there be iudged of these thinges before me Then sayde Paule I sée no cause wherefore I shoulde go thither but may be iudged as well here as there But forasmuch as the Iewes séeketh my condemnation against all right and Iustice I appeale to the Emperour Well sayde Festus thou hast appealed to the Emperour and to him shalt thou go Within a fewe dayes after this it chaunced King Agrippa with Bernice his wyfe to come vnto Cesarea to salute and welcome Festus the newe President And during the Kings aboade there Festus by occasion rehearsed Paules matter vnto him saying Felix my predecessor left here a certaine man in holde whome the hye Priests and Elders of the Iewes at Ierusalem complained on desiring mée for their sakes to giue sentence agaynst him To whom I answered that it was not the custome of the Romaines to giue sentence against any man before his accusers were brought before him that he might make answere for himselfe And so when his accusers were come hither I on the next day sate in iudgement commaunded the prisoner to be brought forth before me against whom his accusers brought no accusation of such things as I supposed they would haue done but demaunded certayne questions of him concerning their owne superstition and laying to his charge one Iesus which was deade whome he affirmed to be risen from death to lyfe againe And forasmuch as I wilt not wel what to say in this matter I asked him whether he would go to Ierusalem and there to be iudged And when he had refused that and appealed to Cesar I commaunded him to be kept in prison vntill I might haue occasion to sende him to Cesar Then sayde the King to Festus I haue hearde much of that same Iesus and his Disciples and therefore am much desirous to heare the fellow speake my selfe before he go to Cesar Whervpon Festus on the next morow brought forth Paule into the Common hall before Agrippa the King saying on this wyse King Agrippa and you all that be here present ye sée this man whom all the Iewes haue complayned on to me both at Ierusalem and here crying that he ought not to liue any longer and yet haue I made inquirie and can finde nothing worthy of death that he hath committed neuerthelesse for as much as he hath appealed to the Emperour I am determined to sende him thither and yet bicause I haue no certayne thing to wryte vnto his Maiestie I haue brought hym forth before you and specially to the King Agrippa that after examination had I might haue somewhat to write for me thinke it standeth with no reason to sende a prisoner and not to shew withall what is layde to his charge And when Agrippa sawe Paule stande before him hée sayde fellow thou hast pardon to speake for thy selfe if thou hast any thing to say in thy defence saye on Then began Paule to speake and made such a pithy declaration of his former lyfe and of hys calling to Christ that Festus which was not skilfull in the Iewes religion thought all his sayings to be but madnesse and cryed out with a lowde voyce saying that he was beside himselfe and that much learning had made him madde Then after sentence giuen by King Agrippa that Paule shoulde be sent to the Emperour Festus deliuered him and certayne other prisoners in bandes to the Emperours vnder Captaine named Iulius who conueyghed them into Italie .8 Gad animo magnus belli uirtute probatus Victoris laudes abstulit ense suo Ex me prognatus uates proeclarus Elias Quem currus uiuum igneus eripu Fortunatus was a faythfull Souldiour of Christ whome Paule sent in the companie of Stephana and Achaicus with his letters from Philippos to the Corinthians G. GAbelus was a certayne man of the kinrede and Tribe of Tobias dwelling in the countrye of Medes in a Citie called Rages And being fallen into pouertie Tobias lent him ten Talents of siluer vpon a byll of his hande whereby Gabelus was greatly holpen and in processe payde the same agayne to Tobie when he had néede with great thankes Reade Tobie the yonger Gad the sonne of Iacob and Silpha When the Tribe of Gad had long iourneied with the reast of the Israelites their brethren towarde the lande of Canaan Gad and Ruben with the halfe Tribe of Manasses desired of Moses to haue their possession on this side of Iordan Eastwarde and not on the other side bicause it was a lande méete for Cattell whereof they had great store To whome Moses aunswered saying Shall your brethren go harnessed before the Lorde and ye sit styll and doe nothing wherefore will ye discourage the hearts of the people so did your fathers when I sent them from Cades Barne to search and sée the lande discouraging the heartes of the people reporting so much euill of the lande that they were ready to turne into Egypt againe whose doings did so prouoke the Lorde to anger that he sware that none of them all shoulde sée that good lande saue Caleb and Iosua Therefore sayde he if ye do now leaue your brethren will not go harnessed before them vntill the Lorde haue cast out