before I dy O God! what consolation for a good Father to see again a good Son he was dead in his thoughts and behold him risen again He was lost and is found again a cruell Bear had devoured him and of all his reliques there was onely left him a bloody garment A strange change and behold him on a Throne and Master of one of the fairest Empires in the Universe What alteration and what Metamorphosis humane Prudence what sayest thou unto this Art not thou then ravished at the sight of these Prodigies hast thou not a desire to submit unto the Lawes of this wise Intelligence which sports with these Counsels and goes even under the Abysses of misfortune there to produce Peace Glory and immortality as a fair day in the midst of darkness Yes truly but to adore the effects of the Divine Providence and the most absolute power it hath over our lives and honours We must follow Jacob and goe visit Joseph Love hath wings at his Feet like Fame Profectusque Israel cum omnibus quae habâ—bat venit ad puteum juramenti Gen. 46. v. 1. he knows not what delay and retardment meaneth Jacob is on his way to see Joseph he is already in Bershabe neer unto that famous Well where Abraham heretofore made a solemn agreement with Abimelech and where both of them swore an inviolable peace There it was where Jacob stayed to offer his Sacrifice unto God upon the Altar of Abraham Et mactatis ibi victimis Deo patris sui Isaack Gen. 46. v. 1. Audivit cum per visionem noctis vocantem se dicentem sibi Jacob Jacob cui respondit Ecce adsum There having immolated Victimes he resign'd into the hands of God all the designs of his voyage he resolves to passe away one night in that place But scarce had he closed the eyes of the body but those of his soul were open'd to see and hear the God of his Father Isaack who called Jacob Jacob to which Jacob had nothing else to say but that he heard his voice and was most ready to execute his Commands Courage then Jacob Ait illi Deus Ego sum fortissimus Deus patris tui noli timere descende in Aegyptum quia in gentem magnam faciâ—mâ—te ibi Gâ—â— 46. v. 4. Joseph queque ponet manus suos super oculos tuos Gen. 46. v. 4. for it is the most powerfull God of thy Father Isaack who calls and appoints thee to passe into the Land of Egypt And there it is where he intends to make thee a Father of many Nations Yes saith he I promise thee Jacob that I will goe with thee and I assure thee that Joseph shall close thine eyes with his own hands O God! what Sacrifice what Vision What Speech and what Oath As for the Sacrifice in the first place what Jacob did ought to be an instruction to all those who leave their Country and intend to alter the course of their lives that before all things they should consult with God and take him for their guide in the Voyages designs they take in hand for it is unto him we ought first to Sacrifise our hearts and immolate all our hopes otherwise we shall look behind us like that wavering Woman who for her inconstancy was turned into a Statue of Salt Secondly the apparition of God which Jacob saw is a certain token that his eye still watcheth over those who dedicate themselves unto him and that he is neither deaf nor dumb to those that speak unto him Thirdly Gods promise is too faithfull and his Love too generous to forsake those who walk in his wayes and have taken him for their guide Fourthly when God promised Iacob to bring him back out of Egypt this must be understood of his Posterity and of the Israelites Jacobs Successors whom God after Two hundred and Fifteen years brought back out of Egypt into Chanaan Touching Jacob he dyed in Egypt between Josephs arms as we are going to see in the sequell of this History It sufficeth for the present to follow him in the remainder of his voyage It was about the morning of the second day that Jacob forsook Bershabe to pursue his Journey Surexit autem Jacob à puteo Juramenti c. Gen. 46. v. 6. It was indeed one of the fairest spectacles which ever appeared on the Confines of Palestine to see him in the head of his Troops as a good Father followed by his Children But I assure my self it had been most delitious and profitable to hear them if the holy Scripture would have given us some brief relation of their Discourse Nevertheless Cunctae animae ingressae sunt cum Jacob in Aegyptum sexaginta Gen. 46. v. 26. it acquaints us with the number of these happy Travellers which were seventy in all comprising therein Joseph with Manasses and Ephraim his two Sons who were born there Hence it evidently follows that when Moyses said there went thither Sixty and six he did neither put in the list Jacob nor Joseph Manasses nor Ephraim On the contrary when Saint Luke reckoneth Seventy and five he comprehends in that number the Sons and Nephews of Joseph whose birth hapned during the life and residence of this holy Patriark in Egypt Mean-while Jacob pursues his Journey Misit autem Judam ante se ad Joseph ut nunciaret ei occurreret in Gessen Gea 46. v. 28. but before his setting foot in Egypt he sent Judas to find out Joseph that he might be advertised of his comming and goe forth to receive him in the Land of Gessen Joseph hath no sooner heard this news Quò cum pervenissent juncto Joseph curru ascendit obviam patri ad eundem locum Gen. 46. v. 29. but he set forth to meet Iacob God knows whether the time might seem long unto him and whether his heart and mind went not faster than his body God knows also the various thoughts Jacob had in Expecting Joseph saying Alas what pains for one pleasure what desires for one fruition what Thorns for one Rose what Nights for one Day and how many Combats and dangers for one Triumph In fine behold Joseph in Jacobs bosome Vidensque eum irruit super collum ejus inter amplexus flevit Gen. 46. v. 29. Dixiâ—que pater ad Joseph Jam laetus morior quia vidi faciem tuam superstitem te relinquo GeÌ„ 46. v. 30. At ille locutus est aâ— fratres suos ad omnem domum patris sui ascendam nunciabo Pharaoni dicamque â—i Fratres mei domits patris mei qui erant in terra Chanaan venerunt ad me Gen. 46. v. 31. Cumque vocaverit dixerit quod est opus vestrum GeÌ„ 46. v. 33 Respondebitis viri pastores sumus servi tui ab infantia nostra usque in praesens nos patres nostri Gen. 46. v. 34. behold the Father in the Arms of his Son Ioseph leaps
