you And were it not for our Fathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob there should not one of my seed be left upon earth Furthermore I know by the Book of Enoch that ye shall goe astray by the space of threescore and ten wreks and defile the Priesthood stain the Sacrifices destroy the Law despise the sayings of the Prophets frowardly persecute righteous folk hate the godly abhor the sayings of soothfast men and call him Hereticke that goeth about to renew the Law by the power of the Highest and in the end ye shall kill him out of hand as you think not knowing that he shall rise again and so shall ye receive his innocent bloud wilfully upon your own heads For his sake shall your holy places be left desolate which you shall have defiled even by utter forswearing and your dwelling shall not be clean but you shall be accursed among the Heathen and despair shall vex you till he visite you again and mercifully receive you through faith and water And forsomuch as ye have heard of the threescore and ten weeks hear ye also of the Priesthood For in every Iubilie shall be Priesthood In the first Iubilie the first anointed into the priesthood shall be great talke to God as to his father his priesthood shall be full of the feare of the Lord and in the day of his gladnesse he shall rise up unto the salvation of the world In the second Iubilee the anointed shall be conceived in the heavinesse of the beloved sort and his priesthood shall be honourable and he shall be glorified amongst all men The third priest shall be taken up in sorrow and the fourth shall be in griefe because the multitude of iniquities shall be laid upon him and throughout all Israel every man shall hate his neighbour The fift shall be held fast in darknesse and likewise the sixt and the seventh And in the seventh shall be such abhomination both before God and man as I am not able to expresse Howbeit that the doers thereof shall not be known For this cause shall they be in captivity corruption and their land and substance shall be destroyed but in the fifth weeke they shall retuâ—ne into their desolate country and renew the Lords house In the seventh weeke shall come idolatrous priests covetous warriours unrighteous scribes and filthâ—e abusers of men children and beasts After that the Lord hath sent vengeance upon them in the priesthood then will God raise up a new Priest unto whom all the Lords word shall be opened and he shall execute true judgement upon earth many dayes and his starre shall arise in heaven As a King shall hee shed forth the light of knowledge in the open sunshine of the day and he shall be magnified over all the World and be received and shine as the Sun upon the earth and drive away all darknesse and there shall be peace upon all the earth In his dayes the heavens shall rejoyce the earth shall be glad the clouds shall be merry the knowledge of the Lord shall bee powred out upon the earth as the waters of the Seas and the angels of glory that are in the Lords presence shall rejoyce in him The heavens shall be opened out of the temple of glory shall sanctification come upon him with the Fathers voyce as from Abraham the Father of Isaac and the glory of the highest shall be spread out upon him and the Spirit of understanding sanctification shall rest upon him whereof he shall give abundantly and mightily to his children in truth for evermore and there shall none succeed him from generation to generation world without end In his Priesthood all sin shal come to an end and the unrighteous shall cease from their naughtiness but the righteous shall rest in him and he shall open the gates of Paradise and stay the threatning sword against Adam and feed the Lambs with the fruit of life and the spirit of holiness shall be in them He shall binde up Belial and give his own children power to tread down hurtful spirits and the Lord shall rejoyce in his children and accept them as his beloved for evermore Then shall Abraham Isaac and Jacob be glad and then shall I and all Saints rejoyce Now my children ye have heard all Therefore choose unâ—o you either light or darkness either the Law of the Lord or the works of Belial and we answered our Father saying We will walk before the Lord according to his law And our Father said the Lord is witness and his Angels are witnesses and I am a witness and you your selves are witnesses of the words of my mouth And when we had answered We will be witnesses Levi rested with this charge given unto his children And stretched out his feet and was put to his fathers when he had lived a hundred and seven and thirty years and they laid him in a coffin and buried him afterward in Hebron besides Abraham Isaac and Jacob The Testament of JVDA made to his Children at his death concerning valiantnesse covetousnesse and fornication Lo here the blessed Princely state Of Juda suffering not his mate The Scepter Lion Purse and Crowne Betoken glory and renowne The Testament of Iuda THe Copie of all the sayings of Juda which he spake unto his Children at the time of his death when they were come together before him he said unto them I was my fathers fourth son and my mother called me Juda saying I thank the Lord for that he hath given me a fourth sonne I was swift of foot and painfull in my youth and obeyed my Father in all things and blessed my mother and my mothers sisters And when I came unto mans estate my father Jacob praied over me saying Thou shalt be a King and prosperous in all things Behold God gave me grace in all my workes both abroade at home Vpon a time I saw a Hind and ran after her and caught her made good meate of her for my father Also I outran the Roes and overtook all things that were in the fields insomuch that I caught a wild Mare and tamed her I plucked a Kidde out of the mouth of a Beare taking him by the pawe overthrew him and rent asunder all wilde beasts that turned upon me as if I had been a Dog I encountered with a wilde Boar and overrunning him tare him in pieces In Hebron a bastard Lyon leapt upon a Dog and I catching him by the tail flung him away by and by and be brast asunder In the borders of Gare a wilde Bull was feeding in the fields and I took him by the horns and swinged him about and finally killed him There came two Kings of the Chananites armed upon our flock and much people with them and I alone running unto the flock stept to King Sur and striking up his legs overthrew him and so slew him Also I killed another King