their enimies ye doe so much sinne agaynst the Lorde that he will surely finde it out And when they hearde Moses say so they answered saying We doe not intende to leaue our brethren our meaning is nothing lesse than so to doe but rather that we might be suffered to make in this place shéepefoldes for our cattell and houses for our wyues and children to leaue them therein which being done we our selues will go forth before our brethren harnessed and will not returne home to our houses vntill we haue brought them to their places and that euery one of them be possessed in his enheritance Then Moses contented with this answere graunted their request And so they builded shéepecotes for their Cattell and houses for their families wherein they left them and went forth with their brethren vntill they had performed their promise and then returned home agayne And when they had rested a whyle at home they went and buylded an Aultar fast by Iordan and that a very great one And when the reast of the children of Israel hearde that the children of Ruben Gad and Manasses had buylt them an Aultar in Geliloth beside Iordan euen on the same side that they were of in the lande of Canaan they were sore offended and so angry that they gathered themselues togither to battell against them And being redy prepared they sent Phinehes the son of Eleazar the Priest with him ten Lordes of euery chiefe house one to knowe for what purpose they had made them an Aultar and whether it were to rebell agaynst the Lorde or no. And when they had done their Commission the other aunswered and sayde that God was their witnesse that they had done it for no euill purpose eyther to
wyll blesse them that blesse thée and curse them that curse thée and in thâ—â— shall all the families of the earth be blessed 〈◊〉 nowe hauing this promise made him of God departed out of Haran he and Sara his wife with Lâ—t his â—ephewe and with all their substance that they had to go to soiourne in the lande of Canaan And being there the Lorde made a promise to Abraham that hys seede shoulde possesse that lande Wherevpon soone after in the same place where God spake thus vnto him he made an aultar and offered sacrifices therâ—â— to the Lorde And so remayning in the lande there fell at the last so great a famine that he was constrained to â—â—â—â— into Egypt where he fearing the Egyptians to be vngodly and vicious men â—â—igned Sara to be his sister thinking and if â—â—â— were knowne to be his wife they woulde for hir bâ—wtâ—â— take hir from him and put him in hazarde of his lyfe Then was it â—old to king Pharao what a bewtifull woman Abraham had brought with him into Egypt The king nowâ— knowing therof commaunded the woman to be brought vnto him and with all gentle entertainement receyued hir into his house and intreated Abraham well for hir sake But when he sawe so many plagues fall on him and on all his householde vnderstandyng that it was for withholding another mans wyfe from him he restored the woman without dishonestie to Abraham hir husbande againe Giuing also his men a great charge concerning the man and hys wife Then soone after Abraham returned from Egypt into the countrey of Canaan where he had bene afore And when he had lyen some space in the lande there fell such a stryfe betwéene the herdemen of Abrahams cattell and the herdemen of Lottes cattell that Abraham was fayne to deuyde the lande betwéene his Nephewe Lot and him and so they remooued the one from the other Abraham had nowe bene so long without issue that he tooke by consent an aduise of Sara one of his Maydes named Agar to wyfe who conceyued and brought him forth a sonne which was called Ismael Abraham then being at the age of fourescore yeares and sixe And when he was come to the number of ninetie and nine God gaue vnto him the couenant of Circumcision which he receyued first in himselfe and then made Ismael and all the reast of hys householde to receyue the same The next yeare after when Abraham was iust an hundred yeare olde Sara conceiued brought him forth his long promised sonne named Isaac whome he circumcised the eight day folowing and would after that haue offered him vp in sacrifice but that God séeing his prompt obedience stayed his hande Finally after the death of Sara Abraham tooke him another wife called Ketura who bare vnto him six sonnes Which children hée woulde not suffer to remayne and companye with his sonne Isaac but before he died sent them away with great rewardes and giftes and made Isaac heyre of all his goodes He dyed at the age of an hundred seauentie and fiue and was buried beside Sara his wyfe in the double Caue which he bought of Ephron the Hethite ¶ Looke more in the histories of Lot Sara and Melchisedech Absalom the sonne of Dauid whom he begat on his wyfe Maacha the daughter of Thalmai King of Gessur was y goodlyest personage in all Israel for as Scripture witnesseth God had so framed the forme and ornaments