we only consider the durance thereof and very long if we would contemplate the misfortunes contracted at his birth never to forsake him But as the setting Sun useth to dissipate the Clouds which had obscured it in the day and as sometimes wind rain and a tempest cease in the evening so Jacob at the end of his life began to enter into a calm and to enjoy fair weather It was in the City of Heros Joseph verò patri fratribus suis dedit possessionem in Agypto in optimo terrae loco Ramesses ut pâ—aeceperat â—harao Gen. 47.11 as the Septuagint have expounded it or els in Ramasses which is upon the Land of Gessen where Jacob made his last abode and where he found at last a haven after all his miseries as we are going to see CHAP. X. The last words of Jacob. ALas there is nothing eternall amongst created things and nothing which begins not to wax old assoon as it begins to live Life and Deathare inseparable companions which follow each other at a neer distance and tread even upon the same steps God himself saith Tertullian Roc stipulata est Dei vox hoc spopandit omnt quod nascitur c. Tertul. lib. de an cap. 30. is as it were ingaged thereunto by his word and all creatures at their birth are obliged unto it by promise at the very instant they enter into the world Life notwithstanding hath no regular periods and though he that made every thing with weight and measure hath shut up Creatures in the circle of Ages yet he hath not prescribed them equall limits but there are some who make their voyages longer or shorter than others However in vain is it to stray and take by-wayes For we must either in the morning at noon or in the evening arrive at our Lodging and after a thousand and a thousand windings at our finall resting place It is there said Calisthenes where Fathers and Children Calesthenes M.S. young and old wise men and fools the strong and weak and even the demi-Gods find themselves confused with Plants and beasts Death said a Favourite of Justinian pitcheth every where his tents and we as often hear mournfull Ditties under Velvet Canopies and in Ballisters of Ivory as under Pavillions of coarse Cloth and Cottages thatch'd with straw We see in Town ditches and under the dust of Battells Captains lying amongst Souldiers We behold under merciless blades and amongst Scymiters people lying with their Magistrates And at best there are but some Stones some Ciphers and Epitaphs which distinguish them Death then is more just and civill than birth The last hath Complacences for some and rigours for others but the first is indifferent towards all and we see at her feet Scepters amongst Scyths with this Inscription The Motto of Death Nemini parco I spare no man Death suffers not its self to be corrupted by favour it is on the River of oblivion and all the bodyes he ferries over in his Boat are naked not to appear different one from the other It was for this reason as the incomparable Picus of Mirandula said Most important advice Wise men during their lives and especially upon the approach of death ought to perform such actions as their memory might be immortall to the end if Death be common to them the manner of dying might be peculiar The Phoenix is no lesse subject unto death than Owles but Owles dye in the night and in a hollow place of some rotten Tree Whereas the Phoenix expires in the rayes of the Sun and upon a pile of Cinnamon and Musk. The Swan is no more exempt from it than the Raven But the Raven dyes craking upon some carrion and the Swan singing upon the bank of some fair River Jacob who as the Father of Nations seemd to have right unto Immortality was yet no more immortall than Esau but their death will be very different For Esau dyes suddenly like a Raven and an Owl but Jacob a far off saw his hours approching like a Phoenix and as a Swan which sings according to the common saying when he is breathing his last He was a hundred forty and seven years old when he perceived the arrivall of that moment which was to finish the course of his life Factique sunt omnes dies vitae illius Centum quadraginta septem annorum Gen. 47. v 28. Cumque appropinquare cerneret diem mortis suae vocavit filium suum Joseph dixit ad eum Si inveni gratiam in conspectu tuo pone manum tuam sub femoâ—e meo facies mihi misericordiam vâ—ritatem ut non sepelias me in Aegypto Gen. 47. v. 29. Sed dormiam cum patribus meis auseras me de terra hac condasq in sepulchno majorum meorum Gen. 47. v. 30. Rupertus hic Then this happy Patriark commanding Iosephs presence said unto him My Son it is time for me to dye there is no appeal I goe whither Abraham and Isaack are gone before and you shall come thither after me Mean-while I prithee if thou lov'st me put thy hand under my thigh and assure me that after my death thou wilt transport my body out of Egypt into Chanaan to bury it in the Sepulcher of my fore Fathers This is all I ask and all the favour I expect from