Reason 4 The fourth reason when the most ancient people of the world were captivate and destroyed Of their calling yet the people of the Iewes in all those changes and alterations remained a people distinguished from all other people by their profession a people dwelling by themselves Num. 23. and having no medling with other people whom the Lord would not have slaine but scattered Psal 59.11 This shewes the wonderfull providence of God over them and that they are reserved for their time of calling againe In the last dayes there shall bee a full conversion of Reason 5 the Iewes Of their calling Apocal. 7. when the foure Angels were forbidden to hurt the earth and the sea till those 144000. bee sealed in their foreheads of all the tribes of Israel of the tribe of Iudah were sealed 12000. and of the rest of the tribes as many which prophecie according to the letter is to bee understood of the calling of the Iewes because the Israelites there marked in the forehead are expreslie distinguished from the Gentiles who are marked and from other languages verse 9. The sixt reason Hos 3.4 The children of Israel shall Reason 6 remaine many dayes without a King and an Ephod Of their calling and without a Teraphim afterward shall the children of Israel returne and seeke the Lord their God and David their King Here are foure estates and conditions of the Iewes set downe first when they had their Ephod and religiously worshipped the Lord secondly when they had their Teraphim and were Idolaters thirdly in their estate now when they want both their Ephod and their Teraphim that is they are neither true worshipers of God now neither are they Idolaters now for they hate Idoles fourthly when they shall returne to seeke the Lord and David their King then they shall bee Ruchama Saint Paul wishes to be accursed for his brethren the Iewes this desire came from the holy spirit therefore Reason 7 it must not bee frustrate Of their calling for God and nature does nothing in vaine Ob. But ye will say can a man wish his owne damnation for the glory of God and safety of his Church Answ Wee have a naturall life and wee have a spirituall life wee should preferre our naturall life to another mans naturall life A man is rather bound to preserve his owne life then another mans of equall condition A man is bound to preserve his owne life rather then another mans of that same degree when onely hee considers his life as his life but when there comes in another respect as for honesty vertue or fidelity one man might give his life for another Iohn 15.13 greater love then this hath no man when one bestoweth his life for his friend The two Pythagoreans are much commended for their mutuall friendship one to another the one of them gave himselfe a pledge for the other that if he should not returne at such a day to the Emperor then hee should die for him the day comming and hee not appearing his friend who lay in pledge for him was adjudged to die for him and when they were leading him out to execution his friend came and redeemed him and entred in his place to be executed for him the tyrant seeing these two such constant friends he quite them both and wished earnestly that they would take him in to bee the hird friend to them Lactantius lib. 5. de institia cap. 18. Lactantius inferre upon this that if it be a glorious thing to die for a friend how much more glorious is it to die for Christ A man is bound to lay downe his naturall life for the safety of his superiors Secondly a man is bound to lay downe his naturall life for the safety of those who are his superiours And they put this case If the King and the subject were in one ship or the father and the sonne the shippe breakes and there is but one planke which cannot serve two to swimme out upon In this case the subject is bound to quite the planke for the safety of his prince and so is the sonne to quite the plancke for the safety of his father Indignus est vitâ qui vitae suae authorem negligit hee is not worthy of life A man is bound to lay downe his temporarie life for the spirituall life of his brother who contemnes him who hath been the author of his life Thirdly a man is bound to quite his temporarie life for the spirituall life of his brother as Christ did 1 Ioh. 3.16 Hereby we may perceive the great love of God who was pleased to lay downe his life for us ought not wee then to lay downe our lives for our brethren and vers 23. This is his Commandement that we love one another as he gave commandement This was his commandement Ioh. 15. That yee love one another as I have loved you And the reason of this is because wee are members of one body Ephes 4. and 1 Thes 2.8 so being affectionately desirous of you we were willing to have imparted unto you not onely the Gospell of God but also our owne soules because ye were deare unto us In the naturall body one member hazards it selfe for another as the hand for the head so should the members in the mysticall body doe Fourthly in the defence of the Church a man may lay downe his naturall life as Sampson did and we have an example of this 1 Mach. 6.43 of one Eleazar surnamed Savaran who perceiving an Elephant greater than all the rest and supposing that the King was upon him vers 46. he crept under the Elephant and thrust him in the bellie and slew him whereupon the Elephant fell downe upon him and killed him The fathers doe not condemne this act of Eleazar Ambros li. 1. de of ficiis but they commend him much for it in that he layes downe his naturall life for the safetie of the