Numbers 36. at the last verse The 44. Section began Deuteronomy 1.1 ended Deuteronomy 3.22 The 45. Lecture began Deuteronomy 3.23 ended Deuteronomy 7.11 The 46. Lecture began Deuteronomy 7.12 ended Deuteronomy 11.25 The 47. Section began Deuteronomy 11.26 ended Deuteronomy 16.17 The 48. Lecture began Deuteronomy 16.18 ended Deuteronomy 21.9 The 49. Reading began Deuteronomy 21.10 ended Deuteronomy 25. at the last verse The 50. Lecture began Deuteronomy 26.1 ended Deuteronomy 29.9 The 51. Lecture began Deuteronomy 29.10 ended Deuteronomy 30. with the last verse The 52. Lecture began Deuteronomy 31.1 ended Deuterenomy 31. with the last verse The 53. Section of the Law began Deuteronomy 32.1 ended Deuteronomy 32 with the last verse The 54 and last Section of the Law began Deuteronomy 33.1 ended with the last words of Deuteronomy This is transcribed from the Jewish Doctors and Englished by Aynsworth and it is observable I might proceed to other their Readings out of the six Books of the Psalmes as the Jews divided them though the holy Spirit by S. Peter calleth it in the singular number The Book of the Psalmes Acts 1 20. having reference to the first composure and united body of them And out of the Prophets they had another distinct Reading Acts 13.15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets Acts 13.27 The Rulers knew not Christ nor yet the voyces of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath day And yet by reason of one Spirits dictate and one unity and uniformity of them all in one truth of doctrine the holy Ghost saith Acts 3.18 God shewed by the Mouth of All his Prophets that Christ should suffer But now saith Cornelius Cornelii à Lapide on that place they are accustomed to sing that part which they call Haprathah Propheticam Missionem the propheticall Sending because that being ended the people are sent home See Elias Levita in his Thisbi The Jews deliver traditionally that every of the Lectures of the Law or Pentateuch consisted of one hundred thirty sixe verses And when Antiochus had rent the Books of the Law in pieces which they found and to make sure work as he imagined burnt them also with fire and this the instruments of Antiochus did monethly 1 Macchab. 1.56 58. verses To supply this the Jews saith Lapide took as many verses agreeing in sense with the former out of the Prophets and so read them united in the room of the other and wee may not think any one verse hath perished much lesse so great variety The Jews say confidently that the Lord God more regardeth and respecteth every syllable and letter of the Law than he doth the Stars of Heaven PAR. 3. THese their Deuteroseis or Traditions I will not strictly and rigidly examine though the number of verses in severall Lectures differ Only I will observe these things in or from their former good courses First against the malevolent maledicent recalcitrating ignorant Puritans who reprove our Church for mangling and cutting in pieces the Word of God because we read in our Service one piece of one Chapter and another piece of another and so patch up a Lesson as they terme it I answer In many of these Lectures of the Law Gods chosen people did do so as appeareth in their very first Lecture which ended at Genesis 6 8. and their second Lecture began not at a new whole Chapter but at Genesis 6.9 verse And the like is in diverse other Readings as by the divisions plainely appeareth Therefore if our Church led by such a President and by that which is to be preferred before any humane president Wel-grounded Reasons doth sometimes begin toward the middle of one chapter and end toward the midle of another chapter it is not to bee disallowed Wee aremore to be guided by matter than by Numbers And if any new matter of moment do occurre as often it doth about the midst of a chapter this new notable emergent point wheresoever arising may wel begin a Lesson appropriat for that time and occasion as the Sun-shine always appeareth most welcome from what part of Heaven soever it breaketh from under a cloud Secondly as I hold it most certaine that the names of the Books Divine were called even from their very beginnings as now they are Genesis Exodus and the like So I have not seene it proved that at the first the books were divided by Chapters or the Chapters by Verses Sure I am wheresoever the holy Spirit of God in the New Testament pointeth at or citeth any passage from the Old Testament though the Prophet be named or the Law that is one Book of the Pentaeteuch be mentioned or the Book of Psalmes be particularly expressed yet never in any one of all these places is the chapter much lesse the verse specialized Neither was there any need in those dayes For the Jews got by heart as we say all the Old Testament and upon the least intimation or inckling of any matter they as readily could recite it as many of us can the Lords Prayer or the Ten Commandements PAR. 4. THirdly whereas diverse people of our Westerne parts have horribly