of his bodie that from the sole of the foote to the crowne of the head was no member amisse And yet among all the heare of his head excelled which so increased daylye that the weyght therof compelled him at euery yeares ende to â—haue it off This Absalom had a brother named Ammon to whoÌ„ he bare a priuie grudge for defiling his sister Thamar And to be reuenged on him for the same he invited al his brethren vnto a banket made in y time of his shéepe shearing to the which banket Ammon came with the rest of his brethren in the middest of their chéere Absalom killed Ammon and fled to the king of Gessur his Grandfather With whome he abode thrée yeares In the which space by mediation of friendes he was at the last fette home againe and brought by Ioab his Auntes sonne to Ierusalem where he remayned two yeares after Then Absolom marueyling why Ioab had not brought him to the king his father in all that space sent once or twyse for him to come and speake with him And when he saw that he came not he commaunded his men to go and burne vp the fielde of Barley which parteyned to Ioab and laye ioyning to his grounde Then Ioab hearing therof went to Absalom demaunding wherfore his men had destroyed his Corne Marrie quoth Absalom I sent for thée twyse and thou wouldest not come wherefore diddest thou bring me from Gessur had it not bene as good for mée and better to haue continued there still than here to lye so nye the King my father and cannot be suffered to sée him Then Ioab considering the matter had him to the king where he was ioyfully receyued After all this Absalom began certaine practises to aspire to the kingdome wherein he prospered so farre that at length hée proclaymed himselfe king in Hebron Causing his father for feare to flie out of hys Realme against whome he called his counsell to deuise what waye he might best ouercome his Father But God by whose prouidence all things are stayde so wrought with his Counsaylers that the successe of his enterprisâ— turned to his owne destruction For when it came so to passe that both the armies were ioyned in battell togithers Absaloms men had the woorsse and he himselfe a sodâ—ine mischaunce for as he rode on his Mule thorow the woode to haue escaped a twyste of an Oke caught hym so fast in the heire of his head that it tooke him quite out of hys Saddle And so he hanged on the trée till Ioab came with his speare and slue him whose Carkeys after was taken downe and cast into a pitte and couered wyth an heape of Stones Acan was the sonne of Charmy and of the Trybe of Iuda who beyng at the wynning of the City of Iericho hearing Iosua pronounce the Citie and al things therin to be excommunicate accursed of the Lorde tooke notwithstanding certaine iewels of the same hidde them priuily vnder the grounde in his tent Then after when Iosua went about the taking of Hai and had sent thrée thousand souldiers to wynne it the men of Hai issued out of the citie and slewe thirtie and sixe of the Israelites and chased the rest backe agayne whereat Iosua was so discomfited that he rent his clothes and called on God to knowe the cause of their ouerthrowing who made him answere that Israel coulde not stande before the men of Hai forasmuch as some of them had
not killed hym with the rest the Lorde was grieuously displeased with Saul and woulde not suffer Agag so to escape but sent Samuel to execute his iudgement vpon him who calling for Agag he came out vnto him very pleasantly fearing nothing lesse but that all bitternesse of death had bene past but contrary to his expectation Samuel sayde vnto hym as thy sworde hath made women chyldelesse so shall thy mother be chyldelesse among other women and with that he fell vpon Agag and hewed hym in péeces before the Lorde in Gilgal Agabus was a certaine Prophete which came from Ierusalem to Antioch where he prophecyed of a great dearth that shoulde be thoroweout all the worlde which came to passe as thys Prophete had sayde in the Emperour Claudius dayes Also whyle Paule laye at Cesarea in the house of Philip the Euaungelist purposing to kéepe his iourney to Ierusalem this Prophete chauncing to come thither tooke Paules girdle and therwithall bounde his owne hande and féete saying Thus sayeth the holy ghost so shall the Iewes at Ierusalem bynde the man that oweth this gyrdle and shall deliuer hym into the handes of the Gentyles Agar was handemayde to Sara Abrahams wyfe which Sara being long barren and chyldelesse gaue Agar hir Mayde vnto Abraham to be his wyfe who being conceyued and féeling hir selfe with chylde began to despise and set lyght by Sara hir Mistres for the which Sara complayned to Abraham hir husbande who giuing hir power to correct the Mayde at hir pleasure she began to deale so roughlye with Agar that in no wyse she woulde abyde it but ranne away into the wildernesse and sitting there besyde a fountayne of water not knowing whither to go an Angell appeared vnto hir