the vision wherein God restored these bones to life some reason they had thus to esteeme of themselues for they were carried away captiue the land of Iuda desolate for religion and the neighbours about them amazed In Babylon policie they could haue none nor any exercise of Religion If they prayed it must be after the manner of Daniel in his Chamber and so no doubt Ezra and Salathiel and the rest did So that their age was euen as a dead time in the world Besides God sayth Esay 52. My name is euill spoken of because of you amonge the heathen so that one of Babylon might say to his neighbour You see here a Nation vild and of no account yet they haue a hope that they shall be deliuered out of captiuitie after Seuentie yeares and here is one Ieremie which taketh a stone and casteth it into the Sea and so saith he head-long shall Babylon bee ouerthrowne and they haue one Daniel who prophecieth that the great King Nebuchadnetzar shall be a beast that is shall haue the heart of a Beast giuen him because hee doth not worship their God but haue destroyed their temple They despise to march with vs looking still for their deliuerance This no doubt would cause them to be hated and the name of God ill spoken of From this wee may gather a deepe meditation for our owne estate and to looke to our wayes that they be the Lords wayes and not our owne least through misbeleefe wee fall into the like sorrowes As Ezechiel compareth them to dead bones so they themselues were as men in graues for so the 126. Psalme speaketh When thou leddest captiuitie captiue then were wee like men that dreamed for wee thought no more that this had come to passe than the dreames which appeare from the vanitie of our thoughts Now if wee make vse of these things by comparing our state in this life with theirs in Babell wee shall doe well for may not euerie one of vs say with Iacob Genes 47. Our dayes are fewe and euill and full of sorrowe and wee doe not attaine to the dayes of our Fathers All the Kingdomes of the earth since this time in respect of their policie are called Babell In the Reuelation the godly are admonished to come out of Babell seeing they are Gods people otherwise they shall bee partakers of their plagues and as longe as wee liue wee shall bee in Babell and confusion our tongues so confounded as not able to speake the mysteries of God aright this is the case of euerie one of vs. Now the Iewes in Babylon seeing they cannot restore policie they perfourme outward obedience for ciuill actions and turning their faces to Ierusalem the sight of peace they praise God in their soules so we seeing our case is no better than theirs in this life wee must meditate on the Sonne of righteousnesse and settle our affections on high that after this life wee may enioy the heauenly Ierusalem our conscience hauing embraced that peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding not going about to restore policie but in intreating the Lord to teach vs to number our dayes that yet so we may apply our selues vnto wisedome To this purpose the 137. Psalme is full of comfort for we must consider there is no Land nor no law that can hinder vs to be godly And though there bee wicked lawes decreed as when Nebuchadnetzar erected the Image and commanded a worshipping of it yet their end is but to trie the faith of Gods Children that euen as Gold seuen times purified is not consumed but made more glorious so the Furnace seuen times more hot shall not so much as make our garments to smell thereof for God is in the middest of his chosen Thus much for the Seuentie yeares in generall Now a little for the particulars IT had three captiuities The one when Daniel was carried away The second Seuen yeres after when Ieconias was caried away The third eleauen yeres after when Sedechias was carried away so they were wholy but Fiftie yeares in captiuitie in Babel a full Iubilee this opinion hath been crossed but you shall see it must needs be so Then it is sayd that captiuitie begins when men are led captiue Besides seeing God calleth the people of the Iewes Daniels people and the Citie his Citie shall we thinke that hee being in such fauour with God God made no account of his captiuitie seeing by these titles giuen vnto him it is apparant God esteemed more of him than of all the men in the earth Further if you reckon it from Iehoiakims you then make it Seuentie seauen which is more than the scripture warrants Now for the place in Ezechiel from the time of our captiuitie It is certaine the Prophet there speaketh onely of the carrying away of the Kings Ieremie telleth that the Babylonians shall rule but Seuenty yeares and they must be in captiuitie but to them and therefore you must beginne your captiuitie from the time that Daniel was carried away otherwise you will make more or lesse than Seuentie Now if we examine why the Iewes would not beleeue this we shall finde the reason by a common disease amongst our selues For we all know we shall die but yet there is none so old but thinketh hee may liue till to morrow euen so they knewe they should bee ledde away captiue but euerie one perswaded himselfe not in his daies and so destruction came suddenly vppon them Besides there was a prophecie Habac. 