prevaile against it The Lord hath chosen Ierusalem although the Lord made choise of Ierusalem yet this notable vine which he planted degenerated Iere. 2.21 and then he rejected it and brought great desolations upon it Esay 29.1 I will make Ierusalem like Ariel when Ierusalem killed the Prophets then he sprinkled it with blood like Ariel the Altar which was sprinkled with blood Is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire As if the Lord would say he is new brought out of the captivity and therefore no mervell though his cloathes be yet soiled There are three sorts of wants in the Church First Three sorts of wants in the Church wants of necessity Secondly occasionall wants Thirdly contracted wants wants of necessity are these when God with-draweth the meanes Wants of necessity what that the Church cannot have them when the people were in the Wildernesse and sacrificed there they had neither wine nor oyle to joyne to their sacrifice yet their sacrifice was accepted because it was a want of necessity The anointed of the Lord. so the Highpriest in the second Temple he wanted Vrim and Thummim and he wanted the holy oyle therefore he was not called in the second Temple Vnctus Iehovae but vir multarum vestium the man with the many cloathes because he had five ornaments belonging to him which none of the rest of the Priests had although he wanted this holy oyle yet he was accepted and his sacrifice because this was a want of necessity Secondly occasionall wants are these when men for the time cannot so conveniently have their defects supplyed as Num. 10. Eleazar and Ithamar when they should have eaten the sinne offering in the holy place they forgot to eate it and suffered it to burne because they were in such griefe for Nadab and Abihu Aaron taketh the defence of them in this case and sayeth such things have befallen me this day and no mervaile that both I and my sonnes should have forgotten to eate the sinne offering in the holy place Num. 10. Occasionall wants what if wee being in our sinne should have taken upon us to purge the sinnes of the people should it have beene accepted in the sight of the Lord Moses accepteth of this occasionall want because they were in great griefe it was no mervaile that they forgot to eate it So they now lately comming out of the captivity no mervaile that Ioshua was not so handsomely dressed as hee should have beene for in their captivities they contracted much corruption as in Egypt they forgot their Circumcision and that was called opprobrium Egâ—pti Iosh 5. Vnder Antiochus attrahebant praeputium for feare they drew the skin of their prepuce that they might not bee knowne to be Iewes The Israelits learne corruption in the captivity and the Apostle alludes to this Circumcisus es noli attrahere praputium 1 Cor. 7.18 And when they were in Babylon they married strange women and no mervaile that his cloathes were now soiled and foule when he was lately come out of the captivity a man that is newly risen out of the ague no mervaile that his colour be not good and if hee be weake and fall we excuse him Contracted wants what Thirdly there are contracted wants and these are not excusable if a man should drinke untill he were drunke and then stagger and fall no man will excuse him as they doe him who falleth through sicknesse the Lord that excuseth Ioshua here for his occasionall want he will not excuse Vrijah the Highpriest when he brings the paterne of the Altar of Damascus to Ierusalem 2 King 18.11 This is a contracted guilt and not occasionall when our forefathers came out of popery first no mervaile that there were great wants amongst them and that they savoured of the dregges of Rome but now when we have lived so long out of popery and yet desire to be backe againe to Egypt what a shame is that the Lord will not be beholden to idolatrous Egypt to borrow any thing from her Christ stands here for the occasionall wants of the Highpriest but not for the contracted wants our father 's lived in constituenda ecclesia and we live in constituta ecclesia and that which was tolerable in them may be abhomination in us God accepted of their little knowledge but he craves a greater measure of knowledge of us because we live in the sunne shine of the day And he answered and spake to them that stood before him saying take away these filthy Garments And he answered that is To answer is to begin to speake he began to speake according to the manner of the Hebrewes for no speach passed betwixt him and the Angels before Thomas marketh well that Christ speaketh after one manner to the Angels and the Angels speake another way to Christ for when Christ speakes to them he is sicut agens illuminans revelans but when the Angel speakes to Christ he is Velut passum admirans consulens accipiens revelationem ab eo And he spake to those that stood before him That is ministred unto him The Angels serve Christs but attend us The Angels are ministering spirits to serve Christ but they are ministering spirits to attend vs as a Nurse doth her young infant they attend not Christ to defend and protect him in danger for he is their head they onely Minister to him therefore when the devill cited the Psalme to Christ Cast thy selfe downe for he hath given his Angels charge to keepe thee this place was falsely cited two wayes by Satan First he leaveth out in all thy wayes Secondly he applyed it falsely to Christ they shall keepe thee this part onely belonged to Christus mysticus to Christs members they keepe Christs members in all their wayes but they keepe not Christ himselfe Christ hath procured this their ministery to us and he is that Ladder up which they goe up and downe to serve us Gen 28.12 Take away the filthy garments from him It may be asked here Quest how the Angels could take away Ioshua's filthy garments seeing they have no hand in our justification or sanctification Christ the mediator justifieth us and the holy spirit sanctifieth us Answ God speakes oftentimes after the manner of men This is but spoken humanitus after the manner of men for as men cause their servants to take away the foule cloathes off the person which is to be brought before them and put new apparell upon him as Ioseph was brought before Pharao so doth the Lord speake heare after the manner of men Some parts of Prophesies and visions are not to be expounded literally Those parts of visions and Prophecies which seeme contrary to other parts of Scripture we are not to expound them literally but we are to hold that they were onely done in vision Example Ieremiah is commanded to carry his girdle to Babel and there to hide it beside Euphrates Iere. 13.4 these words
were commanded to absteine from the dead and not to come neare their fathers brethren or sisters if they were dead if a man dyed suddenly by them they were defiled and if they touched but one who touched the dead they were defiled the same holinesse was required of them that was required of the highpriest to absteine from the dead Maimone in his treatise of mourning cap. 3. The Iewes say if the Highpriest had lighted upon a dead bodie in the way hee might defile himselfe and bury the dead being alone and none to helpe him So they say if an inferiour Priest and a Nazarite were walking together if he had beene but Nazaraeus dierum he was to burie the dead because his holinesse was not perpetuall but if he had beene a perpetuall Nazarite then the inferior Priest was to bury the dead and not he because as great purity was required in the perpetuall Nazarite as in the Priest concerning the dead Quest Did not Sampson sinne being a Nazarite by touching of the dead bodies and taking off their cloathes Answ He did this by the singular direction of the spirit of the Lord so he dranke of the water which flowed out of the law bone of the Asse and eate of the honey which was in the dead Lion which were al unclean by the law The heathen Priests learned of them not to touch the dead Seneca consolatione ad Marcian cap 15. the Flaminian Priests might not put shoes upon their feete of the leather of that beast which dyed of it selfe and if a Priest happened to have a funerall oration before the dead corpes he used to stretch a vaile betwixt him and the corpes that he might not see it Non licebat Flamini Diali tibias funebres-audire nec locum in quo bustum erat ingredi A Flaminian Priest might not heare the sound of the pipes which were at burialls neither might he come into that place where there was a grave The third thing was this that no Rasor came upon their head they suffered their haire to grow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intonsi therefore they were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel intonsi and if they were voluntary Nazarits no Razor might come upon their heads untill the vow was expired and then their haire was cut and cast under the Altar burnt but if they were perpetuall Nazarits there came never a razor upon their head but their haire was onely cut about and this was cincta caesaries Dalila cut off Sampsons haire yet he ceased not to be a Nazarit for the Angell said that he should be a NaZarit unto his death The haire was a signe of strength and as long as Sampson kept his haire hee kept his strength and God threatning to weaken the estate of his people useth this similitude that he will shaue the haire with a razor Esay 7.20 In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor When the voluntary Nazaret vowed a vow for thirty dayes and in the meane time defiled himselfe by touching of the dead if the whole time had beene spent to one day and then if he had touched any uncleane thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all these former dayes were reckoned nothing to him Iob. 3.6 Naphal fugient aut dilabentur Onkelos inutiles erunt Perire diem ad embolismum pertinet or let let them be reckoned amongst the intercalar dayes which were not numbered amongst the dayes of the yeere and he was to begin his vow anew againe so it is in the course of our sanctification when we haue gone on a while in it and then fall into some great sinne in that case we are to begin our sanctification anew againe Act. 7.42 O yee house of Israel have ye offered to me slaine beasts and sacrificed by the space of forty yeeres in the Wildernesse They offered to the Lord sundry times in the Wildernes according to his ordinance but because now they fell to worship Idols therefore the Lord reckoned the former sacrifices as though they had not beene offered to him When the Israelites had travelled to the confines of Moab to Kadesh-Barnea they fell a murmuring there against the Lord therefore the Lord brought them backe againe after that they had passed sixteene stationes Num. 33.20.35 To the red Sea in which they were baptized 1 Cor. 10.2 So when we fall from the Lord we are to returne backe againe to our Baptisme and first vow And he came and dwelt in Nazaret that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet Matth. 2.23 And he shall be a Nasarit to the Lord. Quest How were these two accomplished in Christ he was called both a Nasarit and a Nazarit Answ Christ was a Nazaret the true branch of the roote of lesse Nazaraus vot◠Nazarenus habitatione and he was a Nasarit truly separate to the Lord and Satan acknowledged him to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luc. 4. As Sampsō was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sanctified to the Lord in type 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sanctus and he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oriundus ex Nazaret and in the title of Christs Crosse there was an allusion to that plate of gold which was upon the forehead of the high Priest and therefore Aaron was called the Saint of the Lord because he had holinesse to the Lord written in his forehead that plate of gold was called Nezer it had written upon it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exod. 30.39 It was written that is ingraven in the plate Christ was that true Nazarit holy blamelesse and undefiled we are to marke that the Seventy to facilitate words and to make them the more easie to be pronounced write the words different from the Hebrew as they say Samaria for Shemron so Solomon for Shelomoh so Nasareus for Nazareus the devil being well acquainted with all languages could cal Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 putting S for Z so in the inscription upon the Crosse they call him that Nasarit or Nazarit Ob. But Christ did drinke wine therfore he cannot be called Nasarit but Nazarit onely Answ He was not a legall Nasarit for he fulfilled that in his forerunner Iohn the Baptist but he was the true Nasarit separated from sinners the Iewes in contempt called Christ a Nazarit and so Iulian the apostate called Christ a Galilean because Nazarit stood in Galilee and it was for this that the Christians were called at the first Nazaraei but afterward their name was changed at Antioch and they were called Mesichijm Christiani From the cutting of the Nazarits haire they brought in shaving of the heads in the Christian Church and they said that long haire signified superfluity in manners hence came this speech afterwards Tonso capite fieri monachus
Law putteth no difference in the worship of God betwixt the sonne the daughter the man-servant nor the maid-servant nor the stranger Exod. 22.10 but the ceremoniall Law alloweth the Priest to eate his sonne to eate his daughter to eate his servant bought with his money to eate and his servant borne in the house to eate but not the stranger Levit. 22.10 11 12. Why the servant borne within the house and bought with the money might eat the holy things Againe the servant that was bought with his mony and he that was borne in the house might eate to signifie unto us that they who are borne within the covenant they who are bought with the price of Christs blood although strangers before are partakers of Christs sacrifice but these who are strangers still are not partakers of his holy body The Priests daughter when she returned home to her father againe might eate of these lesse holy things so we being married to the law and it having dominion over us Rom. 7 1. we were out of our fathers house and might not eate of this holy bread but being dead to the law Rom. 7.4 and divorced from our sinnes as Widdowes we may come home to our fathers house and be partakers of the holy things Secondly What things the Priest and his sons might eat what things the Priest and his sonnes might eate that which was ignitum Iehovae the sacrifice which was burnt to the Lord by fire as the sinne offering and the Trespasse offering the Priest and his sonnes might eate of them but not his daughters so the Shewbread Levit. 24.9 and it the Shewbread shall be Aarons and his sonnes and they shall eate it in the holy place for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire The Priest and his sonnes might onely eate of the Shewbread but not his daughters but in necessity others might eate of it as well as the Priest and his sonnes as David and his men in necessity eate of it 1 Sam. 21.6 if they might eate of it in necessity much more might the Priests wife and his daughter in their necessity eate of it When the Priest asked David whether his men were cleane or not that they might eate of the Shewbread Quest whether might he have given them that bread in the time of their uncleannesse to eate of it in their necessity or not If it had beene in extreame necessity Ans he might have given them of this bread to eate to save their lives although they had beene in their uncleannesse but he could not have given them it in their lesse necessity when they were uncleane The Iewes have a rule A rule of the Iewes where thou findest a command to doe a thing and a prohibition to forbid a thing and they both cannot be kept then thou must leave the negative and fellow the affirmative Example a Nazarite is forbidden to shave his haire and the Leper is commanded to shave his haire Now when a Nazarite becomes a Leper which of these two shall he follow hee shall leave the negative precept which commanded him not to shave his haire and he shall follow the affirmative and shall shave his haire So the Priest is forbidden to give his daughter any of the Shewbread againe he is commanded to provide for his family now his daughter is like to sterve for hunger which of those two shall he follow he is to follow the affirmative here and to leave the negative So in the Sabbath c. The Place where they eate the holy things Thirdly the place where they were to eate the holy things some things they were to eate by the Altar that is in the Chambers of the Priests hard by the Altar some they were to eate in Ierusalem and some they were to eate in any part of Canaan Some things they were to eate in the Chambers nere the Altar Ezek. 42.14 those things in Levit. 10.12 they are said to eate at the Altar When Ezekiel describeth the Temple here he meaneth the Temple under Christ and the maintenance of the ministery under the Gospel as the Priests who served at the Altar under the law eate of the rest of the sacrifice in their Chambers so the ministers under the Gospell should be maintained now 1 Cor. 9.13 Secondly the lesse holy things they eate them in Ierusalem the Paschall Lambe was eaten within Ierusalem and not in the Temple therefore it was of those lesse holy things Quest The Paschall Lambe being the chiefe thing that represented Christ how is it reckoned amongst the lesse holy things Answ Why the Passeover was reckoned a lesse holy thing It was reckoned amongst the lesse holy things because there was little of it burnt but it was eaten by the people Secondly it could not be eaten as a Sacrament in the Temple for the distinction of the families that must eate it severally they all could not eat it in the Temple So the first Tithe was but a common holy thing or lesse holy and it might be eaten any where but the second tithe was the more holy tithe and therefore behoved to be eaten in the Temple before the Lord. Lastly when they might eat it Something 's they were bound to eate the selfe same day that the things were offred When they were to eat the holy things as the flesh of the sacrifice of the peaceoffering Levit. 7.15 some things might be eaten that same day that they were offered or upon the morrow as the sacrifice of the vow or a free-will offering Levit. 7.16 But they might eate none of the flesh of the Sacrifice upon the third day after it was offered but it was to be burnt with fire Levit. 7.17 18. Now time place distinction of persons No meat of it selfe uncleane and distinctions of meats are all taken away and it entereth not in at the mouth which defileth a man but that which commeth out of the mouth defileth him Matth. 15.11 there is no meat now that is uncleane in it selfe but it becommeth uncleane to them that receive it not with pure hearts Tit. 1.15 Vnto the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure but even their mind and conscience is defiled and every creature of God is good if it be received with thanksgiving 1 Tim. 4 4. Of pollution by the dead Num. 29.11 He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be uncleane seven dayes THe pollution of man above other creatures Man more uncleane than any other creature sheweth the effects of sinne which causeth death Rom. 6.23 Hee that touched a dead beast was but uncleane untill the even Levit. 11.24 but he that touched a dead man was uncleane for seven dayes So he that touthe grave or the bones of a dead man was uncleane and therfore they were cōmanded to bury the bones of the dead when they found them in the way Ezek.