the daies of his life he did never cast us in the teeth with it but loved us as his owne soule and more than his owne Children honouring us and giving us riches cattell and corne abundantly You therefore my children love yee one another with a good heart and put from you the spirit of Envie for it maketh a Mans sou'e to grow savage marreth his body breedeth wrath and war in his thoughts setteth his bloud on fire driveth him out of his wits and suffereth no reason to beare any sway or rule Moreover it taketh away his sleep disquieteth his minde and maketh his body to tremble For even in sleep some spice of imagined malice gnaweth him cumbring his soule with Spirits of mischiefe making his body ghastly and his mind affrighted with trouble and appearing unto men as it were with a pernicious Spirit and powring out of poyson Therefore was Joseph faire of face beautifull and comely to behold because no wicked thing dwelt in him for he had a countenance cleare from cumverance of mind And now my children let your hearts be meek before the Lord and walke right before man so shall ye finde favour both with God man and beware that ye fall not to whoredome For whoredome is the mother of all naughtines separating a man from God sending him to Belial For I have seene in Enochs writings that you and your children shall be corrupted with whoredome and do Levi wrong by the sword But they shall not prevaile against Levi because he shall fight the Lords battels and take all your tents and very few shall be divided in Levi and Juda for hee shall be your Captaine as my Father Jacob prophesied in his blessings Behold I tell you all these things aforehand that I may be cleare from the sin of your soules Now if you put from you all enviousnes and all stiffneckednes all my bones shall flourish as a rose in Israel and my flesh as a Lilâ—ie in Jacob and my savor shall be as the sent of Libanus my holy ones shall be multiplied as the Cedars for ever their boughs shall spreade out in length for evermore Then shall the seed of Canaan perish together with all the remnant of Amalek All the Cappadocians shall perish and all tâ—e Sethians shall likewise be destroyed Then shall the land of Cham faile and all the people goe to wreck Then shall the Earth rest from trouble and all men under Heaven from war Then shall Sem be glorified when the great Lord God of Israel appeareth upon earth as a man to save Adam in him Then shall the spirits of errour he troden under foote and men shall reign over hurtfull fiends then shall I arise again in joy and blesse the highest in his wonderful works for God taking a body upon him and eating with men shal save men And now my children obey Levi and you shall be delivered by Juda and advance not your selves above these two tribes for of them two shall the saving health of God spring unto us For the Lord shall set up of Levi the prince of priests and of Juda the King of Kâ—ngs God man So shall he save all the Gentiles the off-spring of Israel For these things sake I charge you to command your children to keepe these things thoroughout all their generations And Simeon making an end of these his sayings and commandements to his children slept with his fathers when as he was of the age of an hundred twenty yeares And then they laid him in a coffin of wood that rotteth not that they might cary his bones againe into Hebron they conveyed him privily in the warte of the Egyptians For the Egyptians kept the bones of Joseph in the Kings treasure For their inchanters told them that whensoever Josephs bones were carried away there should be such a plague of miste and darknesse among the Egyptians as one brother should not know another no not even by torchlight and Symeons children bewailed there Father according to the Law of mourning continued in Egypt till the day of their departing thence under the hand of Moyses The Testament of LEVI made to his Childrena this death concerning Priesthood Flie sinne be just rage not give light Ye Preachers of Gods Word For what else sheweth Sun and Moone Dame Venus Wolfe and Sword 〈…〉 THe Copy of Levies words namely which hee spake to his children concerning all the things which they should doe and which should happen unto them untill the day of judgement Hee was in health when he called them unto him for he knew before when he should die So when they were come together he said unto them I Levi was bred and borne in Charran and afterward came with my father into Sichem I was at that time but young about 20 yeers old when I helped my brother Simeon to revenge our sister Dina against Hemor Now as we were â—eeding of our flocks in Abelmuel the spirit of the understanding of the Lord came upon me I saw all men undermining their own waies and how unrighteousnes had builded her selfe a fortresse wickedness sat upon the throne thereof And I was sory for mankind besought the Lord to save them Then there fell a sleep upon me and I saw a very high mountain It was the mountaine of Aspis in Abelmuel And behold the heavens opened and the Angell of God said unto me Levi come hither and went from the first heaven to the second and there saw the water hanging betweene the one and the other And I saw the third heaven much brighter than them both for the height thereof was infinit And I said to the angell what meaneth this And the Angell answered me Marvel not at these things for thou shalt see foure heavens yet brighter without comparison when thou commest up to them For thou shalt stand by the Lord be his Minister and utter his secrets unto men and preach of the deliverer of Israel which is to come by thee and by Juda the Lord will appear to men to save all mankind in them Thy life shall depend upon the Lord by him shalt thou have thy fields vineyards fruits gold and silver Therefore harken as touching the seven heavens The lowest is most lowring because it is neerest to all the unrighteousnes of men The second hath fire snow yce prepared by the Lords appointment against the day of Gods rightfull judgement In it are all the spirits of vengeance for the punishing of the wicked In the third are the powers of hosts ordaâ—ned against the day of iudgement to take vengeance upon the spirits of error and Belial In the fourth above these are the saints for in the higher places dwelleth great glory in the holy of all holies above all holinesse In the next unto this are the angels that do serve in Gods presence and seek his