Church Lastly wee are to lay downe our temporarie life above all for Christs sake as the martyres did We are to lay downe our temporall life for Christ this farre wee see how we may lay downe our naturall life for others but to lay downe our spirituall life for others that wee cannot doe a man may desire at some times the deferring of the injoying of the spirituall life for a while for the good of the Church Phil. 1.24 but hee cannot absolutely wish himselfe to be Anathema for the good of the Church Paul in a supposition wishes rather that he may be cursed In a speech joyntly taken both the partes may be true which being separate the one is true and the other is false then the Iewes condemned but hee wishes not this absolutely In a speech jointly taken both the parts may be true which being separate the one is true and the other false as Elias saith to Ahab The Lord hath not spoken by me if thou returne in peace from the
consecrate by the prophets and the Priests it became heavenlie fire The Iewes are uncertaine concerning the fire of the second temple for some say 2 Mac. 1.19 that the Priests hidde the fire of the first temple in a pit and that it was kindled againe in the second temple after the captivity R. David Hag. 1.8 But others of them hold that there were five things wanting in the second temple which were in the first the Arke Vrim Thummim the holy fire and Shechina the majestie of God who dwelt betweene the Cherubines Because this fire came from heaven therefore when they wanted it they studied by rubbing the stones of the altar one upon another to kindle the fire againe 2 Mac. 10.3 and the vest all virgins imitating them when their holy fire went out they kindled it againe with the beames of the sunne contracted into a christall glasse The third thing which Elijah did was this He caused all the Priests of Baal to bee kild this was Opimum Sacrificium Deo when the Levites consecrated their hands to kill their neighbours and brethren that were Idolaters Exod. 32.29 their hands were consecrate with their blood of the brethren as that day when they were ordained Priests the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled upon the thumbe of their right hand Exod. 29.20 And this was as acceptable a consecration to the Lord as that day when they were consecrate priests unto him so the shedding of the blood of these Idolatrous Priests was as acceptable a sacrifice to the Lord as any could be Elijah for his good service done to God in that great famine the Lord preserves him wonderfully first by Ravens at the river Cherith who brought him bread and flesh twice in the day secondlie by the widow of Zarepta who had but a little meale which shee was to dresse and then to die 1 King 17.12 Chrysostome considering the fact of this widow Homil 19. 2. Cor. markes the great charitie of this widow that she gives not out of her povertie to helpe the prophet but out of her meere necessitie when both she and her child were like to starve neither having any hope to be helped by her neighbours and here hee compares Abraham his fact and her fact when Abraham intertained the strangers and hee preferres her charitie to Abrahams shee ranne not to the flocke as Abraham 〈…〉 â—nely to her poore handfull of meale which was reserved for her and her sonne Wee are bound to give of things that are profitable for us to helpe our neighboures necessitie as the Samaritan tooke his oyle and his wine and powred it into the hurt mans wounds So hee who hath two coates should impart to him that hath none Luke 3.11 but this poore widow gaver her one coate consumsit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 15.13 to save the Prophets life thirdly he was fed by the Angell The bowed their knees to Baal The Idolaters in Ahabs time bowed their knees to Baal The Hebrewes have foure words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the which they expresse the signes of bodily worship The first is Barach the bowing of the knee The second is Cadad the bowing of the head from the necke upward The third is Carang the bowing downe of the head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the bulke of the bodie and the fourth is hishtahave to cast downe the whole body before them The Apostle Rom. 6.13 wills us that we should make all our members instruments of righteousnesse to God but the Idolaters made all their members the instruments of sinne to worship their Idols The steod with their heads uncovered before their Idols First their head they prayed before their Idols with their heads covered because the people of the East worshipped their great men with their heads covered therefore they prayed after the same manner and honoured their Idols standing before them with their heads covered Mishna Tom. 1. l. 2. Maymonides saith that religious outward worship should be given after the same manner as they worshipped great men and he addes nisi forte sit mos illius loci ut quis stet coram magnatibus aperto capite that is unlesse it be the manner of men in that place to stand bareheaded when they doe reverence to great men where wee see that the gesture and the manner of praying is to be accommodated to the custome of the place where one lives and they should testifie their outward reverence bâ— such signes as men testifie their reverence to greâ—◠〈…〉 This manner of worship varies in sundry parts Maymonides wrote his Mishna in Egypt and amongst the Mahumetans who uncover not their heads before great men but bow only their head before them and therefore