and sayd Agar from whence commest thou and whither intendest thou to go I flie sayde Agar from Sara my mystresse which fareth so fowle wyth me that I am euen weary of my life Well sayde the Aungell returne to thy dame againe and submit thy selfe vnder hir handes for the Lorde will so encrease thy séede that it shall not be numbred for multitude Thou art with child and shalt beare a sonne whose name shall be Ismael Then Agar giuing God thankes for his consolation in trouble returned home againe to Sara hir mystres submitting hir selfe vnto hir and in processe of time brought forth hir sonne Ismael as the Aungell had sayde ▪ But when it pleased God to visit Sara that she conceyued and brought forth Isaac a new contention arose betwéene Sara and Agar for their children for Sara perceyuing Ismael to be a mocker and a despiser of Isaac woulde not suffer Ismael to companie with hir sonne Isaac but made hir complaynt to Abraham causing him to put both Agar and hir sonne away which thing although it grieued Abraham so to doe yet being comforted of God that he woulde multiplie Ismael bicause he was of his séede he obeyed the voyce of Sara his wife and with prouision of victuals sent Agar awaye with hir sonne to shifte for hir selfe Then Agar being departed from Abraham gat hir into the forrest of Béerseba where she wandred so long vppe and downe till all hir prouision of meate was spent and gone And when she sawe no remedie but that both she and hir childe must néedes perish for lacke of sustenance she layde downe the childe behinde a bushe and went hir selfe away bicause she woulde not sée it dye and as she sate a farre off mourning and wéeping for hir sonne she was comforted againe by the Angell of God who had so prouided for hir and hir sonne that they were both relieued and liued togithers a long time after to hir great ioy and comfort Aggeus was one of the twelue Prophetes which prophecied in the time of Zorobabel Kinge of the Iewes and rebuked them for that they were slacke in the worke of the Lorde Agrippa was a certayne king who as Paule reporteth had good knowledge in the Lawe and Prophets but vnderstoode not the true applying of the same Which King on a tyme came to Cesarea to sée Festus and to welcome hym into the Countrie who was then but newly entred into his office And being there a good whyle with Festus and hearing of him what a doe there was about Paule whome the Iewes had accused vnto him was much desirous to sée the man and to heare him speake Where vpon the next day following Paule was brought into the common Hall before Agrippa and other Magistrates of the Citie there assembled to heare his cause And when Festus had declared for what purpose he had brought forth Paule that after examination had he might haue somewhat of certaintie to write to Cesar to whome Paule had appealed Agrippa permitted the prisoner to speake and to say what he coulde for himselfe Who then so approoued his innocencie by rehearsing his conuersation before the audience that Agrippa interrupting his tale confessed and sayde vnto Paule Thou hast almost perswaded me to become a Christian And when the prisoner had ended his matter the king arose and all the Courte among whome was much secrete talke of Paule and for a finall sentence Agrippa sayde vnto Festus I sée no worthye cause of death or of bandes in this man but that he might haue bene loosed if he had not appealed to Cesar Ahaz the sonne of Iotham King of Iuda at the age of twentie yeares began his reygne in the xvj yeare of Pekah King of Israel and did not walke in the wayes of his godly Father but gaue himselfe to all kynde of ydolatrie and abhominations of the heathen consecrating his chyldren in fier and offering incense on euerye hill and Mountaine For the which his wickednesse the Lorde forsooke him and deliuered him into the handes and power of Razin king of Siria and Pekah king of Israel which two Kings on the one side with the Edomites and Philistines inuading his lande and spoyling his Cities and townes on the other side brought him very lowe And yet in all his aduersitie would he not once lyft vp his heart to call vpon God for his ayde and helpe but contrarye to the Prophetes admonition sought for the succour of man spoyling the Temple of God and sending the treasure thereof to Thiglath Pileser king of Assiria to come and deliuer him out of trouble by whose comming Ahaz was nothing the more strengthned but rather troubled and hindered Then Ahas measuring Gods fauour by the prosperitie of hys enimies not considering howe God oftentymes doth punishe those whom be loueth and giueth to his enimies good successe for a tyme turned his heart full and whole to the Sirians Gods who as he thought had plagued hym And to thintent he might serue them and worship them in al things according as the Heathen did to haue their helpe also he tooke the patterne of an aultar at Damascus the which he sent to Vria his Priest to