favour in all the ignorances of the righteous They offer to the Lord the sweet savor of a reasonable service a sacrifice without bloud In the other that is under this are the Angels that bring answers from the Angels in Gods presence In that which is above it are the thrones and potestates wherein is continuall offering up of hymnes unto God Therefore whensoever the Lord looketh upon us all of us are moved yea and even heaven earth the bottomlesse deep are moved at the sight of his greatnesse but the children of men being witles shall sin and provoke the highest unto wrath Now therefore understand that the Lord will execute iudgement upon the children of men Because that men will still continue in unbeliefe and unrighteousnesse even when the stone shall cleave asunder the sunne be darkned the waters dryed up the fire quake all creatures be troubled at the fainting of the invisible Spirit and the spoiling of hell in the passion of the highest therefore shall they be condemned to punishment The highest then hath heard thy prayer to separate thee from unrighteousnesse and to make thee his sonne and servant and a minister in his presence a lanterne of knowledge to lighten Jacob throughly and to be as a day sunne among the children of Israel and unto thee and thy seed shall the power of blessing be given till God visit all nations in the bowels of the mercy of his Sonne for ever Neverthelesse thy sons shall lay their hands upon him to crucifie him and for this cause is wisedome and understanding given unto thee to give thy children knowledge of him because that if they blesse him they shall be blessed and they that curse him shall perish in his sight And the angell opened me the gates of heaven and I saw the holy Temple and the highest sitting on the throne of glorie and he said unto me Levi I have given thee the blessings of the Priesthood till I come my selfe to dwell in the midst of Israel Then the angell brought mee downe to the earth and gave me a shield and a sword saying Execute vengeance in Sechem for Dina and I will be with thee for God hath sent me And at that time I slew the sonnes of Hemor as it is written in the tables of Heaven And I said unto him Lord I pray thee tell me thy name that I may call upon thee in the time of my trouble And he answered I am an Angell which excuseth Israel that he might not be stricken for ever because all wicked spirits he in waite for him Afterward being waked as it were out of sleep I blessed the most highest and the angel that excuseth the ofspring of Israel and all righteous men And when I came to my Father I found an Aspe of bâ—â—sse whereupon the hill took the name of 〈◊〉 is which is hard by Gebat on the rigâ—â— side of Abila And I laid up these sayings in my hearâ— and I counselled my father anâ— my brother Ruben to perswade the sons of Hemâ—r to bee circumcised because I was zâ—â—lously grieved for the abominâ—â—ion which they had wrought in Israel For first fall I killed Sichem then Simeon killed Hemor and after this came our brethren who smoâ—e the Citie with the edge of the sword When my father heard of it hee was angrie because they had received circumcision and were killed afterward and therefore he dealt otherwise with us in blessing For wee sinned in doing it against his will he fell sicke the same day But I knew then the Lord intended evill to the Sichemites because they had heretofore purposed to have done the like unto Sara as they did unto our sister Dina but GOD letted them And they persecuted our father Abraham as then a stranger caried away his cattel and furthermore did beat Jeblao very sore who was born in his house After the same manner dealt they with all othâ—r strangers taking away their wives from them by force driving the men themselves out of their country For which cause the wrath of the Lord came upon them in the end And I said to my father Sir bee not offended for God will bring the Canaanites to nothing before thee give their land unto thee unto thy holy one after thee For from henceforth Sichem shall be called the city of fooles because that as men do scorn fools so have we scorned them for their working of folly in Israel in taking away our sister for to defile her Then came we into Bethel and there when I had sacrificed threescore and ten dayes together I saw the thing again as I had seen it before And I saw seven men in white rayment saying unto me Vp put on the Stole of Priesthood the crowne of righteousnesse the Reasonal of understanding the Robe of truth the Brestplate of faith the Mitre of holiness and the Ephod of Prophecie And so every of them bringing something with him did put them upon me saying Be thou henceforth the Lords Priest thou and thy seed for evermore The first of them anointed me with holy Oyl and gave me the Scepter of judgement The second washed me with cleane water and fed me with Bread and Wine that is to wit with the most Holy of Holies and clothed me with a glorious Robe downe to the ground The third did put upon me a Silken garment like to an Ephod. The fourth girded me with a girdle like to Purple The fift gave unto me an Olive bough very full of fatness The sixt did set the Mitre of Priesthood upon my head The seventh filled my hands with incense to the intent I should execute the office of a priest unto the Lord And he said unto me Levi unto three principall things is thy seede appointed of God namely to be a signe of the glorious Lord that is to come he that believeth shall be the first The great lot shall not fall upon him the second shall be in Priesthood and the third shall have a new name because a King shall rise up in Juda and renew my priesthood according unto the figure of the Gentiles among all nations But the comming of him is unutterable as who shall be the Prophet of the highest born of our Father Abraham All the pleasant things of Israel shall be given unto thee to thy seed and you shall eat all that is faire to see to and thy seed shall distribute the Lords Table and of them shall be high Priests Iudges and Scribes for in their mouth shall the holy things be kept When I awoke I perceived that this vision was like the other and I laid it up in mine heart and shewed it not unto any man living upon the earth The first two dayes I Iuda went to our grandfather Isaac and he blessed me according to all the sayings