and glistering like gold So Iob. 37.22 Gold commeth out of the north that is faire and cleare weather It was beaten oyle to signifie with what paine and travell the word is prepared and with patience preached and made to shine in his Church No Waxe might be burnt in these lampes because Honey was uncleane therefore Waxe was uncleane Honey might be in no Sacrifice because it fermenteth Levit. 2.11 So no Waxe might serue for light So there was no silke in the Tabernacle because the Worme which maketh silke was an uncleane thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 baccae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spicae The Prophet Zacharie in a vision saw two Olive branches empyting themselves thorow the two golden pipes into the Candlesticke and they are compared to two eares of corne What the two Olive trees were in the vision of Zacharie because they were full of Olive berries as the eares were of graines These Olive trees were the cause of the preservation of the Church and the cause of the maintenance in the Candlesticke The two annointed ones which stand before the Lord of the whole earth vers 14. Targum paraphraseth them to be Zerubbabel and Ioshua who represented the Church and commonwealth The Lord commanded to make snuffers of pure gold for the snuffing of the lampes The snuffers of gold what they signified and snuffe-dishes to receive the snufle he would have the snuffe taken from the light to signifie that he would have the word kept in sinceritie and puritie and hee would have the snuffers of gold to teach them to be blamelesse and holy who are censurers and correctors of others and he would have the snuffe-dishes of gold to teach them that the covering of the offences of their brethren was a most excellent thing Lastly in what manner the Priests dressed the lamps The manner how the Priests trimmed the lampes when the lampe was out he lighted it and when it was not out he dressed it when the middlemost lampe was out he lighted it from the Altar but the rest of the lampes every one he lighted from the lampe that was next and he lighted one after another to signifie that one Scripture giveth light to another they say in the Talmud that the cleansing of the innermost Altar was before the trimming of the five lamps and the trimming of the five lamps before the blood of the daily sacrifice and the blood of the daily sacrifice before the trimming of the two lamps and the trimming of the two lamps before the burning of incense That the Priests should order and trimme the lamps The signification of the trimming of the lamps signifieth how Christ and his Ministers should continually looke unto the purity of doctrine and preaching of the light of the Gospel from evening to morning in the darke place of this world untill the day dawne and the day starre arise in our hearts Reve. 1.13 2 Pet. 1.19 EXERCITAT XI Of the Table of the shewbread A ceremoniall appendix of Commande 2. Exod. 25.23 Thou shalt also make a Table of Shittim wood c. vers 30. And thou shalt set upon the Table shewbread before me alway THe Lord commanded to make a Table and to set twelve loaves upon it The loaves represent the Church First the Church is represented by loaves here as many graines make up one loafe so many beleevers make up one Church 1 Cor. 10.17 for we being many are one bread The loaves made of fine flower Secondly these loaves were made of fine flower and not of barley which was a base graine and therefore used in no other sacrifice but in the offering for jealousie Num. 5.15 So Gideon represented by a barley cake Iudg. 7.13 and I bought her for so many Homers of Barley Hos 3.2 but the Wheate was most excellent graine and the flower of the Wheat was most excellent bread Deut. 32.14 he made them eate the fat of the kidneys of Wheate The twelve loaves represented the twelve tribes Thirdly there stood twelve loaves upon this Table to represent the twelve Tribes who came of the twelve Patriarchs The Tribes were represented by many things these twelve Tribes were represented by many things by the twelve stones set up in Iordan and so by the twelve stones set up in the land of Canaan So by the twelve stones set upon the breastplate of Aaron and upon his shoulders in onyx stones So by Canaan divided into twelve parts and from them the twelve Apostles in the New Testament and the new Ierusalem built upon twelve foundations Revel 21.14 These twelve loaves stood before the Lord Why called shewbread therefore they were called panis facierum or propositionis and they signifie that the Church is alwayes the object of the eye of God and therefore he saith set up no Idoll 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gnal panai in my presence Why the bread was removed every Sabbath They were removed every Sabbath and new loaves put in their places to signifie the renuing of the graces of God to his Church None might eate of these loaves Who might eate of the shewbread but the Priests who served in their course that weeke and their children the Priests daughter did eate of this bread when she was a widdow and returned home to her father againe Levit. 22.18 So we being maried to the Law and it having dominion over us Rom. 7.1 we were out of our fathers house and might not eate of his holy bread but being dead to the Law Rom. 7.4 and divorced from our sinnes as widowes we may come home to our fathers house and be partakers of the holy things The Priests so long as they were in this holy service The legall sanctification of the Priests and eate this holy bread they were not to keepe company with their wives for this was a part of their ceremoniall uncleannesse Exod. 19.14 Moyses commanded them to wash their cloathes and not to come at their wives This abstinence 1 Sam. 21. How David asked the shewbread is called via munda a cleane way and to eate in this uncleannesse is called via polluta When David in necessity came to Ahimelech the Priest to aske bread for him and his men the Priests had no common bread to give them but this holy bread this bread the Priests sayd they might not eate of it if they were in via polluta and their vessels not sanctified by via polluta is meant here to keep company with their wives and by the sanctification of the vessels is meant the sanctification of our bodies Our bodies called our vessels for our bodies are called our vessels 1 Thessalon 4.4 That euery one of you should know how to possesse his vessell in sanctification honour And that this is the meaning it is cleare by Davids answer when he saith they have abstained from women this three dayes 1 Sam. 21. In their necessity David
and his men might eate of this shewbread although they were not Priests and it had not beene lawfull for them to have eaten of this bread if they had had any other bread but if they had beene uncleane this way they might not have eaten this bread at all so that there were some sorts of legall uncleannesse greater than others The Church of Rome erre in drawing arguments from the Leviticall ceremonies The Church of Rome from this place goes about to prove that ministers because they handle holy things should abstaine from mariage as the Priests were to abstaine from their wives when they were to eate this holy bread and so they ground many other of their ordinances upon the Leviticall Law as none might be a Priest that had any irregularitie or defect in him as defectus natalium a defect in his birth as if he had beene a bastard or defectus persona a defect in his person and a number such which are legall ceremonies and bind not the Church now Castitas abjuga conjuga There is duplex castitas abjuga conjuga abjuga is that sort of chastitie when a man liveth chastly out of mariage conjuga when hee liveth chastly in mariage Heb. 13.4 mariage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled and if they would conclude any thing out of this place it would but inferre thus much the Priests abstained from this holy bread but twise in the yeere because there were foure and twenty courses of them and they served but weekely and so long as they served they abstained from their wives this will not inferre their conclusion therefore those who serve under the Gospel should live altogether unmaried What argument may be drawne from the Priests mariage This argument might be rather inverted against them this wayes the Priests under the law were maried therefore the Priests under the Gospel may marry And lastly theologia symbolica non est argumentativa those conclusions hold not which are deduced after this manner from types which are not destinate types Conclusion 1 The Conclusion of this is the Lord looketh upon his Church continually therefore the Church should looke backe againe to him continually and as the Angels behold the face of God continually in glory Mat. 18.10 So should the Church behold the face of the Lord in his word as in a glasse 1 Cor. 13.12 and as Zedekiahs Courtiers had this credit to see the Kings face alwayes 2 King 25.19 So the Church should studie to see the face of the Lord continually Conclusion 2 Secondly if such legall cleannesse was required of the Priests when they came to eate the shewbread much more is morall holinesse required in us when we come to eate the holy bread in the Sacrament EXERCITAT XII Of the Altar A ceremoniall appendix of Command 2. Exod. 27.1 And thou shalt make an Altar of Shittim wood five cubits long and five cubites broad c. THere were typicall Altars under the Law and the mysticall Altar Iesus Christ signified by them under the Gospel Two Altars The typicall Altars under the Law were the Altar of burnt offering and the Altar of incense the Altar of burnt offering under the Law in the Wildernesse was built of earth The matter of the Altars in the Temple it was made of wood overlayd with brasse and the Altar of incense was made of wood overlaid with gold Why the Altar in the Wildernesse was made of earth and not of hewen stone The Altar of burnt offering in the Wildernesse was made of earth and the Lord would have it made of earth onely because he would not have it permanent to remaine after they were gone out of the wildernesse and he would not have it made of hewen stone to signifie that mens inventions doe but pollute the worship of God Exod. 20.25 Moyses Altar and Salomons in what they agree The Altars of Moyses Tabernacle and Salomons Temple were the same in matter and forme Moyses made his of Shittim wood and Salomon made his of Cedar wood and the substance was all one although different in colour and name onely They differed in their bases height breadth and length They differed in their bases the proportion was double there were two bases of the Altar in the Tabernacle and foure in the Temple Secondly they differed in height there was a triple proportion three and ten Moyses Altar was three cubits high and Salomons Altar was ten cubits high Thirdly in length breadth there was a fourefold proportion the Altar of Moses was five cubits long and five cubits broad and the Altar of Salomon was twenty cubits long and twentie cubits broad Salomon made all the vessels of the Temple except the Arke Salomon made all the vessels that pertained to the house of the Lord the Altar of gold the Table of gold whereupon the shewbread was and the Candlesticke 1 King 7.48 but he made not a new Arke because Christ who was represented by the Arke is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Heb. 13.8 Quest Why doth not Ezekiel when he describeth the new Temple make mention of the Arke and the Candlesticke as he doth of the Altar and the Temple it selfe at large Answ Because there was not an Arke to be in the second Temple Why Ezekiel maketh no mention of the Arke and Candlesticke in the second Temple and the light of that Candlesticke was not lighted with fire from the heaven as in the Tabernacle and first Temple and thus the Scriptures in wisedome doe passe many things and out of the silence of the Scriptures we may learne sometimes as when the Scripture passeth by Melchizedecks father and his mother So when the Scripture setteth downe the curses at large upon mount Ebal Why the curses in the Law are expressed and the blessings concealed and the blessings are concealed to teach us that the Law curseth us for the breach of it and that the blessings are reserved for the Gospel Matth. 5. The golden Altar had a crowne round about it as the Arke of the Testimonie had and the Table of shew-bread There arose foure hornes from the crowne of the Altar The hornes of the golden Altar what they signified every one in the forme of a broach small in the top which signified the strength which was in Christ who was able to overthrow that lord with two hornes Dan. 6.8 and all the hornes of the wicked Psal 75.11 It had a hole like a window in the east side The place where they emptyed the Altar of the ashes was not towards the holiest of all to take out the ashes which fell through the grate as the brasen Altar and this was upon the east side of the Altar and not towards the holiest to signifie that impurity should be farre from the holiest of all This golden Altar was called the Table of the Lord Mala. 1.7 The Apostle Heb. 9.4 why
leaven figured sinne of all sorts both in doctrine and manners Luk. 12.1 Matth. 16.6 1 Cor. 5.8 purge out the old leaven that is corruption in manners A Table of the Sacrifices In the burnt offering the fat and the blood the Lords the flesh all burnt and the skin the Priests The Priest got no part of that sin-offering whose blood was sprinkled upon the golden Altar In other sinne offerings where the blood was sprinkled but upon the brasen Altar the fat and the blood were the Lords and the flesh belonged to the Priest The sin offering had no meat offering or drinke offering In the peace offering the fat and the blood the Lords the breast and the right shoulder the Priests and the rest belonged to the offerer In the meatoffering a hanâ—full of the flower a little of the salt oyle incense and wine offered and the Priest got the rest Sacrifices of praise soâ—e were to bâ—eaten before the Lord some in Ierusalem and some at home The offering of Iealousie had no incense in it No Sacrifice without Salt Sacrifices are eyther of reconciliation burnt offering the daily sacrifice for the whole people particular for The Priest The Prince The People Sin offering for Ignorance Error thanksgiving peace offering of Vowes Voluntarie purification Iealousie Leprosie Nazarets Consecration praises for things past deliverance present dedication to come preservation Meat offering Drinke offering Eares of Corne. Fine flower Baked in the Oven Frying pan Fornace First fruites First borne Tythes Wine Added to the Sacrifices Salt Oyle Incense EXERCITAT XIIII Of the Sacrifices in particular and first of the burnt offering A ceremoniall appendix of Command 2. Levit. 1.2 If his offering be a burnt offering c. THere were some sacrifices which were commanded by the Lord and some which were voluntarie sacrifices as free will offerings and such The sacrifices which were commanded ordinarie and instituted by God were five First the burnt offering commanded here in Levit. 1. Secondly the meat-offerings in Levit. 2. Thirdly the peace offerings Fourthly sinne offerings in Levit. 4. And lastly trespasse offering in Levit. 5.15 Of the daily Sacrifice Their daily burnt offering was a Lambe offered morning and evening Why it was called continuall and this was furnished at the charges of the common treasurie of the Temple and not by any particular man It was called Sacrificium juge the continuall Sacrifice because it was offered twise every day without intermission and although other things have this word tamid continuall joyned with them as the continuall bread Num. 4.7 the continuall incense Exod. 30.