Antiochus dealings ouer ReligioÌ„s which the Angell termeth against euery God and which phrase S. Paul translateth against all that is called God or vvorship and how he exalteth himselfe against the God of Gods Polybius toucheth the former and the bookes of Machabees the later Thus Polybius in Athenaeus vvriteth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In sacrifices and honours about Gods he surmounted all that euer reigned Olympieum in Athens and the huge Images at Delos altar argue that The prophane Polybius might thinke of his Religions vehemencie for the vrging vvhich vvas for the Iewes vnto it vvhich must be countenanced vvith great charges And concerning his exalting of him selfe against God for all the Law dayes 2300. for the temple Ierusalem and Gods people vvith torments and death three yeares and an halfe the Machabees shew that vvhither once for all I referre the reader There it vvill appeare how he did set his hart against the holie couenant how he had intelligence vvith the forsakers of the holy couenant Iason Menelaus and such vvhich were come to the fulnesse of sinne how he by great promises allured to mischief the couenant and much preuailed how he advaunced in honour heathen vvhom he fauoured to rule the many in Iuda and parted the land into a gaine how armes from his polluted the Sanctuarie vvith banquetting harlots and Idolatrous sacrifices and inhibited all Moses Religion and required practise of his heathen and punished the refusers many dayes by sword flame captiuitie spoile how the Machabees vvere holpen vvith little helpe how the teachers by all good example and giuers of true knowledge in holie couenant vvere ouerthrowne As Eleazar their old Scribe vvith his most graue oration and the seuen brethren vvho handled this Angels oration most diuinely all these matters may thence be fetched And specially how he neuer vvas moued vvith the tendernesse of vvomen but tormented them against all nations humanitie for their lawes that is often and much recorded But touching his owne concubines Tarsenses and Malleotae rebell by Theodoret for that their towns were giuen to queanes allowance Now for the God of all might how in his place he honoreth yea a God he honoreth vvhom his fathers knew not Iupiter Olympius and causeth the forces of the God of all might to haue a strange God and maintained by Apollonius the authour of abominations the most lothsome infidels as the lothsome beastes in Leuiticus and souldiers working desolation these points all together may be fetched better froÌ„ the Machabees then here mixed The Angell vvas here to take speciall heed that his phrases should be darke for heathen and cleare for them that knew the Ebrew Prophets style In opening of them a speech somwhat long must come in after their translation And the wicked dealers against the couenant he shall make prophane by guile but the people that know their God shall lay hold and practise And the teachers among the people shall giue instruction to many who shall be ouerthrowen by sword and by flame by captiuitie and by spoyle many dayes And wheÌ„ they are ouerthrowen they shalbe holpen with a little helpe But many shall ioyne vnto them fainedly And some of the teachers shalbe ouerthrowen to be tryed and to be purged and to be whited vnto the times end For the set time is yet to come And the king shall do what he list and exalt him selfe and magnifie himselfe aboue all that is called God and against the God of Gods shall he speake swelling things and prosper vntill the anger be finished for a seuere iudgement is to be executed And vnto the Gods of his fathers will he haue no regard likewise vnto the tendernesse of women or vnto any God he will haue no regard but will magnifie himselfe aboue all As for the God almightie in his place he will honour yea a God whom his fathers knew not will he honour with gold with siluer and with precious stones and with iewelles So he shall deale that the forces of the almightie shall haue a straunge God Whom he fauoreth he shall greatly aduaunce and make them rulers ouer many and shall part the land to be a sale Antiochus his third voyage into Egypt against Ptolemie Philometor And at the end of time the king of the South shal push at him the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind with charet horses and shippes many and shall come through countreys and flow and passe ouer Also he shall come into the Tzeby land and many landes shalbe ouerthrowen But these shalbe safe from his hand Edom and Moab and the chiefe of the sonnes of Ammon Also he shall stretch forth his hand ouer countreys specially the land of Aegypt shall not escape But he shall haue power ouer the hid treasure of gold and siluer and ouer all the iewels of Aegypt and Lubin and Cushim shalbe with his passages How Antiochus bestowed the spoiles of Aegypt and of other countreys as Polybius in Atheneus recordeth as a witnesse vnto the holy Angell I Thinke good to lay downe here Polybius wordes touching Antiochus vvho came vp poorely and saw his father distressed and his