Achish nor fight against his own people I CHRON. XII Vers. 19 20 21 22. AS he went forth with the Philistims towards the battel and as he came back again from them divers fell to him of Manasseh CHAP. XXX XXXI I CHRON. X. DAVID returning home findeth no home at all Ziklag fired A Band of Amalekites slain and as it were sacrificed to Sauls Funeral Saul himself slain by his own hand and by an Amalekite He had never prospered since he had spared that Generation The second Book of SAMUEL CHAP. I. DAVID heareth of the death of Saul and lamenteth him And chargeth the young men of Judah to learn the use of the Bow that they might match the Philistims in Archery and so be avenged on them for Sauls death for by Archery they had slain him The Story of the Amalekite to David was not a lye to curry favour or to obtain a reward but it was a very and a real truth Saul had fallen upon his own sword indeed as was related in the preceding Chapter but his Coat of mail had hindred that he had not given himself a wound so speedily deadly but that the Philistims might come and catch him alive and abuse him and so he stands bleeding at that and at his other wounds leaning on his Spear till this Amalekite came by His Armour Bearer was dead already and these words When his Armour Bearer saw that Saul was dead he fell on his sword and died also are to be understood in this sense That when he saw Saul had given himself so deadly a wound he did the like and died indeed But Sauls wound was not so quick of dispatch therefore he desireth the Amalekite to kill him out For says he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My Coat of Mail hath withheld me so that my life is all this while in me And thus Saul that had been so cruel to David is now cruel to himself and he that had spared the Amalekites is now slain by one of that Nation CHAP. II. World 2950 David 1 DAVID anointed King of Judah in Hebron being 30 years old Compair David 2 Gen. 41. 46. Numb 4. 3. Luke 3. 23. In Hebran Abraham had had his David 3 first Land and much residence Here lay the Patriarks Abraham Isaac and Jacob David 4 and their wives buried and here was John Baptist born and our Saviour David 5 conceived There is long busling between the House of David and the house of David 6 Saul Abner still striving to make a party strong enough to settle one of Sauls David 7 Sons in the Kingdom Thereupon is Ishbosheth anointed in Sauls stead He is called Ishbaal 1 Chron. 8. 33. for Baal was commonly called Bosheth or Shame as Jerubbaal is called Jerubbosheth 2 Sam. 11. 21. and Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 9. 12. called Meribaal 1 Chron. 8. 34. see also Jer. 11. 13. Abners vapouring causeth a desperate duell of twelve and twelve men and so layeth the foundation of a continual War in an equal bloodshed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vers 27. If thou hadst not said saith Joab what thou didst say in the morning let the young men rise and play before us surely the people had gone away every man from his brother even in the morning and there had been never a blow struck but thou didst provoke it CHAP. III. DAVIDS six Sons born to him in Hebron in his seven years and six Months reign there are here reckoned together that that Story and matter may be dispatcht at once Abner upon discontent at Ishbosheth turneth to David and confesseth that Kingdom which hitherto he had willingly and wittingly opposed But God will not suffer such a man and upon such grounds to be a promoter of Davids throne he is slain by Joab even in a place of Judicature and with a wound parallel to that that he had given Asahel CHAP. IV. ISHBOSHETH slain by two Benjamites brethren in evil They came into the midst of the house as if they would setch wheat vers 6. that is with a sack in their hands to put his head in c. Instantly before the Text falls upon the Story of Ishbosheth it relateth the Story of Mephibosheth because he was now all the stock left of Sauls house but only Rizpahs children a Concubine and Morahs a daughter CHAP. V. from beginning to Ver. 11. And I CHRON. XI all World 2957 David 8 DAVID anointed King over all Israel at Hebron and from thence brought by all Israel to Jerusalem to settle him there and to make that the Royal City He reigned in all 40 years in Hebron seven years and an half and at Jerusalem 32 years and an half And this latter was exactly the time of our Saviours life upon earth Joab after Davids curse upon him for Abners murder is yet made Commander in chief for his taking of Jerusalem The prosperity of David at Jerusalem and his building of it is presently set down after the Story of the taking of the City as beginning from that time and continuing and going along with the times of the following Stories and so to be carried in mind Then doth the Book of Chronicles give account of Davids Worthies Which Catalogue is also mentioned by this Book of Samuel but with this difference of place that in the Chronicles it is set in the beginning of Davids Reign and in Samuel in the latter end And both very properly and much like to the placing of our Saviours Genealogy in Matthew and Luke the one giving it at his Birth and the other at his Baptism and both upon singular reason And so here the Book of Chronicles reckons up these men as those that helped David to his settlement in the Kingdom and therefore it mentions them in the beginning of his reign and the Book of Samuel reckons them up at the latter end of his reign as those that had stuck to him all the time of his reign and helped to keep him in that settlement In both the Books there is first reckoned a Triumvirate or three gallant men that were of a rank by themselves and none were equal with them or like
is darted through David mourneth sadly for him because of the desperate condition in which he died Shimei is pardoned He came down first of all the house of Joseph to meet the King chap. 19. vers 20. Here the house of Joseph is used for all Israel except Judah and set in opposition to Judah Joseph had been the prime family while the Ark was in Shiloh and all Israel were named after it as Psal. 80. 1. but then God refused Joseph and chose Judah for the chief Psal. 78. 68 69. And there began and continued the difference and distinction betwixt Israel and Judah Joseph and Judah Ephraim and Judah for by all these names are the rest of the Tribes stiled in opposition to the Tribe of Judah CHAP. XX. SHEBA the Son of Bichri rebelleth a man of Benjamin by descent ver 1. but of the hill country of Ephraim by residence ver 21. PSAL. XXX WITH the third Verse of this Chapter read the 30 Psalm which seemeth to be made by David when upon his return to Jerusalem after his flight he purgeth and halloweth his own house which had been made a Stews by Absalom PSAL. IV. VVITH this Chapter also read the fourth Psalm made as the stile of it argueth upon this rebellion of Sheba as the third Psalm was made upon the rebellion of Absalom He checketh the people for despising his Kingdom and hearkning after a Kingdom that was but vanity as first Absaloms and now Shebas ver 2. He adviseth Israel and Judah not to sin in their anger 2 Sam. 19. 43. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be angry but sin not ver 4. He professeth in ver 7. that since the time that corn and wine and other provision increased to him from Barzillai Shobi and Nahash 2 Sam. 17. 27. c. that his heart had received comfortable confidence and assurance of his restoring again and therefore he would still trust and depend upon that goodness and providence that had delivered him out of the other trouble and wrought those good beginnings towards him CHAP. XXI to Vers. 15. David 36 THree years famine lye upon the Land for the offence of Saul He in a David 37 zeal to Israel and Judah would expel the Amorites and destroy them and David 38 with them all Wizards and Witches and with them he also falls upon the Gibeonites and destroyeth them though Joshua had made a Covenant with them That these three years famine began the next year after the year of Absaloms rebellion the Text seemeth to hint in the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in vers 1. The year after that year for in all the Scripture wherein mention of famine is made it only saith There were seven years famine or ten years famine c. and that is enough and is used constantly to denote that there was famine so many years together and it never telleth that there was famine so many years year after year And therefore this expression here seemeth rather to joyn the three years of famine to the story before then to one another However we shall find a passage in the story of Davids numbring the people that directs us very well about the time of these years CHAP. XXI Vers. 15. to end I CHRON. XX. Vers. 4. to end THose Battels are of an uncertain date and therefore since there is no direction where to place them it is the safest way to take them in the order where they lye especially since both the Books of Samuel and the Chronicles have laid them in this place The Book of Samuel reckons four Battels and the Chronicles but three for that wherein David was in danger and could not come off with honour and safety is omitted The Book of Chronicles concealeth sometimes the dishonour of the Saints of God as it mentioneth not the fact of David with Uriah and his wife nor the Idolatry of Salomon c. The Book of Samuel calleth Elhanan the Son of Jaare Oregim a Bethlehemite and the Book of Chronicles calleth him the Son of Jair Now there is mention of Elhanan a Bethlehemite the Son of Dodo 1 Chron. 12. 26. and whether these were two men or only one and the same may well be questioned He is said to have slain Goliah 2 Sam. 21. 19. that is Lahmi Goliaths brother as the Book of Chronicles expounds it as by Michal is meant Michals Sister in the same Chapter of Samuel ver 8. CHAP. XXII PSAL. XVIII THere are two things that may seem to argue this not to be the proper place of this Psalm and Chapter 1. Because it was most especially composed upon Davids delivery from the hand of Saul as the title sheweth In the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies and out of the hand of Saul that is especially out of the hand of Saul as Josh. 2. 1. Go view the land and Jericho that is Jericho chiefly 2. Because the next Chapter in Samuel beginning thus And these are the latter words of David shewing that these of Chap. 22. were uttered a good while before them But howsoever this Song of deliverance might be penned by David many years a go upon his clear deliverance from all trouble by Saul and his Family yet is it most properly laid here and repeated by David at this time when now all his enemies had spit their venom and he was delivered from them all and now we hear of no more enemies of his stirring but himself an enemy to himself in numbring the people If any one will be so curious he may read Psal. 18. at the end of 2 Sam. 4. when David is quit from the trouble of Sauls house and he may read this 2 Sam. 22. which is the same thing again here CHAP. XXIII HEre are some words of David of a latter date 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be rendred Verba posteriora as well as Postrema The reason of the recital of his Worthies in this place was observed before CHAP. XXIV I CHRON. XXI David 39 DAVID numbreth the people by the provoking of Satan 1 Chron. 21. 1. and by the provoking of God 1 Sam. 24. 1. the former tending to a sin in David the latter tending to a punishment of Israel the Lord was displeased at them for so little regarding Davids Kingdom as he had been at David for the matter of Uriah and as he had been at Sauls house for the slaughter of the Gibeonites and therefore he giveth up David to a covetous thought to number the people that he might lay a tax upon every Poll. Joab hath here more piety at the least more policy then David and declines the business till master'd by Davids importunity He is nine moneths and twenty days upon his counting much near the counting-time of a woman with child and at last he bringeth in the number but here the account in the Book of Samuel doth differ exceedingly from the account in the Book of the Chronicles
the house of Rimmon the Lord pardon thy servant for this thing for so should the words be rendred as craving pardon for Idolatry past and not begging leave to be Idolatrous for the time to come Gehazies covetousness brings upon him Naamans Leprosie the Text hath divinely omitted a letter in one word that it might the more brand him with a blot for this his villany I will run after Naaman saith he and will take of him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a blot instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 somewhat ver 20. The third year Elisha maketh Iron to swim preventeth the Syrians ambushments and striketh those with blindness that were sent to catch him and bringeth them into the middest of Samaria and there feasteth them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chap. 6. 23. So the bands of Syria came no more as yet into the land of Israel for so the very next verse teacheth that it should be translated for it relateth that after this Benhadad gathered all his Host and besieged Samaria So is the like passage to be rendred 2 King 24. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the King of Aegypt came no more as yet or at that time out of his Land for in Jer. 37. 5. The King of Aegypt is a foot with his Army and abroad again The fourth year Jehoshaphat dieth Edom rebelleth and shaketh off Judahs yoke which David had laid upon them Till Jorams time there was no King in Edom of absolute power and rule but a Deputy under the Kings of Judah was King 1 King 22. 47. but now Edom revolteth from under the hand of Judah and made a King over themselves 2 King 8. 20. Then Libnah revolteth also Joram goeth against them and by night smiteth their Squadrons which were pitched about him to give him battel the next morning The fifth year Samaria is besieged by Benhadad and the famine becomes so great in the City that women eat their own Children as Deut. 28. 53. 56. and men women and children eat Doves dung All the fault is laid upon Elisha and he must be beheaded but he foretelleth a suddain and wonderful delivery and a strange and miraculous plenty which accordingly came to pass An unbelieving Prince is trod to death The sixth year Philistims and Arabians oppress Joram King of Judah and captive his wives and children leaving him only one son behind Here he is met with for the murder of his own Brethren The seventh year Joram is fallen into the sad disease of his bowels 2 Chron. 21. 19. And it came to pass after the end of two years his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness for he shewed no bowels to his brethren This year the famine endeth at Harvest and at that Harvest the Shunamites child dieth and is recovered by Elisha his death and reviving is related instantly after the Story of his birth though when he died he was able to follow the reapers because his Story might be related together and not long after his Mother goeth to the King to beg and petition to be setled in her estate again and there she finds leprous Gehazi with him The first verse of Chapter 8. should chronically be translated as of the time past Now Elisha had spoken to the woman c. ver 2. And the woman had risen and done after the saying of the man of God c. This year Elisha is at Damaseus Benhadad sick Hazael stifles him with a wet cloth and reigns in his stead 2 CHRON. XXII to ver 10. 2 KING VIII 25. to the end World 3117 Iehoram 8 Iehoram 12 Division 88 AHAZIAH the son of Joram reigneth and dieth this year by the sword of Jehu 2 King 8. 26. In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab King of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram King of Judah begin to reign Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign and he reigned one year in Jerusalem and his mothers name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri King of Israel And 2 King 9. 29. In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to raign over Judah 2 Chron. 22. 2. Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign c. Here the Reader seeth two plain and visible differences the one about the age of Ahaziah and the other about the time when he began to reign The same Book of Kings saith he began to raign in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab and he began to raign in the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab Now the reconciling of this difference is easie when it is observed that Joram the son of Ahab reigned one whole year in the life time of his father and eleven years afterward And so one Text calleth his last year his twelfth that is of his whole raign and another Text calleth it his eleventh that is of his sole reign after his fathers death But the other difference is both the more visible and the more difficult for the Book of Kings saith Ahaziah was but two and twenty years old when he began to raign and the Book of Chronicles saith he was two and forty and so this latter reckoning maketh him two years older then his father for his father began to raign when he was two and thirty years old and and reigned eight years and so died being forty 2 King 8. 17. Now for the reconciling of this scruple the Original helpeth us which in our translation is not visible The Original meaneth thus Ahaziah was the son of the two and forty years namely of the house of Omri of whose seed he was by the mothers side and he walked in the ways of that house and came to ruine at the same time with it This the Text directed us to look after when it calleth his mother the daughter of Omri which was indeed the daughter of Ahab Now these forty two years are easily reckoned by any that will count back in the Chronicle to the second of Omri Such another reckoning there is about Jechoniah or Jehojachin 2 King 24. 8. Jehojachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign But 2 Chron. 36. 9. Jehojachin was the son of the eight years That is his beginning of reign fell in the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar and of Judahs first captivity as shall be shewed there World 3117 Iehoram 8 Iehoram 12 Division 88 JORAM King of Israel fighteth at Ramoth Gilead is wounded comes to be healed of his wounds at Jezreel and is there slain by Jehu Ahaziah had been with Joram at Ramoth and is slain with Joram at Jezreel 2 CHRON. XXII vers 10 11 12. and 2 KING XI ver 1 2 3. World 3118 Athaliah 1 Iehu 1 Division 89 ATHALIAH destroyeth Athaliah 2 Iehu 2 Division 90 the rest of the Seed Royal Athaliah 3 Iehu 3 Division 91 that were left besides the forty Athaliah 4 Iehu 4 Division 92 two slain by Jehu she her Athaliah 5