of the visions that I had seene but he would not â—o with us unto Bethel But when we came to Bethel my father Jacob saw in a vision concerning mee that I should be their priest before the Lord And he arose in the morning and tithed all things to the Lord by me Then came we to Hebron to dwell there and by and by Isaac called me to expound the law of the Lord accâ—rding as Gods angell had shewed it to me and he taught mee the law of Priesthood Sacrifices Burnt offerings â—irâ—â—â—ings Free-will offerings and offerings for health Every day he taught me understanding and called upon me continuâ—lly before the Lord saying My son give no care to the spirit of fornication for he will follow thee and defile the holy things by thy seede Therefore take thee a Wife in thy youth such an one that hath not any blemish nor uncleannesse nor is of the kindred of the Allophytes or of the Gentiles And before thou enter into the Holies wash and likewise ere thou sacrificest also when thou hast done offer unto the Lord the fruites of the twelve trees that are ever green as my father Abraham taught me to do and the fruite of all clean beastes and of clean soules offer thou in sacrifice Likewise offer up thy first-born of all things and the first fruits of thy Vine and sprinkle thy Sacrifices with Salt Now therefore my Sons keep ye all the things that I command you for whatsoever I have heard of my Fathers that have I told unto you I am clear from all the wickednesse and sin which you shall commit to the end of the world Ye shall work wickedness against the Saviour of the world and ye shall seduce Israel stirring up much evill against him from the Lord and dealing wickedly with him so that Jerusalem shall not continue by reason of your naughtinesse The Veil of the Temple shall be rent in sunder to discover your foulnesse and ye shall be scattered as prisoners amongst the Heathen and be scorned cursed and trodden under-foot Neverthelesse the House which the Lord shall choose shall be called Jerusalem as the Book of Enoch the righteous containneth Therefore when I was twenty and eight years old I took a Wife whose name was Melcha and she conceived and bare me a son called his name Gershon because we were but strangers in our land for Gershon signifieth vanishment Now I knew of him that he should not be of the chief degree The second was Caath who was born the five and thirtieth year I saw a vision Eastward how all the congregation stood up aloft and therefore I called his name Caath which signifieth the beginning of greatnesse and learning The third was Merari who was born in the five and fiftieth year of my life And because his mother was hardly delivered of him she called him Merari which is as much to say as my bitterness And in the threescore and fourth year of my life was my daughter Jochebed born in Eâ—â—pt and so was I honorable among my â—rethren Also my son Gershon took him a wife which bare him Lybni and Schimi The sons of Caath were Amram Yshvar Hebron and Uziel and the sons of Merari were Mahali and Mushi An the fourscore and fourteenth year of my life Amram took unto wife my daughter Jochebed because that be and she were born both on one day I was eight year old when I entred into the Land of Canaan and eighteen year old when I entred into the office of Priesthood At eight and twenty yeares 〈◊〉 a Wife and at fourtie yeares â—ld I enâ—red into Egypt and behold ye be â—ow my childrens children in the third generation Joseph died in the hundreth and tenth year And now my Children I warn you feare the Lord your God with all your heart and walke plainely in all thinges according to his Law Moreover bring up your children in learning that they may have understanding by reading the law of God without ceasing all their life long For whosoever knoweth Gods law shall be honoured and go wheresoever he will be shall be no stranger also he shall have more friends than his forefathers had 〈◊〉 many shall be glad to serve him and 〈◊〉 heare the law at his mouth My sonnes deale rightfully upon earth that you may finde Heaven and sowe good things in your minds that you may finde them in your life For if ye sowe evill things ye shall finde and reape all manner of combrance and trouble Get yee wisedome iâ— the feare of God for if captivitie come and Cities and Countries be destroyed gold and silver and all possessions perish but none can take away the wise man wisedome save only the blindnesse of ungodlinesse and sinne For his wisedome shall become a shield to him among his enemies and make a strange countrey to be as his owne home and cause him to find friendship in the midst of his foes If he teach and doe such things he shall sit with Kings as did our brother Joseph And truly my Children I know by the writings of Enoch that in the end ye shall doe wickedly laying your hands most spitefully upon the Lord and through you your brethren shall be confounded and made a scorning stock to all nations Howbeit our Father Israel is cleare from the wickednesse of the high Priests which shall lay hands upon the Saviour of the World The Heaven above the earth is cleane you be the lights of the heathen as the Sun and the Moone What shall all the heathen do if you be overdarkned with wickednesse and bring cursednesse upon your country folke for whose sakes the light of the World is put into you to inlighten all men withal this light of the World shall you most wilfully steal and teach commandements contrarie to the righteousnes of God Ye shall purloin the Lords offering and filch away pieces of it Before you do your sacrifices unto the Lord ye shall steale away the choicest things and eat them disdainfully with Harlots teaching Commandements of covetousnesse Ye shall defile maryed women and inforce maidens in Jerusalem you shall match your selves with whoâ—es and Harlots you shall take the daughters of the Heathen unto wife purifying them with unrighteous purifying and your mingling shall be like unto Sodom and Gomorrha and ye shall be swoln with wickednesse in the Priesthood insomuch that you shall most disdainfully and spitefully laugh the holy things to scorn not only vaunting and boasting your selves against men but also being puffed and swoln up with pride against the Commandements of God For this cause shall the Temple which the Lord shal have chosen be undoubtedly left desolate in uncleannesse and you your selves become captives to all Nations and be loathed and abhord among them and receive endlesse shame and confusion through Gods righful judgement and all that see you shall shun