1. I will worke a worke in your daies which you will not beleeue though one should tell you Saint Paul speaketh this to the Gentiles and applies it to Christ We may marke another thing Israel is carried away captiue in Hoseas time of whome this is not added that hee continued in the sinnes of Ieroboam and by this we may gather hee was the best of the Kings of Israel Iuda is carried captiue in Iehoiakims time and yet Manasses as wicked a King as he From hence wee see that Christ is Palmoni who numbreth wayeth and diuideth and the wicked shall drink vp their portion the iudgment of God which neither the goodnesse nor wickednesse of any can hinder to cause to come sooner or later Babylon the Lion 3401. Nebuchadnetzar raigned 45. yeares HIs name signifieth The bewayling of iudgment or the sorrowing of pouertyâ— this was true both in himself in the Iews whom he captiued In himselfe in that God being a fiery iudge sitting vpon a throne exalting Kings and putting downe Kings abased the high estate of Nebucadnetzar King of Babel and threw him from the house which he had built wherby he continued not in honour but was made like to the beasts that perish and compelled to bewaile his owne miserie It was true in the Iewes in that they forgetting the law of Moses Leuit. 26. neglected their Sabbaths erected Altars worshipped strange Gods and forsooke not the abhominations of the Nations whose land they possessed but in
God requireth by the Law is spirituall as the reward which wee ought to looke for is spirituall You are also to note that there was seuen times seuen dayes after the eating of the Lambe before the giuing of the Law Whereby wee may know that God careth not for ciuilitie without the knowledge of Christ though the contrarie bee taught that it is ynough so wee bee ciuill in life though our mindes neuer thinke of the eating of the Lambe But if wee will liue godlie indeed all our care must bee to esteeme highlie of those rules which concerne the teaching of the Redemption By Christ For it is no commendation to liue ciuilly though a sinne to misse in conuersation And yet this honest behauiour amongst all men must not be neglected Where it is said Sanctifie your selues for to morrow is the Sabbath If it bee demaunded how the Iewes could vnderstand this it may thus be answered God so spake that a childe may vnderstand it For Adam fell in Paradise the sixt day and sacrificed the seuenth which is as much as Moses speaketh heere This is the consent of the Hebrewes There is a Question Whether Ioseph in Egypt and the Iewes in Babylon did keepe the Sabbath For any thing that I can finde they did it not publiquelie Peraduenture Ioseph might doe it priuatlie in respect of his owne conscience but not otherwise And for the keeping of the Sabbathes by the Iewes in Babylon wee haue an expresse example to the contrarie There was a feast at Shusan which was on the Sabbath day which feast the Iewes likewise did solemnize immediately vppon that there was a decree to destroy the Iewes The Chaldee paraphrast expounds it to be for the contempt of the Sabbath Iob in his booke expounds this commaundement of honoring Father and Mother by shewing how contumeliously those did vse him whose Fathers he would not haue set with his dogges Saint Paul sheweth that this is the first commaundement that hath a promise annexed shewing thereby that we are to be dealt with like children by allurements to embrace common ciuilitie such is the peruersenesse of our nature Ieremy telleth the Iewes that if they will keep their Sabbaths they shall not goe into captiuitie He thereby meaneth that by the true keeping of the Sabbaths they must learne all religion For they must remember Adams fall and the restoring by Christ and then the instituting of the Sabbath Then must they come to Sem and Abraham and the promise and the offering vp of Isaack which was a figure of the Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world and so through the Stories of the Scripture The Law is vsually diuided into two Tables the First Second The Foure first Commaundements concerning God The sixe last concerning man The end of the Law is Christ which is excellently set downe in the Epistle to the Hebrewes which Epistle begins in this sort At sundrie times and in sundry manners God spake in the old time by the Prophets As to Adam The Seed of the woman shall break the head of the Serpent To Noah Blessed be the God of Sem. To AbrahaÌ„ In thy seed al Nations in the earth shall bee blessed c. And now last by his Sonne whome hee hath made heire of all things by whome hee made the world â— who being the brightnesse of his glorie and the Character of his substance sustaineth all thinges by whome the world was made farre aboue all Angels For in the beginning O Lord thou establishedst the heauens they will perish but thou doest remaine And the Angels they are but thy miâ—istring spirits for their sakes which shall be heires of saluation Now if euerie transgression and disobedience receiued a iust reward how shall we escape if wee neglect so great saluation It is easie to make triall hereof For the world was made