the fury of thy wrath lay hold of them c. Which while the Master of the house is praying one runs to the gate or door of the house and sets it wide open in sign of their deliverance and in hope of Elias his coming to tell them of the approach of the Messias And presently in comes one cloathed in white that their children may believe that Elias is now come among them indeed And in the eleventh Chapter of the same book he relateth that every Sabbath day at night they call hard upon Elias and since he vouchsafed not to come among them on the Sabbath which is now past they earnestly intreat him that he would come the next Sabbath day And their Rabbins and Wisemen have taught them that Elias every Sabbath day sitting under the tree of life in Paradise takes account of and writeth down the good works of the Jews in their keeping of the Sabbath I shall trespass too much upon the Readers patience if I trouble him with any more such trash and ridiculous sluff as this is about this matter Ihave been the bolder with him that I might the more fully shew the earnest and foolish expectation of that blinded Nation in this particular I shall only crave leave to alledge some few expressions more out of their own Authors upon this subject that here once for all their doctrine and opinion of the coming of Elias which cometh in mention now and then in the Evangelists may be handled and may trouble us no more Their second and greater expectation then of Elias is that he will come visibly and bodily before the coming of the Messias and that he will do great things when he cometh The Disciples well knew and spake the common opinion of the Nation when upon our Saviours discourse concerning his own resurrection they make this reply Why then say the Scribes that Elias must first come Matth. 17. 10. And so are their Authors full of assertions to such a purpose The four Carpenters in Zechary saith Rabbi Simeon are Messias ben David Messias ben Joseph Elias and the Priest of righteousness vid. Kimch in Zech. 1. Elias shall restore three things in Israel saith Rabbi Tanchuma the pot of Manna the cruse of the anointing oyl and the cruse of water And as some say also Aarons rod with its blossoms and almonds Tauch on Exod. 1. The Talmudists in Erubhim Perek 4. are discoursing of this coming of Elias and inquiring the time and they have this conclusion That Israel is assured that Elias will not come but on the evening of the Sabbaths or on the evening of Feastival days and when he cometh they shall say to the great Sanhedrin He is come fol. 43. And in the Treatise of the Sabbath they intimate that one work of Elias when he thus cometh shall be to destroy Every one say they that observes stedfastly three repasts on the Sabbath is delivered from three vengeances From Messias his destroying from the Judgment of hell and from the war of Gog and Magog From the destruction of Messias It is written here The day viz. remember the Sabbath day and it is written there Behold I send unto you Elias the Prophet before the day come c. Perek 16. fol. 118. And in a common and current proverb among them they hold that another work of Elias when he cometh shall be to resolve doubts and scruples and to unite doctrinal knots And that he shall purifie Bastards and make them fit to come into the congregation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Kimch in Zech. 9. And that he shall be one of the seven Shepherds and eight principal ones mentioned Michah 5. 5. Our Rabbins say Who are the seven Shepherds David in the middle Seth Enoch and Methuselah on his right hand and Abraham and Jacob and Moses on his left And who are the Eight principal ones Jesse Saul Samuel Amos Zephany Ezekiah Elias and Messiah Kimch in Mich. 5. And for this coming of Elias doth Elias Levita so heartily pray in Tisbi in rad Tishbi Elias was in the days of Gibeah So let it be Gods good will that he may be with us in this time and let that verse be accomplished upon us Behold I send you Elias So is the prayer of Elias the Author By these and divers other speeches of the like nature which might be produced out of the Hebrew Authors shewing the common opinion of that people concerning the coming of Elias bodily before the coming of Christ it is no wonder if when the Jews saw so eminent a man as John the Baptist come in so powerful a way of Ministry so great a change of a Sacrament and so strict austerity of life they question with themselves and with him whether he be not the Messias and when he denies that then whether he be not Elias But it is some wonder and that the rather because our Saviour hath long ago resolved what was meant by that place of the Prophet Behold I send Elias and hath plainly told that John the Baptist was the Elias that was to come I say it is a wonder this considered that ever this Jewish opinion of Elias coming before the coming of the Messias should be so transplanted into the hearts of Christians under this notion of Elias his coming before Christs second coming as that so many understand it as literally personally and really as ever the grossest Jew in Judea did It were endless to reckon their names both Ancient and Modern that have verily believed and as boldly asserted that Enoch and Elias shall come visibly and bodily to destroy Antichrist to convert the Jews and to build up the elect in the faith of Christ. He that desires names may see enow in Bellarmine de Roman Pontif. lib. 3. cap. 6. where he proves that the Pope is not Antichrist by this argument that Elias and Enoch never came against him in Cornel. a Lapide in Apocal. 11. where he holds the two witnesses to be these two men Enoch and Elias It is somewhat beside our work to take up this controversie in this place but it may not be besides the advantage of the Reader to take up two or three considerations upon this matter and to ruminate and study upon them towards the confutation of this groundless opinion 1. That the great and terrible day of the Lord before which Elias was promised to come is exceedingly mistaken by those that understand it of the day of Judgment for it meaneth only the day of the destruction of Jerusalem as might be proved at large by divers other places of Scripture where the same phrase is used And the like misconstruction is there of the phrase in the last days by taking it for the last days of the world whereas it meaneth only the last days of Jerusalem 2. Those two witnesses mentioned Rev. 11. upon whom there are so various glosses and different opinions are pictured and charactered out like Moses and Elias
double benefit the one to keep up the Cawsey on either side that it should not fall down and the other was to make the King a pleasant walk and shade with Trees on either side as he came and went And so they render that Verse in Esai 6. 13. where the word is only used besides in all the Bible In it shall be a tenth and it shall return and be eaten as a Teyle-Tree or aâ— an Oak by Shallecheth that is as the rows of Trees on the sides of this Cawsey SECT II. Parbar Gate 1 Chron. XXVI 18. FROM the Gate Shallecheth or Coponius that lay most North on this Western quarter let us walk toward the South and the next Gate we come to was called Parbar of this there is mention in the Book of Chronicles in the place alledged where the Holy Ghost relating the disposal of the Porters at the several Gates of the Mountain of the House saith At Parbar Westward two at the Cawsey and two at Parbar By which it is apparent sufficiently that this Gate was in the West quarter and reasonably well apparent that it was the next Gate to the Cawsey or Shallecheth because it is so named with it but by that time we have fully surveyed the situation of it it will appear to have been so plain enough The word Parbar admitteth of a double construction for it either signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An outer place a a a Gloss. in Tamid per. 1. Kimch in 1 Chron. XXVI Aruch in voce c. as many of the Jews do construe it or it concurrs with the signification of the word Parvar which differs but one letter from it and that very near and of an easie change which betokeneth Suburbs both in the Hebrew Text 2 Kings XXIII 11. and in the Chaldee Tongue as b b b Kimch in 2 King XXIII David Kimchi averreth there And here Josephus his words which we produced a little before may be taken up again and out of all together we may observe the situation of the Gate in mention He saith That of the four Gates upon this Western quarter one led towards the Kings Palace that is Shallecheth that we have viewed already and the two next 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into the Suburbs These Suburbs that he meaneth were indeed that part of the City which in Scripture is called Millo which was the valley at the West end of Mount Moriah in which Jerusalem and Sion met and saluted each other replenished with buildings by David and Solomon in their times 2 Sam. V. 9. and 1 Kings 11. 27. and taken in as part and Suburbs of Sion and so owned always in after times And to this purpose is the expression of Josephus in his words that we have in hand observable when he saith that two of these Western Gates were into the Suburbs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the other into the other City that is into Jerusalem which he maketh as another City from the Suburbs of which he spake Take the word Parbar therefore in either of the significations that have been mentioned either for an outer place or for the Suburbs this Gate that we have in survey might very properly be called by that name because it was a passage from the Temple into Millo which was an outer place and the Suburbs of Sion distinguished and parted from Sion by a Wall yet a member of it and belonging to it Now whereas the other Gate that stood next to this that we are about toward the South did lead also into the Suburbs as well as this as is apparent from Josephus yet is it not called by the same name Parbar the reason of this may be given because it bare a name peculiar and proper suitable to that singular use to which it was designed or to that place where it was set rather than suitable to that place whither it gave passage And here because we are in mention of the Suburbs it may not be amiss to look a little upon that Text that speaketh of the Suburbs and out of which we have taken that signification of the word Parbar namely 2 Kings XXIII 11. It is said there that Josiah took away the Horses that the Kings of Judah had given to the Sun at the entring in of the House of the Lord by the Chamber of Nathan Melech the Chamberlain which was in the Suburbs Whether these Horses were given to the Sun to be sacrificed to it or to ride on to meet and salute the Sun-rising as the Jews suppose we shall not trouble our selves to enquire into it is the place that we have to look after at this time rather than the thing These Stables of such Horses and it is like the Kings common Stables were in the same place are said to be in the Suburbs and at the entring in of the House of the Lord and we cannot better allot the place than that whereupon we are namely that they stood here in Millo before this Gate Parbar or thereabout and from thence there was a way to bring the Horses up to the Kings House when the King would use either those Horses that they had dedicated to the Sun for their irreligious use or their other Horses for their common use As they went out of Millo to rise up into Sion they passed through a Gate which was in the Wall that parted between Millo and Sion which Wall and Gate was but a little below the Cawsey that went up to the Gate Shallecheth and this helpeth to understand that passage about Athaliah's death 2 Kings XI 11. They laid hands on her and she went by the way by which the Horses came into the Kings House and there she was sâ—ain That is they got her out of the Mountain of the Temple brought her down by the Gate Shallecheth and the Cawsey and when she came near the Horse Gate through which the horses went up out of the Stables in Millo to the Kings house there they slew her There was a Horse gate indeed in the main wall of the City on the East part of it Neh. III. 28. Jer. XXXI 39. but that was distinct from this which was peculiar for the Kings Horses and therefore a distinctive Character is set upon this namely that it was the Horse gate towards the Kings House 2 Chron. XXIII 15. It should be rendred towards the Kings House rather than by the Kings House for neither of these gates either that on the East which was a gate of the City nor this on the West which was a gate into Millo were near the Kings House but a good distance off See the Seventy there SECT III. The two Gates and House of Asuppim IN the story of the designing of the Porters to their several places and charges in Chron. XXVI 15 17. it is said thus To Obed Edom South ward and to his Sons the House of Asuppim Eastward were six Levites Northward four a day Southward four
with the floor of the East-gate or the Gate Nicanor but the floor of the Court of the Priests was two cubits and an half higher and the rising thus Imagine you came up from the Gate of Nicanor or rather imagine the Levites coming up from it with their Musical Instruments in their Hands which we observed before they laid up in rooms just under the Court of Israel but the Doors of those rooms opening into the Court of the Women when they were risen the many steps into the Gate of Nicanor and were come thorough it they had on either Hand a fair passage into the Cloister or Court of the People such another as he hath that cometh upon the Royal Exchange either out of Cornhil or Bartlemew-lane he may step into the Cloister walk on whether Hand he will they walked upon even ground till they came over the breadth of the Court of the People or to the Pillars which were on the further side of that Court which bare up the Cloister and distinguished the Court of the People and the Court of the Priests one from another Then was there a rising of two cubits and an half but stepped up thus f f f Id. ibid. Mid. per. 2. § ◠First there was a step of a cubit high and then three steps of half a cubit high a piece thus it was as you went directly up from the Gate of Nicanor forwards But if you would turn on either Hand there were the Desks or standings of the Levites where they stood to Sing and to make their Musick made with steps as even as that middle rising just now mentioned first a rising of a cubit height and that ran along at that height all along before the Rails and Pillars that parted twixt the Court of the Priests and Court of People and then were there three steps up of half a cubit high a piece and on the highest step stood the Levites with their Instruments and their Song their Feet even with the Floor of the Court of the Priests and a Desk before them Elias Levita it seems observed not this rising both into the Court and in the Levites station when he saith g g g Elias in Tishbi in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dukan which was the name of their Desks and which the Learned render Suggestus or Pulpitum was nothing else but a bench or form whereon they stood for their Feet stood even with the floor of the Court and were not raised above it at all His words are these I wonder at this Targum on Psalm CXXXIV Lift up your Hands O ye Priests upon the holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For behold 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bench on which the Levites stood when they Sung and it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dukan in the Arabick but in the Dutch and Vulgar Bauca In this construction of it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bench and owning it for an Arabick word he followeth h h h Aruch in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aruch verbatim but I confess I do not very well understand the cause of his wonder especially considering what he saith before the words cited namely this We call the place where the Priests lifted up their Hands when they blessed the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dukan and so is the Targum Lift up your Hands O ye Priests on the holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and at this I wonder Now if he wonder that the Targum hath brought in the Priest blessing the People from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Desk or Pulpit in that Psalm he might have found the like in other places For the Chaldee of Jonathan upon the Law doth thus render the 23 verse of the sixth of Numbers i i i Targ. Jonathi in legem in Numb VI. Speak to Aaron and his Sons saying Thus shall ye bless the Children of Israel spreading their hands upon the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dukana and they shall speak to them in this manner where the Hebrew Gloss in the Margin interprets it k k k Glossa marg ibid. by spreading their Hands in the place called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dukana and a little after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The benched place called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dukan And so the large Chaldee Paraphrase upon the Canticles Glosseth the seventh verse of the third Chapter Behold his bed which is Solomons threescore Valiant Men are about it thus l l l Targ. in Cant. III. when Solomon the King of Israel built the House of the Sanctuary of the Lord in Jerusalem the Lord said by his Word How beautiful is this House of the Sanctuary which is built to me by King Solomon the Son of David and how beautiful are the Priests when they spread forth their Hands and stand upon their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dukan and bless the People the House of Israel by the threescore wonders that were delivered to Moses their Master But it seems his wonder is at this that the Jews so generally and the Chaldee Paraphrase particularly should hold that the Priests when they blessed the People stood upon the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dukan whereas the Dukan or these Desks were for the Levites and not for the Priests And if I did conceive that they meant these very Desks of the Levites when they say the Priests stood in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dukan and blessed the People I should wonder with him also but I suppose they meant some other Desks appropriate to the Priests for this purpose or the place of the Priests standing when they blessed the People and as by a name best known they call it Dukan The words of the Talmud in description of these Desks where the Levites stood to Sing and to make their Musick are these m m m Mid. per. 2 Rabbi Eliezer the Son of Jacob saith There was a rising viz. out of the Court of the People into the Court of the Priests and it was a cubit high and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dukan was set above it and in that there were three steps of half a cubit high a piece So that the Court of the Priests is found to be higher than the Court of Israel by two cubits and an half So that it appears indeed that the Levites stood upon raised steps in their Desks but it is plain withal that the highest step was no higher than the floor of the Court before them and that that step whereon they stood was not called the Dukan but the whole place of the three steps rising And thus were the eleven cubits of the Court of the Priests at this East quarter of the Court taken up and divided Namely two cubits and an half taken up by the Desks of the Singers for as was the height of the steps so was their breadth and eight cubits and an half