Judaized of late and have run on madly in the by-paths of Trask though it bee generally both knowne and confessed that the Iews shall be converted to us and not we Christians to the Iewes Yet I would advise them and all other English Christians whatsoever to beware of these horrid abuses following It is alas it is too common a fault for Women to hold their children out to defile the Church-yards more usuall and common for men to bepisse the corners of our Churches and make them their voyding vessels whilest some wash the filth down into their parents mouths buried nigh that place More especially and as a wicked wonder let me with griefe and indignation of heart â—ecount that whereas the City of Exeter is by its naturall situation one of the sweetest Cities of England and by the ill use of many one of the nastiest and noysommest Cities of the Land whilest not only their by-lanes but the High-faire street yeelds many offensive both sights and savours to the eyes and noses of the Passers by whilest the polluted corners of the â—athedrall are almost dyed by their urine into another colour whilest the Church-yard hath been the draught unto many and the very Câ—oysters the receptacles of their ordures Sacrilegi in Sacrario faciunt oletum I write no more than what I have seen and God thou knowest I know there in that kind worse than what I have now written which for my love to that City I do forbeare For in truth it is an honorable City and the Corporation a choyce Fraternity of worthy good wealthy men Yet let me take leave humbly to advertise them that their holy Predecessors went not to Heaven by opposing that ancient well-founded Cathedrall but by Reverencing of It and of their Canonicall Clergy the guides of their soules and their Ghostly Fathers Let them know
the praposition Thirdly from the Pronoune Affix which is rendred Him and fourthly from El betokening God I have asked him of God and how is Samuel to be called a God as the Iewes say from this his name When hee was called Samuel because I had asked him of the Lord as his Mother said 1. Sam. 1.20 is all that is asked of God and obtained from God God himselfe But setting aside uncertaine nicities of the Iewes this I say Wee have many more proofes both from Scriptures and the Rabbins themselves that the Messiah was to be God besides the firme argument from the word Emmanuel Secondly I say There was a maine difference betweene our glorious Saviour and his Mother and betweene Hannah the Mother of Samuel and himselfe For Hannah was married and had long and much company of her husband and was beloved of him more then the fruitfull Peninnah 1. Sam. 1.5 And no Rabbin ever held Samuel to be a God whose Father and Mother were so notably knowne which much varieth the case betweene the two children The rather also because the spirit of God by the Iewes confession set the name of Emmanuel upon Christ But Hannah or Elkanah on humane consideration entituled the child Samuel PR 6. BUt their more particular belchings against Christ and his Mother are in shew more pithy sharp-pointed vivid and specious unto any ignorant man or ill-affâ—cted unto Christ whilst thus they object as it is in the first Chapter of Saint Matthew in Hebrew and the Annotations of Munster on it saying Quale novum est quod puella fit gravida juxta morem universae terrae per copulam viri What new thing is this That a Virgin should bee with child by copulation with a man according to the manner of all flesh And thus againe they rave in Munsters Annotations on the second chapter of Saint Matthew Si juxta verba vestra natus est Christus sine patre quare ostendit vim suam in filia tredecum annorum quae apla erat conceptui partui Potius ostendere debuit potentiam suam in sâ—liatrium aut quatuor annorum quae non est apta conceptui tunc potuisset mundus cognoscere signum illud novum est a saeculo inauditum If according to your own words Christ were borne without a Father Why did he shew forth his power in a daughter of thirteene yeeres of age which was apt for conception and child bearing He ought rather to have shewed his power in a daughter of three or foure yeeres old which was not apt for conception And then might the world have knowne that New-Signe which was not heard of from the beginning of the world Munster saith hee answered the Iewes in Hebrew Abunde magnum signum esse Nasci de Virgine juxta Propheitam illam Esaiae Ecce Virgo impregnata pariet filium It is a wonder strange enough to bee borne of a Virgin according to that Prophecie of the Prophet Esaiah Behold a Virgin shall conceive and beare a sonneâ— Let me enlarge his too concise answer thus or rather to declare mine owne answer to the blind-folded yea blinde Iewes Shall Christ bee borne according to the fancies of man or according to the will of God What Christ said to them I wish they would observe Iohn 5.39 Search the Scriptures and they are they which testifie of mee The very manner of his suffering and resurrection was