in the beginning to obey man the Angels receiued damnation for despising this and in respect hereof Dauid sayth What is man that thou shouldest be mindfull of him thou hast made him a little inferiour to the Angels that thou mightest crowne him with glorie and honour And it was necessarie that Iesus should take vpon him the seede of Abraham and so be made inferiour to the Angels by suffering death that so hee might bring many Children to glorie and through death destroy him that had the power of death and by this victorie ouer the Deuill be crowned with glorie and honour and haue all things put in subiection vnder his feet And by these his sufferings hee was made like vnto his brethren that hee might be mercifull and a faithfull high Priest in things concerning God that hee might make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people Moses was a faithfull witnesse hereof and they that beleeued him not but disobeyed were plagued in the Wildernesse Therefore while it is called to day harden not your hearts least hee sweare They shall not enter into my rest This Doctrine was further made plaine by Aaron the Annointed of the Lord whose office was to offer for his owne sins and the sinnes of his brethren But his office ceased This ceasing was figured before in Melchisedech blessing Abraham when Leuie was yet in Abrahams loynes and therefore aboue Abraham for the lesser is blessed of the greater to whom Abraham gaue tythes therefore the Iewes must goe to a higher Religion than to the Lawe and Thy God contayneth more than ceremonies Wee shall see this cleare by the Tabernacle in the which wee are not to speake of the particular Ceremonies but of those cheefely which as referred to Christ In the Tabernacle there were two places the Holy the Holy of holiest The Holy was called the Sanctuarie of this world wherein were the Candlestickes Table of shew-bread c. The Holy of holyest did represent the state of heauen in which was the Arke of the Couenant of God In which Arke there was reserued as a memorie for all posterities a potte of Manna Aarons Rodde that alwayes flourished and the Tables of the Lawe The Arke was couered and the couering thereof was called the mercie-seat which figured Christ who is our propiciatorie or mercie-seat to couer our iniquities Ouer the mercie-seat were the forme of two Angels hauing relation to the Angels that kept the way to the tree of life to shew that none were worthie to come into that Holy of holiest but Aaron the annointed of the Lord who likewise figured Christ both in name and office For Aaron signifieth Christ which in English is Annointed and in office by entring once for all into the Holy of holiest For it was the office of the high Sacrificer once euery yeere to enter into this Holy of holyest with blood Of this Dauid speaketh Psalme 40. When hee commeth into the world hee saith Sacrifice and burnt offering thou wouldest not haue but a bodie hast thou ordained In the beginning of thy booke it is written that I should doe thy will O God Then said I loe I
in the Wildernesse Dauid referred all his actions to the building of the Temple And if we will truly be beloued all our actions must haue this end to aduance the glorie of God in his Temple Dauid had many enemies so that the 18. Psalme is a thankesgiuing to God for his deliuerance from them God would not haue his afflictions easie because the comfort and consolation in ouercomming should be sweeter and that he being the beloued of God and yet afflicted men might learne to leaue to trust to the happinesse in this life and thirst after the felicitie of the world to come Hee had enemies abrode and enemies at home As Adonay Absalom c. and in respect of this hee maketh the 86. Psalme The consideration of this is of great vse to euerie godly man in his priuate life Besides these he himselfe was his owne greatest enemie in seeing Vrias wife and coueting her and killing of Vrias Gods purpose in these great offences of the godly is wonderfull vpon this he sung the 51. Psalme shewing himselfe to be a spirituall Leapour more odious and detestable in the sight of God than the bodily leaprousie in the sight of men In the psalme there is a sentence vsed which Saint Paul applyeth in the new testament for he sayth then shall I teach thy way vnto the wicked and sinners shall be conuerted vnto thee And sayth Saint Paul God hath shewed mercie to me a sinner These fallings of Dauid are no warrant for any man to presume to doe the like But from hence ariseth a wonderfull comfort to the sinner which transgresseth by infirmitie to hope for forgiuenesse that so hee may bee free from desperation If Dauid being so glorious in conquests and other graces had not thus transgressed hee would haue been too proude but hee was therefore humbled that hee might thereby keepe the Commaundements of the Lord. Now let vs consider him in his learned affaires THe whole Booke of Psalmes are called Dauids but there be many which are none of his yet they are called Dauids psalmes because they bee in that volume All Dauids Psalmes haue relation to Moses and there is great vse of them to expound Moses For as Moses at his death blesseth Iuda