of the place is that Christ shining forth in the light of the Gospel is a light that lightens all the world the light of the Law shone only upon the Jews but this light spreads wider even over the face of the whole earth VERS XII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He gave them power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He empower'd them So Eccl. V. 19. VI. 2. He gave them the priviledg the liberty the dignity of being call'd and becoming the Sons of God Israel was once the Son and the first-born Exod. IV. 22. but now the adoption of Sons to God was open and free to all Nations whatever VERS XIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which were born not of blood IT may be a question here whether the Evangelist in this place opposeth regeneration to natural generation or only to those ways by which the Jews fancy'd men were made the Sons of God Expositors treat largely of the former let us a little consider the latter I. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not of bloods Observe the Plural number k k k k k k Shemoth rabba Sect. 19. Our Rabbins say that all Israel had thrown off Circumcision in Egypt but at length they were circumcised 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the blood of the Passover was mingled with the blood of the circumcised and God accepted every one of them and kissed them l l l l l l Gloss. in Vajicra rab fol. 191. I said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 while thou wert in thy bloods live i. e. In the twofold blood that of the Passover and that of the Circumcision The Israelites were brought into Covenant by three things by Circumcision by Washing and by offering of Sacrifices In the same manner an heathen if he would be admitted into Covenant he must of necessity be circumcised baptised and offer sacrifice m m m m m m Maimon Issure◠biah cap. 13. We see how 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of bloods of the Passover and Circumcision they say the Israelites were recover'd from their degeneracy and how 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the bloods of Circumcision and Sacrifices with the addition only of washing they suppos'd the Gentiles might become the Sons of God being by their Proselytism made Israelites and the children of the Covenant for they knew of no other adoption or Sonship II. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the will of the flesh In the same sense wherein the Patriarchs and other Jews were ambitious by many wives to multiply children to themselves as being of the seed of Israel and children of the Covenant III. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the will of man in that sense wherein they coveted so many proselytes to admit them into the Religion of the Jews and so into Covenant and Sonship with God These were the ways by which the Jews thought any became the Sons of God that is by being made Israelites But it is far otherwise in the adoption and Sonship that accrues to us by the Gospel VERS XIV 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The glory as of the only begotten THIS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place imports the same thing as worthy We saw his glory as what was worthy or became the only begotten Son of God He did not glister in any worldly pomp or grandeur according to what the Jewish Nation fondly dream'd their Messiah would do but he was deckt with the glory of holiness grace truth and the power of miracles VERS XVI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And grace for grace HE appear'd amongst us full of grace and truth and all we who convers'd with him and saw his glory of his fulness did receive grace and truth Nay further we receiv'd grace toward the propagation of grace i. e. the grace of Apostleship that we might dispense and propagate the grace of the Gospel toward others that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denotes the end or design of a thing very frequently there are hardly any but must needs know VERS XXI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Art thou that Prophet THAT is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. IX 8 19. One of the old Prophets that was risen again I. The Masters of Traditions were wont to say that the spirit of Prophesie departed from Israel after the death of Zachary and Malachy So that we do not find they expected any Prophet till the days of the Messiah nor indeed that any in that interim of time did pretend to that character II. They believ'd that at the coming of the Messiah the Prophets were to rise again a a a a a a Sanhedr fol. 91. 2. They watchmen shall lift up the voice with the voice together shall they sing Isa. LII 8. R. Chaia bar Abba and R. Johanan say All the Prophets shall put forth a song with one voice b b b b b b Ibid. fol. 92. 2. All the just whom God shall raise from the dead shall not return again into the dust Gloss. Those whom he shall raise in the days of the Messiah To this Resurrection of the Saints they apply that of Micah V. 5. c c c c c c Succah fol. 51. 2. We shall raise against him seven shepherds David in the middle Adam Seth Methusalem on his right hand Abraham Jacob and Moses on his left And eight principal men but who are these Jess Saul Samuel Amos Zephany Zedechiah or rather Hezekiah as Kimch in loc Messiah and Elijah But indeed saith R. Solomon I do not well know whence they had these things Nor indeed do I. The Greek Interpreters instead of eight principal men have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eight bitings of men a very forreign sense They mistook in reading the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for which they read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hence by how much nearer still the Kingdom of Heaven or the expected time of Messiah's coming drew on by so much the more did they dream of the Resurrection of the Prophets And when any person of more remarkable gravity piety and holiness appear'd amongst them they were ready to conceive of him as a Prophet raised from the dead Mat. XVI 14. That therefore is the meaning of this question 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Art thou one of the Prophets rais'd from the dead VERS XXV 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Why then baptisest thou THE Jews likewise expected that the world should be renew'd at the coming of the Messiah d d d d d d Sanhedr fol. 52. 2. In those years wherein God will renew his world Aruch quoting these words adds In those thousand years So also the Gloss upon the place Amongst other things they expected the purifying of the unclean R. Solom upon Ezek. XXXVI 26. I will expiate you and remove your uncleanness by the sprinkling of the water of purification Kimchi upon Zach. IX 6. The Rabbins of Blessed memory have a Tradition that Elias will purifie the bastards and restore them to the Congregation You have the
Family and of a good Name and Estate Her Mother was an Aston of the family of the Lord Aston of Tixal but before they were Papists This their Daughter was the youngest if I mistake not of nine Sisters all the rest that lived having been married into worshipful Families there In the Church of Stone in that County where the Doctor sometime was Minister there remains the Pourtraiture of them all with three Sons and their Father and Mother in Brass She was first wedded to Mr. Copwood a Gentleman of a good Estate in that County by whom she had two Sons and one Daughter The Sons since died but the Daughter is now living and married there and inherits the Estate The Relict of this Gentleman the Doctor became acquainted withal when he lived in Sir R. Cottons family and not long after married her himself being yet young By whom he had issue four Sons and two Daughters To one of which the Lady Cotton was Godmother His eldest son was John who was Chaplain to the late Right Reverend Father in God Brian Lord Bishop of Chester the famous Undertaker of the Polyglot By whom this Mr. Lightfoot was much esteemed but died soon after his Lord and Patron and lies buried in the Cathedral Church aforesaid He had six Daughters all now deceased but two who live at Chester Anastasius was his second Son who had also these additions to that name viz. Cottonus Jacksonus in memory of Sir Rouland Cotton and Sir John Jackson two dear friends of the Doctors This was also a Clergy-man Incumbent of Thundridg in Hertfordshire and died there leaving one Son still living The third Son was Athanasius brought up a Trades Man in London deceased also And his fourth Son Thomas died young His Daughters were Joyce now the worthy consort of Mr. John Duckfeild Rector of Aspeden in Hartfordshire whom I must not name but with an addition of respect for communicating to me most of the Papers and original MSS. and Letters of Dr. Lightfoot and others that I have made use of both in these relations and in the published Sermons And Sarah now a Widdow formerly married to one Mr. Colclough a Gentleman of Staffordshire deceased This pious Matron and discreet Wife the Doctor buried in the year 1656. in his Church of Munden after he had lived well near thirty years with her Afterwards he took to Wife Anne the Relict of Mr. Austin Brograve Uncle to Sir Thomas before spoken of By her he had no issue Whom he likewise survived She died also at Munden and was buried there His pious Father Thomas Lightfoot hath a great but a true character given of him in the Account of the Doctors Life I shall only add the Inscription upon his Monument as it now is in the Church of Uttoxeter a Copy whereof Mr. Michael Edge the present or late Minister there communicated to us composed as it seems by his Learned Son Peter Lightfoot Physician lately deceased M. S. Huc oculos Lacrymas O Viator Qui veteri studes Veritati Pietati Charitati Huc ubi teipsum es olim celaturus THOMAS LIGHTFOOTE Verbi divini per annos 56 fidelissimus Minister Ecclesiae hujus per annos 36 Vigilantissimus Pastor Vir antiquorum morum primaevae sanctitatis Coruscantis zeli doctrinae Virtutis exempli Vir verum exscribens virum Pastor pastorem Sudore semper squallidus at formosus pastorali Salutem suam anhelans semper aliorum Gloriam magni Pastoris ambiendo indefessus Annis satur tandem bonis operibus Confectus studendo docendo faciendo patiendo Onustus spoliis de Satana triumphatis Idemque improborum odiis beate oneratus Hic suaviter in Christo obdormit Abstersis lacrymis sudoribus Et Vivacissimus Resurrecturus Unaque ELIZABETH tori-consors pietatis Digno Conjuge Conjux digna Obiit ille Iulii 21. 1653. Aetat 81. Obiit illa Ianuarii 24. 1636. Aetat 71. And let me add as a Coronis an Epitaph which the same Mr. Thomas Lightfoot had prepared for himself and which was found in his Study after his decease Which I adjoyn to let the World see somewhat as well of the pious and heavenly breathing mind as the Scholarship of that Man from whom our Doctor was derived THOMAS LIGHTFOOT Olim superstes nunc defunctus alloquitur amicos suos qui in Vivis sunt En mea tam multis puppis quassata procellis Nunc tandem portum fracta quietis habet Nil scopulos ultra bibulas nil curat arenas Istius aut mundi quae mare monstra parit Namque mare est mundus puppis vaga corpus obumbrat Atque animam signat navita quisque suam Portam quam petimus coelum est sed aura salutis Quae navim impellit Spiritus ille Dei est Solvite felices igitur portumque tenete Post aerumnosae turbida damna maris Sed non ante datur portum contingere quam sit Fract a per undosum vestra carina mare XIV His last Sickness and Death AND now we are arrived at the last scene of this great and good Mans life In the later end of the year 1675. that year when Colds were so rife and so mortal our Doctor going to his residence at Ely fell into one of these Colds which he complaining of was persuaded to eat a Red Herring and to drink two or three glasses of Claret The former he easily did but the later he was more difficultly drawn to having always used to drink nothing but small Beer or Water This little Wine according to the judgment of his Physician cast him into a Fever or at least heightned it The disease much affected his head so that he lay dozing and slumbering saying but little only when any asked him how he did he would devoutly say In the Hands of a good God which he repeated often His behaviour all the time of his sickness was with exceeding much meekness patience and silence speaking much with God and himself but little as I said to others When Dr. Callamy then a Fellow of Katharine Hall went to Ely to Visit him he found him in this condition using very few words when he asked him if he had made his Will and settled his Secular affairs he answered He had and told him where his Will was His Physicians were Dr. Gosnald of Cambridge and Dr. Hicks of Ely Dr. Mapletoft the Reverend Dean and Dr. Womock a Prebend there now Lord Bishop of S. Davids were his chief Visitants who performed the Offices of the Church with him Thus he lay near a fortnight and then rendred up his Pious and Virtuous Soul into the Hands of his good God in a good old age being seventy four years old within some few months and yet might have lived much longer if one may gather conjectures of the length of Mens lives by their healthfulness and vivacity But besides his years his Works and the excellent service he did in his generation would have
and only salve it with making a statute for her yearly lamentation In some time of the Judges the High-priesthood is translated from the line of Eleazer to the line of Ithamar as appeareth in Eli in the beginning of the Book of Samuel Now in all the story of the Judges we find not any one thing so likely to be the cause of rooting out of that house from the Priest-hood as about this matter of Jephtah they not instructing him better but suffering such a butchery for a sacrifice Jephtah hath a new quarrel with the Ephraimites and slayeth 42000 of them discovering them by the mis-pronouncing of a letter he might have offered many words that had Sh double in them as Shemesh the Sun Shelosha three Shalsheleh a chain but the word proposed is Shiboleh because of the present occasion It signifieth a stream and the Ephraimites are put to call the stream that they desired to pass over by the right name and they could not name it CHAP. XII Vers. 8 9 10. World 2825 Iephtach 1 Iephtach 2 IBSAN judgeth seven years He was a man of Bethlehem and thereupon Iephtach 3 imagined by the Jews to be Boaz without any ground or reason for since Iephtach 4 Iephtach 5 Rahab the mother of Boaz was taken into the Congregation of Israel were 270 Iephtach 6 years and then guess whether Boaz be likely to be active now Ibsan is renowned Iephtach 7 for the number and equality of the number of his sons and daughters CHAP. XIII And CHAP. XII Vers. 11 12. World 2832 Elon 1 ELON judgeth ten years He was a Galilean of Zebulon In the tenth Elon 2 year of Ibsan the Philistims forty years of oppressing begin mentioned Elon 3 Chap. 13. verse 1. Samson is born about this year if not in it for when the Elon 4 Angel telleth of his conception the Philistims were lords over Israel see Elon 5 verse 5. The story of his birth is joyned to the story of his life that there Elon 6 might be no interruption in the story of the Judges before him and that the Elon 7 whole history of his life and birth might lie together but in Chronical Series Elon 8 it lieth about the beginning of the rule of Elon Elon 9 Elon 10 JESSE the father of DAVID born by this time if not before CHAP. XII Vers. 13 14 15. World 2842 Elon 1 ABDON judgeth eight years He is exceedingly renowned for his Elon 2 children having as many young Nobles and Gallants to his sons and Elon 3 granchildren as would make a whole Sanhedrin namely seventy and himself Elon 4 the Head He was an Ephraimite of Pirathon and so Josephs glory Elon 5 shineth again in Ephraim as it had done in Joshua before the time of the Elon 6 Judges and had done in Manasseh in the Judges times in Gedeon Jair Elon 7 and Jephtah Ephraims low estate in the matter of Abimelech and Shechem is Elon 8 now somewhat recovered in Abdon CHAP. XIV XV. XVI World 2850 Elon 1 SAMSON judgeth twenty years A man of Dan and so as Ephraim Elon 2 and Dan had bred the first Idolatry they yield the last Judges he Elon 3 was born supernaturally of a barren woman and becomes the first Nazarite Elon 4 we have upon record He killeth a lion without any weapons findeth honey Elon 5 in the carkass proposeth a parable to thirty Philistim gallants which Elon 6 in three days they cannot unriddle and on the seventh day saith the Text Elon 7 they said unto his wife Perswade thy husband Chap. 14. vers 15. That is Elon 8 on the Sabbath day their irreligiousness not minding that day and now Elon 9 finding the fittest opportunity of talking with his wife alone Samson being Elon 10 imployed about the Sabbath duties He pays them with their own Countrymens Elon 11 spoil Fires the Philistims corn with three hundred Foxes is destroying Elon 12 them all his life but destroys more at his death A type of Christ. Elon 13 It is observable that the Philistims are said to bear rule and oppress Israel Elon 14 all Samsons days Chap. 13. 1. The Lord delivered Israel into the hands of the Elon 15 Philistims forty year and Chap. 15. 20. And Samson judged Israel in the days Elon 16 of the Philistims twenty years This helpeth clearly to understand that the Elon 17 years of the oppressours are included in the years of the Judge and so Elon 18 endeth the Chronicle of the Book of Judges in the death of Samson though Elon 19 the posture of the Book it self do end in another story No Judge of all Elon 20 the twelve had fallen into the enemies hand and under their abuse but only Samson but he slayeth more at his death then while he was living The first Book of SAMUEL THIS Book containeth an History of 80 years viz. from the death of Samson who died by his own hand gloriously to the death of Saul who died by his own hand wretchedly This time was divided into two equal portions namely 40 years to Eli 1 Sam. 4. 18. and 40 years to Samuel and Saul Acts 13. 21. CHAP. I. II. III. World 2870 Eli 1 ELI judgeth 40 years He was of Ithamar For Eleazers line had lost the Eli 2 High Priest-hood in the times of the Judges It had been in that family Eli 3 seven generations viz. Eleazar Phineas Abishua Bukki Uzzi Zerahiah Meraioth Eli 4 Eli 5 1 Chron. 6. 4 5 6. and there it failed till the seventh generation after Eli 6 namely through the times of Amaziah Ahitub Zadok Ahimaaz Azaria Johanan Eli 7 and then comes Azariah and he executes this Office in the Temple Eli 8 that Solomon built 1 Chron. 6. 7 8 9 10. observe these six that failed of the Eli 9 high Priest-hood left out of the Genealogy Ezra 7. 3 4. Eli was the first of Eli 10 the other line that obtained it and it run through these descents Eli Phineas Eli 11 Ahitub Ahimelech Abiathar 1 Sam. 14. 3. 22. 20. 1 King 2. 26. SAMUEL Eli 12 Eli 13 the son of his mothers prayers tears and vows was born in * * * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Sam. 1. 1. that is of one of the two Ramahs to wit that of the Zophites of the hill country of Ephraim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be construed as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 1 Sam. 18. 2. one of two and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be construed as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Josh. 21. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 1. 39 5. Not the hill of Ephraim but the hill country Aramathea the Eli 14 twentieth from Levi of the off-spring of Korah who was swallowed up of Eli 15 the ground 1 Chron. 6. and Numb 26. 11. He had murmured at the Priesthood Eli 16 and Magistracy and now one of his line is raised up to repair both when Eli 17 they are decaied Samuel was a vowed Nazarite and dedicated at the