father Jacobs commandements but did whatsoever be willed me And Abraham the Father of my fathers blessed me to fight for Israel so did Isaac blesse me likewise I know that the kingdome shall stand by mee but I have read in the boks of Enoch the righteous that ye shall work wickednesse in the latter daies Therfore my Children keepe your selves from lecherie and covetousnes and give ear unto your father Juda for those things withdraw men from Gods law blind the understanding of their minds teach them a pride neither suffer they any man to shewe mercy b to his neighbour they bereave his soule c of all good things hold it downe in paines and sorrowes also they disappoint him of his rest sleepe d and consume his flesh Fâ—nally e they hinder Gods sacrifices neglect his blessings disobey the speaking of the Prophets and are offended at the word of godlinesse for these two passions are contrary to the commandements of God He that serveth them cannot obey God because they dazell mens minds and walke abroad as well a nights as of dayes My children covetousnesse leadeth men to Idolatry For through doting upon money he calleth them gods which are not and compelleth the infected party to growe most vilely out of kinde For monies sake I lost my children and had not the penance of the flesh and the humbling of my soule had not the prayers of my father Jacob been I had died as now without Children But the God of my fathers being mercifull and full of pitie and compassion knew that I sinned through ignorance For the prince of error had blinded mee and I overshot my selfe as a fleshly man and being corrupted with sinne knew not mine owne infirmitie but thought my selfe to be invincible Know ye therefore my sons that two spirits doe waite upon a man that is to wit the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of errour and in the middest betweene them is set the Spirit of understanding of the minde whose propertie is to incline which way it listeth the things that belong both to truth and untruth are written in the breast of man and God knoweth every whit of it and none of all mens works can bee hidden at any time from him because all the privities and secrets of mens hearts are written before the Lord and the spirit of truth beareth witnesse of all things and accuseth all and he that sinneth hath a burning in his heart and cannot lift up his face to his Iudge And now my children love ye Levi that yee may abide and exalt not your selveâ— above him lest yee perish The Lord hath given unto me the Kingdome and unto him the Priesthood and hath puâ— the Kingdome a under the Priesthood Vnto Levi is given the Priesthood anâ— unto Juda the Kingdome and God hatâ— put the kingdome under the Priesthood Vnto me he hath given the things thaâ— are upon the Earth and unto b him the things that are in heaven As farre as the Heaven surmounteth the earth so farâ— doth c the priesthood surmount the kingdom that is upon the earth For the Loâ—â— hath chosen him above me to approch uâ—to him and to eat of his table and to takâ— the firstlings of the children of Israel and thou shalt bee as a Sea to him For like as in the Sea both the righteous and unrighteous are in danger and the one sort are caught Prisoners and the other sort are inriched even so shall all kinde of men be hazarded in thee some sinking in misery other some floting in prosperity For in thee shall raign great whales which shall swallow up men as fishes and bring free mens sons and daughters into bondage They shall take away Mens Houses Lands Cattell and money by force and wrongfully they shall feed ravens other greedy fowles with many folkes flesh and they shall prosper and flourish in naughtinesse and be exalted through covetousnesse and there shall be false Prophets like stormes which shall persecute all righteous men But the Lord shall set them together by the eares among themselves there shall be continuall warres in Israel and my kingdome shall be knit up in strangers till the saviour of Israel come even till the comming of the God of righteousnesse that Jacob all nations may rest in peace and he shall maintain my kingdom in peace for ever For the Lord hath sworn to me that the kingdome of me and of my seede shall never faile world without end But I am very sorry my Children for the filthinesse trechery idolatry which ye shall worke against the Kingdome by following Witches and Conjurers by vowing your Daughters to deceitfull Divels by making them inchanters charmers and Strumpets and by intermedling your selves with the abhominations of the heathen for the which things the Lord shall bring upon you a famine b pestilence death and c sword wrathfull d besiegement e devouring dogs reproach f of friends and foes losse g paine of eies slaughter h of your children ravishings i of Wives spoile of your goods the burning k of your temple the desolation l of your country and the m captivity of your selves among all nations which shall geld some of you to make Eunuches for their wives but if ye returne to the Lord with hearty repentance humility walke in all the commandements of God he will visite you with mercy and lovinglie deliver you from the bondage of your enemies After this shall rise among you a Star out of Jacob and a man shall spring out of my seed which shall walk as the Day-sun of righteousnesse among the children of men in peace and meekenesse and righteousnesse and no sin shall be found in him The heavens shall open upon him to pour out the spirit of blessednesse upon him from the Father and he shall shed out the spirit of grace upon you and you shall be his children in truth walking in his flest and last Commandements This is the off-spring of the most high God and the well-spring of life to all flesh Then shall the Scepter of my Kingdom shine bright and out of your root shall spring the vessel of planting in whom shall grow up the Rod of righteousnesse unto the Gentiles to judge and save all such as call upon him After this shall Abraham Isaac and Jacob rise up again to life and I and the Princes my brethren shall be your Scepter in Israel Levi first I next Joseph the third Benjamin the fourth Simeon the fift Isachar the sixt and so all the rest And the Lord hath blessed us Levi shall be the messenger of my presence Simeon the power of my glory Reuben Heaven Issachar the earth Zabulon the Sea Joseph the Mountains Benjamin the Tabernacle Dan the lights Neptalim the Dainties