the second psalme expounds that blessing and applyeth it to Christ Moses teacheth the Children of Israel to blesse in this sort Numb 6. The Lord blesse you and keepe you the Lord make his face to shine vpon you the Lord turne his louing countenance towards you and graunt you his peace Dauid in the 67. Psalme expounds this and telleth wherein this consisteth Hee beginneth in the like order that God would bee mercifull vnto vs and shew vs the light of his countenance This appeareth in that the earth knoweth his way and the Nations his sauing health When hee iudgeth the folke righteously and gouernes the Nations vpon the earth and then shall the earth increase therefore let the people praise thee o God yea let all the people praise thee by this one you may gather all the rest In Moses it is sayd that God did arise The 68. Psalme beginneth so Let God arise and his enemies shall be scattered There he sayth Thou art gone vp on high thou hast led captiuitie captiue and receiued gifts for men Saint Paul expounds this of Christ Ephes 4. Thus much for his Doctrine generally ABenezra an ancient Iew mooueth a doubt concerning Dauids Organes and Instruments of Musicke It may thus bee answered when they came from Egipt they had Organes and hauing one kinde it was lawfull to haue other kindes also The Prophets which knewe the Iewes should be trayned vp in ceremonies might vse these to the same purpose This is no warrant for the vse of them nowe seeing Ceremonies cease Concerning the ecclesiasticall discipline amongst the Iewes we shall see that Dauid durst not aduenture to appoint the Sacrificers whose turne should be first or second but they cast lots for it for as he was Prince ruler ouer the people so they were al Princes of the sanctuarie and therein equall with him When the Leuites tooke vpon them to be Kings they became Saduces and Malachi calleth this time the time of the curse Rabbi Leui Ben Gerson sheweth that though the Leuites had notable victories against the Antiochi yet they all died of violent deaths because they tooke the glorie from Iuda therefore God would not hold them vnpunished In the 22. Psalme Dauid as a prophet telleth what the Scribes and pharisees would doe vnto Christ and therein sheweth likewise the calling of the Gentiles He entituleth the Psalme the Hart of the morning that looke euen as the Hart is the pleasure of the beasts and the morning the glorie of the day so is Christ to the soules of those which beleeue in him As Dauid a great many yeares looketh to the death of Christ so must wee following Saint Peters rule look to the end of the world that from the meditation thereof wee may lift vp our heads knowing that our saluation is at hand Dauid knew of these contumelies against Christ by the spirite of prophesie but yet he must prooue the truth therof therefore imagineth the most outragious And surely we cannot imagine greater than that Christ should bee as one forsaken of God Besides what could bee more cruell than to giue vinegar to drinke to those which are sicke Dauid in his psalmes goeth further and compareth Melchisedech with Christ saying Thou art a Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech and from thence descendeth to the calling of the heathen He shall smite in sunder the heads ouer diuers Nations He likewise in the 49. Psal mentioneth Adams Storie Adam being in honour continueth not one night but is as the beast that perisheth The summe of all is that as Paul taught nothing but Moses and the prophets so doth hee In that his Sonnes are wicked wee haue to learne that godlinesse is no inheritance neither doth it lineally descend from the Father to the Sonnes His afflictions may teach vs that the best men are not without the greatest calamities seeing there is no goodnesse in them And if their actions haue good successe it is because God doth blesse the whole state Thus much for Dauids Storie Salomon borne HIs name signifieth Peaceable so was his Kingdome and gouernement thereby to shew that Christ the King whome he representeth should giue peace passing all vnderstanding Hee was of Dauid by Bershabe This blemish the holy Ghost noteth to comfort vs in our infirmities and to keepe vs from desperation Salomon raigneth Fortie yeares THe Grecians say that Salomon was King at Twelue yeres of age The reason is because mention is made of him when Thamar was defloured and they cast it thus two yeares after the deflouring of Thamar Ammon is slaine for the which Absalom flyeth to Geshur and there hee remaineth three yeares afterwards hee is two yeares banisht from the presence of the King then he rebelleth