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put for the daily Sacrifice the continuall meat offering Num. 8.16 yet commonly the daily burnt offering is meant here as Dan. 8.11 and by him hattamid the daily was taken away that is the daily sacrifice The burnt offering was a sacrifice which was all burnt to ashes except the skin and intrals 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Holocaustum a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ascendere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sacrificium totum igne consumendum interdum iungitur cum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut Psal 51.12 et significat perfectum sacrificium a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfecit absolvit it was called gnolah from gnalah ascendere and it was called ignitum Iehovae quia igni consumendum because it was all to bee burnt with fire Levit. 1. and it had calil joyned with it Psal 51. which commeth from calal to consume calil is nor the adjective joyned to gnola for they disagree in gender but calil here signifieth mincha or the meat offering which was joyned to the burnt offering In this burnt offering they were to offer a Bullocke What was offered in the burnt offering a Ram a Lambe amongst the beasts or a turtle Dove or young pigeon of the fowles and it behoved to be a male and not a female and likewise it behoved to be without blemish to signifie that puritie and perfection which was in Christ and our perfection in him Heb. 9.13 How much more shall the blood of Christ What the burnt offering signified who through the eternall Spirit offered himselfe without spot to God purge your consciences from dead workes to serve the living God It behoved to be of the best things and the choise of the flocke to teach us to honour God with our substance Prover 3.9 and to serve him with a perfect heart 1 Chro. 28.9 When they offered their sacrifices they kept this order First The order which they keepe in brning their sacrifices after the beast was killed and layd upon the Altar to be burnt the offerer brought fine flower mixed with salt and oyle for they might not mixe the flower with water and this part of the Sacrifice was properly called Immolatio Immolare then he gave this to the Priest who layd it upon the head of the Sacrifice this was called mactatio by the Latines that is Mactare magis aucta victima macta Thirdly the Priests powred wine upon the Sacrifice which was to be burnt and this was called Libatio and the Apostle alludeth to this Libare when hee saith 2 Tim 4.6 I am libor now I am ready to be offered up Fourthly Incense was superadded to these Suffire and this was called Suffitus Allusion and the Apostle alludeth to this Ephe. 5.2 Christ hath given himselfe for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweete smelling savour Lastly when the Sacrifice was burning they offered their spirituall Sacrifice with it Litare and this was called Litare precibus à Deo aliquid impetrare they prayed unto the Lord that he would accept of their Sacrifice therefore their Sacrifices were called Sacrificia vociferationis Sacrifices of shouting Psal 27.6 Of the meat Offering What was offered in the meat offering THe meat offering consisted of things without life as of fine flower oyle and incense Levit. 2.2 things which were necessarie for the use of man were offered here to the Lord as bread to eate wine to drinke salt to season oyle to cure and incense to delight the smell So Christ our meat offering is all these to us Mincha accessorium perse They had two sorts of meat offering Mincha aceessorium mincha per se Mincha accessorium was that which was alwayes joyned with another Sacrifice and a handfull of it was burnt and the rest was the Priests but that which was Mincha per se which was offered for the Priests was wholly burnt and not eaten Levit. 6.23 The flower in the meat offering was the best flower The floure which was offered in the meat offering behooved to be simila pura fine flower without any branne which signified the pure estate of Christ and all Christians in him Allusion There was oyle powred upon it and the Apostle alludeth to this 2 Cor 1.21 He that established us with you
in Christ and hath anoynted us is God So 1 Ioh. 2.27 the annointing which yee have received of him abideth in you Allusion It had incense joyned with it and the Apostle alludeth to this Ephes 5.2 Christ hath given himselfe for us an offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Sometimes it was baked and sometimes fryed in a pan Allusion and David alludeth to this Psal 45.2 My heart hath fryed or boyled a good matter Every Sacrifice had this Mincha joyned with it The meat offering oftentimes put for all the Sacrifices except the sinne offering and therefore oftentimes it is put for any Sacrifice as Psal 20. The Lord remember all thy mincha meat offerings that is all thy Sacrifices Of the peace offering THe peace offering was a Sacrifice of thanksgiving for the saftie of the offerer A part of the peace offering due to God a part to the Pri sts and a part to the offerer one part of it was due to God one to the Priest one to the offerer Amos 5.5 I will not accept of the fat of your offerings that is of your peace offerings David called this fat the burnt offerings of fatlings That which was the most excellent in every thing the Hebrewes called it the fat as adeps frumenti the fat of the corne medulla tritici the marrow of the wheate Ecclus 47.2 as the fat was taken away from the peace offering so was David chosen out amongst the children of Israel Allusion here he maketh a comparison betwixt David and the fat of the peace offering all the peace offering was the Lords yet all was not offered to him but a part was given to the Priests and a part to the people but the fat was fully burnt up to the Lord. So the zeale of Gods house burnt up David as the fat of the Sacrifice The fat was due onely to God The fat was the Lords the peoples part was but a leane part but under the Gâ—spel Esay 25.6 I will make the people a feast of fat things and full of marrow the people might eate none of the marrow under the Law Quest Whether might the people eate of the fat of the beasts which were not sacrificed as of those which they killed at home Answ The Lord forbiddeth them to eate the fat of whatsoever beast Lâ—vit 3.17 It shall be a statute for ever throughout your dwellings The fat of the Sacrifice might not be eaten or used to any other use that yee eate no fat nor blood The fat of the beasts which were not sacrificed might be taken to any other use but they might not eate any of it Levit. 7.24 the fat of the beast that dieth of it selfe or that which is torne may be used in any other use but ye shall in no wise eate of it The feast of the peace offering The rest of the peace offering was divided betwixt the Priest and the people and they made a feast of it 1 Sam. 9.24 Allusion and Salomon alludeth to it Prov. 17.1 better is a drye morsell and quietnesse therewith than a house full of Sacrifices with strife The Sacrifice put for the feast afetr the Sacrifice Antecedens pro eonsequente The Sacrifice here is put for the banquet which was after the Sacrifice and it was this which David meant of when he sayd there is a yeerely sacrifice there for all the familie 1 Sam. 20 6. that is a feast after the Sacrifice The breast and the shoulder due to the Priest The breast and the right shoulder of the peace offering was due to the Priest and the rest was due to the offerers it is sayd of the sonnes of Eli that they sent their boyes and pulled the flesh out of the Caldron 1 Sam. 2. that is they would not be content with that which was due to them the breast and the shoulders but they would have the peoples part also and they would not stay untill the fat was offered to the Lord 1 Sam 2.15 Quest How did the cooke set the shoulder before Saul to eate of it seeing it was the Priests part 1 Sam. 9.24 Ans The right shoulder was the Priests onely Why the Priest got the shoulder The Priest got the breast and the shoulder hee got the shoulder to signifie that he caried the burden of the people Why he got the breast can I carry all this people upon my shoulders saith Moyses Num. 11.11 Wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight that thou layest all the burden of this people upon me and he got the breast to signifie his compassion and love to the people Num. 11.12 Have I begotten them that they should say unto me carie them in thy bosome Esay 40.11 He shall feede his flocke like a sheepherd and hee shall gather his lambs with his arme and carie them in his bosome and leade these that are with young The Highpriest carried the names of the twelve Tribes upon his breast to signifie his compassion Why the Highpriest carried the names of the Tribes upon his breast and shoulder and he carried their names ingraven in Onyx stones upon his shoulders to signifie that he carried the burden of the people Eli when he looked upon Hanna and saw her lips moving he sayd she was drunke 1 Sam. 1.13 here there was no pittie in the Priests breast to the poore woman but 2 King 4.26 Elisha a man of pittie Elisha had more pittie in his breast when he sayd to Gehazi run now I pray thee and say is it well with thee and when shee came to the man of God she caught him by the feete but Gehazi thrust her away but the man of God sayd let her alone for her soule is vexed within her Churlish Gehazi had no pittie upon the poore woman but there was much pittie and compassion in the heart of Elisha the man of God The peace offering was divided betwixt God Why God the Priests and the people had a part in the offering the Priests and the people God got the chiefe part because he it is who pardoneth the sinne The Priest got his part because he is the instrument to make intimation of this pardon and the people got their part to teach them to bee thankefull for the remission of sinne God got his part and the people got theirs what a comely thing was this to see the Lord sitting at his Table Mala. 1.7 therefore the fat of the Sacrifice is called his bread Levit. 3.11 and Num. 28.2 and to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inviting his children to dine with him hee will not eate his morsels alone Iob. 31.17 what a comely thing was this to see his children standing like Olive plants round about his Table Psal 128.3 and how pleasant was it to see brethren dwell together in unitie God sate as it were the Master of the feast in the peace offering Psal 132.1 and their father
sitting at the head of the Table The Heathen sayd of old that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 erant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sine patre that the feast when it wanted the father it wanted the head A bad division of the peace offering The peace offering was divided betwixt God and the Priest and the people but the whore sayd Prov. 7. that she had her peace offerings by her and shee invited her lover to them was not this a strange sharing or division for God to get a part the Priest to get a part and the whore and the whoremonger to get a share but the Lord will not share with such This feast which was adjoyned to the Sacrifices was a feast of joy The feast joyned to the peace offering was a feast of mirth Deut. 16.15 Iud. 21.19 wherein they danced and it figured our spirituall mirth and joy for our redemption by Christ The Idolaters kept this feast to the golden Calfe which they should have kept to the Lord. When they offered their spirituall Sacrifices with their externall Sacrifices then the Lord was much delighted with them and he saith I have eaten my honey and my honeycombe I have drunken my wine and my milke Cant. 5.1 and he tooke such pleasure in these feasts that he invited the Church his spouse to come and eate O friends drinke yea drinke abundantly O beloved But when their Sacrifices wanted the inward Sacrifice then the Lord sayd that they offered but flesh unto him Hose 8.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 putridi facti sunt then hee loathed them but as rotten flesh Nehelahhu putridi facti sunt Psal 14.3 they are become rotten and stinking and he continueth in the metaphor they are like wine that hath lost the tast which is called vinum fugiens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 omnis recessit vinum sugiens when these outward Sacrifices wanted the inward see how unpleasant they were to the Lord Esay 1. I am full of the burnt offerings of Rams and the fat of the fed beasts I delight not in nor in the blood of Lambs of Bullocks or of Goates then he commeth to his smell Outward Sacrifices without the inward are offensive to all Gods senses vers 13 Incense is abomination to me then to his touch vers 14. your new moones and your appointed feasts I am wearie to beare them then to his hearing when yee make many prayers I will not heare them then to his sight ver 15. I will hide mine eyes from them Their Sacrifices were offensive to all Gods senses Of the sin-offering THe burnt offering was for all sinnes in generall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iosephus Lib. 3. Antiq. Cap. 10. the peace offering was a thanksgiving for sinnes remitted and the sin-offering was for sinnes committed for which they craved pardon the sin-offering was either hhataah or asham the first the Seventy translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Sacrifice which was for the sinnes of ignorance or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 might ascend or descend that is it was more or lesse according to the worth of the offerer Levit. 5.7 the poore might offer a pottle of flower and the rich were to offer according to their ability but in the offering which was for a willing sinne the Sacrifice did neither ascend nor descend it was alike in all So in the punishment of sinne in some sinnes the punishment ascended and descended Exod. 21.28 if a man had kept a pushing Oxe and he had killed a man he was to dye for it or the punishment might descend Sacrificium ascensionis descensionis if a summe of money was layd upon him then he might redeeme his life here the punishment was ascending and descending but if a man had killed a man willingly then the punishment non ascendebat aut descendebat but he was to die for it In the sin-offering there was no oyle or incense neyther in the Sacrifice of Iealousie No Incense in the sin-offering or in the offering of Iealousie because there was nothing acceptable to the Lord in these Sacrifices Observe that there was a Sacrifice for originall sinne Leviti 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in errore there was a Sacrifice for sinne of error bishgagah in errore and there was a Sacrifice for sinnes of ignorance but there was no Sacrifice for wilfull sinnes There was a Sacrifice for all sinnes except for wilfull sinnes Heb. 10.36 for if we sinne wilfully after that wee have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sinnes Christ prayeth for sinnes of ignorance Lord forgive them for they know not what they doe Luk. 23.34 Let us pray then with David to keepe us from presumptouus sinnes that they have not dominion over us Psal 19.13 There are severall sorts of Sacrifices prescribed for severall sorts of sinners as for the Priest Sacrifices according to the persons for the Prince and for the whole people and for a private man For the Priest was a young Bullocke without blemish The Sacrifice for the Priest which he offered for himselfe and here we are taught if the Highpriest under the Law might erre then the Pope may erre as Pope what priviledge hath hee to bee exempted from error more than the Highpriest had The Highpriest might erre and if they say because hee is the Highpriest under the Gospell therefore he cannot erre but now there is no Highpriest under the Gospel but Iesus Christ Who by his owne blood entred once into the holy place having obtained eternall redemption for us Heb. 9.12 If the Highpriests sinne made the people to sinne he was to offer a Bullocke Levit. 4.3 observe the phrase Lehashmath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in reatam populi that is if he make the people sinne by his evill example so Ioab sayd to David when he caused him to number the people why wilt thou be lehashamah a cause of trespasse to Israel 1 Chro. 21.3 Secondly for the whole people The visible Church may erre and they were to offer a young Bullocke Levit. 4.13 which was the same with the Priests Sacrifice and here observe The sinoffering of the whole people that the whole visible Church may erre otherwayes the Lord would not have appointed a Sacrifice for the error of the whole people The Sacrifice of the Priest and the Sacrifice of the whole people was one to teach us how great the sinne of the Highpriest was Quest Seeing the sinne of the Highpriest was as great as the sinne of the whole people what is the reason that the people were more severely punished than Aaron who made the golden Calfe Answ Aaron did it through infirmitie Why the people more severely punished than Aaron for making the golden Calfe but the people did it willingly and wittingly