of his is stark lewdnesse Another man loveth ungraciousnesse and he is lewd likewise and although he could finde in his heart to die for the compassing of his evill yet it is manifest that he is double faced and his doing is altogether starke naught For his love being but lewdnesse doth as it were cloak his evill with a good Name whereas the drift of his doings tendeth unto a wicked end Another healeth doth open wrong pilleth and polleth is covetous and pitieth not the poor He also hath a double face and all this is stark naught for in being niggardly towards his neighbour he provoketh Gods wrath and denyeth the highest in not pitying the poor He despiseth and spiteth the Lord which is the commander of the law he suffereth not the poor to rest he defileth his own sent to make his body gay he killeth many and pâ—â—ieth few this is the part of a double faced person Another committeth whoredome and fornication or vexeth many men piteously with his power and riches and yet abstaineth from meats his fast is naught for he doth the commandements with an evil conscience and that is a double faced dealing which is altogether naught Such manner of folke are right Swine and Hares for they seem to be half clean but in very deed they be utterly unclean You therefore my children become not like them neither beare you in one hood two faces the one of goodnesse and the other of naughtiness but stick all only unto goodness for in goodnesse doth God rest and men like wel of it Shun naughtiness and kill the Divel in your good works for they that are double faced serve not God but their own lusts because they seeke to please Belial and such as are like themselves Now though plain dealing men and such as pretend but one face are taken for offenders at the hands of such as beare two faces yet are they righteous before GOD Fâ—r many in killing wicked persons doe two works at once namely good by evill but indeed the whole worke is good because that he which hath rooted out the evil hath destroyed it Some man hating his neighbour mercifully blameth him for his advoutry or theft such a one is double faced but yet is the whole work good because he followeth the Lords example not respecting what seemeth good when it is evill in deed Another will not make merry with Rioters lest he should be stained by them and defile his own soul This man also is double faced but yet is all his doings good and he is like a Roe or a Stagge which in a common wilde berd seem to be unclean and yet are altogether clean because he walked in the zeale of the Lord shunning and hating those whom God willeth to be shunned in his Commandements and so killeth be evil with weldoing See therefore my Sonnes how there are two in all things one against the other and the one hiddeâ— under the other Death succeedeth to life shame to glory night to day and darkenesse unto light All righteous things are under light and life therefore doth eternall life overmaster death It is not to be said that truth is untruth righteousness unrighteousness or right wrong because that as all things are under God so all truth is under light I have practised all these things in my life and not strayed from the truth of the Lord but sought out the Commandements of the Highest to the uttermost of my power and walked with one face in goodness Take heed therefore my Children to the Lords Commandements and foâ—low the truth with one single face For they that are double faced shall be double punished The spirit of errour hateth the man that fighteth against it Keep the law of the Lord and regard not evill that seemeth good but have an eye to the thing that is good indeed and keep the same returning to the Lord in all his Commandements and resting upon him for the ends whereat men doe aym doe shew their righteâ—usnesse And know the Angels of the Lord from the Angels of Sathan For if ye cleave to wicked spirits your souls shall be tormented of the wicked Spirit whom ye serve in wicked lusts and worke But if ye quietly and cheerfully acquaint your selves with the Angel of Peace he shall comfort you in your life time My children become not like the Sodomites which knew not the Angel and perished for ever For I am sure that you shall sinne and be delivered into the hands of your enemies your land shal be laid waste and your selves shal be scattered into the four corners of the earth and be despised as unprofitable water in your dispersing abroad untill the Highest do visit the earth eatâ—ng and drinking as a man with men and breaking the Serpents head in pieces without noise He shall save Israel and all the Heathen by water being GOD hidden in man Therefore tell your children these things that they neglect not Gods Law written in the Tables of heaven For the time will come that they shall give no credit to the Law of the Lord And you falling unto naughtiness shall deal wickedly against God giving no heed to his Law but unto mens commandments For this cause shall ye be scattered abroad as my Brothers Gad and Dan which were not acquainted with their own countrey tribe and tongue Neverthelesse the Lord shall gather you together again in faith for the hope of his mercy for Abraham Isaac and Jacobs sake When he had so said he commanded them to bury him in Hebron And he died sleeping a good sleep and afterward his sonnes doing as he had willed them carryed him back and buryed him with his Fathers The Testament of JOSEPH made to his Children at his death concerning Chastity and Patience Let Joseph teach thee Love and Chastity So shalt thou have A long blessed life Void of all strife Even to thy grave The Testament of Ioseph MY sons and my brethren hear ye Joseph the well-beloved of Israel My children hear your Father I hâ—ve known in my life Envy and Death with the which my brethren would have destroyed me For they hated me and God loved me they would have killed me and the God of my Fathers kept me they put me into a pit and the most high brought me out again I was sold as a bondman and the Lord made me free and his strong hand helped me I was kept in hunger and the Lord himself nourished me I was left alone and the Lord comforted me I was sick and the Lord visited me I was in prison and the Saviour made me glad I was fastned in Chaines and the Lord unbound me He pleaded my cause in the accusations of the Egyptians and not only delivered me from Envy and Deceit but also exalted me insomuch that Putiphar chief Steward of Pharaohs house did lend me ladging where I was in jeopardy of my life by reason of a