thy love and goodness Iacob had reason to desire to be carried into Chanaan and laid in the monument of his Ancestors for this was the Land promised to his Children and which was to be one day consecrated by the worship of God and by the presence of the Messias As for the the Oath to which he oblig'd Ioseph it did not proceed from any distrust of his affection and fidelity Adoravit Isâ—ael Deum conversus ad lectuli caput Gen. 47. v. 31. Ribera in c. 11. ad Heb. Abulensis Et alii hic His ita transactis nunctatum Joseph quod aegrotaret pater fuus qui assumptis dâ—oobus filiis Manasse Ephraim ire perrexit Gen. 48. v. 1. but it was only done to the end that if Pharaoh should hinder him from rendring this duty unto his Father he might answer he was engaged thereto by Oath After this protestation Jacob adored God first turning his head towards the beds side where Joseph stood and directly towards the East because it was in this place they were accustomed to offer Sacrifices and erect Altars or rather to cast some look towards the Land of promise on which he had already placed all his hopes and desires Afterwards Jacob chancing to fall sick the news of of it was presently brought unto Joseph who immediatly took with him his two Sons Manasses and Ephraim to see him once more that they might receive his last Benediction Dictumque est Seni Ecce filius tuns Joseph venit ad te Qui confortatus sedit in lectulo Gen. 48. v. 2. Et ingresso ad se ait Deus
of possessions But that Ephraim though he were the least and youngest should exceed him and have a larger posterity than he In effect he gave them his benediction and preferring the youngest before the eldest he finished this Ceremony in saying Israel shall be blessed in you and when Parents shall give their blessings unto their Children they shall beseech God to multiply them as he hath Multiplyed those of Ephraim and Manasses After this Jacob began to turn himself towards Joseph to advertise him that he was now dying and that for the rest God would be with him and his Children and would bring them all back into the Country of their fore fathers In fine he gave unto Ioseph as a birth-right above his Brethren the Land he had in Sichem which was one of the fairest parts of his possessions and which he particularly affected as having formerly acquired it by force of armes from the Amorites CHAP. XI The last Will and Testament of Jacob containing the benedictions given unto the twelve Patriarks AMongst all the exercises of life there is not any one more necessary and more important than timely to learn the manner of dying pioussy Death layes every where ambushes for us and only waits for the hour to surprise us It is a difficult Art to die well But there is scarce any person who can dispose himself to expect it by reason the bare thought of it useth to terrifie us Nevertheless wee must grow familiar with this cruell tyrant and perform very often during life what wee could wish lay in our power to doe at the hower of death otherwise wee find our selves surprised when this Mercilesse executioner takes a trumpet in his hand to sound the last retreat which must be made unto the tomb Then is it that the loudest talkers become dumb and that the boldest are wholy out of countenance and many in this state are so far from thinking on others as they hardly know themselves It is a great comfort neverthelesse Vocavit autem Jacob filios suos ait eis congregamini ut annuntiem quae ventura sunt vobis in diebus novissimis Gen. 49. v. 1. to have words and blessings in our mouths even to the last gasp and to be able to dye like Iacob who drawing neer his passage called together his Children and particularly remonstrated unto each of them in these termes the condition and course wherein their affaris should be in ti meto come Ruben my Eldest Son Ruben primogenitus tu fortitudo mea principium doloris mei prior in donis major in imperio Gen. 49. v. 3. I gave thee life being in the flower and strength of my age thou art the first for whom I had those cares and disquiets which fathers commonly have in the education of their Children Thy advantages and privileges ought to be greater than those of others and thy posterity more powerfull than that of thy brethren Nature made thee their Chief and their Prince Effusus eis sicut aqua non crescas quia ascendisti cubile patris tui maculasti stratum cjus Gen. 49. v. 4. But the Justice of God who never leaves a Crime unpunished will revenge that which thou hast committed in staining my bed And as odours which are tainted lose their vertue so the effusion and prostitution thou hast made of thy self will occasion that thy race and posterity shall never be considerable either by Authority Number or Riches Simeon and Levi impious Warriors Simeon Levi siatres vasa iniquitatis bellantia Gen. 49. v 5. whom a blind fury hath rendred more like than nature and bloud you are the Instruments and Authors of the unjust and bloudy slaughter of the Sichemites In consilium corum non veniat anima mea c. Gen. 49. v. 6. I did not approve the effects of your cruell revenge when it was executed I then condemn'd it and shall condemn it now dying and detest the fury and brutish perfidiousness which made you surprise and massacre Hemor Sichem the Father and Son with their Subjects Maledictus suror eorum quia pertinax indignatio corum quia dura dâ—vidam vos in Jacob dispergam eos in Israel Gen. 49. v. 9. The disclaim I made of your cruelty shall not be without effect Because you have conspired to doe mischief you shall be for ever separated So obstinate and inveterate hatred as