remaine in cloysters and secret places as women and crowns vpon their heads declaring their imperiousnesse and winges like the wheeles of chariots prepared for warre their speedinesse to bloodshed and tayles like Scorpions out of the which proceeedeth poyson to fill the cup of the strumpet which sitteth vpon the scarlet colored beast out of the which the Princes of the earth doe drinke and are drunke with the abhomination of her fornications These are as we call them Abbots Monkes and Friers and Nunnes which like Locusts destroy the fruites of the earth liuing by the sweat of other mens labours who receiue wages of the beast and the false prophet bearing his marke in their foreheads whose name is Abadâ—on that is Destruction He is also called Antichrist that is contrarie to Christs figured before Christs byrth in Antiochus the vild the little horne who prophaned the Temple of God erecting the Idoll of Iouis Olympi in the temple of God changing the lawes that Moses gaue speaking presumptuous words against the God of gods and exalting himselfe aboue all that is called God But hee went to Geheana So shall the Antichrist and the beast be destroyed according to Numbers 24 but hee shall perish in the end because hee prophaneth the temple of God changing times and seasons forbidding marriages sitting in the temple exalting himselfe aboue all that is called God speaking blasphemously I am God vpon earth perswading Gog and Magog the foure quarters of the earth to goe fight for the holy Crosse at Ierusalem for which there were nine mischieuous voiages made to the great bloodshed of many And as his mischieuous prankes were figured in Antiochus so the time of his gouernment which shall bee to the end of the world was in Antiochus likewise figured One thousand two hundred and sixtie daies two and fortie moneths a time two times and halfe a time Vnto this proper time of three yeres and a halfe of Antiochus rage is the whole time of the rage of the Antiochian Antichrist alluded as Beda and diuers godly men doe expound the place the storie compelling them so to vnderstand it And power was giuen to him ouer all kindreds and people and tongues and nations and all that dwâ—lled on the earth worshipped him whose names are not written in the booke of life of the Lambe which was killed from the beginning of the world which Lambe only was found worthy to open the booke and the Seales Ap. 5. 6. Vnto whome thousand thousands cryed with a loud voice saying Worthy is the Lambe that was killed to receaue power and riches and wisedome and strength and honour and glorie and blessing who standing vpon mount Syon had with him One hundred fortie and foure thousand hauing his name and his fathers name written in their fore-heads and they sang the song of Moses the seruant of God and the song of the Lambe saying Great and maruailous are thy works Lord God Almightie iust and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who shall not feare O Lord and glorify thy name For thou onely art holy and all Gentiles shall come and worshippe before thee for thy iudgements are made manifest Ap. 17. 18. Chapters Where the woman that maketh drunke with her fornications the Kinges of the earth with her beastly corporation is sayd to goe into perdition whose destruction was figured in the fall of Babilon and in the destruction of Tyrus in Iere. 51. Ezech. 27. For the Gospell of saluation appearing againe in the world men fall away from the throne and the beast so that Kings eate his flesh in denying his power and refusing to beare his marke whereat both Heauens and holy Apostles and Prophets reioyce saying Halleluiah Saluation and glorie and honor and power be ascribed to the Lord our God for true and righteous are his iudgements for hee hath iudged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath auenged the bloud of his seruants of her hand And againe they sayd Halleluiah and smoake rose vp for euermore And the Heauens opened and behold A white Horse and hee that sat vpon him was faithfull and true and in righteousnes doth hee iudge and make battaile his eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many crownes and he had a name written that no man knewe but hee himselfe and hee was cloathed in a vesture dipt in bloud and his name is called The Word of God and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords and the beast and the Kings of the earth and their warriours gathered together to make battaile against him that sat on the Horse and against his souldiers and the beast was taken with him that false Prophet that is to say the Popes or Antichrist that wrought miracles before him with which he deceaued them that receaued the beasts marke that is the Popes Bulls and them that worshipped his image These both shal be cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone Hee that testifieth these things saith bee it I come quickly Amen Euen so come Lord Iesus FINIS Deut. 6.4 Rom. 8.34 Esay 43.25 Ioh. 6.44 Phil. 2.13 2. Cor. 3.5 Esay 51.12 Psal 130.7 1. Pet. 1.2 Psal 90.2.3 Rom. 9.11 Malach. 1.2.3 Iohn-13 18 Psal 135.6 Rom. 11.5.6 2. Thes 2.13 Rom. 8.30 Rom. 8.14 Esay 5 4.7.8.10 Psal 37.33.34 Psalm 103.10.11 Psal 103.14 Esay 54.17 Esay 57.20 Psal 73.4.5.6 Psal 73.18.19.20 Iere. 12.1 Iere. 18.6 Ro. 9.21.22 Esay 45.7.8.9.10 Prou-29 6 Esay 50.1 Psal 104.35 Psal 59.12 Psal 62.4 2. Thes 2.11.12 Psal 51.4 Iohn 1.9 1. Iohn 1.5 Mercurius Tresmegists Eight Ten. Twelue 2083. 430. 2140. 20. 215 2513. 430. 400. Exod. 17. Numb 20. Numb 24. 50. 7. 45. Deut. 33. 339. 450. 2774. 2797 2801 2819 2825. 2833. 2843. 2850. 490. 3368. 3401. 70. 490. 390. Ezech 40 Esay 21. Esay 46. 70. 490. 49. 2519. 3691. 3704. 3706. 3710. 3743. 3757. 3764. Dan. 9. 3942. 12. Luke 3. 236. 70. 490.