farre excéeded all other in wysedome and learning that Salomon was compared vnto them Darius in taking of Babilon slue King Balthasar and possessed his kingdome In the seconde yeare of his raigne he graunted the same licence vnto the Iewes to builde againe the Citie of Ierusalem and the house of God that King Cyrus had graunted to them in the first yeare of his raigne And for so much as the worke had béene much hindered from the first yeare of Cyrus vnto the seconde yeare of this King Darius he gaue a strayte commaundement that whosoeuer dyd from hencefoorth hinder or let that worke a Beame shoulde be taken from that mans house and he hanged thereon and his house made a dunghill And so the buylding went forwarde with spéede and was perfectly finished in the sixte yeare of his raigne Dathan and Abiram were the sonnes of Eliab and two of the chiefe Captaynes with Chore in the insurrection against Moses on whom God tooke such vengeance that he caused the earth to open and swallow them vp quick Reade the story of Chore. Dauid was the yoongest sonne of Isai and by Gods commaundement annoynted King of Israell Saule yet raigning of the Prophet Samuel Wherefore Saule fearing that Dauid would defeate him of his kingdome vexed hym with continuall persecution during the which tyme Dauid shewed notable examples both of pacience and true obedient seruice to Saule his soueraigne Lorde And first to shew his obedient and faithfull heart to his Prince and loue he bare to his countrey he put himselfe in daunger to fight with that great monster Goliah and slue him of whome the king and all the host of Israell stoode in great feare And after this act also when Saule of enuie that the women in their daunce had giuen to Dauid more prayse than to him threwe his Iauelin at Dauid as he stoode and played on his Harpe before him to haue nayled him fast to the wall Dauid auoyded and armed himselfe with pacience and neuer sought other meanes to reuenge In so much that when Saule by the prouidence of God came into the Caue to ease himselfe in the which Caue Dauid lay hid for feare of Saul he woulde not being prouoked put foorth his hande to hurt his mayster But cut of a péece of the hemme of his coate in token that he might haue killed him And yet after that it sore repented him that he had done so much injury vnto his soueraigne Lorde and maister although he was his most gréeuous enimy and euery houre sought his death Also when he came into the host of Saule and founde the King and his men fast a sléepe he woulde not for his owne priuate cause though Iehu slue two Kinges at Gods commaundement lay his hand vpon the Lords annointed but onely that he shoulde know that Dauid was there might haue béene reuenged tooke his speare and pot of water which stoode at his heade and went hys waye Finally when it pleased God to deliuer him of his enimie in battaile against the Philistines one to get thanke of Dauid brought vnto him Saules crowne and the Bracelet that he wore on hys arme certifying him of the Kings death and that he with his owne handes had killed him whose acte dyd so much abhorre Dauid that he thought the man not woorthy to lyue but put him to death by and by Read more of Dauids pacient suffering and obedient seruice in the story of Michol Ionathas Ahimelech Achis and Absalon his sonne Nowe when Saule was dead Dauid was admitted king and reigned ouer Iuda .vij. yeares after which time expired he reigned both ouer Israel and Iuda .xxxiij. yeares And dyd that which was good in the sight of God and put his trust confidence in the Lord God of Israel so that before nor after him was not his like He cleaued so vnto the Lord that God of him bare witnesse that he had founde a man according to his hearts desire To him God made a promise that Christ shoulde come of his séede for the which cause Christ of the Prophets is called the sonne of Dauid To this holy Prophet God gaue many victories and excellent giftes which are touched in other stories and yet among all his vertues he suffred him to fall into the abhominable vice of adulterie and homicide and most gréeuously punished him for the same who notwithstanding after earnest repentaunce was receyued agayne into the fauour of God and neuer after offended in that sinne more Finally after many conflictes with his enimies he died after he had reigned .xl. yeares leauing Salomon his sonne to succéede him Debora the wyfe of one Lapidoth was a Prophetesse and the fourth Iudge and gouernour of the people of Israel who by the power and pleasure of God and helpe of Barack the Captayne of hir armie deliuered them from the Tyrannie of King Iabyn and of Sisera his Captaine generall putting the king to a great foyle in flying of his Captain Sisera Thorow the which victorie the Israelites were restored to libertie and their enimies the Cananites vtterly confounded She iudged Israel .xl. yeares Demas was Christes Disciple a great while and