of Belial tempt you to all naughtinesse to trouble you yet shall it not get the uppermost hand of you no more then it did of my brother Joseph How many folk would have killed him and yet God still defended him For he that feareth God and loveth his neighbour cannot be wounded of the aiery Spirit Belial and he that is shielded with the fear of the Lord is safe from harm both of man and beast and cannot be overcome because he is helped by the love of God which he hath towards his neighbour for Joseph beâ—ought our father Jacob to pray for my brethren to the Lord that he would not lay unto their charges the mischief that they had devised against him Whereat Jacob cried out O son Joseph thou hast overcome my heart And therewithall embracing him he kissed him two hours together and said In thee shal the prophecy of Heaven be resembled to the full concerning the Lamb of God and Saviour of the world that the unspotted sâ—all be delivered for the wicked dâ—â—ers and he that is without sinne shall die for the sinners in the blood of his testament to the salvation both of the Gentiles and of Israel and he shall dash Belial and all his servants My Children 〈◊〉 upon the end of that good man and follow his mercifulnesse with a good minde that you also may have a Crown of glory upon your heads A good man hath not a dark eye for he is mercifull and pitifull to all men yea though they be sinners and have devised mischief against him and he that doth good overcommeth evill 1 by the defence of goodnesse and loveth 2 the righteous as his own soul If another 3 man be honoured he envieth it not if a man be enriched it grieveth him not If a man be strong 4 or valiant he praiseth him and believing him also to be chaste he defendeth 5 him that hath the feare of God He worketh together with him that loveth God and if a man forsake the 6 Almighty he warneth him to return again Whosoever hath the grace of the good spirit him doth he love as his own life He 7 pitieth the poor succoureth the weak and praiseth and honoureth God My children if ye have a good minde evill men shall stand in awe of you and unthrifts shall for very shame be converted to goodnesse So that covetous men shall not only depart from their niggardlinesse but also give of their aboundance too the needy If ye be good doers both unclean spirits shall flee from you and shrewd beasts shall shun for feare of you For where the regard of good works is in the minde there darknesse flyeth away For if he doe wrong to any holy man he is sorry for it And if a holy man receive wrong he pâ—tieth the doer and putteth it up with silence And if any man betray a righteous soul and the righteous pray for his betrayer the betrayed is not a little disgraced and the Righteous becommeth much more notable afterward as did my Brother Joseph The guilefull spirit of Belial hath no power over a good mans minde for the Angell of peace guideth his soule He looketh not affectionately upon corruptible things â—e â—aketh together riches in the desire of voluptuousnesse He is not delighted with pleasures He grieveth not his neighbour he stuffeth not himself with meat neither wandreth he in the pride of his eyes For the Lord is his portion He taketh no glory for giving good counsell he passeth not how men dishonour him neither can he skill in any fraud or guile untruth strife or slanderousnesse for the Lord dwelleth in him and inlightneth his mind and he rejoyceth before all men in a good time A good minde hath not two tongues one to blesse with and another to curse with one to slander with and another to honour with one of sorrow and another of joy one of quietnesse and another of trouble one of dissimulation and another of truth one of poverty and another of riches but it hath one only disposition pure and uncorrupt towards all It hath no double sight nor double hearing For in all things that he doth speaketh or seeth he knoweth that the Lord beholdeth his heart and therefore he cleanseth his minde that he may not be found faulty before God and man But all the works of Belial are double and utterly void of simplicity Wherefore my children shun the naughtinesse of Belial for at the first he delighteth those that obey him but in the end he is a sword and the father of seaven mischiefs For when the minde hath once conceived by Belial it bringeth forth first envy secondly desperatenesse thirdly sorrow fourthly bondage fifthly needinesse sixthly trouble somness seaventhly desolation and for that cause was Cain tormented with seven punishments by God for in 7. yeares together God brought every yeare a new plague upon Cain Two hundred years he suffered and in the nine hundredth year the earth was made desolate with the Floud for his righteous brother Abels sake In seven hundred years is Cain judged and Lamech in seventy times seven for they that are like Cain in spightfulnesse hatred towards their brethren shall be punished with the same punishment for ever as he was You therefore my children eschew malice envy and hatred towards your brethren and cleave to goodnesse and lovingnesse He that hath a mâ—nd clean in love looketâ— not upon a woman in way of lechery Foâ— he hath no defiâ—ing in his heart because the spirit of the Lord resteth in him For as the Sun is not defiled by shining upon a puddle or dunghill but doth rather dry up and drive away the stinke even so a pure minde striveth against the uncleannesse of the earth and overcommenth it but is not defiled it selfe And I perceive by the sayings of the righteous Enoch that there shall be evil deeds among you For you shall defile your selves with the foâ—nication of Sâ—dom and perish all save a few multiply inordinate lusts in Women and the reign of the Lord shall not be among you for he shal take it away suddenly Neverthelesse the Lords Temple shall be made in our portion and it shall be glorious among you For the Lord himselfe shall take the Kingdome upon him and the twelve Tribes shall be gathered together there and all Nations shall resort thither untill the most High send his salvation in the visitation of his onely begotten And he shall enter into the first Temple and there the Lord shall suffer wrong and be despised and be lifted up unto a piece of timber And the veil of the Temple shall be rent asunder and the Spirit of the Lord shall come down upon the Gentiles poured out as fire and rising up from the grave he shall ascend from earth to Heaven He shall remember how base he hath been upon earth and how glorious