and from henceforth nothing can stand before it and to rebel against it is to rebel against Christ Psal. 2. 6 7. c. Now the Kings command was to be kept because of the Oath of God made to him Eccles. 8. 2. David subdueth Gath and her Towns called Metheg Ammah or the bridle of Ammah because there was a continual Garrison of the Philistims in the Hill Ammah 2 Sam. 2. 25. which the David 13 Philistims of Gath used as a bridle to curb those parts He killeth Moab to a David 14 third part laying them on the ground and measuring them with a cord who David 15 David 16 should be slain and who should live This he calleth The measuring of the Valley David 17 of Succoth Psal. 60. 10. He subdueth Hadadezer and taketh from him 20000 David 18 men and 1000 Chariots and 7000 Horsemen that attended them seven men David 19 to a Chariot He spoils them all but 100 Chariots and reserves 700 Horsemen David 20 for them Of Syria Damascus he destroies 22000 men PSAL. LX. AFTER the 12 verse of 2 Sam. 8. the sixtieth Psalm is to be taken in whose Title telleth that it was made by David when he strove with Aram Naharaim and with Aram Zobah that is with Hadadezer King of Zobah when he went to fortifie himself with Aram Naharaim as 2 Sam. 8. 3. when Joab returned and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand Now this was a different victory from that which is mentioned in the very next verse of Abishai slaying of Edom in the valley of salt eighteen thousand For there is not only a visible difference between the persons Joab and Abishai and between the numbers 12000 and 18000. But the Text relateth expresly that before that victory of Abishai over Edom David had taken spoil from Edom and from Amalck which were of Edom. PSAL. CVIII AFTER the thirteenth verse of 1 Sam. 8. is Psal. 108. to be taken in being the very same in substance with the sixtieth And as that doth tell in the Title that it was made upon Joabs Victory of 12000 Edomites so may it be well conceived that this was made upon Abishai's victory of 18000. I KING XI ver 15. to ver 21. HERE cometh in this Story of Hadad c. the reading of vers 15. it helpeth to illustrate the matters mentioned next before CHAP. IX David 21 IT was about this time that David requites Jonathans kindness to his Son David 22 Mephibosheth Mephibosheth was five years old when his father died 2 Sam. David 23 4. 4. and so he was 25 years old in the twentieth of Davids reign he hath a David 24 son when David begins to own him which is committed to Ziba to be looked to and attended CHAP. X. I CHRON. XIX David 25 HANUN basely abuseth Davids Messengers They came to mourn with him and comfort him and he instead of rent Garments which was the garb of mourners cuts off their Garments to their buttocks and cutteth off half their beards whereas it was abomination to them to have any cutting of their hair for the dead at all Levit. 19. 27. Deut. 14. 1. Hanun hireth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Chron. 19. 7. Thirty two thousand men with Chariots for so should it be rendred since it is apparent by 2 Sam. 10. 6. that 20000 of this number were Footmen After the foiling of this Army David again foileth Hadadezer and slayeth of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Chron. 19. 18. Seven thousand men with Chariots that is 700 Chariots 2 Sam. 10. 18. with ten men attending every Chariot He slayeth also 40000 Horse-men 2 Sam. 10. 18. which in the Book of Chronicles is expressed 40000 footmen that is so many men Horse and Foot which fought not in Chariots or with them but without CHAP. XI all I CHRON. XX. ver 1. to this Clause And Ioab smote Rabbah c. David 26 DAVID adulterateth Uriahs wife maketh him drunk and slayeth him Uriah was a proselited Canaanite some remnant of the sons of Heth about Hebron see Gen. 23. 2 3. Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam 2 Sam. 11. 7. or Ammiel 1 Chron. 3. 5. of Lodebar beyond Jordan 2 Sam. 9. 5. 17 27. CHAP. XII To Vers. 15. and the first Clause of that verse And Nathan went to his own house NATHAN the Prophet that had been sent to tell David of good things to his house is now sent to tell him some bad By an exquisite parable he bringeth him to condemn himself and by a terrible threatning to confess his sin c. PSAL. LI. DEsire of pardon of sin is the fruit of pardon of sin David had been just now told that his sin was forgiven and now he doth earnestly apply himself to beg the forgiveness of it The Title of the Psalm doth plainly speak for the time and place of it David nameth one of his sons by Bathsheba Nathan after the name of the Prophet 1 Chron. 3. 5. Zach. 12. 12. And this was that son of whom Christ descended Luke 3. 31. and thus David both shewed his belief of the promise that Nathan had told him of when he brought him good tidings and his repentance for that sin that Nathan checkt him for when he brought him bad CHAP. XII From vers 15. And the Lord strake the child c. to vers 24. David 27 THE child begotten in adultery dieth uncircumcised David had been certainly told by Nathan that he should die Yet he beggeth for his life CHAP. XII from vers 28. to the end I CHRON. XX. vers 1. And Ioab smote Rabbah and destroyed it and vers 2 3. JOAB taketh part of Rabbah namely that part where the Court lay and David comes and takes the rest and puts the Ammonites to exquisite tortures CHAP. XIII all David 28 AMNON defloureth Tamar his own sister Compare this incest of Davids eldest son with that of Reuben Jacobs eldest son Gen. 35. 22. And this rape of Tamar with the rape of Dinah Gen. 34. And this Tamar incestuated by her own brother with Tamar incestuated by her own father in Law Gen. 38. David 29 Absalom calleth Amnon Aminon scornfully ver 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hath Aminon thy brother been with thee Absalom murdereth Amnon Here observe the hand and proceeding of justice As David had committed adultery made Uriah drunk and then murdered him so Amnon committeth incest is made drunk and then murdered And as Amnon had committed his villany at his meat so at his meat he is met with punishment Absalom upon the fact fled to Geshur to Talmai who was his Grandfather See 2 Sam. 3. 3. CHAP. XII vers 24 25. David 30 SALOMON born and called Jedidiah the Lords beloved The Story of his birth is joyned to the Story of the child that died that Gods reconciliation to David might be shewed instantly after the relation of his anger against him His anger was shewed in taking away that child that was
conceived in adultery His reconciliation is shewed in the Lords delighting in a child born in wedlock of the same woman His birth is mentioned before the taking of Rabbah though it were long after because the Text having Bathsheba's story David 31 in hand it would conclude it altogether Absalom in this year in exile at Geshur Absalom still at Geshur CHAP. XIV c. David 32 ABSALOM still at Geshur but this year begged home again by Joab and by a suborned woman Her speech to David is very obscure and intricate if not very well looked into and considered She first proposeth a story parable wise of one of her sons murdering another as Absalom had done Amnon and the danger of the slayer for the fact if the King should not remedy it To this the King answers her Go to thine house and I will give charge concerning thee ver 8. And the woman said unto the King The iniquity be on me and on my fathers house and the King and his throne be guiltless vers 9. Her meaning in plain terms was this Well thou givest me such an answer and dispatch as may possibly bring the blood upon thine own head and upon thy Throne for thou saist thou wilt give charge concerning me to prevent the mischief which may chance be done before thou prevent it And the King said Whosoever saith ought unto thee bring him to me and he shall not touch thee any more ver 10. She replies to this Let the King remember the Lord thy God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of the multitude of avengers of blood to destroy and let them not destroy my Son That is Let the King for the Lords sake consider how many avengers of blood there are and whilest I am bringing one to thee another may chance kill him in the mean season Then the King swears her son shall not die And then she comes close up to her errand And why saith she hast thou such thoughts towards the people of thy Kingdom and thinkest not the like towards the people of thine own family so as to bring thine own banished back For we must indeed once die and when we are dead there is no recalling of us any more no more then spilt water can be gathered again off the ground But whilest the Lord doth not take away the life he hath contrived ways and thoughts that a banished man shall not be banished for ever from him c. David 33 Absalom is at Jerusalem but seeth not the Kings face He takes upon him to be a Nazarite for the present and under a vow that he may the better pretend the paying of a vow at Hebron yet is he forced to cut his hair before his vow David 34 be paid because it was a burden to him He brings Joab to him as God useth to bring men to him by affliction he fires his field and then comes Joab and brings him to the King CHAP. XV. David 35 ABSALOM rebels at the end of forty years after David was first anointed by Samuel at Bethlehem and puts David to flee for his life PSAL. III. WITH the thirty second verse of this chapter even with these words of it And when David came to the top of the Mount where he worshipped God read the third Psalm made as the title telleth by David when he fled from his son Absalom and poured out as may well be supposed in this Prayer that he made on the top of Mount Olivet where he worshipped God He complaineth sadly in it of the multitude of his enemies that were against him and of the multitude of his false friends that durst not be for him but yet assures himself of deliverance and of his enemies destruction and prophesieth of the very manner of the end of Absalom and Achitophel if you will take these words in the very letter Thou hast smitten mine enemies on the cheek bone Achitophel with the knot of the rope and Absalom with the bough of the Oak unless he allude to Samsons Victory with the jaw bone and foresee that by small means as that was the Lord will bring him a great deliverance Compare Christs going up to mount Olivet and there praying in the day of his bitterness with this type of David CHAP. XVI DAVID gives away and disposeth of Mephibosheths Land when he hath not power to dispose of his own Shimei flings curses and stones at David and barks like a living Dog though Abishai call him a dead one The only unjust act that ever David had done against the house of Saul he had but newly done that was giving away Mephibosheths Land and here a man of the house of Saul is soon upon him PSAL. VII BEtwixt the thirteenth and fourteenth Verses of this Chapter cometh in the seventh Psalm made by David upon these words of Shimei and sung by him even in this extremity He calleth him Cush by way of derision as alluding to Kish the father of Sauls family for Shimei was of the Family of Saul but turning it into Cush upon Shimei an accursed name Gen. 10. and a Black-moor Nation and of such a colour were Shimeis conditions CHAP. XVII AHitophels cursed spleen against David yet he as it is probable was Bathshebaes Grand-father Hushai foileth his counsel PSAL. XLII XLIII DAVID in his slight from Absalom stays not till he come close to Jordan and there he rests that if there be any necessity or danger he is ready to get over the water and be gone and so is that to be understood in 2 Sam. 16. 14. And the King and all the people that were with him came weary and refreshed themselves there that is a little beyond Bahurim which was close by Jordan and they had not staid nor refreshed themselves till they came there As David lies thus upon Jordan banks he makes the forty second Psalm and from the land of Jordan remembers the Lord ver 6. and by the observing of the waters of Jordan he remembers his own misery There he observeth the waves rolling one in the neck of another and the deep making a noise here and there in its channels and in its falls And so saith he all thy billows and all waves tumble over me one after another vers 7. c. The forty third Psalm seemeth also to have been made by him about the same time compare the last Verses of the two Psalms together PSAL. LV. BEtwixt the one and twenty and two and twenty Verses of this 17 Chapter of the second of Samuel upon the relation how tidings came to David of Ahitophels counsel against him take in the five and fiftieth Psalm in which David deploreth his misery caused by one of his guides and acquaintance and Counsellors ver 13 14. and prayeth bitterly against him His prayer took effect instantly in Ahitophels death CHAP. XVIII XIX ABSALOM hanged by the neck in the forked bough of an Oak His high head is now in its proper exaltation and his proud heart
of 1 Chron. 23. and that Story doth speak but one and the same thing I CHRON. XXIII from Verse 2. to end And XXIV XXV DAVID having that emergent occasion by Adonijahs Conspiracy to anoint Salomon hastily and privately When he hath so done it he intendeth World 2989 David 40 a more solemn and publick Coronation of him and therefore he calleth together all the Heads and Rulers of the people about it And as at the first platforming of the people of Israel into a Commonwealth in the Wilderness they are numbred the Levites appointed for Divine Service and the Sanctuary framed much like doth David here The Levites are numbred and distributed into their several offices and services and the Priests into their courses c. The Book of PSALMS BEsides those Psalms that we have already mentioned and ranked as we have come along there are about 120 more that are of an uncertain date or of uncertain Authors or both and therefore not certainly to be applied to any fixed time or occasion and yet may not unfitly nor impertinently be taken in here at the end of the five and twentieth Chapter of the first of Chronicles For when the Reader hath there seen how David disposeth of Asaph Heman and Jeduthun to be chief Singers in the Temple and their Sons under their hand he may very properly turn his thoughts to those Psalms that were committed to these men to sing or that were made by them to be sung He will find twelve that bear the name of Asaph viz. Psal. 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83. whether all or any of these were made by Asaph or committed to him being made by some other I will not dispute be it the one or the other it is very seasonable and very Chronical to take these Psalms to thought when the Text before you in the Book of Chronicles is telling you of Asaph set up a chief singer and his sons under him There is but one Psalm in the Book that bears the name of Heman in the front of it and that is Psal. 88. But that Heman that made that Psalm and this Heman that was appointed by David to be a chief singer were two different men of two several Tribes and of far distant times For Heman that made the 88 Psalm was of the Tribe of Judah the immediate son of Zera and lived in Aegypt in the time of Israels affliction there see 1 Chron. 2. 6. but this Heman the singer was a Levite living in the time of David and was the Grand-child of Shemuel 1 Chron. 6. 33. therefore there is not one Psalm at all that bears the name of this Heman that we have in hand and yet there are divers that have reference to him and to his sons though under another title for this Heman was of the stock and line of Korah 1 Chron. 6. 33. 37. and all those Psalms that bear the name of the sons of Korah in their front and title refer to him and his sons as Psalm 42. 44 45 46 47 48 49. 84 85 87. Jeduthun is named only in the title of three Psalms viz. 39. 62. 77. Now besides all these that have been named both now as referring to these three men and before as owning David for their Author and holding out the occasion whereupon they were made there are very many Psalms that have no title at all and own neither Author nor occasion by whom and upon which they were made and there are very many again that own David for their Author but own not the occasion of their making since therefore it is not possible to reduce and fix these to their proper time and place in the History and Chronology this may be as fit a place to take them in as any other namely now in the conclusion of Davids Story The Septuagint that we have if we would take their direction would help us both to find the Authors of many Psalms and the occasion of many others when neither the one nor the other is mentioned in the title of the Psalm it self As Psal. 33. 