a faythfull minister to Paule and neuer shranke from him nor his doctrine so long as all things prospered well with Paule But when he saw Paule cast in pryson and in daunger of his life for the Gospels sake He forsooke both him and his doctrine and imbraceing the worlde conueighed himselfe to Thessalonica Such there be that so long as pleasure profite fauour honour glory or riches doe followe the worde of God so long will they fauour the same But when affliction persecution losse of goods riches landes possessions or such like aduersities doe come then they doe as Demas dyd forsake the Gospel and followe the worlde Demetrius the sonne of Sceleucus came from Rome with a small company of men to a certaine Citie of his owne lying vpon the Sea coast and prepared an armie to go to Antioche the Citie of his Progenitours where he founde Antiochus and Lisias which both he caused to be slayne and being stablished in his kingdom he began through the wicked counsell of Alcimus whom he had made hye Priest to séeke the destruction of the Iewes sending foorth diuers armies against them in the which he spedde diuersly Finally the sonne of noble Antiochus mooued warre agaynst hym and in battell slue him Demetrius the sonne of Demetrius being in the lande of Creta at his fathers death made haste homewarde to take possession of his Kingdome And being stablished therein he began to waxe mightie â–ª â—y reason that Ptolomy King of Egipt had withdrawne his fauour from Alexander his sonne in law and taken his daughter Cleopatra from him and giuen hir to Demetrius And also for as much as Ptolomy and Alexander lyued not long after the strife
began his raigne ouer Israel after his brother Ahazia in the eyghtene * In the first Chapter of the fourth booke of Kings it is sayd that this man began his reygne in the seconde yeare of Ioram the sonne of Iosaphat whiche is thus to bee vnderstande Iosaphat going to battell agaynst the Sirians made his son Ioram King in the .xvii. yeare of his reygne and in the .xviii. yere which was the seconde yeare of hys sonne thys man began his reygne yeare of Iosaphat King of Iuda and wrought euill in the sight of the Lorde but not like vnto his father for he tooke away the Image of Baal which his father had made neuerthelesse he sacrificed to the golden Calues still which Ieroboam had made The King of Moab was woont yerely to render to the King of Israel an hundred thousand lambs and so many Rammes with the wooll bycause he now refused to pay this tribute to Ioram he warred agaynst him hauing to take his parte Iosaphat the King of Iuda and the King of Edom by whose helpe and chiefelye Eliseus reade the place in his storie he ouercame the Moabites Also the Sirians coulde lye no where but Ioram had knowledge by Eliseus who tolde him of all their secrete lurking places by which meanes Ioram euer saued him selfe Wherefore the King of Siria sent and bèsieged the towne rounde about where the Prophet Eliseus laye And as his seruaunt was going foorth in the morning about his maisters businesse and saw the towne so compassed with enimiâ—s he ranne ‡ 6. cap. in agayne crying Alas maister what shall we doe for the Sirians are come vpon vs Feare not quoth Eliseus for they that be with vs are me than they that be with them And by and by the eyes of his seruaunt were so opened that he saw the mounteynes lye full of horses and fyrie Charrettes to defende his maister And now when the SiriaÌ„s were come to Eliseus and thought themselues most surest of hym they were at his prayer smitten with such blindnesse that they coulde not knowe the Prophete when he spake vnto them saying that that was not the towne where the man laye which they sought but followe mée quoth he and I will bring you to the place where he is and so hée ledde them foorth and brought them into the Citie of Samaria where Ioram laye who séeing now his enimies to be in his daunger sayde to Eliseus Father shall I smite them No sayde he Smite those which thou takest with thine owne swoorde and bowe but rather set bread and water before them that they maye eate and drinke and so departe to their maister Then the King prepared a great refection for the Sirians and filled their bellyes well and sent them home againe for the which gentle intreatie of Ioram the King of Siria neuer troubled hym more After this when Benhadad King of Siria had besieged Samaria so long till women were constrayned to rate their owne children Ioram tooke such displeasure with Eliseus laying the cause vpon him that in his furye he sent to take away his heade Which thing being reuealed to the Prophet he sayde to his friends that were with him in his house Sée yée not how these murtherers sonne hath sent to take awaye my heade Take héede and be circumspect when the Messenger commeth and kéepe him at the dore for the sounde of his Maisters féete is behinde him which was euen so for the Kinges minde altered he followed the