yours deserves a lasting chastisement which will take from you all the power of re-uniting your selves to execute your wicked designs Juda Juda te laudabunt fratres tui manus tua in cervicibus inimicorum tuorum adorabunt te filii patris tui Gen. 49. v. 8. you shall be praised and honoured by your Brethren they shall adore and acknowledge you for their King you shall triumph over your enemies and be more dreadfull than a young Lion whom hunger excites to the rage which is naturall to him you shall march with your victorious Army to make the Usurpers feel that they shall not long enjoy their tyrannicall Conquests The happiness inseparably fastned to your Arms shall render you formidable when you are in peace and you shall have no neighbour so bold as to declare warre against you to regain what you have taken from him The Crown shall not depart out of the house of Juda and it shall give Kings unto Judea even till the comming of the Messias Non auferetur Sceptrum de Juda c. who will be the desire and generall expectation of all Nations in the World This great Prince shall unite the Jews and Gentiles Donec veniat qui mittendus est ipse erit expectatio gentium Gen. 49. v. 10. and these two people shall make but one It is true that this union shall cost him dear for having but one deportment and countenance to which all people shall bear respect and invest him with the power of commanding them as a Soveraign his eyes being full of splendour and lightnings Pulcriores sunt oculi ejus vino dentes ejus lacte candidiores Gen. 49. v. 12. He being the most beautifull and most accomplish'd of all men will not rest satisfied by his incomparable attractives to vanquish hearts and linck them fast together but will mingle an effusion of his Divine bloud to perfect this alliance Vide Tertul. S. Ambros ubi de benedictione patriae c. 4. S. Chrys and wil die in bloud his sacred body which as a Robe pretious Mantle shal cover the wonders of the Divinitie personally united to him Zabulon shall dwell on the Sea-shore Zabulon littore maris babitabit in statione navium pertingens usque ad Sidonem Gen. 49. v. 13. Issachar asinus fortis accubans inter termi nos Gen. 49 v. 14. Vidit requiem quod esset bona terram quod optima c. Gen. 49. v. 15. and in the Havens which are on the coasts of Palestine even
omnipotens apparuit mihi in Luza quae est in terra Chanaan benedixitque mihi Gen. 48. v. 3. Et ait Ego te ougebo multiplicabo c. Gen. 48. v. 4. Duo ergo filti tui qui nati sunt tibi in terra Aegypti antequam bue venirem ad te mei erunt Ephraim Manasses sicut Ruben Simeon reputabuntur mihi Gen. 48. v. 4. Reliquos autem quos genueris post eos tui erunt nomine fratrum suorum vocabuntur in possessionibus suis Gen. 48. v. 6. At the report of Iosephs return Iacob more vigorous than before raised himself half up in his bed and perceiving him entring he said unto him My Son it is necessary thou should'st know that the Omnipotent God of my forefathers appeared unto me in Luz which is in the Land of Chanaan to give me his benediction and to assure me I shall be the Father of a long posterity and that one day my Children shall be heirs of this most blessed Land I adopt then thy two Children which were born in Egypt before I came into these parts and I will have them from hence forth reputed no less mine than Ruben and Simeon Thereby Ioseph came to know that Manasses and Ephraim should have their Tribes a part and their share of succession in Chanaan as well as Ruben and Simeon and his other Children which was the cause he farther said unto Ioseph that if he chanced to have other Children they should be only in such sort esteemed his as not to have other Tribe than that of Manasses and Ephraim and no other share of the Possessions in Chanaan Rachel was not forgotten in his Will for Iacob having spoken of his Children remembred her and saith to Ioseph My Son I adopt thy Children Mibi enim quando venicham de Mesopotamia mortua est Rechel in terra Chanaan in ipso itinere sepelivi eam juxta viam Euphratae quae alio nomine appellabatur Bethlem Gen. 48. v. 7 Vatabius hic for Rachel by whom I might yet have had more Children dyed too soon for me and for the good of my whole Family It was at my return from Mesopotamia in the Land of Chanaan and very neer unto Ephrata that is Bethelem where she is interred It is probable that Iacob might have said more and that he might have staied longer upon the sad memory of his dear Rachel if at the same time he had not had a glimpse of Manasses and Ephraim whom Ioseph presented to him Adduc inquit eorad me ut benedicam illis Gen. 48. v. 9. Oculi enim Israel caligabant pâ—ae nimia senectute clâ—â—è videre non poterat Gen. 48. v. 10. Applicitosque ad se de osculatus est circumplexus eos Gen. 48. v. 10. to receive a second time his Benediction I know not whether Ioseph and all that were Witnesses of this interview could restrain their tears But to speak the truth it was a spectacle worthy of compassion to behold Iacob upon his death-bed striving to see the two Children of Ioseph who drew neer him and whom he could hardly have known if Ioseph had not named them and assur'd him that they were his Children Then both of them cast themselves gently on his body which Iacob feeling he kissed them one after the other and then having embraced them he turned his eyes towards Ioseph and said unto him My Son Dixit ad filium suum non sum fraudatus aspectu tuo insuper ostendit mihi Deus semen tuum Gen. 48. v. 11. what a happiness is it for me to see thee before I dye Ah! surely I never could have believed it But at last he that never