the other let goe So by the Angels ascending and descending upon the Ladder the Angels ascending signifying his Godhead whom they all ascend to honour and descending to minister unto him as man To his birth In his birth Mary offered for herselfe and for her Sonne to signifie that he became legally uncleane for us to purge our uncleannesse His offices King Priest and Prophet To his offices typed by the Highpriests garments and ornaments His death by the Sacrifices To his death and his lifting up upon the Crosse by the brasen Serpent his buriall by Ionas living in the Whales belly three dayes his resurrection by the firsts and therefore he is called the first fruits of them that slept 1 Cor. 15.20 and the fifty dayes betwixt the first harvest and the gathering of the full harvest signified the fifty dayes betwixt Christs resurrection and the comming downe of the holy Ghost upon the Apostles EXERCITAT XVI The Lord would not have his Priests use the customes of the Heathen Priests A ceremoniall appendix of Commande 2. Exod. 20.26 Thou shalt not goe up by steps upon mine Altar THe Israelits learned Idolatry in Egypt and their Pappes were brused Ezek 23.3 and the Prophet Ieremiah calleth Egypt a very faire Heifer Cap. 46.20 who was lascivious and wanton following Idolatry and therefore was called great in flesh Ezek. 16.26 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aestro exagitor aestro velut immisso concito ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 asilus aestrus metaphorice stimulus And Israel followed Egypt who was like a backesliding heifer Hos 11.6 the Seventy translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like a Heifer stung with Hornets who runneth here and there so did they after their Idols therefore he threatneth that he will feede them as a lambe in a large place that is he would send the ten Tribes to captiviâ—ie where they should have libertie enough to run as they pleased The Lord would not have them to imitate the beastly Priests of the Moabites When the Israelites were comming out of Egypt travelling towards Canaan the Lord forbiddeth them to follow the beastly Idolatry of the Moabites to discover their nakednesse as their Priests did and for this cause that they should not goe up by steps or degrees upon the Altar for their cloathes were short when they travelled through the Wildernesse with the ambulatory Tabernacle and if they had ascended by steps upon the Altar their nakednesse might have beene seene Priapus what This filthy Idolatry of the Moabites was the worshipping of Baal-peor who was also called Priapus This Priapus was a young man in Hellespont who was expelled out of the countrie as a corrupter of the youth He went into Greece where afterwards beastly filthy persons made a god of him Priapus the God of the Moabites The Moabites made choise of him also for their god and he was called Baal-peor because he was made with his nakednesse discovered this Idoll was also called miphlezeth 1 King 15.13 Horrenda statua and Idolum pudoris Hos 11.9 and 9.10 and like unto this worship was that worship of Tammuz Ezek. 8. with their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Moabites choose a filthy God like unto themselves Was not this strange that they could imagine that their gods and their goddesses were such but we are not to admire this for even as the Atheist that hee may sinne the more securely fained to himselfe that there is not a God so the uncleane and filthie man imagineth a god like unto himselfe Psal 50.21 because I kept silence thou thoughtest that altogether I was such a one as thy selfe they who write of the Ethiopians say that they paint the Angels blacke and the Divels white they paint the Angels blacke because they are blacke themselves they thinke the blacke colour the most comely colour and the white the most uncomely colour So these filthie Moabites made choise of a god like unto themselves and as their god Baal-peor was a filthie god so were his Priests filthie Priests in shewing their nakednesse The more modest amongst the heathen thought it a filthie thing to shew their nakednesse and therefore they sayd Caro pro pudendis honestatis causa in scaenam sine subligaculo nemo prodeat and as they had a filthy god and filthy Priests so they had a filthy Sacrifice they offered an Asse to Priapus which was a beast of great flesh Ezek. 23.20 Afterwards this filthy Idoll was called by the Latines Deus hortorum Priapus called Deus hortorum and why because they used to commit such filthinesse in gardens and therefore they used this word hortum in re amorum when they spake of filthy and unchast lust Quod meus hortus habet sumas impune licebit Si dederis nobis quod tuus hortus habet And when they would insinuate their filthy lusts they say laegere olera legere nuces legere poma Propertius Cum quibus Idaeo legisti poma sub antro and so Virgilius Malo me Galataea petit lasciva puella The Lord commanded his Priests to weare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 side garments reaching to their feete and also breeches under them The Moabites are called the people of Chamos Num. 21.30 and Ier. 48. hence commeth the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Apostle alludeth to this Rom. 13.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not in rioting and drunkennesse Conclusion The Conclusion of this is Spirituall adultery is punished with bodily whoredome because they changed the glory of the uncorruptible god into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and fourefooted beasts and creeping things wherefore God gave them also to uncleannesse and to vile affections Rom. 1.23 EXERCITAT XVII That a woman might not weare a mans apparell A ceremoniall appendix of Command 2. Deut. 22.5 The woman shall not weare that which pertaineth to the man THe Lord knowing how prone his people were to Idolatry made a partition wall betwixt them and the Gentiles and he would have them opposite to the Gentiles in their ceremoniall worship Vide Analyses Iunij in Levit. First the Egyptians eate onely swines flesh therefore ye shall be opposite to them ye shall not eate the flesh of the Hogge they worshipped the Oxe and the Sheepe therefore yee shall eate them and sacrifice them Secondly in their apparell the Priests of Isis did weare linnen and wooll therefore yee shall weare linnen onely or wooll onely and not linsey wolsey The Iewes opposite to the Gentiles in the manner of their worship Thirdly the Egyptians had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to save them from evils therefore the Lord commanded his people to weare phylacteries Fourthly in the manner of their worship they when they worshipped they looked towards the sunne rising but ye shall be contrary to them and turne your faces towards
judaizing in this point Commandement IIII. EXERCITAT XIX Of the Passeover Levit. 23.5 In the fourteenth day of the first moneth is the Lords passover How the Passeover pertaineth to the fourth Commandement THe passeover as it was a sacrifice and a sacrament it is an appendix of the second Commandement but the time of it set downe here is an appendix of the fourth Commandement The word Passeover taken diversly This word Passeover is taken sundry wayes in the Scripture First for passing over because the Angell passed over the houses of the Israelites and destroyed them not Exod. 12.11 It is the Lords passeover Secondly Passeover is taken for those actions which were done about the passeover as killing the lambe sprinkling of the blood eating of it and such Matth. 26.17 Thirdly for the feast which was annexed to the Passeover 2 Chro. 35.11 They killed the Passeover and the Priests sprinkled the blood c. This was for the feast of the Passeover Fourthly for the Lambe killed at the Passeover Matth. 26.19 And they made ready the Passeover That is the Lambe which was killed at the Passeover so Marc. 14.12 They killed the Passeover Lastly for the time of the Passeover as Luc. 22.1 They had in this Passeover unleavened bread a Lamb bitter herbes and a cup in which they did drinke First they had unleavened bread The unleavened bread called the poores bread this unleavened bread was panis pauperum the poores bread Deut. 13.6 Yet the Lord taketh this unleavned bread for the Sacrament it was a great change Why they had unleavened bread in the Passeover when Moses rod which was the shepheards rod was made the rod of the Lord so this was a great change when he tooke the poores bread and made it this bread of his Sacrament they were commanded to eate the bread in remembrance of their hastening out of Egypt when they had no leisure to ferment it but Christ changed it to another sort of remembrance to be a memorall of his death in the Sacrament 1 Cor. 11 24. Doe this in remembrance of me It must be unleavened bread for leavened bread signified either Hypocrisie or malice David calleth a wicked man A leavened person Psal 71.4 So a leavened heart Psal 73.21 So Matt. 16.6 Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and 1 Cor. 5.7 Purge out the old leaven Then they eate it with bitter herbes Why eaten with sowre herbes to put them in remembrance of their affliction in Egypt and Ieremiah seemeth to allude to this Lament 3.15 Allusion He hath filled me with bitternesse he hath made me drunken with worme wood Quest Whether was the cup in the paschall supper a Sacramentall Cup or not Answ Not Whether the Cup in the Passeover was a Sacramentall Cup or not for there is no mention made of it in the institution the Lord commandeth to take a Lambe unleavened bread and bitter herbes but not a word of the Cup wherefore this cup was but their common Cup in which they used to drinke It may be said Obj. that the Master of the familie blessed this Cup. Answ This was not constitutiva sanctificatio but invocativa Sanctificatio Constitutio Invocatio it is constitutiva invocatio that maketh it a Sacrament accedat verbum ad elementum et fiet Sacramentum saith Augustine and when it wanteth the word of institution then it cannot be a Sacrament it is true that Christ transferred this cup Many things that are common changed to a holy use and made it Sacramentall under the Gospell but it was not sacramentall under the Law it was onely a common cup the water which they dranke out of the Rocke was a Sacrament to them 1 Cor. 10.4 and it was also common water for their beasts drunke of it So this was but a common Cup to them but Christ made it Sacramentall somethings againe which were Sacramentall to them were common at Christs Supper as the eating of bitter herbes Last it was not a Sacramentall Cup for the blood of the Paschall Lamb signified the blood of Christ there are not two things appointed in the Sacrament to signifie one thing What things were proper to the Passeover in Egypt and what proper to it in Canaan Things proper to the Passeover in Egypt were first they eate the Passeover in their severall houses when they were in Egypt but afterwards they were bound to eate it in Ierusalem onely Deut. 16.5.6 2 Chro. 35. Secondly in Egypt the blood was sprinkled upon the Lintels of the doores but afterwards it was sprinkled upon the Altar 2 Chro. 35. and then the Master of the house caused to bring backe the Lamb to his house and eate it with his family Luc. 22.7.8 Thirdly in Egypt they stood when they eat the Paschall Lambe with their loines girt and their staves in their hands to signifie that they were to make haste away Allusion and Esay alludeth to this Esay 52.12 For yee shall not goe out with haste nor goe by flight but when they came to Canaan they sate when they eate the Passeover Quest Their sitting at the Passeover was not a significative Ceremony Whether was their sitting a significative ceremony or not when they eate the Passeover in Canaan Answ Seven memorable Passeovers Not it was onely after the custome of men when they sit to eate meat There were sundry memorable Passeovers The first in Egypt the second in the Wildernesse the third in the dayes of Ioshua Cap. 5.10 the forth in the dayes of Hezekiah 2 Chro. 30. the fift in the dayes of Iosiah where there was not such a Passeover holden from the dayes of the Iudges that judged Israel nor in all the dayes of the Kings of Israel 2 King 23.22 The Sixt after they returned from the captivity Ezra 6.9 The last Passeover was that which Iesus kept with his Disciples Luc. 22. where he put an end to the Passeover and instituted his owne Supper in the place of it Quest Whether was the Lambe which was killed at the Passeover a Sacrament or a sacrifice Answ The most hold that it was not a sacrifice and their reasons are these Reas 1 First it might be killed by others than by the Priest therefore it was not a Sacrament Reas 2 Secondly Exod. 8.26 It was abhomination for the Israelites to sacrifice in Egypt but the paschall Lambe was eaten in Egypt therefore the paschall Lambe was not a sacrifice Reas 3 Thirdly a Sacrament differeth from a sacrifice for in a sacrifice we offer to God and in a Sacrament wee receive from God the Paschall Lambe was a Sacrament therefore it could not be a sacrifice Reas 4 Fourthly that which was eaten of the sacrifice was eaten onely in the Temple but the Paschall lambe was eaten out of the Temple therefore it was not a sacrifice Answ Now for answer to the first after that they came out of Egypt and the priesthood was setled the