Messenger and came to the Prophet himselfe saying This euill is of the Lorde and what more shall I looke for of hym No more sayde the 4. Reg. 7. a. Prophet For to morow this tyme shall a bushell of fine flower be solde for a sicle and twoo bushels of Barley for another sicle in the gate of Samaria which came so to passe the next daye for the great hoste of the Sirians at the sounde of the féete of foure lepers were runne away and had left all their tentes behinde them Finally to fulfill 9. c. f. the worde of the Lorde concerning the destruction of Achabs posteritie Ioram was slayne with an arrowe â—hot of by Iehu and his bodie cast into a platte of ground that was Nabothes the Iesraelite after he had reygned twelue yeares 4. Reg. 8. d. Ioram the sonne of Iosaphat was twoo an thirtie 2. Par. 21. cap. yeare olde when he began to reygne ouer Iuda He maryed King Achabs daughter whose wicked steppes he followed He slue all his owne brethren with diuers of his nobles The Edomites which had béene subiect from Dauids tyme hitherto rebelled nowe agaynst Ioram Also Libna which was a certayne Citie in Iuda giuen to the Leuites Iosua â–ª 21. b. woulde no more be vnder his hande bycause he had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers The Prophetes letter Finally the Prophet Eliseus to admonishe him of his wickednesse wrote to Ioram on this wise The Lorde sayth bycause thou hast not walked in the wayes of Iosaphat thy father nor in the wayes of Asa thy Graundfather but in the wayes of the Kinges of Israel and hast made Iuda to go a whoring after the house of Achab and hast also slayne thy brethren euen thy fathers house who were better men than thy selfe Therefore with a great plague will the Lorde smite thy folke thy children thy wyues and all thy goodes And thou shalt be diseased in thy bowels which day by daye shall fall out of thy bodie And so the Lord styrred vp agaynst Ioram the Philistines the Arabians with the blacke Moores which wasted his Countrey and caryed awaye his substaunce his wyues and al his sonnes saue Ahaziahu the yoongest and smote him with an incurable disease in his bowels which helde hâ—m two yeares till all his gutts fell out and so died after he had reygned eyght yeares ¶ Ioram the bighnesse of the Lorde Filius accrescens aspectu pulcher Ioseph Faemineo e turri conuitio petâ—â—â—â— Inuideam mihi cotraxit mea uita pudica Quodque manus leuibê° sit mihi proÌ„â—â—â— Gen. 30. d. 37. cap. Ioseph the sonne of Iacob and Rachel was in hys youth of his father aboue all other beloued in so much that he made him a coate of many colours But his brethren hated him bicause his dreames signified vnto them that he should be Lorde ouer them all and they his seruantes And being at the age of .xvij. yeares he was sent to them with victualles where they laye with their shéepe at Dothan who seeing him come a farre of began to deryde and mocke him saying Beholde where the Dreamer commeth and counsayled togithers to kyll him but Ruben the eldest brother woulde not consent to that Wherfore at his comming they stripped him out of his coate and cast him into an emptie pit And as certaine Ismaelites passed by they solde Ioseph to them for twentie pence of siluer and tooke his Coate and dipt it in Goates bloude and had
13. g. ¶ Simon the Tanner with whom saint Peter hosted many a day Act. 9. g. 10. a. ¶ Simon surnamed Niger which was one of the Prophetes and teachers in the Congregation at Antioche Act. 13. a. ¶ Simon the Cananite surnamed Zelotes and one of the twelue Math. 10. a. Luke 6. c. Sintiches was a certayne Christian brother to whome Paule sent salutacions from Rome exhorting him and Euodias to be of one accorde in the Lorde Sisennes the vnder shirife in Siria and Phenices with other heade Rulers there went to Zorobabel and his Companions the Iewes which were come by Darius licence to builde the house of the Lorde at Ierusalem agayne and demaunded who had giuen them such commaundement And when they saw the Iewes would not cease then he with others sent their letters of complaint to Darius the King to knowe his pleasure And when they had receyued the Kings aunswere Sisennes with all the reast of the Rulers obeyed the Kinges commaundement and helped the Iewes with all diligence to builde the sanctuaire agayne and so the woorke went foorth and prospered Sisach King of Egypt came to Ierusalem in the fift yere of the reigne of Roboam with twelue hundred Charets and thréescore thousande horsemen and people innumerable and spoyled the Temple of the Lorde and the Kings house and tooke away all the treasure in both with the shieldes of gold which Salomon had made and so departed Sisera was the generall Captaine of King Iabyns hoste And trusting in the great strength of his Chariots of yron which were nyne hundred and power of his men he went against the children of Israel thinking to haue cuerrunne them all But God so wrought with the holye Prophetesse