forsakes those who serve him hath hitherto preserved thee and it is he who at this instant makes me enjoy the sight of thee and thy Children Iacob notwithstanding did not suffer Manasses and Ephraim to depart but held them still in his arms and on his breast untill Ioseph who feard they might disease him Cumque tulisset eos Joseph ' de gremio patris adoravit pronus in terram Gen. 48. v. 12. Et posuit Ephraim ad dexteram suam id est ad sinistram Israel Manassen verò in sinistra sua ad dextram scilicet patris applicuitque ambes ad eum Gen. 48. v. 13. Benedicitque Jacob filiis Joseph ait Gen. 48. v. 15. Which being done he cast himself on his knees neer Iacobs bed to adore his God and to thank him for the favours his goodness had imparted to him Afterwards perceiving that this holy man by little and little drew neer his end he set Ephraim at his right side and Manasses at his left to place Manasses on the right hand of Jacob Ephraim on the left But Jacob who saw less with the eyes of the body than with those of his soul and who considered not so much the present as the future holding his arms across laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim who was the youngest and his left on Manasses who was the eldest and blessed them both in this manner Deus in cujus conpsecta ambulaverunt pitres mei c. Gen. 48. v. 15. I beseech with my whole heart that God in whose presence my fore-Fathers Abraham and Isaack have walked that God who nourished me from my tendrest youth even to this day Angelus qui eruit me de cunctis malis benedicat pueris istis invocetur super eos nomen meum c. Gen. 48. v. 16. that Angel who hath guarded me from all evill to vouchsafe a blessing unto these two Children Let my name and that of my fore-fathers Abraham and Jsaack be earnestly called upon for them and may they have large increase upon the earth Joseph grew sad Videns autem Joseph quod posuisset pater suus dexteram manum super caput Ephraim graviter accepit c. Gen. 48. v. 17. seeing his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim and endeavoured to put it on that of Manasses advertising Jacob that he had taken the younger for the elder brother But Jacob answered Qui renuens ait Scie fili mi scio iste quidem erit in populos multiplicabitur sed frater ejus minor maior erit illo semen illius crescet in gentes Gen. 48. v. 19. Benedixitque eis in tempore illo dicens in te benedicetur Israel atque dicetur faciat tibi deus sicut Ephraim Manasse constituitque Ephraim ante Manassen Gen. 48. v. 20. Et ait ad Joseph filium suum En ego morior erit Deus vobiscum reducetque vos ad terram patrum vestrorum Gen. 48. v. 21. Do tibi partem unant extra sratres tuos quam tuti de manu Amorrhaeâ—in gladio arcu meo Gen. 48. v. 22. that he well knew what he did and that for the rest Manasses should be powerfull in people and in all sorts
Brightness of Heaven cannot be seen amidst the Shades and Smoak of thy Country But what must poor Abraham leave himself O my God! why dost thou oblige him to forsake his beloved Chaldea and why wouldst thou have him separate himself from his Kindred and Friends He is in a flourishing City and thou perchance wilt lead him into some solitary place or desart He lives in Glory and Honour and possibly thou intendest to reduce him into a state of Scorn and Contempt He wants nothing at Home and it may come to pass that every thing will fayl him amongst Strangers These motives are too weak to break the Desires and Designs of a Soul which God courteth It is a delicious thing to leave the streams for their source and to forsake our selves to give our selves unto our Maker The World and Chaldea are but a poynt in comparison of the Firmament and all the Elements in respect of the Impyreall Heavens are but a heap of vapours and a Globe of exhalations To this I adde that the most peopled Cities and Provinces are frightfull Dens liveless Bodies and most solitary Desarts if God be not there and on the contrary the most dreadfull Solitudes and least inhabited Grots become Courts and Palaces as soon as God and his Spirit reside therein Finally all Reposes are Disquiet all Peace is but War all Honours are Contempts Parents are Traitors Brothers Envious Friends Deceivers Houses and Beds Sepulchers and Life is but a Death or at best but a long and dolorous sickness unless God be the Loadstone of our Hearts the highest pitch of our Glory and the Center of all our affections for he shall then be our Father our Brother and our Friend and in his bosome we shall find our Countrey Parents pleasures and delights without bitterness and without any mixture of those passions which are still arm'd to besiege our Hearts Abraham understood all these verities from the very morning of his vocation and at the first overture of the favours which God imparted to him he took a Staff in his Hand and became a Pilgrim in the World sufficiently discovering that the life of Man is but a Pilgrimage and that a Man shall first or last reach the Port. It was nevertheless hard for him as I believe to take his Wife for a Companion in his voyages to adopt his Nephew for his Son and to bring away all his Goods and Baggage before his Kindred could have notice of it Then God knowes what Noise what Tumult what Astonishment in the whole Family and amongst his Allyes God knowes whether Friends appear'd troublesome and whether the most indifferent strove in this case to expresse their passion Let every one represent unto himself what may befall him and what is wont to surprise all those that depart out their Country and are oblig'd to forsake their Friends