Priests onely killed the sacrifice and sprinkled the blood and the Lambe was then caried home Secondly It was abhomination to sacrifice in Egypt Maimone in Corban Peshang cap. 1. ◠it was an abhomination to the Egyptians to see beasts killed there because they worshiped beasts as their Gods but it was not abhomination before the Lord for feare of the Egyptians they would not sacrifice there they might have sacrificed there as well as they killed the Paschall Lambe there it was a thing lawfull in it selfe We must distinguish two things in the paschal Lamb it was both a Sacrament and a sacrifice the sprinkling of the blood in the Temple was a sacrifice the eating of the Lambe at home in their severall houses was a Sacrament and so as it was a sacrifice they offered and as it was a Sacrament they received Reasons proving that the Paschall Lambe was a sacrifice Reasons proving that it was a sacrifice are these Reas 1 First 2 Chro. 30.1 Hezekiah gave Commandement that all the people should come to the house of the Lord at Ierusalem to keepe the Passeover Wherefore should he have commanded them to come to the house of the Lord to eat it if it had not been a sacrifice if it had been onely a Sacrament it had beene enough to have bidden come to Ierusalem to eate it Reas 2 Secondly 2 Chro. 35.11 And they killed the Passeover and they sprinkled the blood it was the blood of the sacrifice that the Priest sprinkled Reas 3 Iosephus de bello Iudaico lib. 6. cap. 45. Iosephus writeth that Cestus Florus when he would shew to the Emperor the multitude of the Iewes that were in Ierusalem at the Passeover he desired the Priests that they might get the number of the people and how did the Priests find out the number of the people he saith by the number of the Lambes which they killed at the Passeover and then they reckoned how many were in every familie at the eating of a Lamb and so they found out the number of the people it was the Priest then that killed those Lambes and none else The Paschall Lambe a figure of Christ The Paschall Lambe was a figure of Iesus Christ the Paschall Lambe was taken the tenth day and separated untill the fourteenth at the evening of the fourteenth it was killed Iesus Christ the true Paschall Lambe Came sixe dayes before the Passeover to Bethania Ioh. 12.1 and the morrow after he went to Ierusalem where they met him with branches of palme trees and this was five dayes before the Passeover then he stayed foure dayes in Ierusalem and was killed in the day of the Passeover at night and thus he accomplished the ceremonies of the Law Quest Whether did the Iewes and Christ eate the Passeover upon the same day or not Answ Christ observed the true day Whether Christ kept the Passeover that same day which the Iewes kept in the end of the fourteenth day and the beginning of the fifteenth he eate it betwixt two evenings but the Iewes transferred the day and eate it in the end of the fifteenth day and beginning of the sixteenth and therefore when Christ eate the Passeover it was the day of the Preparation to the Iewish Passeover although indeed it was the true Passeover Iohn 17.62 When the Passeover preceded the Sabbath they used to transferre the holy actions of that day to the Sabbath that two feasts may not fall together and they did their common worke upon that day which should have been done upon the Passeover and reserved the holy actions to the Sabbath following and it was upon this day that they crucified Christ They kept this translation of feasts Why they transferred their feasts to the Sabbath lest the feast of Lots should have fallen 2 4 7. Lest the feast of the Passeover should have fallen 2 4 6. Lest the feast of the Pentecost should have fallen 3 5 7. Lest the beginning of the new yeare should have fallen 1 4 6. Lest the day of expiation should have fallen 1 3 6. They observed this translation of the feasts because they had certaine feasts which fell upon these dayes that two feasts should not fall together as the three feasts of Dedication the foure fasts mentioned in Zachariah and the feast of Lots When the divers keeping of the Passeover began This diversity was not kept so long as the first Temple stood whence arose it then it seemeth to have taken the beginning from the divers beginning of the moneth for when they reckoned their moneth from the apparition which was doubtfull and uncertaine hence it came to passe that the beginning of the moneth was not alwayes at the selfe-same period for the last day of Adar might fall out so that it should be the beginning of Nisan and therefore the Sanhedrin appointed that the full Moone should be the thirteenth day which according to the verity was the fourteenth this diversitie arose of this because of the divers apparitions of the Moone so they kept the preparation to the Pascha diversly Great dissention betwixt the Easterne and Westerne Churches for keeping of the Passeover When the Apostles have so clearely determined that matter that no man should bee condemned or judged for not keeping these dayes yet Satan came and did sow his Cockle and his Darnell and raised dissentions in the Churches betwixt the Easterne and Westerne Churches about the keeping of the Passeover the Easterne Churches alledged that Iohn and Philip celebrated the Passeover in memory of Christs Supper for they kept diem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the fourteenth day of the Moneth but the Westerne Churches alledged that Peter and Paul kept the Passeover upon the first Lords day after the fourteenth day of the moneth upon which day they kept diem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pius Bishop of Rome ordained the Passeover to be kept on the Lords day Pius Bishop of Rome in the yeere of God 147. gave out an Edict that the Pascha should be celebrated by all upon the Lords day yet those in Asia cared not much for this Edict and there arose hot contentions on both the sides Polycarpus Iohns Disciple came into Rome to settle this contention and he appointed that every one should celebrate the Pascha as they were wont yet this contention was not buried for the Easterne and Westerne Churches left not off one to write against another Victor the Bishop of Rome in a Synode holden there Victor his Statute concerning the Passeover ordayned that the Pascha should be celebrated there upon the Lords day from the fourteenth day of March untill the twenty one of that moneth Those of Caesarea Palestina Pontus and Achaia embraced this Edict yet others stood out against it and said they would keepe it according to Iohns tradition wherefore Victor excommunicated all the Bishops in Asia Yet Irenaeus Bishop of Lions Polycarpus Schollar setled the
of the children of Israel and ye shall give thereof the Lords heave offring to Aaron the Priest out of all your gifts yee shall offer c. Thirdly to what end they were payed the tithes were given as a signe of homage and thankfullnesse to God Prov. 3.9 Honour the Lord with th y substan Why the tithes were payed and with the first fruits of all thine increase and as Kings have their tributes payed unto them for the maintenance of their attendance Rom. 13.6.7 So the Lord will have his tribute payed to him for the maintenance of his servants the Priests therefore the tithe is called his heave offering Levit. 27.30 and before the Law was given Iacob payed them to the Lord Gen. 28.22 Aâ—raham and Iacob payed tithes before the law and Abraham the tenth generation from Sem payed them to Melchizedecke the Priest and the Lord appointed them for the Priests Num. 18.28 Now that we may understand what great plenty and a boundance the Levites had who had the Lord for their portion Num. 18.20 Deut. 18.2 Ezek. 44.28 The great plenty which the Levite had for their service Let us consider what they had in particular First they had a part of the meatoffering called Mincha Secondly they had a part of the peace offering the breast and the shoulder and skin of the burnt offering Num. 18.18 Levit. 7.13 Thirdly they had the first fruits of the Corne of the wine and of the oyle Reshith prestantissimum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 primitie primitiâ—â—um 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 primitiae the best of them and the fat of the oyle Num. 18.12 Deut. 18.4 and they had Biccurim the first fruits The difference Betwixt Biccurim and Reshith was this Reshith were the first fruits which the Levites tooke from the people but Biccurim were the first fruits which the people presented to the Lord and the Lord gave them to the Priests Num. 18.13 What so ever is first ripe in the Land shall bee thine Reshith was the first of the first fruits and Biccurim were the first fruits themselves It was not determined by the Law how much they should offer here What every one was to offer of their first â—ruits but the Doctors of the Iewes determined afterwards that none should offer lesse than one of sixty and none should offer more than one of forty and the middle sort one of fifty and they called him who offered one of sixty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oculus malus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oculus bonus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oculus inter utrumque the man with the evill eye or the covetous eye or the covetous man Prov. 23.6 eat not the bread of him who hath an evill eye that is of a covetous man and he who payed one of forty they called him the man with the good eye Ecclus. 35.8 Give the Lord his honor with a good eye and diminish not the first fruits of thine hand and he who payed one of fifty they called him the man with the middle eye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oblâ—to magna This was called Tereumah Gedolah the great heave offering by way of excellency and they payed this not onely of things commanded in the Law but also of their oates Lentiles and fitches although these served not for the sustentation of man but onely in time of famine mine to satisfie their hunger yet they payed them and they payed also tithe of Anise and Mint which did grow in their gardens which our Lord doth not blame Matth. 23. for he addeth these things yee should have done all these because they were not determinated by the law they gave at least to the Priests the sixty part so they gave the sixty part of their wool in their Tereumah Gedolah to the Priest The Priests and Levites had the fâ—eeâ—ill offerings and the estimation of male and female and according to their abilitie and sexe Besides these first fruits which they were bound to pay they payed likewise free will offerings Levit. 7.16 So when they made a singular vow they were valued according to their age and according to their sexe Levit. 27.3.4 The estimation of the male from twenty yeare old even unto sixty was fifty Shekels of Silver after the Shekell of the sanctuary and the estimation of the female was thirty Againe from five yeare old to twenty the estimation of the male was twenty Shekels and of the female ten Thirdly from a moneth old to five yeares old the estimation of the male was five and the female was three Shekels of silver Fourthly if they were past sixty yeares and above the estimation of the male was fifteene shekels and of the female ten shekels Fiftly the poorer were valued after the valuation of the Priests according to their ability and all these came for the maintenance of the Priests So they had a part of things consecrated Levit. 7.35 Num. 18.13 The Levites had the tenth part of all the fruits which did grow in Israel then the Priests got Decimas Decimaâ—um the tithe of the tithes from the Levites the husband man payed to the Levites the tenth of his whole encrease 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Decima prima 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Decima ex Decima and this was called Magnasar rishon the first tithe and the Levites payed out of this the tenth to the Priests which was the hundreth part of the husband mans increase Magnasar min Hamagnasar decima ex decima The third tithe was given to the poore and it was the ninth part of the whole increase Tobit 1.7.8 It was called Magnasar shani the second tithe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Decima secunda vel secundi anni 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Decima tertia vel tertij anni and in the first and second yeare this tithe was reserved by the husband man and either taken up to Ierusalem or else sold and put in mony that the Levite the widdow and the poore might eat of it there at the three great feasts and it differed nothing from the tithe of the third yeare but onely in the use as Maimony sheweth and every third yeare it was given to the poore but every first and second yeare it was given to the Priest and to the Levite and to the widdow and they did eate it before the Lord in Ierusalem by this we may perceive how the husband-man payed the ninth part of his whole increase every yeare Let us put this case The husbandman paid the most part of his increase a husband-man hath an hundreth and two logs of oyle of this he was to pay two to the Lord which was his Tereumah Gedolah and this was one of fifty and then ten to the Levites and nine of the hundreth to the poore for the second tithe so that of an hundreth and two logs he payed twenty and one which was the fift part of the hundreth and some more They had
out of the Sanctuary Ezek. 44.17 and so by their meates putting a distinction betwixt clean and uncleane and so by their houses when he commanded the Law to be written upon the posts of their doores and by the Battlements to be put about their new houses and so by their husbandry when he commanded them not to plow with an Oxe and an Asse and not to sow their fields ' with divers sorts of seede So by their flocks to offer their first borne of them to him and here when they were walking in the fields if a birds nest were before them in the way either in a tree or upon the ground they were commanded to spare the damme to teach them reverence to their Parents wheresoever they lookt they had some instruction before them He forbiddeth them to kill the Damme and the yong ones together Why God would not have the Iewes to kill the Damme with the yong ones he commanded them to eate flesh after the flood but here he would restraine their appetite that they should not kill both the Damme and the yong ones and which is more the Lord forbiddeth when they are about to sacrifice that they kill not the Cow or the Ewe and their young ones both in one day Levit. 22.27 So the Iewes say that they might not kill the damme upon the young ones although it were for cleansed of the Leprosie Lev. 14.4 And if he will not have this done for his owne worship farre lesse will he have men do it for their own private use God will have mercy and not sacrifice Matth. 9.13 he forbiddeth them to kil the Dam but they might take the young ones he will not have them like the Pythagoreans who thought it unlawfull to kill any beast or fowle neither will he have them like Barbarians who kill all without respect but he will have them kill the young ones and spare the old to teach them reverence towards their parents No creature but man may make use of it there is no creature but man may make some use of it either to make it the object of his pity or else to imitate it as the Storke the Crane and Swallowes Who know their times Iere. 8.7 yea the Lord sendeth the sluggard to the pismire to learne Prov 6.6 Honour thy father and thy mother is the greatest Commandement in the second table and it hath this promise annexed unto it that they who honour their parents shall live a long life and here the Lord joyneth it to the meanest of all the Commandements which the Iewes call Praeceptum leve the Lord set the ceremonies Sejag Latorah as a hedge about the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and as the hedge is a fence to keepe out beasts so were these ceremonies set as a hedge to keepe the Iewes that they should not breake in to violate the morall This law to spare the Damme upon the yong ones binds us not now If a man should find a bird fitting in this land upon her yong ones he is not bound by this Law to spare her more then he is bound when he reapeth his field to leave the gleanings ungathered yet he is bound by the Morall Law to shew pity to his beast and so upon the foule neither could he promise to himselfe longer life if he should doe so but onely he must looke to the morall precept which obligeth man still when these ceremonies are abolished Object It may be said where the reason or the promise annexed to the Law is perpetuall there the law is perpetuall but this promise is perpetuall long life to the obedient child therefore it might seeme that this law is perpetuall How the promise is annexed to this ceremoniall precept and to the morall precept Simile Answ The promise is properly annexed to the morall Law and but accidentally to the ceremoniall Law a father hath a child whom he mindeth to make his heire he biddeth his child doe such and such things which are but trifles and then he promiseth unto him the inheritance there are more weighty conditions included in this promise but for the childs nonage and because as yet he is not capable of the greater conditions therefore his father setteth downe those meaner conditions unto him the inheritance is promised unto him especially if he observe the maine conditions but the meaner are set downe for the present to him so dealleth the Lord with the Iewes here The keeping of the whole Commandements hath this promise of long life annexed unto it Prov. 3.1.2 my sonne forget not my law but let thine heart keepe my Commandements for length of dayes and long life and peace shall they adde unto thee so Deut. 8.1 and 30.16 But it is more particulary annexed to this Commandement and it is called the first Commandement with promise Ephes 6.2 Commandement VI. EXERCITAT XXVI That the Jewes might eat no blood A ceremoniall appendix of Command 6. Deut. 12.24 Thou shalt not eate it thou shalt powre it upon the earth as water The blood is not the forme to the body THe Lord forbiddeth the Iewes his people to eate blood because the life is in the blood the blood is not the forme to the living body because one body cannot be the forme to another neither is it a part of the body for it nourisheth the rest of the body and one part nourisheth not another and it is more excellent than milke melancholly or marrow for they have their residence in some particular parts of the body but the blood is dispersed through the whole body and none of those are profitable to the body unlesse they be mixed with blood Why the life is said to be in the blood The life is said to be in the blood because the naturall heat is preserved in the body by blood the blood it selfe is a thing naturally cold and it is the heat of the spirits which commeth from the heart that heateth the body and the blood but keepeth in the heat as a mans cloathes doe quae non calefaciunt sed recalefaciunt it but keepeth in the spirits which are in the heart but when the blood is let out then the spirits faile and the blood is congealed Although the soule be said to be in the blood The blood is not the seat of the soule yet we must not thinke that the blood is the seat of the soule because the seat of the soule is some principall member of the bodie but the blood is not a member of the body the seat of the soule is a firme and a permament thing and it hath sense especially the Touch but the blood in it selfe hath no sense wherefore it is not the seat of the soule but the common instrument and Vehiculum which carieth the spirits The life is in the blood The passions shew themselves in the blood all the passions of man shew themselves in the blood as the blood is hote with