fore-prophesied Luk 24.46 Thus it is written and thus it behoved Christ to suffer And All things must be fulfilled which was written in the law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalmes concerning mee vers 44. especially concerning Christ's Incarnation and his Birth All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet saying Behold a Virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a Sonne and his name shall be called Emmannel which being interpreted is GOD WITH VS Mat. 1.22 23. vers I resume mine old Quaere and turne it into this Thesis Christ was not to be borne according to the humerous discourses or partiall reason of man but according to the Scriptures and the fore-running prophesies dictated unto holy men by God himselfe This is a ground worke on which both Jewes and Christians do build and is confessed by all The deniall of this Thesis preferreth mans judgement before the wisedome of God and floting imaginations of silly ignorants before the stable power and perfection of Holy Scripture Let us now assume But the Prophets no where foretold that Christ was to be borne of a young Girle or child of three yeares or foure as the Jewish argument would enforce But the heavenly inspired Scriptures did fore-divine that Christ should be borne of a Virgin of ripe years 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a woman fit for so great a worke rather than an unfit infant Let us come to the Prophet Ieremy 31.22 Foemina circundabit virum A woman shall compasse a man Nekebak with Koph is not taken any where pro puellula for a young wench of three or foure yeares of age but for a female of ripe yeares 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nekebah foeminam woman in adulta viz. aetate in a ripe age Gen. 1.27 If a man would reason against God according as the Jewes doe against both him and Christ One might say It had beene a great wonder indeed if Adams wife had beene but three or foure yeares of age and had brought him forth children But we may more truly say concerning both Eve and the blessed mother of our Lord Gods will was his law what he decreed was performed what was performed was best of all what God spake before by his holy Prophets must be accomplished however the folly of man would seeme to project better courses Whereas the Jewes object God hath created a new thing in the earth A woman shall compasse a man and most carnally and cursedly say Is this a New thing for a woman to be with child It is the ordinariest and commonest matter in the world I answer These obstinate Jewes consider not that the novelty consisteth not in this that a woman was with child but this was the greatest new thing in the world that a virgin without the helpe of a man should be with child Adam came into the world without the helpe either of man or woman Eve of a man without any ayde from any woman other men not without the helpe both of man and woman The Newest thing the greatest wonder was Christ was to come and did come of a pure Virgin without the helpe of Man PAR. 8. A Second Prophet divinely describeth him calling him the stone that was cut out without hands Dan. 2.34 that was cut out of the mountaines without hands v. 45. a stone he is called otherwhere a living stone 1 Pet. 2.4 A chiefe corner stone elect and pretious a tryed stone a sure foundation Esay 28.16 Christs holy mother
was also sewed up with them so Modestinus de Parricidiis But it may be well observed that Romulus esteemed omne Homicidium to be Parricidium all murtherers are accounted Parricides all murtherers were to dye the death Another branch against murther is from Pandulphus Prateius in veteri jurisprudentiâ deprehensi in Homicidio statim puniuntor the Murtherers must be put to a speedie death Lex Numae de Parricidiis si quis hominem liberum dolo sciens morti duit aut det parricida esto that is Numas law of Parricides saith if any one felloniously kill a free Denison let him be accounted a Paricide A Paricide with r differeth from a Parricide with rr a Parricide is he that killeth father or mother a Paricide he that flayeth any man Ius Regium was Ne mulier quae praegnans mortua esset humaretur antequam partus ei excideretur qui contrà faceret spem animantis cum gravida peremisse videretur that is the Kings Law was No woman that dyes great with child shall be buried before her childe be cut out of her he that shall presume to doe the contrary to this Law shall be found guilty of the death both of the Mother and the child The Seventh Commandement Thou shalt not commit Adultery Lex Numae Pellex Innonis aram ne tangito Numa's law let not a strumpet presume to come neere the Altar of Iuno Ius Regium thus Adulterii convictam vir cognati utivolent necanto the Kings law thus Let the husband and Cousins of a woman convicted of Adultery kill her at their pleasure Lex Julia ranked Adultery with Treason saith Alexander ab Alexandro Genial dier 4.1 Plerique Philosophi prodidere adulterium perjurio gravius esse