when they pray they uncover not their head So the Iewes both the priests and people uncover not the head in time of divine service The priests had such bonnets upon their heads which could not easily be taken off and put on as ours and when they came abroad they never uncovered their heades but when they made great lamentation they uncovered their heads and cast ashes upon them But the Christians in the West when they doe reverence to their superiours they alwayes uncover their heads and therefore it is the fittest gesture for us to uncover our heads when we pray The Iewes who live here in Europe when they are in their synagogues they never uncover their heads which is altogether contrary to the custome of Europe They salute great men here uncovering their heads and so should they pray according to the canon of Maimonides but they do this in despight of the Christians The Apostle 1 Cor. 11. wills men to be uncovered and women to be covered when they pray because that was the usuall forme amongst the Grecians for the men did uncover their heads when they did any reverence to their superiours and the women had vailes which covered their heads and faces when they came abroad therefore he would not have them uncovered in time of prayer Secondly They worshipped their Idolls turning their faces to them they worshipped their Idolls by turning their faces to them and this is properly adorare ad os orare So the Lord commands his people that they should not turne their backes to him but their faces Ier. 2.27 And the Iewes say that it was not lawfull for anie when they came to the temple to worship if they entered in at the East gate to goe out at the same gate againe but to goe out at the North gate least they should turne their backs upon the Lord. The Iewes were commanded when they worshipped the Lord to turne their faces towards the temple when they were without it 1 King 8. This was to be understood only in their publique worship then they were bound to turne their faces towards the temple and so when they worshipped in their synagogues they turned their faces alwaies towards the temple and Daniel
is most necessary for the preservation of the societie of men The diversitie of tongues was a great judgement to the world Gen. 11. that one of them could not understand another But this distinction of faces is a great blessing to the world for without it no societie could stand then the husband should not know his wife from another woman neither should the father know his children from other men and if the malefactor were not taken in the very fact he needed not to be afraid S. Austine cap. 8. adversus paganos Saint Augustine writing against the Panims calles this diversitie of faces a great miracle Men are distinguished from other sometimes by some marke as the Iewes who lives amongst Christians But these markes may alter and be changed So men are distinguished by their languages and by their dialects as amongst the Iewes some said Shibboleth and others said Sibboleth Iudg. 12.6 So these about Ierusalem had a proper dialect to themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 2.8 So Peter was knowne to be a Galilean by his speech Matth. 26.73 and so the Levite Iudg. 18.3 was knowne by his dialect but these may soone varie and so doth not the faces of men Many things distinguisheth man from man but the face above all This diversitie of the faces of men proves that there is a God for this diversitie of faces comes either from nature from chance or from God here is not a fourth This diversitie of faces comes not from nature for nature endeavours alwayes to bring forth things alike as in a bushell of barley This diversitie of faces comes neither from nature nor from chance but onely from God or wheate wee see all the graines alike This diversitie of faces proceedes not from chance If a man throw a die and desire alwayes a diverse number to fall out to him yet not withstanding the same number shall occurre to him often which argues that this diversitie of faces comes not from chance It rests then that this diversitie of faces comes onely from God who hath onely distinguished the faces of men for the preservation of societie amongst men Object But if they say that this diversitie of faces comes from phansie then I would aske them seeing phansie is seene more in beasts than in men what is the reason that there is no such diversitie amongst beasts as there is amongst the faces of men therefore it rests that it is onely God who makes this diversitie of faces Argu. 4. Non datur progressus in infinitum We cannot be led from Iudicatorie to Iudicatorie therefore at last wee must stay at the barre of the Iudgement of God wee cannot make an infinit progresse in things but we must rest in one chiefe and supreme cause If a man be condemned by an inferior Iudge and the sentence be just then it is altogether unlawfull for him to appeale but if he be wrongfully judged by an inferiour Iudge he may appeale to his superior as Saint Paul did to Cesar Act. 25. Nam appellatio est defensio justa innocentiae praesidium An appeale is a just defence and a safetie of ones innocencie and the law of nature teacheth us this that a man is bound to stand in defence of his owne life as farre as he can by lawfull meanes neither doth he wrong to any when hee stands thus in his owne defence and as in naturall causes the inferiour causes are subordinate to the influx of the superiour So in cases morall the inferiour Iudges are subject to the superiour and if they proceede not