They imagin that even Iron stones trees and beasts look upon them with the Eyes of Compassion and that what ever hath least of animation assumes Voices and Tongues to testify their regret and bid them adieu A poor Soul hath then very sensible convulsions and amidst so violent and sweet assaults it is almost impossible to remain a Conquerour It is in vain to advertise him that it is God who speaks unto him that it is an Inspiration from Heaven which presseth him and that they are the Graces of Paradise which will triumph over Nature and Hell Notwithstanding these thoughts and inspirations the Sun doth not rise but to present unto him a thousand Portraictures of those whom he hath left behind The Moon and Starrs shew him by Night and in sleep nothing but the Images of those whom he hath abandoned and he awakes a Thousand times with sighes from his Heart and teares in his Eyes to imbrace the Shadows and Phantasmes of his dearest Friends This is that at last which makes him often renounce his good purposes and take truthes for Illusious and Darkness for rayes of light Alas what Shame and Cowardise This poor man is not gone a Musket-shot from the City and scarce hath lost the sight of his steeple but he presently reassumes his former wayes and returns with an intent to build his Tower or rather his Tomb on his Chimney's Harth Abraham was far more couragious and the rayes which God darted into his heart made not onely more lively but more constant Impressions therein For immediatly he begins his journey he goes on without prefixing any Limit to himself he obeyes a single voice and followes a guide who having once spoken disappeares Let any one stay him that will his heart ceaseth not continually to fly his spirit sees an object which is invisible and leaving what he hath he is assur'd to find what is promised him Is not this a strange resolution and will not these generosities be thought too blind in a worldly mind No truely these thoughts will never fall into a Soul which knows the force and power of a vocation wholy divine such as was that of this incomparable Man Faciam te in gentem magnam benedicam tibi magnificabo nomen tuum eriâ—que benedictus Gen. 12. v. 2. chosen to be the father of Nations and in whose person God blessed all people and generations Well then are not the first effects of this vocation great Prodigyes It is peradventure for this reason Gregory Nazianzen tearms the vocation of holy Souls a grace S. Greg. Naz. orat 3. ac orat 20 orat 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Zozomenus lib. 2. c. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which hath nothing Common in Nature and this is that which induced Zozemenus to call it a Convicing Revelation and whose lightning is like a Thunder-bolt which carries away all that stands before it Whatever it be the vocation of Abraham was a stroak from Heaven and one of the fairest conquests God hath ever made over hearts March then Abraham Carry with thee that happy Sara who makes up the moity of thy self and till God shall please to give thee Children let Lot be the Son and be thou a Father to him Farwell then for ever dear Land of Chaldea And you Lot Abraham and Sara goe joyfully unto Canaan They are already gon Pertransivit Abraham terram usque ad locum Sichem usque ad vallem illustrem Gen. 12. v. 6. and I see them departing out of the Territories of Sichem to advance directly unto the plaines of Moreth It was in this famous plain and in this delightfull vally which divides the Mountaines of Gelboa from that of Hermon Borcardus 1. Paral. c. 7. Aparuit autem Dominus Abram dixit ei semini tuo dabo terram hanc Gen. 12. v. 7 where the more languishing and lesse rapid waves of Jordan are seen There God a second time appeared to Abraham and there also he gave him both the promise and possession of the land of Canaan for himself and his posterity Admirable magnificence Is
on his neck and dearly embraceth him but he had no other than tears to utter What then can Iacob say Ah! my Son saith he now that I have seen thy face I am content and after this I shall willingly dye for it sufficeth me to leave thee alive After this Ioseph turning himself towards his Brethren and towards all those of Jacobs house began to say unto them that he was going unto Pharaoh to advertise him that his Brethren were arrived with their whole Family and that they had brought their Flocks and goods with them and when Command should be given them to see the King if he chanced to ask them of what Trade they were they should answer they had no other than that of meer Sheapheards and that all their â—indred who were as well as themselves his most humble servants and resolved to live and dye in his service never had any other employment since their birth Behold the instructions Joseph gave to all his Brethren whilst he conducted them with his Father to salute Pharaoh Now it was not out of Complement he put these words into their Mouths but upon Design that the King hearing they were Sheapheards and brought up in this Profession might permit them to live peaceably together with their Father in the Land of Gessen Vt habitare positis in terra Gessen quia detestantur Aegyptii omnes pastores ovium Gen. 46. v. 34. which was neerest unto Chanaan where there were also lovely Pastures and where they should be severed from the Egyptians who mortally hated all the Sheapheards which were in their Country by reason they had not the religious impiety of Egypt which adored Animals for Gods and who for that effect durst not kill them detesting for that reason all the Sheapheards of