43 91. 95. 96 98. 99. 104. they ascribe to David Psalm 137. to Jeremy Psalm 145 146 147 148. to Haggai and Zachary Psal. 71. to the Sons of Jonadab and the people of the first Captivity And so for occasions Psal. 66. They title A Psalm of the Resurrection Psal. 76. A Song to the Assyrian Psal. 48. For the second day of the week Psal. 94. For the fourth day of the week Psal. 93. For the day before the Sabbath when the earth was inhabited Psal. 24. For the first day of the week Psal. 38. Concerning the Sabbath Psal. 27. Before David was anointed Psal. 29. At the going out of the Tabernacle Psal. 143. When his son persecuted him Psal. 144. To Goliah c. But these things I only name I dare not recommend them to the Reader for his direction I know the occasions of the most if not of all the Psalms that name it not themselves is guessed at and conjectured by various Authors and variously and so might I have done likewise and fixed all these Psalms to one place or other of the Story as it hath been drawn along but this I had rather the Reader should do himself then I to do it to his hands and then he to dislike it I have conjectured at two or three Psalms before in this kind and let that suffice 1 CHRON. XXVI XXVII XXVIII XXIX to vers 26. MOre Officers disposed of about the Temple the chief heads of the people Commanders of the Army and Officers of the King are numbred and setled And thus the chief Agents both in Church and State being fixed and determined and now altogether they anoint Solomon a second time c. 1 KING II. to ver 12. and with ver 10 11. Read 1 CHRON. XXIX ver 26. 27 28 29 30. DAVID dying leaveth charge with Solomon about Joab Shimei c. He dieth seventy years old see Psal. 90. 10. and Esay 23. 15. A very glorious Type of Christ in his birth in Bethlehem in his Shepheardry in his victory over Goliah in his power over Sauls Devil In his persecutions in his Kingdom in his victoriousness over his Enemies in his setling of Religion and the service of God c. The time of his reign is certainly fixed and determiend in a gross sum of forty years but for particular passages to own them particular years there is very little certainty or if there be certainty it is very obseure I want not ground for the times according to which I have laid them though to avoid prolixity I have avoided to express and to dispute them I shall only here name one or two things that have swayed with me to suppose of the particular times of Davids reign as I have laid them I was once of opinion and I went not alone in it but had abundance both of Jews and Christians that were of the
Ghost descended But Sixthly a plenary and sufficient satisfaction to the question may be had by these three observations First that John though he knew the mystery of the incarnation of the Messias and his excellent and divine graces and that he was neer at hand yet had he never seen his face till now nor knew he him by sight till he came to be baptized Secondly That then he knew him by a present revelation as Samuel knew Saul 1 Sam. 9. 15 17. For if in his Mothers womb he leaped at the approach of Christ in the womb of his Mother much more may it be conceived that by the revelation of the Spirit he knew him and acknowledged him now Thirdly That the sign which was given him when he began to baptize On whomsoever thou shalt see the Holy Ghost descend c. was not given him for his first knowledg of Christ but for the confirmation of that knowledge that he had of him before and for his assurance and confidence to point him out unto the people And such a one was the sign given to Moses Exod. 3. 12 not for first his instruction that he was sent by God but for his confirmation in that wherein he was before instructed nor that neither so much for himself as for the people § I have need to be baptized of thee He meaneth not with the baptism of water which he himself administred to others but with the baptism of the Holy Ghost For first Christ himself baptized none with water at all Joh. 4. 2. but referred the administration of this Sacrament to others Secondly the Baptism wherewith he baptized was of the Holy Ghost ver 11. and it cannot be doubted that when John speaketh of being baptized by Christ he meaneth the proper baptism wherewith Christ baptized Thirdly it is not consonant to reason that John should complain of the want of that which he so plentifully afforded unto others but though he himself were not baptized in water yet his special deputation from God to be the first and chief baptized made that he needed it not Fourthly be it granted that John speaketh of baptizing with water as some Commentators would have it yet are not his words to be understood simply of any absolute necessity that he had of baptism but comparatively betwixt him and Christ that it was sitter that he should be baptized by Christ than Christ by him For so the Phrase I have need is used not always to import necessity but sometimes conveniency And so doth the Rabbinical word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indifferently signifie and divers words that signifie necessity in other tongues Ver. 15. Suffer it to be so now The Emphasis of this clause is held to be in the word now As shewing that howsoever Christ was the Son of God and should in time reveal himself mightily so to be as Rom. 1. 4. yet now the time required that that his glory should be veiled under his humiliation and his divinity concealed till its proper season to be revealed This exposition is as currant as any among Expositors how substantial let the Reader judge For First the baptizing of Christ by John was not so great a means to veil his Divinity as it was to reveal it for then he had the testimony from Heaven that he was the Son of God Secondly there needeth no other reason to be looked after why Christ saith suffer it to be so now than what he himself giveth in the very next words following For thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness The word now as it lyeth in the English might be taken for the sense of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so ordinary in the Hebrew words of intreating or perswasion and might very well also suit with that sense here if the LXX traslated them by the Greek word here used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but they do not therefore may we the more justly suppose the word to be emphatical in some respect and the respect seemeth to be this Whereas John had told the people before of Christs baptizing with the Holy Ghost and had told Christ in the verse preceeding that he had need of that baptism to that it is that our Saviour giveth this answer Suffer it to be so now as meaning thus That it was true indeed that he was he that should come after him and he that should baptize with the Holy Ghost of which baptism John had more need from him than he of Johns yet the time of that his baptizing was not yet come for first must he fulfil all the righteousness required of himself before he was to pour out or bestow that baptism of the Spirit upon others And therefore must John suffer him to be baptized now with the baptism of water for that baptism of his with the Spirit was not yet to be exhibited § For thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousnes The greatest doubt and difficulty in this clause is what our Saviour meaneth here by righteousness which being resolved upon the other smaller words and less scrupulous in it will offer themselves the more readily to be understood First Hilary though somewhat obscurely seemeth to construe it of the righteousness of the Law for by him saith he all righteousness was to be fulfilled by whom alone the Law could be fulfilled Secondly but Hierom speaks it out more plainly and fully and understandeth it of all righteousness of the Law and of nature either of which indeed were not an unproper gloss to be applyed unto Christ alone but since the word us joyneth the Baptist also in the same fulfilling with him it is not safe to understand it of all the righteousness of the Law because it is not pious to hold John the accomplisher of it as well as he Thirdly Theophylact and some others with him go the same way with these Fathers named but they go somewhat further for they add that Christ had fulfilled all the Law already but only in this one particular of being baptized and when he had performed that he had compleated all righteousness But the word us spoyleth this exposition as well as it did that before and it will be some work to prove that baptism taken in its proper sense or as John administred it was any part of the Law that Christ was to fulfill Fourthly others descant upon the words litterally and take righteousness for justice distributive and baptism for a special part or act of it For he that is baptized saith Ludolphus pleaseth God pittieth his own soul and edifieth his neighbour by his example and so fulfilleth all justice in that he doth to God himself and his neighbour what he ought An Encomion of baptism and a new invention of fulfilling the Law which I suppose was never dreamed of before Fifthly to omit other expositions much like this which some have given not near to the text nor truth Jansenius and some with him but not so largely as
not altogether groundless That since God had made those waters of so high a resemblance as to betoken so high a Kingdom and since that that resemblance held out by God himself had brought those waters into so high an esteem and observation with the people It pleased him against the coming and appearing of that promised King and Kingdom to honour and indue those waters with such soveraign and healing virtue as the story we are upon speaketh of that as they had hitherto represented his Kingdom so their healing virtue given them against his appearing did represent his healing power as Mal. 4. 2. And not only that but also gave occasion to the people to think that the glory of Davids Kingdom was near at hand when such unwonted and wondrous excellency did now appear in those waters that did signifie it So when the time of the promise to Israel in Egypt drew nigh God bestowed a miraculous and supernatural course of nature if we may so call it for the Generation and Birth of their children Act. 7. 17. V. I shall not strive to conclude any under this opinion with me I shall only conclude with two things which are remarkable about the waters of Siloam from which Fountain I do suppose the waters of Bethesda to have their flowing 1. The first is that as this collection of Siloam waters in Bethesda was honoured with this miraculous virtue of healing of all diseases so that in Joh. 9. Christ honoured the other pool that was filled from Siloam with the miraculous cure of eyes born blind 2. Secondly Let it be observed how strangely and one would wonder to what purpose the Holy Ghost doth construe the Hebrew word Siloam into a Greek expression Joh. 9. 7. Go wash in the Pool of Siloam which is by interpretation sent Who sent Let the Reader but examine whether he can find any to whom the construction may so properly be applied as to Christ sent of God whom that Fountain or waters signified §. Having five Porches We observed before that these Porches are to be understood for Cloister walks five in number according to the quinque lateral or five-angle form of the pool and place for so it is more proper to hold concerning the number rather than to look after allusions and allegories about it which give but little satisfaction as to the historical matter whether these Cloisters were built before the healing virtue of the water first appeared for the conveniency of those that had occasion to come to the waters or after the appearing of that miraculous excellency for the accommodation of them that stayed there for healing it is not much worth the labour to inquire and there is but little hope to find it out It is more generally thought that they were built upon the latter occasion and so we leave them The general silence of the Jews about the race and wondrous virtue of this pool is something strange who in the abundant praises and privileges and particulars of Jerusalem which they give yet speak not one syllable that I have ever found towards the story of Bethesda though it might have been a story of so remarkable recognisance which makes me the rather to believe that this healing virtue of it was and was taken for a presage of the near approach of the Messias as we have spoken because they to weaken the truth of his coming have subtilly been silent in such a matter I may not utterly omit to say something about the opinions of others concerning the soveraign efficacy of these waters the two that are the most current and that carry the fairest probability and colour with them are these 1. That in this pool the Sacrifices were washed and God would honour the rite of Sacrifice with such a miraculous work in the place where they were washed and fitted for the Altar which if the thing were true were not impertinent in the application but the truth I question For if they mean that the beasts that were to be sacrificed were washed here whilst they were alive as some and those not a few will have it it is neither to be proved by the Scripture nor dreamed of by any Jews that write upon that subject that any sacrificed beast was to be washed till he was slain But if they mean that the inwards of the slain Sacrifice was washed here as the inwards indeed were the only things except the legs that were to be washed Lev. 1. 9. it is easie to be proved by Scripture that the inwards were washed at the Temple and never brought out thence and the Talmudists shew us a room at the Temple for this very purpose called The washing room which we have spoken of in its place where they had their first scouring and marble Tables in the Court where they had a second 2. Another opinion is that God by this wondrous virtue of Bethesda waters would antedate as it were honour to the waters of Baptism which was now to come in But might not the Pharisees as well misconstrue the matter and say it sealed the honour of their washings which were of use already and so long before as well as of Baptism that was now coming in I am not ignorant of the conception of Tremellius in this matter in his marginal notes to Nehem. 3. but when I consider what kind of man Eliashib was to whom that opinion refers so much I can see but little satisfaction in that conjecture especially considering how dead the appearing of Angels or miracles had been from the times of Eliashib till near the appearing of Christ in humane flesh Vers. 4. For an Angel went down at a certain season c. It is but a kind of labour lost to stand to debate whether this season were fixed to all the three festivals or to Passover time alone or to Pentecost alone or to some other determinate time of the year for these opinions are severally asserted it is most probable the time was uncertain and the waiters there could not guess when the Angel would come but stood in continual expectation and attendance for his coming Whether he appeared in visible shape is also questionable but though he were not to be seen which is the more probable yet did he give so visible and apparent evidence of his being there by troubling the water either causing it to boyl or tumble in waves or some such thing that the parties present did perceive well enough when he was come The Lord would use an Angel in this imployment and the Angel must use the troubling of the water for the healing effect not only because it is Gods ordinary way of providence to use the ministration of Angels in such things nor altogether because the meer troubling of the water did produce such an efficacy but because the people might the more visibly observe the restoring of sensible ministration of Angels and of works miraculous which had been either a very meer stranger or if at