anger it flyeth for feare it groweth slow for griefe and spreadeth it selfe abroad for joy and in shame it maketh the face to blush The life is in the blood therefore David saith Psal 30.10 What profit is in my blood that is in my life and Virgil calleth it the purpure soule God taught his people to abstaine from blood for two reasons First Why God would have his people abstaine from blood in reverence of the blood of Christ which was to expiate their sinnes wherefore the blood was called the atonement of the soule Levit. chap. 17.11 that is the soule or the life of the beast is made the ransome for the soule or life of man and therefore it should not be eaten and for this cause they were commanded to cover it in the earth with dust contrary to this is that Iob 16.18 They were to cover the blood Let not the earth cover my blood and Ezek. 24.7 8. Their blood is in the midst of her she set it upon the top of a Rocke she powered it not upon the ground to cover it with dust that it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance I have set her blood upon the top of a Rocke that it should not be covered But in this respect it is not an appendix of the sixt Commandement but in another respect the Lord commanded them to abstaine from blood and not to eate it to teach them to abstaine from cruelty and then it is a ceremoniall appendix of the sixt Commandement How the Romans by degrees became cruell The corruption of man is such when he beholdeth cruell things then he beginneth to be more cruell the Romanes used at the first to set wild beasts upon the stage to kill one another and after this they came to be delighted to see Gladiators and Fensers kill one another and thirdly they delighted to see men cast unto the wild beasts so that from the sight of killing of beasts they delighted to see men killed and so from eating of blood they might have beene drawne to cruelty and shedding of the blood of men for those who are but acquainted with the shedding of the blood of Beasts doe care little for the shedding of the blood of men Nimrod was a mighty hunter Gen. 10.9 and then he became a cruell murtherer of men Pythagoras that he might teach men to abstaine from blood taught men alwayes to abstaine from the shedding of the blood of Beasts Obj. It may be said where the reason of the law is perpetuall the law is perpetuall ye shall eat no blood because the life is in the blood this reason is perpetuall therefore this law may seeme to be perpetuall Answ What part of this Law is morall Thus much of the law is perpetuall that they should not eat membrum de vivo or while it is palpitans sanguis that is the morall precept Ezek. 33.25 Yee eat with the blood which must be understood ye eate while the life is in the blood this is a breach of the morall precept and it is joyned here by the Prophet with other morall transgressions Yee lift up your eyes to your Idols yee shed blood and yee eate blood But this is the Ceremoniall part simply to eat blood the Lord commandeth to give that which dyed of it selfe to the stranger Deut. 14.21 But if this were a morall precept simply to abstaine from Blood then no stranger might eat Blood or eate that which dyed of it selfe To eat blood simply was not a morall Law and the Apostles Act. 15.20 renued this precept of abstinence from blood Why the Apostles renued this precept and they give this to be the reason vers 21. For Moses of old time had in every citie those that preach him being read in their Synagogues every Sabbath day that is seeing Moses ceremoniall law is yet professed by the Iewes ye must beare with the weake Iewes untill ye and they be fully united and this occasion being taken away the law ceaseth He commanded the Iewes to abstaine from blood Why he commanded the Iewes to abstaine from blood because the Church was in her infancy yet therefore to command the Iewes still to abstaine from blood it is even all one as if one should command that a man should be continually nursed with milke because he suckt milke when he was a child Quest Why did not the Apostles forbid them to abstaine from fat as well as from blood Seeing to eate the fat was forbidden in Moses Law as well as to eate the blood Answ This precept of abstinence from blood was given to Noah and it was one of the seven precepts Why the Apostle commanded abstinence from blood but abstinence from fat was not commanded untill the ceremoniall law was given Levit. 3.16.17 and because the Iewes esteemed more of this interdiction of eating of blood therefore the Apostles commanded them abstinence from it Tertulian in his Apology for the Christians showeth that they would not eate blood or strangled Tertullian in Apolog. c. 9. and that the heathen used to come to them with bottles of blood and to force them to drinke of it by this it appeared that the Christians in his time abstained from blood but Beatus Renanus commenting upon that place of Tertullian noteth well that the Christians were too superstitious in that Nam citraâ—scandalum Iudaeorum fuit inscitia servare they were bound onely to abstaine from blood that they might not offend the Iewes Ob. But Blandina the Martyer abstained from blood Answ The reason of this was the danger of future scandall which might follow for the Christians were charged by the Pagans that they spilt the blood of Infants did drinke it now if she had not abstained from blood how could she have contested with the Pagans How the Pagans charged the Christians with drinking of blood It is not likely that we drinke the blood of Infants who abstaine from the blood of beasts the Councell of Orleance is justly censured for renuing this abstinence from blood as Iudaizing in this point Conclusion The conclusion of this is the Lord by degrees trained up his people to be mercifull as he forbad them to kill the damme sitting upon the young ones so he would not have the flesh of the beast eaten that killed a man and hee forbiddeth to eate that which is torne of beasts Exod. 22.21 And here he forbiddeth them to eate blood EXERCITAT XXVII That the Jewes might not seethe a Kid in the mothers milke to teach them not to be cruell A ceremoniall appendix of Command 6. Exod. 23.19 Thou shalt not seeth a Kid in the mothers milke A Philosopher in Egypt asked a Iew upon a time why the Iewes abstained from Swines flesh and would eate none of that which was holden to be most wholsome the Iew answered him by another question What was the reason why the Egyptians had so many Hieroglyphickes and the Pythagoreans
their enigmaticall speeches were not those Symbolicall and taught them some other thing as ignem gladio ne fodias Pythagoras meaning was that they should not provoke an angry man so the precepts of Moses commanding them to abstaine from such and such beasts as uncleane were Symbolicall and implied some other thing This Commandement forbiddeth not mixtures in Religion How this precept is an appendix of the sixt Commandement as an appendix of the second Commandement but as an appendix of the sixt Commandement to abstaine from cruelty as not to take the damme sitting upon the young ones and not to muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the Corne. Yee shall not seeth a kid in the mothes milke The divers interpretation of this precept this is not the meaning of the command content your selves to eate the kid The true meaning of this precept but take head that yee eate not the damme also neither is this the meaning of it ye shall not eate flesh with milke as the Chaldee Paraphrast Paraphraseth it neither is this the meaning of it take heed that ye seeth not the kid in the mothers milke as the superstitious Iewes expound it at this day they will not seeth flesh and milke in one pot neither will they cut both flesh and cheese with one knife and amongst the precepts which they have written of things lawfull to be eaten they forbid the eating of flesh and milke together but the meaning of the place seemeth to be this ye shall not eate of a kid or of a Lambe for so the Seventy translate it so long as it sucketh the damme for all this time it is as it were but milke they might sacrifice it when it was but eight dayes old but not to eate of it so long as it was sucking 1 Sam 7.9 Samuel tooke a sucking Lambe and offered The Lord forbiddeth also Exod. 22.31 To eate that which was torne by beasts the former Commandement that they should not seeth a kid in the mothers milke was a ceremoniall law belonging to the sixt Commandement Not to eate that which was torne is a ceremoniall appendix both of the sixt and eight Commandement but this Commandement that they should not eat of that which was torne by beasts was an appendix both of the eight and sixt Commandement whereby he taught them both to abstaine from blood and from theft Quest Whether should those words Levit. 15.17 Be read copulativè the soule which eateth that which dyeth of it selfe and is torne by beasts or disiunctivè that which dyeth of it selfe or is torne of beasts Answ Some of the Iewes read the words copulativè thus if it dye of it selfe and be torne of beasts they might not eate of it but the true reading is disiunctive if it dye of it selfe or bee torne as Iunius readeth it for the law saith expressely that that which is torne is uncleane although it dye not first and then be torne and some of the Iewes make that more uncleane which is torne then that which dyeth of it selfe one demanded the question of R Ioseph Gersaeus Whether the beast that dyed of it selfe or that which was torne was the more uncleane why hee writ the Law rather upon the skinne of a beast that dyed of it selfe than upon the skinne of a beast that was torne he answered them by this comparison I tell you whereunto I liken the beast that dyeth of it selfe and that which is torne to two malefactors who are adjudged to dye the one malefactor the judge himselfe killeth and the other the hangman killeth so they hold that that which dyed of it selfe was not so uncleane as that which was torne by wild beasts Conclusion The conclusion of this is here we may see the infancy of the Iewish Church when the Lord forbiddeth them to taste touch or handle and restraineth their baser senses tasting touching and handling Coloss 2.21 Even as parents forbid their little children to touch this or handle that whereas they forbid them when they come to understanding to looke upon evill God dealeth with the Iewes as fathers doe with little children or to heare evill So under the Gospell the prohibition is given chiefely to the nobler senses hearing and seeing and not so much to the base senses touching and tasting Commandement VII EXERCITAT XXVIII When a Bastard might enter into the Congregation under the Law A ceremoniall appendix of Command 7. Deut. 23.2 A Bastard shall not enter into the Congregation unto the tenth generation THe Lord forbiddeth here that a Bastard should enter into the congregation of the Lord unto the tenth generation there are foure things to be considered here First who is called Mamzer a Bastard here Secondly What is meant by entering into the congregation Thirdly That this is but a ceremoniall Law What is meant by Bastard here and Lastly That it is not meant of every sort of Bastard First he is not called Mamzer here if his father were an Hebrew and his mother a Gentile as the Chaldee Paraphrast taketh it for then Obed the sonne of Ruth the Moabitesse should have beene a Bastard Secondly He is not called Mamzer or Spurius who is borne of a Widdow as the Hebrewes hold as if an Hebrew had maried a captive woman and had lyen with her and she fel with child and it was in doubt whether hee was the child of the first husband or of the last And so they hold that David begot Chiliab upon Abigail and that his mother called him Daniel and his father Chiliab 2 Sam. 2.2 and 1 Chro. 3.1 Because hee was incerto patre but this is one of their dreames neither is he called a Bastard qui ex secundis nuptijs natus est as when a man marieth a Widdow and begeteth a child upon her her The Iewes are most mistaken in this Ben Syra in his Proverbes saith Oculos tuos absconde a muliere vidua et ne concupiscas pulchritudinem ejus in corde tuo nam filij ejus fiij scortationū sunt hide thine eyes from a Widdow Woman and be not taken with her beauty for her children are the children of fornicatiō And the same Ben Sira at the letter Samech saith Ben syra inter proverbia alphabeto 2. Scriba ducat virginem et ne ducat eam quae maritū habuit nam aquae virginis tibi soli erunt aquā vero eius qua maritū habuit ante te alius praeter te hausit that is let a scribe mary a Virgin and let him not mary her who hath had an husband before and content himselfe with the waters of his owne cisterne and not to drinke of that water where another hath drawne before him where he alludeth to the phrase of the Scripture which calleth adultery stollen waters Prov. 9.17 Water put for seed And they put water for seed Num. 24.7 So Moab is his fathers water But the Iewes were much mistaken in