he is in heaven When Joseph was in Egypt I longed to see his person and the form of his countenance And through the prayers of my Father Jacob I saw him awake in the day of his full and perfect shape Now therefore my Children know you that I shall die Wherefore deale every of you truly and rightfully with his neighbour worke ye justly and faithfully and keep ye the law and commandement of the Lord for that doe I teach you instead of all Inheritance And give you the same to your Children for an everlasting possession For so did Abraham Isaac and Jacob they gave us all these things for an Inheritance saying Keep the Lords commandements till he reveale his saving health unto all Nations Then shall ye see Enoch Noe Sem Abraham Isaac and Jacob rising at his right hand with joyfulnesse Then shall we rise also every of us to his own Scepter worshipping the King of heaven which appeared on earth in the base shape of man As many as beleeve in him shall rejoyce with him at that time And all these shall rise again to glory and the residue unto shame And the Lord shall first of all judge Israel for the unrighteousnesse committed against him because they beleeved not in God that came in the flesh to deliver Then shal he judge all Nations as many as believed not in him when he appeared upon earth and he shâ—ll reprove Israel among the chosen of the Gentiles as he reproved Esau in the Midianites that seduced his brethren by fornication and Idolatry who were estranged from God and fell away from the Inheritance of the Children because they feared not God But if you walke in holinesse before the Lord ye shall dwell in Hope again in me And all Israel shall be gathered to the Lord and I shall no more be called a ravening Wolfe for your Robberies sakes but I shall be called the Lords Workmâ—n which gâ—veth food unto such as doe good And in my seed shall be raised up the Beloved of the Lord whose voice shall be heard upon the earth and he shall give new knowledge and enlighten all Nations with the light of understanding and shall come up to save Israel He shall take from them as a Wolfe and give to the Synagogue of the Gentiles aâ—d continue in the Sâ—nagogue of the Gentiles to the worlds end Hâ— shall be among their Princes as musical melody in the mouths of all men and his doings and sayings shall be written in â—oly books He shaâ—l be the Lords Dearling for evermore And as concerning him my Father Jacob taught me saying He shall ameâ—d the defaults of thy Tribe And when he had ended tâ—ese sayings he commanded his Children to carry his bones out of Egypt and to bury them in Hebron by his Fathers So Benjamin dyed in hundred and five and twenty years old in a good age and they put him in a Coffin and in the fourscore and eleventh year before the departure of the Israelites out of Egypt they and their brethren conveyed their Fathers bones privily againe into the Land of Chanaan and buried him in Hebron at the feet of his Fathers and returned again out of the Land of Chanaan and dwell in Egypt till the day of their departure thence all together FINIS How these Testaments of the twelve Patriarchs were first found and by whose means they were translated out of Greek into Latine THese Testaments were hidden and concealed a long time so as the Teachers and the ancient Interpreters could not finde them Which thing happened through the spitefulnesse of the Iewes who by reason of the most evident manifest and often Prophecies of Christ that are written in them did hide them a long while At length the Greeks being very narrow searchers out of ancient writings tought these Testaments warily and got them more warily and translated them faithfully out of Hebrew into Greek Nevertheless this writing continued yet still unknown because there was not any man to be found that was skillfull both in the Greek and Latine nor any Interpreter that might procure the translation of this noble work untill the time of Robert the second surnamed Grosthead Bishop of Lincolne who sent diligent searchers as far as Greece to fetch him a Copy of the said writing without respect of their charges which he bare most liberally Therefore to continue the memories of those most lightsome Prophecies to the strengthening of the Christian faith that reverend Bishop did in the year of our Lord 1242. translate them painfully and faithfully word for word out of Greek into Latine in which two tongues he was counted very skilfull by the help of M. Nicholas Greek Parson of the Church of Datchot and Chaplain to the Abbot of St. Albons to the intent that by that means the evident Prophecies which shine more bright than the day light might the more gloriously come abroad to the greater confusion of the Iewes and of all Hereticks and enemies of the Church of Christ to whom be praise and glory for ever Amen 1658. At LONDON Printed for the Company oâ— the STATIONERS Levi Iacob Simeon Iudas Isachar Zabulon Dan. Gad. Aser Neptalim Ioseph Benjamin Eccles 14â— Gen. 23. Simple for innocence Jacob beloved not of merit Rom. 9. but of grace Gen. 25. Gen. 26. Gen. 27. A caveat for mariage Trouble paine are destined to the Elect. An example for children A godly note for servants Mans life is but a pilgrimage God alway provideth for the righteous Parents ought to tell their children Gods blessings That is shall be uÌ„der their tribes Christ Counted as one of his children not that they should pray unto him being dead as Eckius gathered God hath mercy on whom he will By saith Jacob divideth the Land a yet but hoped for Begotten in my youth Levi had no Tribe Simeon was under Juda. Jud. 1. Blessings of Juda a worthy captaine A noble Prince Christ A fertile Land Judge 13.14.15.16 Josh. 1.21 Num. 33. Judg. 4.5 The blessing of Joseph Encrease of family All things come of God Not for the holinesse of the place but for memory of Gods promise A token of a good conscience Death is our long home Fornication plagued Gen. 15. a Prayer and repenâ—â—nce stayeth Goâ—â— wrath b The blessing prayer of a father to god for his children of what benefit In repentance the heart is to be considered not externall action The eight Instruments whereby man worketh the effect of them 1 Life 2 Seeing 3. Hearing 4 Smelling 5. Speech 6 Tasting 7. Seed of what property 8 Sleep of what property Eight spirits of errour of what property 1. Lechery 2. Gluttony 3. Envie 4. Bravery 5. Pride of what propertie 6. Vaine-glory in what it consisteth 7. Unrighteousnesse 8. Wilful ignorance Discommodities of ignorance Ringleaders to fornicatioÌ„ 1. a greedy eye 2. Close company with women 3. Bâ—sie questions 4. Drunkennesse Nothing so secretly