42. and that according to the Hebrew Text but here the Apostle heightens the expression that he may set home their abuse of Christ nearer to their hearts and may shew the humiliation of Christ the more The Syriack mindeth not this but translates this place and Matth. 21. 42. by the same word refused The Chaldee interpretation of the Psalm from whence the phrase is taken is exceedingly conceited it runneth thus The youth which the builders refused among the sons of Jesse obtained to be set for King and Governour This was from the Lord said the builders and it is wondrous before us said the sons of Jesse This is the day which the Lord hath made said the builders Let us be glad and rejoyce in it said the sons of Jesse Save us now said the builders Prosper us now said Jesse and his wife Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord said the builders Let them bless you from the house of the Lord saith David The Lord give us light said the Tribes of the house of Judah Tie the youth for a Festival sacrifice with cords until ye offer him up and pour his blood at the horns of the altar said Samuel the Prophet c. At which Psalm and place how far the Chaldee in Bibliis Regiis and the Chaldee in Bibliis Buxtorfianis and Venetis do differ it is worth the Learneds observation Vers. 13. And ignorant men Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word exceedingly much taken into use by Jewish writers and both in them and in Greeks it signifieth Private men or men in no publick employment and men of inferiour rank and men ignorant or unskilful Examples of all these significations might be alledged Lucian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The common multitude whom wise men call Idiotae Galen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unskilful in Physick Aben. Ezr. on Levit. 13. Vers. 2. Aaron that is the Priest anointed in his stead or one of his sons that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sacerdotes Idiotae the inferiour Priests Rab. Sol. on Levit. 1. 1. To 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what purpose served the pausings To give Moses space to understand between division and division sense and sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 much more to a private man that learneth from a private man In all these senses may it very well be applied here and it is more than probable all these senses were in the thoughts of the Councel concerning Peter and John at this time they saw they were unlearned private inferiour ignorant men and thereupon they could not but wonder at the miracle and cure that they had wrought Vers. 23. They went to their own company That is to the Society of the one hundred and twenty mentioned Acts 1. 15. Vers. 25. Who by the mouth of thy Servant David hath said c. The second Psalm which owns not its Author in the Title the Holy Ghost ascribeth here to David and seemeth by this very passage to give us close intimation that every Psalm that telleth not in its title who was the Author and Penman of it is to be ascribed to David as the Penman The rule of the Jews that every Psalm that bears not the author of it in the title is to be reputed of his making who was last named in a title before is at a nonplus at these two first Psalms and helps us nothing at all to understand who made them and thereupon Aben Ezra conceiveth not that this second Psalm was made by David but by some of the Singers But this passage of the Apostles in their prayer doth not only own David for the Compiler of this Psalm but also teacheth us to own him so of every Psalm whose Author is not mentioned in the title of it as might be further confirmed if it were ad hic nunc from Psalm 96. 105. 107. 132. compared with 1 Chron. 16. 7. The ancient Rabbins and Doctors of the Jews interpreted this Psalm concerning Christ even as the Apostles do here as it is confessed by Solomon Jarchi at his entrance into it though himself and some other latter Jews apply it to David and it may be in spite to Christ. Vers. 32 33. §. Community of goods This community of goods howsoever it sorted and suited with the present state of the Church at Jerusalem at that time yet can it not be taken up for an example or president for the time to come For first the thing was not done by command but at the free disposal of whosoever was minded so to do Acts 5. 4. Secondly The Lands that were sold were many of them out of the Land of Canaan for the converts were Jews from all Nations and one instance is given in the Land of Barnabas in Cyprus now when these men were resolved to cleave to the Apostles and not to return to their own Country what good would their Lands in those forain Countries do them Thirdly If these Lands and Houses were in Judea as it is undoubted many of them were it may be supposed that the faithful owners thereof took notice of the threatned destruction of Jerusalem spoken of by our Saviour and so would part with their estates for the benefit of the Church before they should be surprized by the enemy And fourthly Thus did God provide against persecution to come that neither the poor of the Church should fall off through penury nor the rich start back through worldly mindedness but by a competent distribution among them the one might have enough and the other not too much And lastly Such was the state of the Church at this time as never was the like to be again It was but newly born it was all in one City the most of the people far resident from their own houses all in a possibility to be scattered by persecution they could not tell how soon and therefore that present administration of the Church in such a case cannot be any copy for times to come either to follow as a command or to imitate as a perfection This very year was a Jubilee among the Jews in the very proper sense it being the eight and twentieth that the Land had had since their setling in it and these people now converted to the Gospel are so far from returning to their possessions if they had sold or mortgaged them as the Jubilee priviledged them that they part with their possessions that they had in their hands having by this time learned that the earthly Canaan and inheritance was not that possession that was to be looked after and that the Kingdom of the Messias should not be earthly Vers. 36. Barnabas a Levite and of the Country of Cyprus c. As Saul a Benjamite of the Country of Tarsus yet educated and lived at Jerusalem so did Barnabas in Canaan though a Cypriot born He had land to sell though he were a Levite for the Levites might purchase Lands of their own even in
they sought it not and how much more shall they that we are now to bring upon the scene that sought and wooed it with their utmost pains §. 1. The rebellion of some Jews There were in Neardaa the residence and University of the Jews in Babylonia two brethren named Asinaeus and Anilaeus or in their proper language Chasinai and Chanilai These two their Mother their Father being dead had put to a trade and to a Master for the making of sails or other tackle for ships The sturdy youths having one day given their Master some offence and he them some blows did take the matter in such high scorn and disdain that they resolve not only to overrun their Master but indeed to run over all Mastership whatsoever They therefore getting away all the Arms their Masters house would afford betake themselves to a strong place in an Island of Euphrates and there publish and proclaim their rebellious resolution Young men flock in to them apace men of the same desperate minds and fortunes and after building some Castles in the air of future expectations they begin to build a Fort in the Isle for their present security and rendevouz They then command the neighbour Towns to pay them Tribute which the numerousness and resolution of the Commanders made them that they durst not disobey The Governor of Babylonia thinking to quel this growing evil before it should be too strong cometh secretly upon them on the Sabbath day thinking to involve them in their own superstition into the trap that he had prepared for them But the furious youths were not so over-religious as to be kild in devotion nor did they prize the Sabbath above their own lives but for all it was that day they are resolved to fight and they fight resolvedly and kill and rout and soil the forces that made no other account but of victory Artabanus King of Parthia hearing of the power of this newborn Army and the resolution of those upstart Captains and considering how advantageous it might be for his own affairs to have them sure and firm unto himself he sendeth for the two Brethren with assurance of their safety whereupon they come to him and are Royally and bravely intertained by him and when Abdagasis the General of his Army would have slain Asinaeus treacherously the King forbad him sent Asinaeus home with rich gifts and the Government of Babylonia committed to him There he grew greater and greater in power and honour and stood in high repute both with the Babylonians and the Parthians and had all Mesopotamia at his command And thus continued these Brethren in pomp and height for fifteen years together till a miscarriage of Anilaeus began to cloud and eclipse their prosperity For Anilaeus having slain a Parthian Peer that he might enjoy his Lady and she when she was now his wife using her ancient Idolatry as in her first husbands days this became a double offence to his chiefest friends namely for that he had married an Heathen and for that she continued still in her Idolatry They seriously admonish Anilaeus of the matter but he slew one of the chiefest of them for his home-reproof and admonition Therefore the rest address themselves to Asinaeus and demand the vindication of their native Laws and Religion he rebuketh his Brother Anilaeus and is therefore poisoned by the Parthian Lady because that her husband might be from under rebuke and might be commander of all He being now so indeed first invadeth the Country of Mithridates son in Law to Artabanus and forrageth that and by a surprizal getteth Mithridates prisoner yet sendeth him home again to his own possessions having hardly delivered him from his Souldiers fury that they did not kill him Mithridates sensible of the disgrace of his usage for they had set him naked upon an Ass and instigated by the haughty and revengeful spirit of his wife raiseth what force he can get and giveth Anilaeus battel and routeth him But Anilaeus himself escaping and recruiting an Army of dissolute and resolute fellows again he beginneth to spoil some Towns of the Babylonians but the Babylonians finding a fit opportunity fall upon Anilaeus and his troop and slew many of them and Anilaeus himself among the rest This bridle and curb of the Jews which had lain so long and so heavy upon the Babylonians being now taken off they begin now to rise up and to curb and oppress the Jews who for their safety flee to Seleucia and there they reside quietly for the space of five years but in the sixth year a hot Plague driving the rest of them that had staied behind at Babylon into Seleucia also providence did as it were bring them all thither together to execution for a quarrel being first between the Greeks and Syrians that dwelt in that City and the Syrians getting the better through the help of the Jews at last Greeks and Syrians joyn both together against the Jews and destroy fifty thousand of them And this was a second notable vengeance that hath ovetaken that Nation since the murder of the Lord of Life THE CHRISTIAN HISTORY THE Jewish and the Roman Of the Year of CHRIST XLIII And of the Emperor CLAUDIUS II. Being the Year of the WORLD 3970. And of the City of ROME 795. Consuls Claudius II. C. Largus ACTS CHAP. IX Vers. 28. Great dearth throughout all the World which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. THAT this famine was in the second of Claudius we have shewed before not only out of Dion the Roman Historian but even by necessary collection from other things Now whether it proceeded from want of Rain or from what other cause it is not determinable it appeareth by Suetonius that it came to this height through a continued sterility of the ground which it seemeth had been some years together This year was Helena the Queen of the Adiabeni present at Jerusalem and her presence there was a happiness to the City for from Cyprus and Alexandria she sent for Provisions and distributed them among the people when divers had perished of famine before Vers. 30. Sent it to the Elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul §. Pauls rapture into the third Heaven Although it be not mentioned in this Chapter that Paul went up to Jerusalem but was sent only with provisions to the poor brethren in Judea yet have we also proved before that at this journey he had his trance in the Temple Acts 22. 17. and in that trance he was rapt up into the third Heaven The story of which he himself relateth 2 Cor. 12. 2. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago whether in the body I cannot tell c. And there he relateth also the story of the messenger of Satan buffeting him and himself praying and God giving him a gracious answer all which we shall explain by Gods permission in another place In this trance God bids him get out of Jerusalem and gives him
some do to interpret these words of Jeremiah in any plain or probable sense unless you imagine that which is most false that the valley of Hinnom was situate Northwardly Vers. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Seventy render it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The fish gate That was also Southward Of it mention is made Zeph. I. 10. Where the Seventy have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Something obscure Many conjecture this gate was called the fish gate because fish were carried into the City through it I rather because it was the fish market as the sheep gate was the market for sheep Zephaniah addeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And he shall howl from the second The Chaldee reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 R. Salomon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the bird gate perhaps the gate near unto which fowls were sold. Kimchi reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 From Ophel more plain indeed but I ask whether more true This Bird-gate perhaps was that which is called the Old-gate Nehem. III. 6. Near the corner looking South West we suppose the fountain of Siloam was and that partly being perswaded by the words of Josephus before alledged partly being induced to it by reason it self For hence flowed that fountain by the South wall Eastwardly to the sheep-gate as we suppose thence the river somewhat sloping bends towards the North into the valley and ends at length in the Pool of Siloam at the foot of Mount Sion On the West was 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The gate of the valley vers 13. being now gotten to the foot of Mount Acra And 2. A thousand Cubits thence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Esquiline or dung gate vers 14. And 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The fountain gate vers 15. not that of Siloam nor of Draco but another And now we are come to the Pool of Siloam and to the foot of Sion whether they went up by certain steps vers 15. The Pool of Siloam was first a fountain and a river on the West without the walls but at last Manasseh the King inclosed all 2 Chron. XXXIII 14. that the City might be more secured of water in case of a seige taught it by the example of his grandfather Ezekiah but more incommodious 2 Chron. XXXII 3. The wall went forward along burying places of David another Pool and the House of the strong vers 16. And not much after it bended Eastwardly and now we are come to the North side See vers 19. 20. At the turning of this corner Herod built the most famous Psephin Tower of which Josephus thus b b b b b b Joseph de Bell. lib. 5. cap. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. On the North West corner the admired Psephin Tower lifts up it self near which Titus encamped c. There was no gate on this North side The buildings which were inward are mentioned Nehem. III. vers 20 21 22 23 24. and the Hippic Tower is mentioned by Josephus On the East were 1. A Tower advancing it self in the very bending of the North East corner Within was the Kings house and the Court of the Prison vers 25. 2. The water gate of which is mention Nehem. XII 37. 3. Ophel and the horse gate Nehem. III. 27 28. of which mention is also made Jer. XXXI 40. Whence was the beginning of the valley of Ben-Hinnom which running out below the City Southward at last bent into the West Therefore the water-gate led into the valley of Kidron but the horse-gate into the valley of Hinnom at that place touching on the valley of Kidron 4. The gate Miphkad The Vulgar calls it The gate of judgment 5. Not far distant thence was the South East corner And thence a little on the South side was the sheep-gate whence we first set out Let us add the words of Josephus describing how the outmost wall went c c c c c c Joseph in the place above 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. It began on the North at the Hippic or Horse Tower and extended to the Xystus or Open Gallery then touching upon the Councel-house it ended at the East walk of the Temple On the other side Westwardly beginning from the same Tower it stretched along by a place called Bethso to the Gate of the Essenes and thence it inclined to the South behind the fountain Siloam and hence it bowed again Eastwardly unto Solomons Pool and passed on to a certain place which they call Ophla and joyned to the East Walk of the Temple In which words let us observe two things for the asserting the Procession that we have gone 1. That this description proceeds from the North to the West the South and the East 2. That Ophla or Ophel lay between the South East corner and the porch of the Temple which cannot at all be conceived if you begin Nehemiahs delineation at any other place then where we have To these may be added the situation of Siloam of which those things spoken in Josephus and the Scripture can in no manner be said if you reckon it to be near Sion Let us add also the procession of the Choire Nehem. XII 31. They went up upon the wall and went forward on the right hand to the dung-gate the fountain-gate the City of David c. vers 37. Let those words They went forward on the right hand vers 31. be observed which could not be unless according to the procession which we have laid down if so be they went up on the wall on the inside of the wall which it is rough and strange not to think The other part of the Choire went on the left hand towards the South West and to the gate of Ephraim and the old gate and the fish gate c. vers 29. Of the gate of Ephraim nothing was said in the delineation given Chap. III. Mention also is made of it 2 Kings XIV 13. where the corner gate is also spoke of concerning which also here is nothing said In Nehemiah seems to be understood that place where formerly was a gate of that name but now under the second Temple was vanished CHAP. XXVII Mount Moriah WHerefore a a a a a a Bab. Taanith fol. 16. 1. is it called Mount Moriah R. Levi bar Chama and R. Chaninah differ about this matter One saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Because thence instruction should go forth to Israel The other saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Because thence should go forth fear to the Nations of the world b b b b b b Maimon in Beth habbechir cap. 2. Juchas fol. 9. 1. Midr. Till 41. 2. It is a Tradition received by all that the place where David built an Altar in the Threshing floor of Arauna was the place where Abraham built his upon which he bound Isaac where Noah built his when he went out of the Ark that in the same place was the Altar upon which Cain and Abel offered that Adam