aright in judging then they are not their deputies and the partie wronged may seeke for redresse at the superiours hands and because men should not be led from judicatorie to judicatorie there are in all well constitute common wealths some supreme judicatorie from the which men may not appeale as in Iudea the great Synedrion in Athens Areopagus and in Rome the Senate but because all men may doe wrong and erre in judgement the last and supreme Iudge is God himselfe to whom men appeales He is the judge of the whole earth who cannot but judge rightly Gen. 18.25 Hee when he enquires for bloud forgets not the bloud of the poore Psal 9. Who sayes Bene appellatum sed male Iudicatum He approves the appeale but dislikes the wrong judgement By this the Atheist may understand that there is a God who is the Iudge of all A comparison betwixt the Christian the Devill and the Atheist Let us make a comparison betwixt the Christian the Devill and the Atheist The Christian by a justifying faith beleeves that there is a God and he workes out his salvation with feare and trembling The devill by an historicall faith beleeves that there is a God Iam. 2.19 and feares and trembles but hopes not for salvation but the Atheist he trembles onely neither beleeves he by a justifying faith as the Christian doth neither by an historicall faith as the devils doth therefore he is worse than the devill in this point A comparison betwixt Balaam and the Atheist Secondly let us compare the worst of men and the Atheist together let us compare the Atheist and Balaam the Diviner Balaam said Num. 23.10 Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his Balaam beleeved the immortalitie of the soule and the happinesse of the life to come but the Atheist beleeves neither of these two therefore the Atheist is worse than Balaam the Diviner Thirdly A comparison betwixt the Saducee and the Atheist let us compare the Atheist with the Saducee the Saducees beleeved not the immortality of the soule neither the resurrection of the body yet when they were demanded Why then study ye to keepe the commandements of God they answered That it might goe well with them in this life they admitted also the five Bookes of Moses but the Atheists they acknowledge not the immortalitie of the soule nether study they to observe the commandements of God that it may goe well with them in this life neither admit they any Scripture therefore they are worse than the Saduces Fourthly A comparison btwixt the Epicure and the Atheist let us compare the Epicure and the Atheist the Epicure denies all Religion that hee may prove the soule to be mortall as Lucretius did following Epicurus Therefore he falls upon this conclusion 1 Cor. 15. Let us eate let us drinke for to morrow we die That is we shal be quite extinguished in soule and body and there shall be no more of us than of beasts when they are knockt in the head But the Atheist gos further than the Epicure for he denies all Religion and the immortalitie of the soule that he may come to his conclusion that there is not a God these three go alwayes inseparable together If the soule be immortall then there must be a Religion and if there be Religion there must be a God
is set downe in the Thalmud of him The next increase of Idolatry was under Manasseh 2 King 21.2 And hee did that which was evill in the sight of the Lord after the abhominations of the heathen The increase of Idololatry under Manasseh whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel for he built up againe the high places which Ezekias his father had destroyed and he reared up Altars to Baal and made a grove as did Ahab King of Israel and worshipped all the host of heaven and served them And he built Altars in the house of the Lord of which the Lord said in Ierusalem will I put my name and he built Altars for all the Host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord and he made his sonne passe through the fire and observed times and used inchantments and dealt with familiar spirits and wizzards he wrought much evill in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger and hee set a graven Image of the grove which he had made in the house of which the Lord said to David and Salomon his sonne In this house and in Ierusalem which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel will I put my name for ever There are three speciall sinnes marked in Manasseh Three sinnes especially marked in Manasses first that hee built altars for all the host of heaven into the two courts of the house of the Lord Secondly that hee worshiped the Sunne the Moone and the starres And thirdly that he worshipped the devilles First he set up Idolls both in the court of the people and the court of the Priests The Hebrewes observe divers degrees of holinesse which they kept in the land of Canaan first the land it selfe is called holy Zach. 2.16 and the land of Iehovah Hos 3. and the land of Immanuel Isa 8.8 All other lands were called a polluted land Amos 7.17 The second degree of holinesse within the land of Canaan they observe to be within the walled townes for they suffered no leaper to bee within them neither buried they their dead within them therefore they counted them more holie then the rest of the land The third degree they make to be in Ierusalem there were some things which they might eate in Ierusalem but not in the rest of the Land they were holie things but not holy in the highest kinde which they might eate there as the Paschall lambe and the tythes of the third yeare These they eate in Ierusalem but not in the temple The fourth degree of holinesse that they make to bee in the temple was that it was lawfull for no stranger to come within the court of the Israelites And their were keepers appointed who suffered them not to come in there 1 Cor. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And these were called â—agnale pekudoth domini prafectura they suffered no strangers to come in here neither in Israelite if he were uncleane this was a holier place then the court of the Gentiles and if an Israelite were uncleane he behoved to wash himself and he was uncleane till the evening Levi. 15.16 The fift degree of holinesse was that no Israelite might come within the court of the Priests which was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The sixt degree of holinesse was betwixt the porch and the altar where Zacharie was stoned no Priest might enter heere if he had a blemish in his body or whose head was uncovered or if his cloathes were torne The seventh degree of holinesse was the holy place it selfe where the golden altar stood no Priest might enter in heere unlesse his feete and hands were washed By these degrees wee may understand how abhominable a thing it was for the Kings of Israel and Iudah to have defiled his land with their Idols Ier. 16.18 and first I will recompence their sin and their iniquity double because they have defiled my land they have filled mine inheritance with the carcasses of the detestable and abominable things And then Manasseh his Idolatry exceeded who set up Idoles both in the court of the people and in the court of the priests Manasseh also sacrificed to all the host of heaven Amongst the rest of Gods names hee is called in the Scripture Gueliion supreme or high Lord and the greek is framed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from this And they worshipped the sun which they called the queene of heaven they called her the queene because Shemesh the sunne is in the faeminine gender The heavens are the Lords 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 115.16 but he hath given the earth to the sonnes of men Man hath a commandement in the earth and the Lord hath put under his feet all the beasts of the field and the fishes of the sea Psal 8. These corruptible things the Lord hath made subject to man and hee hath power over them and may use them as their Lord for his service and maintenance but hee hath not granted such dominion to man over the Sunne the Moone and the Starrs He is but heere Vsuarius hee is partaker of the heate and light of the sunne he who hinders him from that doth him wrong Thus farre the sunne serves him and therefore the sunne is called Shemesh from Shamesh ministrare but yet man hath absolute dominion over the Sun the Moone therefore Christ Matth. 5. saith that God causeth his Sun so rise upon the good and the bad the dominion over the sunne belongs only to God These are groser Idolaters who worships beasts then those who worships the Sunne and the Moone Hence it followes that they are grosser Idolaters who worship those bodies over which they have dominion then those who worships the Sun and the Moone They are full Lords of the first but they are usuarij Tenents who hath the use onely of the second These Idolaters had Images for the Sunne Isa 17.8 which they call Chammanim And Beniamin in Itinerario describes them after this manner there is a people in the land of Cush which much beholds the starres and worships the Sunne as their God having many altars built without the towne of great stones and earlie in the morning they goe out of the towne to see the Sun and they have Images consecrate to the Sunne upon every altar made round like the Sun built by magick The manner how they worshipped the Sunne and when the Sun riseth these round circles seeme to burne and they make a great noyse and every one both man woman hath a censere in his hand offers some incense to the Sun they have horses also dedicate to the Sun after the manner of the Persians Iosias tooke away these horses dedicate to the Sun 2 King 23.11 they used to ride upon these horses when they went to worship the Sunne The Lord promises Ier. 13. that he would breake down the image of Beth Shemesh which was the house of the sunne and the Egyptians met yearely to
of the Iewes after the first captivitie to their restitution after their second captivitie so that they shall returne to their ancient seats and possesse every tribe his owne part that they shall conquest their foes that their soyle shall be as fruitfull as before that they shall erect in the land of Iudah a glorious Church and that they shall be rulers farre and neare These and such like promises are set out by way of allegorie in terrene similitudes figuring our deliverance through Christ but we must take heede that we doe not expound them really and literally as some men doe SECT 10. Of the end of the calling of the Jewes THe Lord chose not the Gentiles that he might cast off the Iewes The end of the conversion of the Iewes but that the Iewes and the Gentiles together might grow up in one bodie The Lord cuts off some superfluous branches and loppes them that others might be ingrafted in their place He cut of those superfluous branches for a while to be ingrafted againe And as when Peter cut off Malchus eare Christ joyned it to his head againe so the Lord shall ingraft those Iewes againe who are now cut off and after that the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall come in all Israel shall be