Corne and Wine within their owne gates Deu. 12 17. So if they did worke with their first borne bullocke or sheare their first borne sheepe Deut. 15.29 All these were devourers of holy things and the Prophet alludeth to this Allusion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ditescere cum puncto in dextro et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 decimare cum puncto in sinistro cornu Iere. 2.3 Israel was holinesse to the Lord and the first fruits of his increase all that devour him shal offend evill shall come upon them saith the Lord. The Hebrewes say that tithes are the hedge of a mans riches and they say gnashar with the point in cornu dextro signifieth ditescere to grow rich and in sinistro decimas pendere to pay the tithes haec duo vno puncto dirimuntur To devour holy things avaritious and greedy men are like the horse leech who hath two Daughters which cry continually give give but most of all they are desirous to devour holy things and to eat of the forbidden tree the Iewes say that every Child in Israel knew his owne portion there were somethings whereof both the Priest his sonnes and daughters might eate as the wave breast and heave shoulder Levit. 10.14 There were other things which the Priest and his sons might eate of but not his daughters As the sinne offering whereof none of the blood came within the Tabernacle of the Congregation to reconcile with all Levit. 6.28 and there were other things which the Priest might eate but neither his sonne nor his daughter might eate of them as the meat offering that remained of the offering of the Lord made by fire Levit. 10.12 for it was eaten beside the Altar When men become vnsatiable and lust as the Israelites did at the graves of concupiscence then nothing will content them untill they have Gods portion also when the father and the mother came before the Iudges in Israel Simile 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vrbis and complained that their son was Zolel a vile person a drunkard and a glutton Dut. 21.20 Then the Iudges ordained that he should be stoned to death but when God the Father and the Church their Mother doe complaine of those devourers of holy things what fearefull Iudgements must they undergoe And after Vowes to make inquiry that is after that thou hast vowed a Vow to seeke how thou mayest illude or disanull it the Iewes said of old that vowes were the hedge of the first fruites and tithes the hedge of their riches they said that vowes were the hedge of the first fruites because when a man had vowed his vow would bind him to performe it but these thought not that their vow was such a hedge when they sought to disannull it When they vowed of old they said after this maner The forme of the Iewes vow of old my estimation be upon me fifty Shekels or the estimation of this man be upon ine fifty shekels this was the forme of their vow according to this David saith My Vowes are upon me Psal 56.12 then they were bound to pay their vowes and if they refused to pay then they might take a pawne or pledge of them and force them to pay them as just debt They might force them to pay their vowes and this was called the money of the soules estimation 2 King 12.4 When they said the estimation of this man be upon me they meant I am willing to pay that which such a man may be valued at therefore when they made such a vow they might not enquire after it Thus God would not suffer his name to be abused Better not to vow than to vow and not performe Eccles 5.2 4 5 Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth therefore let thy words be few When thou vowest a vow unto God deserre not to pay it for hee hath no pleasure in fooles pay that which thou owest better it is that thou shouldest not vow than that thou shouldest vow and not pay And if so bee that the Lord will have a man that hath but given his word for his neighbour not to give sleepe to his eyes nor slumber to his eye Lids untill he have delivered himselfe As the Roe from the hand of the hunter and as a bird from the hand of the fowler Prov. 6 1 2 3.4 Much more when he hath bound his soule with a bond Num. 30.4.5 will he have him to performe his vowes and not to enquire after them EXERCITAT XXXII Of the Jewes Phylacteries A ceremoniall appendix for keeping of all the Commandements Num. 15.38 Speake unto the Children of Israel and bid them that they make fringes upon the borders of their garments c. THe Lord sitting himselfe to the nonage and infancy of the Iewes Church he gave them helpes first for their judgement secondly for their affections and thirdly for their memory God gave the Iewes helpes for their Iudgements memories and affections First he gave them helpes for their judgement for as we when we have a dull Scholler borrow comparisons from sensible things to teach him so the Lord set sensible figures and types before the Iewes to teach them Secondly he helped their affections by Musicke and thirdly he helped their memories by those Phylacteries or fringes which he commanded them to put upon the borders of their garments Deut. 22.12 Exod. 13.9 And it shall be for a signe unto thee upon thine hand and for a memoriall betweene thine eyes that is the Phylactery shall be a signe unto thee upon thy hand and a memoriall betweene thine eyes and a signet upon thine heart those things which we account of we carry them as they were written in our hands Esay 49.16 Behold I have graven thee vpon the palmes of myne hands Prov. 7.3 Bind them upon thy fingers write them upon the Table of thine heart say unto wisdome thou art my sister and call understanding thykinswoman As they carried of old the names of those whom they loved in rings and bracelets so he willeth him to cary the Law of God graven as it were his dearest Sister or like a Phylactery upon his hand The garment which the Iewes wore was a side coate like the garments which the eastern people do weare at this day and it was called Cesuth Deut. 22.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tegumentum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pallium Besides this they had another garment which they called Megnil a long Cloake without sleeves Thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vestis villosa Pallium Iudaeis peculiare they had a Garment called Talith which was vestis superior an upper Garment used by the most of them when they travelled Their first Garment called Cesuth was parted below which made the foure wings of it two before and two behind so their upper Garment called Talith was made like the coate of a
this ceremoniall Law but where the ground of the Law is Iudiciall and the ceremony but an appendix of it then the Iudiciall law may be observed at least the equitie of it Example Cities of refuge were appointed as a Iudiciall Law to save the mankiller from the revenger of the blood there was a ceremony annexed to this Law that they should stay within the City of refuge untill the death of the High-priest this was but an appendix of the judiciall Law therefore the Law may stand that Cities of refuge bee kept or at least the equity of it that those who casually kill be not slaine Quest What if a Christian now should keepe any of the ceremonies commanded in the Law Answ There is a three fold use of the ceremonies Materialis formalis mixtus vsus a materiall a formall and a mixed use A threefold use of the ceremoniall Law Materialis as if a man should abstaine from eating of swines flesh onely because it were unwholsome he Iudaizeth not in this case but if hee should abstaine from swines flesh as a meat uncleane and forbidden in the Law then he should formally keepe the ceremony and truely Iudaize the mixt use is this when a Christian borroweth Iewish ceremonies to any use in the Christian Church Marke how the Apostles in their practise renounced the ceremonies of the Law first the Apostles kept the Christian Sabbath after Christs Resurrection and not the Iewish Sabbath therefore they renounced the ceremonies and the Apostle willeth the Corinthians to keepe the Passeover all the dayes of their life in holinesse and restrained it not to some few dayes as the Iewes Passeover was Object But when the dayes of the Pentecost were fulfilled Act. 2.1.2 Cor. 16. Here Paul reckoneth according to the Iewish Pentecost Answ When he speaketh of their Pentecost here and when he sayes the dayes of their fast were expired Act. 27.9 the Iewes at the day of expiation had a great fast Paul doth not Iudaize here but onely marketh these for a civill use to know the time of the yeare which was most knowne to the Iewes when Paul Act. 17.19 calleth Areopagus Mars street none will thinke that Paul worshipped Mars here but he useth onely this name as a name of distinctiō to know this street frō other streets so when he sayes that he sayled in a ship that had the badge of Castor and Pollux Act. 28.11 we must not thinke he worshipped Castor and Pollux but hee useth them onely as names of distinction to put a difference betwixt this ship and other ships Paul used the names of the Iewes feasts for distinction so when Paul useth the name of the Pentecost and the name of the fast Act. 2. and 27.9 he used them onely as names for distinctions sake and not for any Iewish observation and when Paul practised any of these ceremonies he practised them not for the ceremonies themselves but for the weake Iewes sake Example When he did shave his head in Cenchrea the Port towne in Corinth Act. 18.18 this was not according to the Law altogether Paul did not shave his head according to the law for if he had done it according to the Law he should have gone to Ierusalem and there have cast the haire of his Nazarits vow under the Altar and burnt it after the death of Christ none of the Apostles ever went to the brasen Altar againe to sacrifice but onely they practised some of the meaner ceremonies bearing with the weake Iewes Quest How could these ceremonies be hinderances from Christ seeing they were types of him to come Answ Christ saith Ioh. 16.7 If I goe not away the Comforter shall not come Christs bodily presence amongst the Apostles hindered his spirituall presence amongst them if the bodily presence of Christ hindered the comming of the Spirit unto them how much more did these ceremonies under the Law hinder the sight of his Incarnation and obscure his glory amongst them The ceremonies in the third estate are against Christ In the third estate these ceremonies were against Christ in this estate the Apostle calleth it concision and not circumcision Phil. 3.2 In the third estate the Iewes preferred the shadow to the body The errour of the Iewes in preferring the Ceremonies to Christ the bones to the marrow and the letter to the spirit they preferre the shadow to the body the ceremonies to Christ the bones to the marrow because they content themselves onely with the outward figures and types and seeke not for the thing signified and so they have the killing letter but not the quickning spirit and therefore Saint Hierome compareth them well now to dogges who get onely the bones to gnaw but they get none of the marrow or that hidden Manna Iesus Christ to their saluation Conclusion The conclusion of this is it was a great benefit to learning when the obscure Hieroglyphicks in Egypt were changed into letters and the darke and mysticall writings of Plato were changed by Aristotle into a cleare and plaine forme of writing It is a farre greater benefit when the Lord hath changed these darke figures and shadowes into the cleare light of the Gospel Hovv to make use of the Ceremonies of the Law in opening of a Text and reducing them to practise Of the Notes whereby Aaron and his posterity were discerned to be called to the Priesthood Num. 17.2 And the Lord spake unto Moses saying speake unto the Children of Israel and take every one of them a rod c. WHen Corah and his complices murmured against Aaron and contended with him for the Priesthood as we may see in the Chapter preceding the Lord commanded every one of the first borne of the tribes to bring a rod to him that by this new miracle causing Aarons rod to blossome he might end this controversie and confirme Aaron the more in the Priesthood The Prince of the tribe represented the whole tribe Secondly hee commanded that the names of the Princes of the tribes should be written upon the rods and the reason was because the Prince represented the whole tribe so the Prince being repelled from the Priesthood the whole tribe was repelled Write thou every mans name upon his rod. Aaron had not written upon his rod the Tribe of Levi but the name of Aaron and so the rest of the Princes Another reason wherfore the names were written upon the rods of the Princes was because the Princes of the tribes were their first borne and therefore they might seeme to claime right to the Priesthood every mans name was written upon his rod and Aarons name was written upon his rod because he was the first borne of Levi for the first borne of Levi was Cohath and he begot Amram and Amram begot Aaron who was elder than his brother Moses Quest How were the Tribes reckoned in the Scriptures Answ How the tribes are reckoned in the Scripture Whē a matter is in hand which
cōcerneth the whole people then Levi is reckoned amongst the rest as in the matter of blessing and cursing Deut. 27. So in setting up the twelve stones at Iordan and upon Aarons breastplate so here when the question is to which of the Tribes the Priesthood belonged but when the matter is concerning civill things then Levi is excluded as in the division of the land and then the tribe of Ioseph is divided into two Ephraim and Manasses and so there are twelve Tribes Every Tribe must lay their rod before the Lord and have their name written upon it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tribus and from hence it came afterwards that the Tribes were called Shebhte because they carried rods before them and their names written in them and therefore Baculus is put for Tribus Num. 1.4.16.26 Iosh 20.10 Aaron tooke not his brother Moses rod which was the rod of God Why Aaron tooke not his brothers rod. by which he wrought so many miracles for the rest of the Tribes would have excepted against that rod because it was the rod of God but it was a common rod like the rest of the rods that they might take no exception against it The rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded God thinkes not every man fit for this holy calling he maketh choise here of Aarons rod amongst all the rest and maketh it to bud God thinketh not every man fit for the Calling of the Ministery No man taketh this honour unto himselfe but he that is called as was Aaron Heb. 5.4 First no man taketh this honor that is ought to take it What it is to take this calling Secondly take it that is usurpeth it at his owne hand as he that taketh the sword shall dye with the sword Matth. 26.55 That is he that takes it having no calling So thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine Exod. 20.7 that is usurpe it having no calling to take it up Thirdly this honor the Priesthood was an honorable calling and therefore every base fellow should not usurpe it any was fit enough yea the basest of the people if he could but conserate a ram to bee a Priest sufficient for Ieroboam 1 King 12.31 but the Lord would have none to take upon him this honorable calling but those whom he separated for it and were called as was Aaron if any man might challenge this prerogative might not the King but see what Vzzia got for attempting this 2 Chro. 26.19 Saul for sacrificing before Samuel came thou that canst not shew that the Lord hath made thy rod to bud meddle not with this calling for then some marke of Gods wrath may light upon thee The rod of Aaron was budded This miracle was not so much to confirme Aaron as to convince his gainstanders the Lord sayes The chiefe end of this miracle was to convince the enemies of Aaron Bring Aarons Rod backe againe to bee kept for a token against the Rebels As the Rodde was kept for a testimony against the rebels so it budded for a testimony against them the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.22 saith of tongues that they are for signes not to them that beleeve but to them that beleeve not so are miracles for the most part ordained for those that are unbeleevers Miracles doe not beget faith but confirme it or for those who had a small measure of faith in the beginning of the Gospell see what sort have beene most desirous of miracles those who had no faith first the Devill he cryed for a miracle that stones might be turned into bread Matth. 4.3 Secondly the rich glutton in hell he would have one sent from the dead to tell his brethren Luc. 16.30 Moses and the Prophets would not serve the turne so the misbeleeving Nazarits would have had a signe from Christ What sort of people desired miracles and the Iewes would have seene miracles Mat. 12.39 And Herod hoped to have seene some miracle of Christ Luc. 23.8 All these because they had not faith cryed for miracles When Paul healed the father of Publius the Consull of a fever he healed him by a miracle and made him presently to arise Act. 28.8 but he healed not Timothy that way but seemed rather to play the Physitian to him bidding him drinke no longer water but wine 1 Tim. 5.23 What was the reason of this Timothy beleeved therefore he needed not a miracle but the father of Publius beleeved not he was an infidell as yet therefore a miracle was more necessary for him many men cry for miracles but that argues infidelity in them but if thou didst beleeve thou neededst none of these they serve but for infidels but they serve nothing to beget faith the theefe said if thou wilt come downe from the Crosse and save thy selfe and us then I wil beleeve in thee Luc. 23.39 But if the death of Christ will not worke faith in the if thou shouldst see miracles both in heaven and earth they will never convert thee Quest What is the reason that God confirmes not now mens callings by miracles Answ Because now religion hath taken roote Why God confirmeth not mens calling by miracles Simile at the first when the Law and the Gospell were planted they were confirmed by miracles but when they once tooke roote he withdrew these miracles A gardner when he transplāteth a tree out of one ground to another before the tree take roote he setteth stayes to it he poureth water at the roote of it dayly but when it once taketh roote he ceaseth to water it and pulleth away the stayes that he set to uphold it and suffereth it to grow with the ordinary influence of the heavens so a Chirurgian when a legge is broken he bindeth it up but after the bones be fastened he taketh away these helps from it so the Lord in planting of Religon he put to these helpes of miracles as stayes to uphold it but when it is once confirmed and fastened he taketh away these helpes Quest What sort of miracle was this when Aarons rod did bud Ans The Schoolemen marke that there are three sorts of miracles First miracles in the highest degree Thom. contra gentiles Secondly miracles in the second degree and thirdly miracles in the lowest degree Miracles in the highest degree they make to be these Three sorts of miracles wherein nature never had a hand as for the sunne to goe backe and stand stil Miracles in the second degree they make to be these when nature had once an hand in them but when they are once decayed nature can never restore them againe nature bringeth forth a man seeing but when he is once blind nature can never make him to see againe but when he is restored to his sight againe this is a miracle in the second degree A miracle in the third degree they make to bee this when nature in time could doe such a thing but nature