Crimen ibid. that is the Philosophers most an end have accounted Adultery to be a more haynous sinne than perjury Sempronius Musca C. Gallum flagellis cecidit that is Sempronius Musca caused C. Gallus the Adulterer to be beaten with rods Opilius Macrinus Adulteros tà m perniciali odio prosecutus suit ut deprehensos ignibus cremaret ib d. that is Opilius Macrinus prosecuted Adulterers with such deadly hatred that he caused all those that were taken in the fact to be burnt with fire Aulus Gellius 10.23 citeth the Law from Cato In adulterio uxores deprehensas jus fuisse Maritis necare that is the husband might lawfully kill his wife that was taken in Adultery But the Romanes Lawes as made by partiall men favoured men too much Cato ibid. In Adulterio uxorem tuam si deprehendisses sine judicio impunè necares Illa te si Adulterares digito non auderet contingere neque jus est that is If thou chance to catch thy wife in the Act of Adultery thou mayst lawfully kill her without any farther judgement but if thou shouldst chance to play the Adulterer she shall not dare neither shall it be lawfull for her so much as to touch thee with one of her fingers This was the old Law and the Iulian Law was also too indulgent to men in this sin Romulus thought adultery sprange from drunkenesse therefore a Matrone who did but open a bagge in which were the keyes of the Wine-Cellar was starved to death as Fabius Pictor hath it in his Annals and Cato reporteth that kinred neighbours or friends were wont to kisse the Women that they might know whether the women smelled of wine for wine enrageth lust perhaps that pretence was a fence cloake or colour for their often kissing The eight Commandement Thou shalt not steale If any stole or cut Come by night the man must dye the boy be whipped or pay double dammage this Law was mitigated afterwards It was Cato his complaint Fures privatorum furtorum in nervo compedibus aetatem agunt fures publici in auro purpurâ Gell. that is poore theeves who have committed private thefts doe spend their dayes in ginnes and fetters whilst publicke theeves doe swish it up and downe in gold and Scarlet The Decemvirall Lawes permitted the knowne theefe to be killed who either stole by night or by day defended himselfe with a weapon at his apprehension Gell. 11.18 And very strict were they to other theeves though now saith Gellius ibid. a lege illa Decemvirali discessum est that Decemvirall Law is now antiquated and out of date the apparent theefe must pay fourefold what he stole the theevery not fully manifested payd but double Sabinus resolveth that the Master is to be condemned as a theefe who onely bids his servant steale Servos manifesti furti prehensos verberibus affici ac de saxo praecipitari Decemviri jusserunt Aulus Gellius noct Attic. 11.18 that is the Decemviri commanded notorious theeves to be scourged and cast downe headlong from a high Rocke Furtum saith the same Gellius ibid. sine ulla attrectatione fieri potest sola mente atque animo ut furtum fiat annitente that is theft may be committed vvithout taking avvay any thing if a man doe but onely assent or consent unto the committing of theft Incujus ope consiliove furtum factum erit duplici actione â—eneâ—ur saith from the old Law Antonius Conteus a Lawyer Lection subcisivarum juris Civilis 1.14 He that shall assist or advise a theefe in his theevery is liable to a double action Alexander ab Alexandro Genial dier 6.10 Furta lex Romanorum usque adeò aversata est tà m severacorrectione plectit ut furem manifestum in servitutem tradat illi cui furto quid surreptum foret this the Law of the Romanes did so deadly detest and so severely correct and punish theft that it compelled the notorious thiefe to become his bondslave who had any thing stollen away from him Theeves disturbe Ius gentium by turning men out of their owne possession and are enemies to humane Society breakers of Lawes Divine and Humane Cicero pro Caecinnâ qui per tutelam pupillum fraudâsse ejusque rem furatus esse convinceretur infaniâ notatus duplionis poenam subiret that is If any Guardian shall be convicted of any cosenage or theft committed against his ward let him be branded for an infamous person and let him undergoe the penaltie of restoring him two for one Admirable was that their Law Rei furtivae aeterna authorit as esto at any time from any man I may challenge and take what was stollen from me yea though the possessor had lawfully and for good consideration bought it from the thiefe The manner of searching after things stollen was better and more rationall than any practise we use which as some malicious villaine hath beene found to bring secretly into his enemies house the thing reported to be stolne and sought for and himselfe to droppe it downe slily in some corner there that others might finde it and so the suspected one might be found guilty Dioxippus that noble Champion or Fencer was little better used by the the envious Macedones in Curtius 9. pag. 303. for