brother likewise when both vvere forced to Church-robbing The summe is this that he bestowed infinite cost vpon a triumph to imitate Paulus Aemilius hauing gotten the vvealth by spoiling young Philometor and breaking league vvith him by the contributions of his friendes and by robbing most Churches Wherein he would manifestly be aboue euery God The learned vvill best like the authours owne vvordes neither can our tongue so vvell expresse them Thus Athenaeâ—s bringeth Polybius vvordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This record I hold much worth seeing it agreeth so fitly with the robbing of Aegypt and also might well be the cause of his necessitie proceeding from prodigalitie to spoyle the temple of Persepolis mentioned 2. Mach. 9. An old opinion that the Romanes are one of the foure kingdomes in Daniel made men draw them as enemies to Gods people into this oration They are in the commers vvith shippes from Chittun indeede therein Daniel remembring BalaaÌ„ knew that hence the Romanes might should encrease to afflict Assur and Eber whose chiefe Christ vvas and that they should hold-on vnto the end and specially be the lothsome infidels vvhich should destroy Ierusalem But the Romanes dealt not against the holie Iewes lawes of Religion vvhich matter here was to be handled nor medled vvith the Iewes till the nation by sedition called for them and Gods seueritie vvas not to giue them comfort touching ill called for by their owne loosenesse but against such as by force continued the vvith-holding of their kingdome And no vvord here vvill agree vvith the Romanes vnlesse vve dare make Scripture a nose of vvaxe The Iewes indeede since the dayes of Methargem Ierusalemy would haue the Romanes meant one of Daniels foure kingdomes and yet them selues the onely nation blessed
enforcement to beholde that Christ will destroy the Citie and Holy place in the age folowyng His prayer is penned with speciall regarde euen of the very Ebrew syllables to the prophets from whom the matter of his speach is taken Those places must be marked IN the first yeere of Darius the sonne of Achashuerosh of the seede of Madaj in which he was made king ouer the realme of the Chaldeans In the first yeere of his reigne I Daniel marked by bookes the number of the yeeres whereof the word of the Lord had been vnto Ieremie for accomplyshing in the ruines of Ierusalem seuentie yeeres And I turned my face vnto the Lord the God and sought by prayer and supplication and fasting and sackcloth and ashes And I prayed vnto the Lord my God saying Oh Lord the mightie God the great and fearefull who keepeth the couenant and the mercie toward them which loue him and towarde them which keepe his commandementes VVe haue sinned we haue transgressed we haue done wickedly we haue rebelled and we haue turned backe from thy commandementes and from thy iudgementes And we haue not obeyed thy seruantes the Prophets which spake in thy name to our Kinges to our Princes and to our Fathers and to all the people of the land Thou hast O Lord the righteousnesse and we open shame euen this day euery one of Iudah and the dwellers of Ierusalem and all Israel the neare and the farre off through al the countries whither thou hast dryuen them for their offence wherein they haue offended thee O Lord we haue open shame our Kinges our Princes and our Fathers as we haue sinned against thee The Lord our God hath the tender mercies and forgiuenesse albeit we haue rebelled against him And haue not obeyed the voyce of the Eternall our God to walke in his lawes which he hath layde before vs by the ministerie of his Seruantes the Prophetes Yea all Israel haue transgressed thy law and turned backe that they woulde not heare thy voyce Wherefore there is poured vpon vs the curse and the oth that is written in the law of Moses the seruant of God Because we haue sinned agaynst him And he hath confirmed his wordes which he spake against vs and against our iudges that iudged vs. For vnder the whole heauen hath not bene done the like as hath bene done vpon Ierusalem As it is written in the Law of Moses all this euil is come vpon vs. Yet haue not we besought the eternall our God that we might turne from our iniquities and vnderstand thy truth Therefore the Lord our God was watchfull concerning the euill and brought it vpon vs. For the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which he hath done seeing we obeyed not his voyce And now O Lord our God that hast brought forth thy people out of the land of Egypt by a mighty hand and hast gotten thy selfe a name as this day we haue done wickedly O Lord according to all thy righteousnesse let now thine anger and thy wrath be turned away from thy citie Ierusalem thine holy mountaine For because of our sinnes and for the iniquities of our fathers Ierusalem thy people are a reproch to all that are about vs. And now heare O my God the prayer of thy seruant and his supplication and make thy face to shine vpon thy sanctuarie that lyeth desolate for the Lordes sake Encline O my God thine eare and heare