other Regions who had the care of Feeding their Flocks to the end they themselves with others might be nourished by them In fine Extremos quoque fratrum suorum quinque viros constituit coran Rege Gen. 47. v. 2. Hebraei Hemerus Pererius Oleaster In optimo loco fac eos habitare trade eis terram Gessen Gen. 47. v. 6. Quod si nosti in eis esse viros industrios constitue illos magistros pecorum meorum Gen. 47. v. 6. Post haec introduxit Joseph patrem suum ad Regem statuit eum coram co Gen. 47. v. 7. Et benedicto Rege egressus est soras Gen. 47. v. 10. the advice of Ioseph and his desire found happy success For assoon as he was returned unto the Court he presented unto Pharaoh five of his Brethren who in shew promised the least The King having cast his eyes on them and knowing they were Sheapheards gave them Gessen for their quarter and Commanded from that time they should take care of his Flocks Not long after Iacob entred who bore on his brow the Majesty of a King the authority of a Patriarch the wisedome of a Prophet and the glory of a Father of Nations When first he saw the King he besought Heaven to pour on him and his Kingdome all sorts of Benedictions The holy Scripture hath not otherwise declared unto us Iacobs entry into the presence of Pharaoh for my part I have often represented him unto my thoughts at the door or in the Kings anti-Chamber bare-headed and with hair whiter than Snow a beard down to his girdle and a neck bowed with old age eyes watered with tears and all his whole body somewhat trembling Me thinks I see him supported on one side with Ioseph on the other by Benjamin I even hear some sighs which issue forth of his mouth to refresh the ardors of his heart for notwithstanding all the coldnesse of his age he alwayes conserved in a dying body the sense of a truly generous soul and of a spirit of fire which was never out of Motion or Action I know not what Pharaoh thought seeing this good old man Et interrogatus ab eo quot sunt dies annorum vitae tuae Gen. 47. v. 7. Respondit Dies peregrinationis meae centum triginta annorum sunt parvi mali non pervenerunt usque ad dies patrum meo um quibus peregrinati sunt Gen. 47. v 9. Floscule mane puer media vir floscule luce Floscule sub nocte sole cadents senex Sic oreris morcrisque uno tu floscule Phoebo Vno sisque puer virque senexque die but he asked him how old he was to which he made answer Sir for the space of a hundred and thirty years I have been a Pilgrim on the Earth This journey truly is very short if you onely consider its durance but very long if you cast your eyes on the miseries of my life Nevertheless I am not yet arrived to the Term of my Fore-fathers Few old men will be found in the World who may not say the same For life is but a course in which we go from our Cradle to the Tomb. Dayes months years and entire Ages are but moments in the sight of God Man is but but a Flower which begins to blow at the break of day to fade about Noon and to drop away at night He is a shadow which passeth away a Feather which flyes a Reed which breaks an Image which loseth its Luster a Vapour which is dissipated a Beauty which perisheth a breath a smoak and a puff of Air which swells in the midst of a storm and appears on the water to dissolve at the same instant Nevertheless we need no longer space to see and feel much misery For it is enough to be born of a woman to be consumed with sorrows and to serve as a pittifull Subject to all sorts of Accidents Vicissitudes of life Witness Iacob who was no sooner come into the World but he must leave his Fathers house to go from thence with a staff in his hand into Forein Countries and like a fugitive to shun the persecution of his Brother We need but follow him in this sad journey and spend with him Twenty years in quality of a Servant at Labans house From thence we must depart out of Mesopotamia and bondage to expose our selves unto dangers of Death and to meet with Esau who comes to assail him with four hundred men We must see him in the affrightment he took at the Murther his Children committed upon the Sichemites Had he not also some cause to die at the death of Rachel and to expire on her body which inclosed the moitie of his life But who could behold the sorrow which pierc'd his heart when his Children were so impudent as to bring incest even into his house Surely he would have said that his life was but a web of misfortunes if we joyn with it the loss of Joseph the separation of Benjamin the captivity of Simeon and finally his last departure out of Chanaan Life both very short and long who will deny he had reason to say that his life had been very short if
as far as the City of Sidon Issachar shall make choice of a more happy and quiet life he shall delight in Tillage and the fertile land which shall fall to his lot he shall cultivate with no lesse peace than perseverance His pains shall not be fruitless and in the Continent he shall have all the advantages of those Countries which lye neer the Sea making an exchange with them of its Corn and fruits for those Merchandises which come from remote Nations Hee will impart the riches which agriculture shall afford him unto those who shall govern the Republick and purchase his repose by the Contributions he shall voluntarily give for the maintenance of such as bear Arms so long as he shall live quietly in the heart of his Possessions Dan judicabit populum suum c. Gen. 49. v. 16. Dan shall be the Judge of his people as well as of the other Tribes of Israel Dan by surprise shall ruine his enemies Fiat Dan coluber in via cerastes in semite mordens ungulas equi