saved By Israel hee meanes not that the Gentiles shall be saved when some Iewes shall be joyned to them for then he had revealed no mysterie here for we see of the Gentiles converted daily and of some of the Iewes also but he is speaking here of Israel according to the flesh and not of Israel spiritually Hee is speaking of their conversion The Lord casts off the Iewes for a while The Lord cast off the Iewes is for a while to stirre them up to a holy emulation with the Gentiles that hee might stirre them up to a holy emulation and the Apostle compares them here to two running in a race God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here the master of the race 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the reward is eternall life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those who runnes in the race are the Iewes and the Gentiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the spectators are the Angels what were all the Olympick games if they were compared with this running But in this race they that are first shall be last and the last first but in the end they shall be equall when the conversion of the Iewes and the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall kisse one another SECT 10. The reasons why the Christians should be so earnest for the conversion of the Jewes The first reason why the Gentiles should love the Iewes FIrst we should love the Iewes for their good fathers sake Abraham Isaac and Iacob David loved Mephibosheth although he was but a dead dog 2 Sam. 9.8 for his good father Ionathans sake So wee should love the Iewes although they be but as dead dogges for their fathers cause Reason 2 Secondly because Christ is come of them according to the flesh who is blessed for ever Reason 3 Thirdly wee should love the Iewes because the Gospell came first from them to us Peter planted the first Church of the Iewes at Ierusalem Act. 7. but when there arose a persecution at Jerusalem the Church of the Iewes was scattered amongst the Gentiles then they were like a little leaven which leavened the Church of the Gentiles Reason 4 Fourthly we should love them because they have faithfully kept the Scriptures and transmitted them to us uncorrupted Christ saith to them How read you in your Law Iohn 8.17 that is in the Law which was concredite to your custodie they were capsarij ecclesia as Augustine termes them codicem portat Iudaeus ut credat christianus They were like unto a lanterne that gives light unto others but sees nothing it selfe they are monitores veritatis although they were in darkenesse themselves as Baalam was Reason 5 Fiftly because they had such a care of us when wee were out of the covenant therefore wee should have a mutuall care of them beeing out of the covenant they say Cant. 8.1 We have a little sister what shall we doe for her so should wee say wee have an elder brother what shal we do for him Noah prayed of old that Iaphet might be perswaded that he might dwell in the tents of Shem and so did Shem himselfe Gen. 9.27 The purpose of the Lord there is to shew that cursed Cham should be deprived of all dignitie in his fathers familie and be but like a slave there was a threefold dignity of old in the family first of the Priesthood secondly of the double portion and thirdly of the private governement Now Noah by a curse takes away all these from Cham and he bestowes all upon Shem and Iaphet hee bestowes upon Shem the priviledge of the Priesthood and therefore he sayes Blessed be the God of Shem and hee gives to Iaphet a large portion of the earth which we see afterward accomplished by experience for who enjoyed the largest possessions of the earth were they not the Assyrians Caldeans Persians Greekes Romans Turkes Sarasenes and Mascovites Shem as the Priest of God prayed for the conversion of these nations Iaphets posterity so Iaphets posterity now pray that Shem may dwell in their tents and bee converted againe the primitive Church prayed much for the establishing of the Roman Empyre because the Antichrist should not come while he who withheld was taken out of the way This is while the Roman Empyre was removed who kept downe the Antichrist The prayer of the Church is now come Lord Iesus come quickely Rev. 22.21 Then wee must pray earnestly that the signes preceding might bee fulfilled and this calling of the Iewes is one of the most notable signes The conversion of the Iewes serve much to the compleating of the mysticall body Lastly the conversion of the Iewes serves much for the compleating of the mysticall body of Christ there is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or emptines in that mysticall body Rom. 11. untill the Iewes be brought in When Naomi returned home to Bethlehem wanting her husband and her sonnes shee said Plena egressa sum sed revertor vacua I went out full but the Lord hath caused me to returne empty Ruth 1.21 when the Church wants the Iewes it is emptie as it were and they with us make up one perfect body SECT 11. How thankefull the Jewes should bee to God for their conversion againe THe Casuistes propound a cause Lessius de gratitudine How thankefull the Iewes should bee when they are called againe whether they are more bound to God who stand and have not fallen then those who have fallen are restored againe by grace and they shew that they are more bound to God who have fallen are stor'd againe by grace then those who have not fallen at all and the reason is although the gift of perseverance in innocencie of it selfe bee greater and more