Debora and wyth Barach hir Captayne that they destroyed his Chariots with all his host So that Sisera himselfe was fayne to flie on foote And comming by the tent of Heber for there was peace betwéene King Iabin and the house of Heber he turned in And being sore a thirst he desired Iael the wyfe of Heber to giue him some drinke and she brought a bottell of milke and gaue it him to drinke and when he had drunke and was layde downe to take his rest he sayde to Iael Goe I praye thée stande in the Tent doore And when any doth come to enquire of thée if there be any man here say nay And so thinking he had béene safe ynough tooke his rest and fell a sléepe Then Iael with a nayle which shée droue into his heade slue him Soby the sonne of Nahas out of Rabba the Citie of the children of Ammon and Machir the sonne of Ammiel out of Lodebar and Berzelai the Gileadite out of Rogel what time as Dauid lay with his people in the wildernesse of Mahanaim hungrye wearye and thirstye brought vnto him bedding Wheate Barley with all other necessaries to ease and refreshe Dauid and hys men in that time of aduersitie Sostenes of whome saint Paule maketh mention in his first Epistle to the Corinthians first Chapter was the chiefe Ruler of the sinagoge in the Citie of Achaia agaynst whome the Gréekes had such indignation for taking Paules part agaynst the Iewes that they fell vpon him before the Iudges féete where Gallio the Lorde Deputie sate and smote him And Gallio not passing thereof let them alone and woulde not meddle luyth the matter Stachis to whome Paule in his letter of commendations sendeth gréeting saying salute Vrban our helper in Christ and Stachis my beloued Stephana was a faythfull louer of Christ and hys doctryne in whose commendation Paule to the Corinthians wryteth thus Brethren ye knowe the house of Stephana and of Fortunatus and Achaicus howe that they are the first fruites of Achaia And that they haue appoynted themselues to mynister vnto the sayntes I beséech you that ye be obedient vnto such and to all that helpe labour I am glad of the comming of Stephana and Fortunatus and Achaicus for that which was lacking vnto me on your part they haue supplyed For they haue comforted my spirite and yours Looke therefore that ye knowe them that are such Steuen a man full of fayth and of the holy ghost was one of the seauen Deacons chosen in the congregation to make prouision for the poore which did greate woonders and myracles amonge the people Against whome arose certayne of the Sinagoge which were called Libertines Cirenites and of Alexandria Cilisia and Asia which disputed with him And when they could not resist his wisedome and the spirit of God wherewith he spake they accused him of blasphemie agaynst God and Moses and brought him before the Counsell wyth their false witnesses ready which sayde we hearde this fellowe speake blasphemous wordes against this holye place and Lawe saying that Iesus of Nazareth shoulde destroy this place and chaunge the ordinaunces which Moses gaue vs And all the Counsell looked stedfastly vppon him and sawe his face as it had bene the face of an Angell Then Steuen for as much as he was accused to be a denyer of God made an earnest aunswere vnto hys accusation in the ende whereof the Counsell waxed so angry against him that their hearts claue a sunder and gnashed on him with their téeth But he being full of the holy ghost looked stedfastly vp with his eies into heauen and sawe the glorye of God and Iesus standing at the right hande of God and sayde Beholde I sée heauen open and the sonne of man standing on the râ—ght hande of God with the which the people gaue a grâ—at shoute and stopped their eares and ranne vpon him all at once and caryed him out of the Citie to put him to death And as they stoned him he sayde Lord Iesu receyue my spirite And knéeling downe cryed with a lowde voyce Lorde lay not this sinne vnto their charge And so fell a sléepe in the Lorde Susanna the daughter of Helchia was a verye fayre woman giuen to all vertue and godlinesse Hir husbandes name was Ioachim a man of great reputacion among the Iewes In the first yeare that Susanna was maryed there were twoo Iudges made which resorted much to Ioachyms house and all such as had anye thing to doe in the lawe came thither vnto them These twoo Iudges being wicked men were so wounded with the loue of Susanna and burned so in lust with hir that they coulde not tell what to doe But neyther durst tell the other his griefe nor yet for shame vtter their inordinate lust vnto hir And so on a daye when they had sit long in Ioachyms hâ—use about matters of the lawe and wayted for to haue their purpose on Susanna and coulde not they brake vp and went home to dinner And at their returne agayne togithers the one brake to the other their whole mindes and appointed a tyme when they might take hir alone And when they had spyed oute a conuenient tyme that Susanna went into