truth that death is the wages of sin yet is it not to be understood so much of those very pangs whereby the Soul and Body are disjoyned as the continuation of the divorce betwixt Soul and Body in the Grave VERS XXVII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell IT is well know what the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies in Greek Authors viz. the state of the dead be they just or unjust And their Eternal state is distinguished not so much by the word it self as by the qualities of the persons All the just the Heroes the followers of Religion and Vertue according to those Authors are in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hades but it is in Elysium in joy and felicity All the evil the wicked the unjust they are in Hades too but then that is in Hell in torture and punishment So that the word Hades is not used in opposition to Heaven or the state of the blessed but to this world only or this present state of life which might be made out by numberless instances in those Authors The Soul of our Saviour therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 descended into Hell i. e. he passed into the state of the dead viz. into that place in Hades where the Souls of good Men went But even there did not God suffer his Soul to abide separate from his body nor his body to putrifie in the Grave because it was impossible for Christ to be holden of those bands of death seeing his death was not some punishment of sin but the utmost pitch of obedience he himself being not only without sin but uncapable of committing any VERS XXIX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Let me speak freely c. IT is doubted whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be rendred I may or let me If that which R. Isaac saith obtained at that time viz. Those words my flesh shall rest in hope teach us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That neither worm nor Insect had any power over David u u u u u u Mâ—dr Till fol. 13. 4. then was it agreeable enough that St. Peter should by way of Preface crave the leave of his Auditory in speaking of David's being putrified in the Grace and so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is well rendred let me But I may pleaseth me best and by this Paraphrase the words may be illustrated That this passage Thou shalt not leave my soul in Hell c. is not to be applied to David himself appears in that I may confidently averr concerning him that he was dead and buried and never rose again but his Soul was left 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the state of the dead and he saw corruption for his Sepulchre is with us unto this day under that very notion that it is the Sepulchre of David who dyed and was there buried nor is their one syllable any where mentioned of the Resurrection of his body or the return of his soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the state of the dead I cannot slip over that passage w w w w w w Hieros Chaâ—ig fol. 78. 1. R Jose ben R. ben saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 David dyed at Pentecost and all Israel bewailed him and offered their Sacrifices the day following VERS XXXIV 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The Lord said unto my Lord. c. SEEING St. Peter doth with so much assurance and without scruple apply these words to the Messiah it is some sign that that Comment wherewith the later Jews have gloz'd over this place was not thought of or invented at that time Glossing on the words thus The Lord said unto Abraham sit thou on my right hand x x x x x x Sanhedr fol. 108. 2. Sem the great said unto Eleazar when the Kings of the East and of the West came against you how did you do He said unto him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God took up Abraham and made him sit at his right hand He threw dust upon them and that dust was turned into Swords Stubble and that Stubble was turned into Darts so it is said in David's Psalm the Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand Where the Gloss very cautiously notes that these words The Lord said unto my Lord are the words of Eleazar whose Lord of right Abraham might be called y y y y y y Nederim fol. 32. 2. R. Zechary in the name of R. Ismael saith God had a purpose to have drawn the Priesthood from Sem according as it is said he was the Priest of the Most high God But when he pronounced his blessing of Abraham before his blessing of God God derived the Priesthood from Abraham For it is said and he blessed him saying Blessed be Abraham of the Most High God possessor of Heaven and Earth and blessed be the Most High God Abraham saith unto him doth any one put the blessing of the Servant before the blessing of his Lord Immediately the Priesthood was given to Abraham As it is said The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou on my right hand It is written afterward thou art a Priest for ever 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the words of Melchizedek who had not placed his blessings in due order And forasmuch as it is written And he was a Priest of the Most High God it intimates to us that he was a Priest but his seed was not Can we think that this Gloss was framed at that time when St. Peter so confidently as though none would oppose him in it applied this passage to the Messiah which also our Saviour himself did before him to the great Doctors of that Nation and there was not one that opened his mouth against it Matth. XXII 44. VERS XXXVIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be Baptised every one of you in the name of Iesus Christ. BEZA tells us That this doth not declare the Form of Baptism but the scope and end of it Yet this clause is wanting in the Syriack Interpreter Wherever he might have got a Copy wherein this was wanting yet is it not so in other Copies But to let that pass What he sayeth that this doth not declare the Form of Baptism is I fear a mistake for at that time they Baptised amongst the Jews in the name of Jesus although among the Gentiles they Baptised in the Name of the Father and the Son and holy Ghost that Jesus might be acknowledged for the Messiah by them that were Baptised than which nothing was more tenacionsly and obstinately denyed and contradicted by the Jews Let the Jew therefore in his Baptism own Jesus for the true Messiah and let the Gentile in his confess the true God three in one VERS XLI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There were added about three thousand souls AND Chap. IV. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 About five thousand To which I would referr that passage in Psal. CX 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
as if they meant that the Romans had taken away from them the power of Capital punishments But the Jews more truly give the reason of it viz. That Murtherers and Malefactors were grown so numerous and head-strong and so strong a party that the Sanhedrin could not durst not execute justice upon them And let me add one other Record of theirs which suits with the thing we are upon namely they say That Adulterers grew so common so in numerable that they were glad to lay aside that practice by trying the adulterous wife by giving her to drink the bitter waters prescribed by God in the fifth of Numbers And that Rabban Jochanan ben Zaccai who I doubt not was of the Sanhedrin at this very time caused it to be laid aside alledging that saying of the Prophet Hosea I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom nor your spouses when they commit adultery Hos. IV. 14. Now take it either way whether the Romans had taken away the power of Capital punishments out of their hands or Malefactors had overpowred it that it durst not act a just scruple arose in this case what to do with this woman But these men come not for resolution of questions but for catching advantages which Christ well knoweth and therefore gives them no answer but stooping down and with his finger wrote on the ground Our English hath added as though he heard them not which is rarely to be found in any Greek Testaments Some few indeed have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as not regarding which might very well have been spared since Christ when he had shewed that he heard and regarded by saying to them Whosoever is without sin let him cast the first stone yet he stoops down and writes on the ground again An action and gesture that seems so strange to Beza that he plainly professeth that for this very passage he had a suspition of the whole story that it is not Gospel It may be it seemed to him too like the gesture of David scrabbling on the walls and doors in a dissembled frantickness But if he had turned the other end of his Perspective it would have looked more like Gods writing with his finger on the two tables of stone for the Temple-floor was stone also Some on the other hand as confident as he was suspitious will tell you verbatim what it was that Christ wrote who let enjoy their confidence and fancy It is enough for us if we can discover why he wrote and what his intent was in this gesture To the discovery of which let me observe these things to you I. That as the trial of an adulterous wife is the thing that is in transaction so Christ acteth in some conformity to the trial of the adulterous wife prescribed by God in the fift of Numbers And much like if I mistake not did Moses act in the trial of Spiritual adultery the Idolatry with the Golden Calf In Exod. XXXII 27. He saith to the Sons of Levi Put every man his sword by his side and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the Camp and slay every man his brother and every man his companion and every man his neighbour Now how could they know among so many thousands who were guilty Why as the adulterous wife drinking the water mixed with the dust of the Sanctuary floor gave evidence of her guilt by her belly swelling so Moses by Gods direction beats the Calf to powder strews the powder upon the water of the brook that descended out of the Mount Deut. IX 21. causes the people to drink of it and probably God caused some like token to appear upon the faulty II. The Jews have a Maxim in reference to the trial of the suspected wife most agreeable to sence and reason viz. That her trial proved of no effect unless her husband that accused and tried her were himself free from unchastity Though she indeed had played the whore and though she drank the bitter waters and the Priest denounced the curse appointed to be denounced yet that all had no effect upon her to make her belly to swell and her thigh to rot if her husband were an adulterer too or a defiled person Our Saviour acts here directly according to the equity of this Maxim and sets himself purposely to try these accusers who accused the woman and brought her to be tried As if he had thus spoken out unto them You have brought this woman to me for me to sentence her as a Judge but who made me a Judge or a Magistrate among you But let me act this once as personating the Priest that was to try the suspected wife and let me go by the equity of your own rule you say the trial of an adulterous wife proved to no effect upon her to bring her to condign punishment if her husband were guilty of the like crime You accuse this woman and put her upon my trial are you your selves free from the like fault If you be stone her He that is without sin let him cast the first stone But if you be not expect not that this her trial should be of effect to her condign punishment because you the accusers are guilty of the like fault or of some such notorious fault your selves If we should strictly understand the words He that is without sin for he that is without the guilt of this same sin of uncharity among you it were but agreeable to the construction of the phrase Luke VII 37. a Woman in the City that was a sinner which is commonly understood a Common strumpet And it were agreeable to that title that Christ once and again puts upon that generation calling it a wicked and adulterous generation And it were but agreeable to the lascivious temper of the Nation as I observed before But take it to mean some other notorious crimes you see our Saviours dealing is exactly according to the equity of that Maxim mentioned viz. No trial of the adulterous wife to condemn her if the husband that accused her be an Adulterer himself III. Whereas the Priest in the trial of the suspected wife was to stoop down and take of the dust of the Sanctuary to make her drink it and he was to write the curses he denounced against her in a book the gesture of our Saviour here remembers both His stooping down and making the pavement of the Temple as his book and writing in the dust there something most likely bitter and grievous against them he tried VI. The trying Priest wrote the curses in the book and as soon as he had done he blotted them out with the bitter waters again because the matter was doubtful that he was upon whether the woman was guilty or no if the were guilty then there were curses written if she were not then they were blotted out But here Christ is sure of the guilt of the persons he puts to trial and therefore he writes not and blots out
of the nature of this work which will speak it moral and upon that account fit to be used in the Christian Church And secondly the Evidence of the use of it in the first times And first of the Nature of this Duty Many things are spoken of the excellency of the book of Psalms and many may be spoken of the Excellency of singing Psalms I may allude to that expression Many daughters have done virtuously but thou excellest them all So may I say in reference to this Duty all Duties are excellent but this includes all In singing of Psalms there is what is in other Services and more Prayer is our duty Praise speaking of Gods works singing are our Duties but this last is all it is like the holy Incense mixt of all these perfumes The excellency of this duty will appear further under these four heads First It is an action that helps up and keeps up the heart in a Spiritual frame as much as any See the Apostle arguing for singing upon this account V. Ephes. 18 19. Be filled with the spirit Speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord. And V. James 13. Is any among you afflicted Let him pray Is any merry Let him sing Psalms If the heart would be up in mirth use this to help it up being not yet come into frame If it be up use this to keep it that it be not transported The Heart by spiritual musick is called up to beat in the right mean As David by his Harp calmed Sauls spirit so this is proper to beat down immoderate mirth And so on the other hand it is proper to free the mind of lumpishness and sadness as Elisha being put into a passion and disturbance at the sight of the King of Israel called for Temple Musick to pacifie and allay his discomposed mind 2 King III. 14 15. And Elisha said as the Lord of Hosts liveth before whom I stand surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehosaphat the King of Judah I would not look toward thee nor see thee But now bring me a Minstrel And it came to pass when the Minstrel played that the hand of the Lord came upon him See a strange passage in Jer. XX. at the 12. vers the Prophets heart is quite down O Lord of Hosts that tryest the righteous and seest the reins and the heart let me see thy vengeance on them for unto thee have I opened my cause At the 14 vers his heart is lower yet Cursed be the day wherein I was born let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed But in the midst of these sorrows and dejections he falls to praising and singing unto God At the 13 vers Sing unto the Lord praise ye the Lord. He strives to wind up his heart to a right pitch with Sing unto the Lord. As God requires outward and inward worship so a spiritual frame for inward worship may be forwarded by the outward composure Gazing drowsiness hinders the activity of the Soul but the contrary temper furthers and helps it Singing calls up the Soul into such a posture and doth as it were awaken it t is a lively rowzing up of the heart Secondly This is a work of the most meditation of any we perform in publick It keeps the heart longest upon the thing spoken Prayer and hearing pass quick from one Sentence to another this sticks long upon it Meditation must follow after hearing the word and praying with the Minister for new sentences still succeeding give not liberty in the instant well to muse and consider upon what is spoken But in this you pray and meditate praise and meditate speak of the things of God and meditate God hath so ordered this duty that while we are imployed in it we feed and chew the cud together Higgaion or Meditation is set upon some passages of the Psalms as IX Psal. 16. The same may be writ upon the whole duty and all parts of it viz. Meditation Set before you one in the posture to sing to the best advantage eyes lift up to Heaven denote his desire that his heart may be there too hath before him a line or verse of prayer mourning praise mention of Gods works how fairly now may his heart spred it self in Meditation on the thing while he is singing it over Our singing is measured in deliberate time not more for Musick than Meditation He that seeks not finds not this advantage in singing Psalms hath not yet learned what it means Thirdly This is a Service in which we profess delight in the thing we have in hand Yea even in sad mourning ditty we delight so to mourn Psal. C. 1. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye Lands serve the Lord with gladness T is a noise of joy and gladness It speaks that we delight in Gods Ordinances that we are about As Musick at Table shews we make a Feast of delight of what God hath provided Solatur voce laborem He that sings at his work shews that his work goes on with contentedness David at his harp and composing Psalms to the honour of God what delight did he take therein So that in singing there must be two things I. The Ditty to be applied by Meditation And II. Tuning the Voice to it in the best liveliness we can as delighting in the work Nay Fourthly This is a Service wherein one is cheared from another It is a joynt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One takes mirth life and warmth from another a holy servor and emulation as the Seraphins Esa. VI. strive to outvy one another in praising God Who is there but while he is joyning with the Congregation in this Duty feels such an impression and excitation his own string wound up by the consort of the Quire T is a story goes of St. Austin that it was one means of his conversion the hearing the heavenly singing of Psalms at Milan As all our Duties here in publick carry some bond and badge of communion we come to pray together hear together and so profess our selves Christians together we being all Scholars in the School of Christ so this of singing together more especially speaks it out But herein is not only a sign of communion but also mutual excitation As David speaks when he was at this work Psal XXXIV 3. O magnifie the Lord with me and let us exalt his Name together We do as it were joy one another to put on all as much as we can to joyn together in the praise and honour of God I need to say no more to shew that so excellent a Duty could not but be setled by Christ with others in the Christian Church the very nature of the thing may speak it I shall therefore only speak to three things I. The warrant of Christ for the observance of this Duty II. The admonitions of the Apostle for the same purpose And