open thine eyes and see our desolations and the citie whereupon thy name is called for we present not our supplications before thee for our righteousnesse but for thy great tender mercies O Lord heare ô Lord forgiue ô Lord giue eare do defer not for thine own sake ô my God For thy name is called vpon thy citie vpon thy people And as I was yet speaking and praying and confessing my sinne and the sinne of my people Israel and presenting my supplications before the Eternall my God for the holie mountaine of my God Euen as I was yet speaking the man Gabriel whom I had seene afore in a vision came vnto me flying with vehemencie vntill he touched me at the time of the euening oblation And he gaue vnderstanding and talked with me said Daniel I am come forth to giue thee skill of vnderstanding At the beginning of thy prayers came forth the word which I am come to tell because thou art greatly beloued Therefore conceiue the word g and perceiue the cleare vision The cleare vision for the certaine time of redemption vvherein the Iewes through all the Gospell agreed and also all the East as Iosephus recordeth and Tacitus and Suetonius do both touch it Seuentie seuens of yeares is pared out for thy people and for thy holy citie to consume wickednesse and to abolish sinnes and to make reconciliation for iniquitie and to bring righteousnesse euer-lasting and to seale vision and prophet and to shew-Messias the Holy of Holiest Of the 70. seuens SEuentie seuens make 490. in ordinary speach But that Daniel might conceaue how at the beginning of his prayer vpon considering of Ieremy for that 70. yeares of captiuitie ended God tooke notice of his meditation the Angel toucheth that seuentie shewing how exactly seuen times that space is declared afore hand for the Iewes prerogatiue continuance of Ceremonies and meditation how reconciliation of sinne is truly made That euery Sabbath in the meane vvhile they might learne to enter into the rest of Christ How the 70. seuens end the holy Chronicle FIue as it were chaines of time are in Scripture all drawen through so many seuerall matters The first is cōtinued through the Ages of the Fathers vnto the death of Terah who falling into Idolatrie gaue occasion to end that honour of making the Fathers to draw the worldes age in theirs After the death of Terah Abraham hath the promise of Christ and is called vnto Chanaan For that promise one tenour of certaintie is linked vnto the Lambe Temple and Salomons death after his Idolatrie and held on while Abrahams tribes held the faith of Christ Thēce a new state measure of it as a third chaine cōmeth in Iudah holdeth a kingdome vnto Sedekiahs captiuitie and Ieroboam draweth Israel to sinne vvhich time is termed Israels sinne by God to Ezekiel chap. 4. vvhen he sheweth vnto him the fall of Ierusalem with which fall also famous 40. yeares of Iudahs vvarning must end Which 40. are complete from Ieremies prophecying in the 13. of Iosias at the beginning of the 19. of Nebuchadnezer when the citie vvas brent And that continuance of Iudahs kingdome is in one summe giuen by God 390. y. Ezek. 4. The particulars vvherof are cast by the kings of Iudah Israel iust into that summe by sundry learned And Abraham Ben Dauid in Cabala sheweth that the Iewes vniuersally but that they hid
the finger of God where Iannes and Iambres damne the Pharisies The 12. in the Apostles number and the 70. in the Disciples shew that our Lord honoured and made glorious the Law as Esay told of him The Law for euery commandement is expounded by him as by one that could season speech the two tables by two generall commandements to heare that Iehouah our God Iehouah is one who must be loued vvith all the minde soule and strength And the neighbour as a man vvould vvish to be loued of another Messiah is taught with faith for the first commandement for the second spirituall idolatrie maketh the Iewes Satans sonnes their swearing as by their heads in priuate speeches is corrected as a light naming of God the superstitious befooling of the Sabbaths rest is often controlled honour to parents is applyed against Pope-like greedie begging for the Church Murther is drawen against the Kadmonim or old Rabbines the cited and rested vpon the bare vvords vnto vniust anger or taunts Likewise adulterie vnto the sole desire Witnesses are taught to testifie vvithout sinne and the ambition of desiring thy neighbours is drawen also vnto giuing all away that Christ may be followed The Iudicials in sundry heads are drawen to a greater charitie then the ciuill officer can force and all by this lavv Thou shalt be perfect vvith Iehouah thy God And there the ground of all learning is handled the applying of all actioÌ„s vnto the nature of God manifested in his creation in shining and rayning vpon good and bad All Leuiticus vvas expounded to the Samaritanâ— in that the ceremonies of it should haue their end and the Iubilie for setting all free is explaned from Esay The lifting vp of the serpent is opened vnto Nicodemus from Deuteronomie the hanging vpon the tree past not vnhandled