ut cadat ascensor ejus retiò Gen. 49. v. 17. even as Snakes which hide themselves on the sides of high-wayes to destroy Passengers who stand not sufficiently on their guard or as that crafty Serpent which bites the hoof of a Horse to make his rider fall and to infect him with his venom when he is thrown on the ground Notwithstanding the artifices men may use to defend themselves I shall never think that all their forces and wiles can equall the effects of the Protection which the Messias will give us Salutare tuum expectabo do nine Gen. 49. v. 18. I shall alwayes expect it and never believe that there is any assurance comparable to that which we shall receive from the affection and power of this great Prince Gad having received his share Gad accinctas praeliabitur ante eum ipse acciugitur retrorssum Gen. 49. v. 19. shall march in the head of his Brethren to establish them in their Possessions and returning unto his Territories loaden with Booty he will make his retreat in so good order as he shall not be disturb'd by his enemies Asser shall possess the portion of Palestine which looks towards the Sea Aser pinguis panis ejus praebebit delicias Regibus Gen. 49. v. 20. this Land doth produce all things desirable for the entertainment and comfort of life both Corn and Fruits are there so excellent as they will serve for delicacies unto Kings Nephtali will testifie his courage Cervus emissus dans eloquia pulcritudinis Gen. 49. v. 21. casting himself into dangers to defend his Brethren and shall give them cause to admire and praise him He will break all the obstaeles which shall oppose his generous design as a wounded Hart which though timorous by nature Vide Caietanum Lipoman breaks yet sometimes through the toyls of Hunters and from the cruell teeth of Dogs to defend that life which they would violently take from him The felicity of Joseph shall still increase Filius accrescens Joseph decorus aspectu filiae discurrerunt super murum Gen. 49. v. 22. Sed exasperaverunt eum jurgati sunt invideruntque Illi habentes jacula Gen. 49. v. 23. his beauty is so extraordinary as Ladyes esteem'd themselves happy to see him and they plac'd themselves at Dores and Windows to look on him as he passed through the streets Nevertheless such as ought most to love him have conspired his ruine and transported by a furious passion of envy sought to hinder the effects of the promises of Heaven But as the designs of men cannot alter the decrees and ordinances of God So Innocence prov'd stronger than malice and the Chains wherewith his unchaste Mistris had loaden him and the slavery to which his own Brethren had reduc'd him were the means whereof Divine Providence made use to make him King of Egypt and to secure and preserve the goods and lives of those who wished his death My most dear Son Deus patris tui erit adjutor tuus Gen. 49. v. 25. the God whom thy Father adoreth will alwaies assist thee he will replenish thee with benedictions and cause the most favourable Dews to fall upon thy Lands he will cause streams of living water to flow into their bosome and bowels for the refreshing and inlivening thy Roots Plants and Trees Thou shalt have a particular blessing in thy Children Vide Lyram Abul Per. Rupert Cajet Lip and their great numbers shall manifest that thou art the object of the dearest and most exquisite Providences which God declares to have for men Thy Father hath been more favoured than his Ancestors thou shalt enjoy both their favours and mine and the blessing I promise thee shall never cease untill God having given himself unto men in the person of the Messias shall no longer testifie his particular affection towards his Friends in giving them perishable goods All these graces and favours are due unto thy vertue which hath conserved its self without stain and hath also rendred thee as considerable amongst thy Brethren as the Nazarites who peculiarly consecrate themselves unto the service of the Divine Majesty Benjamin as a ravenous Woolf shall in the morning devour his prey Bâ—njamin â—upus rapax mane comedet praedam vesyere dividâ— spolia Gen. 49. v. 27. Vide Procop. Euseb Theodoret. Abul c. Er praecepit eis dicens Ego congregor ad populum meum sepelite me cum patribus in spelunca duplici quae est in agro Ephron Hethaei Gen. 49. v. 29. and in the evening share and divide the Spoiles Behold the Benedictions Jacob by heavens direction gave to each of his Children He afterwards recommended unto them the Buriall of his body in the Tomb of his fore-Fathers and having exhorted them to remain constant in the service of God dyed peaceably in his bed Can we represent unto our selves an end more sweet and quiet I well know that the like deaths are seen in sacred Houses I have seen such with mine own eyes and with my ears I have heard of some Jacobs who have closed their mouths with Benedictions and Canticles of Victory I have seen standers by bath'd in tears and yet their hearts fill'd with Joy receiving the last words and benedictions of dying men I know that the like effects are sometimes seen in the world and there have bin some Kings and Queens Fathers and Mothers Men and Women of all states and conditions who have spoken on their death-beds with so much Judgement and force of spirit as if they had been upon a Throne or in a Pulpit Likewise from thence Edicts Lawes and Lessons are heard in which there can be no deceit nor disguisment But it will be granted me that these examples are very rare amongst those whose lives pass away in noise and tumult For Death is an Eccho which answers life and a night which resents the Calm