cruelty and horridness that Rome Heathen could never shew its parallel And the old Roman valour though cruel enough yet would have been ashamed to have been so murtherous in so base and undermining a manner And now sursum corda lift up your hearts unto the Lord. It is very meet and right and our bounden duty so to do upon consideration of our deliverance and upon consideration from whom and what we were delivered Let us fall into the hands of the Lord saith David and not into the hands of men Where had we been had we fallen into the hands of these men Blessed ever blessed be our God that he did take us into his own hand and protection or else poor England had dwelt in silence Imagine in your thoughte that you saw that which your hearts abhor to imagine the cursed Plot to have taken place and effect as Abraham from the hills of Hebron saw the smoak of Sodom and Gomorrha ascend up to Heaven like the smoak of a furnace Imagine that you had seen King Parliament Religion England going up in fire and smoak and destroyed and come to nothing can our hearts but quake and tremble at the only imagination of such a sight Oh! what great things hath God done for us that we neither saw it nor heard of it yea the Lord hath done great things for us whereof we rejoyce They shew how sensible they are from what and from whom they are delivered that sing so triumphantly and praise God so heartily upon the Fall of Babylon Revel XIX the beginning and they intimate what a vexation a curse a plague that was to the World while it stood when they so were ravished with joy when it is taken away After these things saith the Apocalyptick I heard a great voice of much people in Heaven saying Alleluia salvation and honour and glory and power unto the Lord our God For he hath judged the great whore that corrupted the earth c. And again they said Alleluia vers 3. And again Amen Alleluja vers 4. They never think they can say enough for such a deliverance of them from so mischievous a vexer and enemy The word Hallelujah is frequently in Davids Psalms rendred Praise ye the Lord. Ye first meet with it at the latter end of Psalm CIV where the Jews note upon it is not impertinent viz. That Hallelujah comes not till there be tidings of the ruin and destruction of ungodly men and such you have in the last verse of that Psalm Let the sinners be consumed out of the Earth and let the wicked be no more Bless thou the Lord O my soul. Hallelujah Ye have the like in that place of Revelations the wicked destroyed Babylon Babylon no more but ruined fired and her smoke goeth up for ever and ever and then are the mouths of all the Church of God filled with Hallelujahs praising of the Lord for so great deliverance When Babylon shall be destroyed I shall not go about to prophesie too many have lost themselves in that boldness and curiosity but when the Plots of Babylon have destroyed especially such an one as this was which would have destroyed us all when such brats of Babylon are dashed against the stones we know not what Babylon is nor what our own interest is if our mouths be not filled with Hallelujahs and our hearts with the praises of the Lord. Where had England been by this time if the Plot designed had taken effect We had been by this time like the Syrians blindfold in the midst of Samaria our eyes blinded with the smoak of the bottomless pit that we should never have seen the light of that Truth and Gospel that we now behold Blindness and ignorance and superstition had been entailed upon us to all generations Except the Lord had been on our side now may Israel say except the Lord had been on our side when men rose up against us they had swallowed us up quick when they were so wrathfully displeased with us This is a day which the Lord hath made we will rejoyce and be glad in it A SERMON PREACHED AT ELY Novemb. V. MDCLXX REVEL XX. 7 8. And when the thousand years are expired Satan shall be loosed out of his prison And shall go out to deceive the Nations which are in the four quarters of the Earth Gog and Magog to gather them together to battel whose number is as the sand of the Sea A Very sad story and heavy news Satan loose Gog and Magog in arms Nations deceived and a numberless army mustered and going forth to battel against the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City as it is related in the verse following It is no wonder if there go before such a rout as this such a Proclamation as you have Chap. XII 12. Wo to the Inhabitants of the Earth and of the Sea for the Devil is come out among you having great wrath I and having a great army too And as Balaam complains Alas who shall live when the Lord doth this Numb XXIV So may we Alas who shall live when the Devil doth this and the Lord suffer him You cannot blame Elishas servant when he saw the City where he was beset round about with Syrians if he cried out Alas Master what shall we do If the matter of the Text have any relation to our times we have much reason to make such a crying out Alas Men and Brethren what shall we do And whether the things concern our times we shall search as we go along You see in the Text the Monster Goliath and his uncircumcised Philistins marching against the poor Israel of God and if God be not with them what will become of them Now blessed be the Lord God of Israel for that he hath set such a memorial upon this day as he hath done and written as it were upon it Emanuel God with us For if the Lord had not been on our side now may England say if the Lord had not been on our side when these enemies rose up against us they had swallowed us up quick when they were so enraged against us For that those that then contrived our Destruction were of Satans army I believe none but they themselves will be so senseless as to deny and that they were of Gog and Magogs regiments the design it self and the truth it self makes undeniable That may seem something in consistence with the Text which the Apostle speaks Eph. VI. 12. We have not to fight against flesh and blood but against the Rulers of the darkness of this world But the Text tells that we have to fight against them and against flesh and blood too against Satan and against Gog and Magogs army also But the Apostle understands the word only which if spoken out makes the sense clear and reconciles him and our Apocalyptick very well and very easily together We have not to fight against flesh and blood only but against principalities c. And such
deliverance answering and verifying the promise of deliverance they might be built up in belief and expectation of the truth of the promise of the great Deliverer when he should come But when Christ was come and had done that great Work and there being now no such peculiar people to be born up in hope of their subsistence till Christ should descend of them but the Church of God being scattered through the World and Christ having sanctified the bearing of the cross to them by his own bearing it and having allotted the cross to them for their portion and assured them 1 Cor. X. 13. That they should not be tempted above what they were able but that with the temptation he would make way to escape that they might be able to bear it First It cannot be imagined that every particular Church in the World should be acquainted with what persecutions and afflictions should come upon them and how long they should last and when they should be removed as God was pleased to acquaint that peculiar Church Nor Secondly Is it requisite that God should punctually and exactly tell them the end of their persecution and affliction but that they should always be kept to their duty waiting patience and dependance When Peter would be curious to enquire concerning what should become of John Christ answers If I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee follow thou me Look not thou at his end but mind thou thine own duty So if any people now should be inquisitive How long Lord and what and when will be the end of this calamity God might justly answer It is not for you to know the times and the seasons but keep to your duty possess your Souls in patience and wait to see the salvation of God in his own time and way For let me repeat my Doctrine again and now come to clear it further The time of the affliction of the people of God is determined with him He knows it nay he hath set it For these two are the main things we shall speak to in this Point That no times no mens times are hidden from God Job makes it a principle as of which there is no questioning Job XXIV 1. Why seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty do they that know him not see his days The latter half of the verse is of some scruple and translations are various and scrupulous upon it but the former is of no scruple but of undoubted concession that times are in no wise hidden from God Only the botching Greek Translation which some would authorize above the divine Hebrew original reads it clean contrary Why are times hidden from God As if they were hidden from him Point the latter clause right as you should do for I observe in some Bibles it is mispointed and the passage is much cleared Why since times c. do they that know him not see his days Or not more consider of his Eternity Dan. VIII 13. There is a word something strange in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the English Text reads it That certain Saint Then I heard one Saint speaking and another Saint said unto that certain Saint that spake How long shall be the Vision c. But the margent reads it The numberer of secrets or the wonderful numberer His name is Wonderful Esa. IX 6. And Judg. XIII 18. Why askest thou after my Name seeing it is secret Marg. Wonderful When he is now treating concerning times he is called the wonderful numberer of them Mene mene Tekel He numbers and he finishes the Times of Men and Kingdoms he weighs men and their Times and their Conditions He is the Wonderful Numberer in whose hand and knowledge and disposal are the times of all men as David saith of his own Psal. XXXI 15. My times are in thy hand Concerning Gods knowing and dating the Times of men and their affairs I might largely speak to these two things for evidence to it I. His foretelling of times and affairs before they come By this very thing he proves himself to be the true God and by coming short of this the Gods of the Heathen to be but lies and vanity Esa. XLI 22 23. Let them bring forth and shew us what shall happen let them declare us things for to come Shew the things that are to come hereafter that we may know that ye are Gods But Chap. XLIII 12. saith God of himself I have declared and saved and shewed when there was no strange God among you And Chap. XXVI 9 10. I am God there is none like me Declaring the end from the beginning and from antient times the things that are not yet done saying My Counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure How did he determine the time of the sojourning of the children of Israel before their coming out of Egypt four hundred and thirty years before to the very day Exod. XII 40 41. Now the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years even the self same day it came to pass that the Hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt How did he foretel of the Death of Christ seventy sevens of years even four hundred and ninety years before it was to the very hour Dan. IX 21. At the hour of the evening sacrifice the Angel Gabriel tells Daniel the time to that very hour Christ should suffer for he suffered at that hour Is not the time of the affliction of his people determined with him who foresees foretels of times and affairs to a day to an hour so many hundred of years before they came II. His harmonizing of times in so sweet an union as he hath done doth not that shew that he is the wonderful Numberer of times and Numberer of times of the affliction of his people The Scripture is most copious and the providence of God most sweet and heavenly in this kind of consort and it may much refresh and ravish the Reader of Scripture to observe such harmony Henock that glorious shining light upon Earth to run his course here just in as many years three hundred sixty five years as the Sun doth his course in Heaven days three hundred sixty five days Gen. V. 23. David to reign exactly so long a time in Jerusalem as Christ the son of David lived here upon earth thirty two years and an half 1 Kings II. 11. No rain in Elias time three years and an half Luk. IV. 25. Antiochus desolating of Religion three years and an half in the verse before the Text and Christs Ministery to be three years and an half Dan. IX 24. Doth not this Harmony tell that God is the wonderful Numberer of time and Weigher of all affairs Multitudes of such Harmonies of times are to be found in Scripture which all â—ound out this truth we are upon
Targumica Ibid. l. 36. r. that Tongue p. 1169. l. 49. r. are p. 1171. l. 21. add in the margin I. Ibid. l. 48. add in the margin II. p. 1174. l. 35. add I. p. 1175. l. 61. add II. p. 1181. l. 14. Midianitish p. 1185. l. 12. r. Wights Ibid. l. 41. r. Aruch a Talmudical p. 1187. l. 16. r. was Ibid. l. 23. after in add all p. 1188. l. 39. r. Lord. p. 1189. l. penult after cannoâ— r. but. Ibid. the same line r. â—e p. 1192. l. 46. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ibid. l. 51. r. Epithites p. 1193. l. 9. r. Epithite p. 1198 l. 55. dele the. p. 1200. l. 39. presly p. 1201. l. 7. for your r. the. p. 1212. l. 53. r. straiâ—ned p. 1233. l. 8. r. binding p. 1237. l. 18. r. â—ngrasted p. 1239. l. 1. r. away Ibid. l. 2. dele the second let Ibid. l. 10. r. inquiry Ibid. l. 11. r. intimation Ibid. l. 13. impenitent p. 1240. l. 13. r. a King Ibid. l. 26. after is r. this p. 1241. l. 8. dele hath p. 1243. l. 37. after As add to Ibid. l. 40. dele so p. 1244. l. 17. r. more p. 1245. l. 3. at this p. 1251. l. 31. dele the second And. p. 1252. l. 35. r. his sin Ibid. l. 36. r. osâ— p. 1257. l. 53. dele in it p. 1267. l. 4. in the margin add I. p. 1270. l. 38. r. motion p. 1272. l. 20. r. racking p. 1276. l. 60. r. ways p. 1277. l. 29. dele that p. 1278. l. 27. r. doted Ibid. l. 34. dele not Ibid. l. 46. in the margin add I. p. 1279. l. 53. r. Word p. 1281. l. 10. in the margin add II. p. 1283. l. 10. after First add thing p. 1303. l. 23. in the margin add I. p. 1310. l. 21. r. righteous p. 1314. l. 15. r. even p. 1321. l. 13. r. lay p. 1323. l. 12. r. day p. 1326. l. 17. after Christ add a period p. 1328. l. 51. after some add thing p. 1337. l. 44. r. did Ibid. l. 46. r. Children p. 1338. l. 32. r. even Ibid. 34. r. became p. 1340. l. 48. after stock add of p. 1350. l. 58. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 1352. l. 52. r. genera THE TABLES or INDEXES Belonging to the Second Volume OF Doctor LIGHTFOOTS Works READER THAT this Work sufficiently Great Pleasant and Useful in it self may be so to thee thou art desired to Correct with thy Pen the ensuing Errors of the Press especially those that refer to the right numbring of the Pages which will highly befriend thee in the use of the following Indexes or Tables as also in the Correcting the other Erratas ERRATA IN the Hebrew and Talmudical Exercitations upon the Evangelist St. Mark at the first Y in the second Alphabet the number of the Page viz. 345. is repeated on the next Page and so the number continues on for twenty eight Pages more being fourteen numbers twice set down so that if the Reader find not what he wants on the first of any of those Pages he may turn to the second where he will easily find it In the Hebrew and Talmudical Exercitations upon the Evangelist St. John at the second X in the third Alphabet for Page 531. read 523. and so on for three Pages viz. for 532. r. 524. for 533. r. 525. for 534. r. 526. In the Hebrew and Talmudical Exercitations upon the first Epistle to the Corinthians in the Additions to the fourteenth Chapter at the first L in the fifth Alphabet for Page 799. r. 809. In the Sermons at the second Z in the sixth Alphabet for Page 1109. r. 1107. and so on for three Pages more viz. for 1110. r. 1108. for 1111. r. 1109. for 1112. r. 1110. At the first B in the seventh Alphabet second number for 1022. r. 1122. Page Line Read 3 7 Sphinx 6 45 Zoar.  24 Solinus 43 1 Psal. 132. 6. 222 44 sole 224 35 transported 244 28 abundance 292 4 Deut. 2. 23. 297 60 Hony 336 43 There is a controversie 341 34 twelve 352 44 bride chambers 357 22 hour 358    38 Alexander 383 37 Temple 387 47 of the field 402 46 vain-glorying 404 48 caught up by 410 36 space of 414 12 own 425 48 these Towns 454 6 years 481  penult saying 494 20 near 523 Marg. 5. Appi. 555 34 young 577 antâ—penult they 602 3 Ezek. 15. 2. 646 43 Grant 654 30 and.  54 Alexandrian 658 9 1 Cor. 11. 21. 657 37 Theudas 660 49 were 690 40 heard 742 35 man 798 17 dispersed  23 Talmudists 752 41 Jews had lived 791 43 Psal. 102. 1037 39 Heb. 2. 1038 16 Matth. 23. 2 3. 1039 34 Feast of Dedication 1041 2 conformed 1044 8 Matth. 12. 43 44 45. 1051 2 in peace with God 1058 19 Matth. 19. 1061 10 such an occasion as this 1063 29 do thou with 1066 48 Exod. 6. 25. 1073 6 2 Pet. 3. 13. 1074 43 1 Tim. 4. 1. 1080 11 been 1081 58 she were guilty 1100 17 Elixir 1106 45 two words of 1110 33 2 Thâ—ss 2. 1118 10 had been these had there 1129 30 went 1138 38 shall 1139 34 to be used 1145 19 they  24 preface 1147 21 It was a time 1180 55 no changling 1184 6 David 1192 9 derâ—ve 1223 3 hand 1224 18 Prophet 1226 29 therefore 1242 38 from 1252 1 sorer 1278 34 now 1286 5 they have made the best of c. 1302 24 God 1306 20 had The First TABLE of Scriptures Illustrated Explained or Reconciled in whole or in part with an Appendix of such as are Differently Read from the ordinary Translation GENESIS Ch. vers  Page 1. 2. THE Spirit of God moved upon the face of the Waters 643 3. 15. I will put enmity between thee and the Woman 1171  21. Unto Adam and his Wife did the Lord make coats of Skins 1327 4. 7. If thou dost not well sin lyes at the door 1085 1243 6. 3. My Spirit shall not always strive with Man 1291 10. 18. The Canaanites were dispersed 329  19. The borders of the Canaanites 328 14. 5. Chedorlaomer and the Kings smote c. 363 46. 27. Children that were born to Joseph c. 402 All the Souls were threescore and ten Compared and reconciled with Acts 7. 14. Threescore and fifteen 667 49. 17. Dan shall be a Serpent by the way c. 1249  22. Joseph is a fruiful Bough even by a Well 537 EXODUS Ch. vers  Page 1. 19. THE Midwives said unto Pharaoh the Hebrew Women are c. 1243 1244 4. 24. The Lord met Moses and sought to kill him 1066 8. 19. This is the finger of God 1244 17. 16. The Lord will have war with Amalech 291 â—0 5. Unto the fourth Generation 97 98 28. 30. Thou shalt put in the Breast Plate of Iudgment the Urim and Thummim 1067 32. 27. Put every Man his sword by his side and slay c. 1081 1315 â—4 14. The Lord whose