vvhere Christ being lifted vp vvill dravv all vnto him Moreouer the commaundement Giue glorie vnto the Eternall the ROCKE that is conueyed vnto the chiefest speech of all the nevve Testament and scope here vvhere Christ is acknowledged the ROCKE A matter vvhere Iew Pope make shipwracke of al. The Iewes coÌ„fesse that the ROCKE gaue them vp to the Romanes And Rome vvill haue the Rock to be vnder them As though for killing of Christ they had deserued that honor and cannot see that God vnchangeable must needes plague them for euer for that aboue all all nations vnder the cope of heauen And vvhere as in that same song of Moses the Iewes are reiected that is spoken often by our Lord. So he affoordeth vnto vs the marrow of all the Law His going to Aegypt suffering and fortie dayes viewing the land is ouer-set in vvorkes to Israel Lambe Isaacke and twelue spies and his shining like the sunne with his ascension to Enoch his assumption yeres according to the sonnes course As the Prophets are commentaries vpon the Law so it beloÌ„ging vnto the suffrings here told they must all likewise belong And in his expositions in his phrases and in his actions he goeth through them all Besides the expresse Prophets the Ebrewes particular decrees and learned speeches were to be confirmed Such as plaine reason of all knevv to be good Our Lord reuerenced the diuine schoole of Sanedrin at twelue sitting amongst them hearing them and posing them the reuerence of all gestures which their decrees haue for the synagogue reading of the Law was shewed by him selfe Iust excommunication allowed and their law of excommunicating them who misuse authoritie practized euen vpon the Scribes and Pharisies and all Ierusalem And all their doctrine of traditions now in the Talmud vtterly damned Yet what they had from the ancient worthy praise he alloweth all that termes phrases and prouerbiall sentences The world to come the dead tasting death resurrection of the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 forgiuenesse in this world Paradise Gehenna and Gehenna large 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Mid. Til. eating and drinking the obiect of faith eating and drinking in the world to â—ome carying of the crosse of Christ These are taken from Eâ—râ—e Doctors common vse yet abiding in record yea and to singular vse jod and pricke and in the Greeke prouerbiall speech Α and Ω after the Ebrews from Aleph vnto Thaâ— In Ben Arama So he taunteth the Talmuds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Raka the swearing by the head the Corban their Abothenu Rab. Such he blamed And thus he that was in the forme of God and held it no robberie to be equall with God yet tooke the forme of a seruant and the speeches of the base Yea and to looke backe to some of his workes and wordes we shall see more how he condescended vnto vs. From the water of Iewes Purification he made his wine From Baptisme vsed of them without commaundement and of small authoritie he autorizeth a seale of entring into the rest of Christ vsing the Iewes weaknesse as an allurement thither From bread and wine vsed with the Lambe being without all commaundement of Moses but resting vpon the common reason giuen by the Creator he autorizeth a seale of his owne selfe of his very flesh and bloud that vve should still eate and drinke it and feede vpon the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world vntill we grow into the perfect man into the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. And as the housholder at the Lambes suppers end blessed God first taking bread and againe taking the wine so that we should not turne his seale into superstition he followeth that plainnesse Shewing the summe the same a Lambe for Lambe and bread with wine of higher authoritie and likewise after as they vsed he song the Psal 113. fit for the matter From the Iewes synagogue where they medled not with ceremonies no more then we now they with Circumcision as we with Baptisme from their sincere orders grounded vpon the plaine light of reason against which nothing but ambition can once open the mouth he setled an order for euer for his Church whereof his Apostles shew the practise and he caused their enemies euen the Pharisies to record all the Apostles maner to haue bene from Ezra And gaue speciall charge to his Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not to be titled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by vvhich terme Demosthenes distinguisheth Athens from policies of Kings titled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This should haue bene marked by the Bishop of that Citie through vvhose policie Christ was crucified who will be titled Soter and Euergetes yea and Theos more to be skopht of all Iewes and Turkes then the Seleucidae and Lagidae were of Plutarch in Aristide and such others Our Lord forbad not his disciples to desire to be first but requireth that their superioritie should be in seruice And their practise taught the world how rightly they vnderstood his charge Our Lord and