upon a sodain cannot doe this and when it is done upon a sodaine it is a miracle in the third degree they give the example of this in Peters mother in law when Christ upon a sodaine cured her of a Feaver nature in time might have cured her of this Feaver but because she was cured of this Feaver upon a sodaine it was a miracle in the third degree Now what sort of miracle was this when this Almond rod budded and brought forth upon a sodaine it was a miracle in the second degree for an Almond tree will bring foorth Almonds by nature but being once cut up it cannot bring forth Almonds againe then it was a miracle in the second degree for nature could never have made this rod to bring forth Almonds Why Corah and Dathan contended for the Priesthood Dathan and Abiram contended for the Priesthood because they were of the posterity of Ruben the eldest brother and Corah thought that it belonged to him because he was the eldest sonne of Levi as Adonijah contended with Salomon for the kingdome because he was the eldest sonne of David Dathan and Abiram contended for the Priesthood because they came of Reuben Lineall succession not alwayes the Lawfull successinn Learne then that lineall succession is not alwayes the lawfull succession these were lineally descended of Ruben yet this lineall succession failed for Ruben lost his dignity by incest the Church of Rome now hath a lineall succession from the ancient Roman Church but by their spirituall whoredomes and adulteries Simile they have lost their succession Scarabeus or the dunghill flye bragg'd upō a time that he was more excellent than the Bee because he was descended of the horse but how was he descended of the horse he was onely bred of the dung of the horse so the Church of Rome that now is is but come of the excrements of the old Roman Church optimi vint pessimum acetum when the contention was betwixt Salomon and Adonijah about the kingdome of Israel Adonijah had standing for him Abiathar the Priest and Salomon had standing for him Zadok the Priest both of them were Priests and both of them had the holy oyle but who had the right whether he that was anointed by Zadok or he that was anoynted by Abiathar he that was anoynted by Zadok had the right because he had Nathan the Prophet upon his side No succession is the right succession although they have both Priest and the holy oyle if they have not Nathan upon their side Salomon had the right succession because he had it by Nathan And so Aaron here had the Lord upon his side and therefore the Priesthood belonged to him He chused the Almond rod because it flourished first Ministers should be trained up frnm their youth The Lord liketh these to be his Ministers who begin to blossome from their youth this was excellently typed in Ieremiah cap. 1. What seest thou Ieremiah I see an Almond rod This figured Ieremiahs calling as the Almond rod blossomed first so Ieremiah was called from his infancy and as the Almond tree flourished first so the Lord was to bring his judgements quickely upon that people which he pronounced by Ieremiah So he chose Samuel from his infancy and Iohn the Baptist from a childe and so Timothy and Athanasius he likes not these autumnales arbores as Iude calleth them vers 12. which begunne not to blossome till the latter end of Harvest and then to enter to the Ministery happy are they who can say with the Church omnes fructus servavi tibi Cant. 7.13 I have reserved all my fruits to thee of my infancy and middle age and old age and have dedicated my selfe still for this calling it is a pitty to see those that have bin deboshed and dissolute men to be thrust into this holy calling a casheerd souldier a bankrupt Merchant or a fallen Courtier When the Lord caused the uncleane spirit to passe out of the land Zach. 13. then those who had no calling to be Prophets were ashamed of their vision and of their rough gowne which they wore to deceive the people because the Prophets of God wore a hairy Gowne they confesse then that they were not Prophets The false Prophets were ashamed of their vision but they were husbandmen and taught to keepe Cattell from their youth it were to be wished that those who have not a calling to this holy function would renounce it and say I was not taught from my youth and trained up to this holy calling but to be a souldier a Merchant c. and therefore I will renounce it The Almond rod brought forth buds blossomes and ripe Almonds The blossoming of Aarons rod was to confirme Aaron as the Vine branches which budded and brought forth blossomes was to confirme the Butler in his office Gen. 40.10 and this was declared to Ieremiah a Priests sonne Ier. 1.11 12. and the continuance of the Priesthood with those who should sprout and grow out of him Ezeck 17.44 children are called buds Iob 30.12 The Church is in a happy estate when she hath qualified labourers in the Lords Vineyard The estate of the Church is happy when they have good men to succeed in the Ministry and expectants to succeed them when she hath her ripe fruits her blossomes and her buds the buds are the yong ones who give themselves to those holy studies the blossomes are the yong men who have made good progresse in Divinity the ripe Almonds are those who are actually serving in the Church The Iewes alluding to Aarons rod call the children of the Priests flores sacerdotoles it was a comfortable thing to Eli when he had yong Samuel to succeed him and to Elijah when he had Elisha to succeed him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reliquium revertetu◠Esay 7.3 and to Esay that had his sonne Shear-jashub to succeed as a pledge to confirme his prophesie that the remnant of the people of God should be saved and brought backe from the captivity againe It was a great comfort to Paul when he had yong Timothy to succeed him and to Augustine when he had Alippius a father dieth the more willingly when he hath a good sonne to succeed him the blossomes may rejoyce when they have the buds to succeed them and the Almonds may rejoyce when they have the blossomes to succeed them Iohn saith 1 Iohn 2.14 I write vnto you babes I write unto you young men and I write unto you old men Babes are the buds the young men are the blossomes and the old men are the Almonds Let us pray to God for the Schooles and Vniversities when the old men are wearing away that good young men may succeed them and babes in their places the Church is much to be pittied now although there bee many youthes to succeed who have knowledge yet there is little sanctification amongst them and therefore lesse hope that their ministery shall bee
translated from the family of Phinehas to Ithamars posterity Ob. for Eli was of the posterity of Ithamar and not of Phinehas and from Eli it came to his sonne Phimehas and then to Achitub and then to Achiaz the brother of Ahimelech and then it was restored to Zadoc see 1 Chron. 24.3 for foure generations the posteritie of Phinehas wanted the Priesthood Elies posterity had it de facto et non de jure Ans therefore it is to be marked what bad successe most of them had in the Priesthood Eli brake his necke his sonne Phinehas was killed in the battell Abiathar was put from the Priesthood and his soone Ahimelech was slaine by Doeg and all this time when they wanted the Priesthood the posterity of Elcazer farre surpassed the posterity of Ithamar 1 Chron. 24.4 Againe it was promised to Phinehas posterity conditionally if they should walke in their fathers wayes This promise of the Priesthood was not made so absolutely to Phinehas but that Phinehas posterity for their sinnes might be deprived of it for a time even as the promise made to David that the Kingdome should continue with his posterity for ever did not exclude the captivity of Babylon and the overthrow of the kingdome for a time yet by vertue of this promise made to Phinehas his posterity could not want it for ever And thirdly it is so promised to his posterity that it should not be taken for ever from him as it was from the posterity of Eli. This rod brought forth Almonds without a roote the fathers reason out of this place against the Iewes who will not beleeve that the Virgin could beare a sonne why will ye beleeve this say they that Aarons rod brought forth Almonds without a roote and cannot beleeve that a Virgin can beare a sonne ye beleeve that Eva was created out of the side of Adam and that Adam was created out of the dust why may yee not beleeve this likewise that God can create a child in the Wombe of the Virgin Yee beleeve that Sara an old withered stocke conceived by the power of God and why ye will not beleeve this that God by his power created the Child in the Wombe of the Virgin The tree blossomed although it was withered Hence we may gather that the withered tree the Church of the Iewes shall flourish againe a man looking with a naturall eye upon that heape of dry bones Ezek. 37. would never thinke that they should rise againe but the Lord by the mighty wind of his Spirit gathered these bones together and made them to live so the Lord by his mighty power shall make the withered tree of the Iewes to flourish againe Obj. But ye will say that Christ cursed the figtree which represented the Church of the Iewes and said Never fruit grow upon thee henceforth Mat. 21.19 Then it may seeme that this tree shall never flourish againe Answ That figtree that was accursed by Christ never to beare fruit againe represented the Iewes who lived then and those who shall live till the conversion of the Iewes but when the wrath of God is come upon them to the full as the Apostle speakes then the Lord shall call them and their rod shall flourish againe Quest Whether kept this rod still the buds blossomes and Almonds when it was laid up before the Lord or not No question it did Answ for the Lord commandeth to lay it up as a testimony against the rebels now when it kept the buds blossomes and Almonds it testified the more vively against them and as the Manna lasted so many hundreth yeares in the golden pot so did this rod keepe the blossomes and Almonds When Aarons rod budded it was a token to him that he was called of the Lord he that runneth and is not sent by the Lord shall never doe good in that holy Calling these Agrippa who were borne with their feet formost it was a bad token of their evill government to follow as it fell out in Herod Agrippa who was a very bad Governour so when a Preacher is not sent by God to his people and the Lord doth not make his rod to bud he shall never be a profitable Minister in his Calling Of the priviledges of the first borne under the Law and what he was bound to doe to his brethren and kinsmen Matth. 22.24 If a man die having no children his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed unto him AFter that the Pharisees had tempted Christ the same day the Sadduces came to tempt him who denyed the Resurrection and they reason with Christ ab absurdo if there were a Resurrection then this absurdity would follow that seven men should have one wife at the Resurrection but this is absurd therefore c. and thus they goe about to ground upon Moses Law For Moses commanded in the Law that if a man dye without seed then his brother should raise up his seed unto him Deut. 35.5 Now there fell out a case among us that a man married a wife and dyed without children his brother married his wife and he dyed without children also and seven brethren had her to wife Whose wife then shall she be in the Resurrection Our Lord answereth that they erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God for in the Resurrection men neither marry nor give in marriage but are like the Angels of God The Sadduces who denyed the Resurrection put this question to Christ He that denyeth the immortality of the soule cannot hold one sound point in Religion the Sadduces denyed the immortality of the soule they held the soule to be like Quickesilver which made the body to stirre or like Salt that kept the body from corruption as Epicurus held and the best that they made of it they said it was an exact temperature of the humours of the body and then for the Angels they said they were but good thoughts but not subsisting spirits Now if the soule be not an immortall substance the body cannot be joyned to it againe for the weale of the body dependeth upon the soules immortality they held the soule to be mortall and therefore of necessity they behoved to deny the resurrection Tertullian called the Marcionites and Valentinians qui credebant reditum animae non corporis partiarios Saducaeos We who professe our selves to be Christians say the Creed and repeate this Article often I beleeve the resurruction of the body but yet if we will looke to the lives of most part of men we shall heare than say no other thing but that which the Sadduces and Epicures said 1 Cor. 15.32 Let us eate let us drinke for to morrow we shall dye that is be quite extinguished in soule and body as if there were no more of us after our death thā beasts when they are knockt on the head when the Pharises reasoned with the Sadduces they said unto thē Why study ye to keep the Law seeing ye beleeve not the immortality
a Iudgâ— doubt in his conscience in such a case what is he to doe Answ Here he is not to giue out sentence for that which is not of faith is sinne Rom. 14.23 That is whatsoever he doth against his conscience Conclusion The conclusion of this is seeing the sentence of judgement dependeth upon the witnesses there is great fidelitie required in them that the Iudge may proceed orderly in judgement and that he make not a false sentence proceed as it were out of the mouth of God CHAPTER XVIII An partus sequitur ventrem GEN. 21.10 Cast out the handmaid and her sonne for the sonne of the bond-woman shall not be heire with my sonne Isaac GOD who is the God of order and not of confusion hath debarred the children from sundry priviledges for their fathers sinnes The children of Heathen Parents were not admitted to the Covenant untill they became Proselytes First if both the Parents were Heathen the Lord secluded the children from the Covenant and they were not circumcised untill they became Proselytes they were not circumcised nomine Parentum in the name of their fathers but when they imbraced the faith were converted Secondly If both the Parents were Iewes and did not beget their children in wedlocke then the children were secluded from the inheritance Iudg. 11.2 Thou shalt not inherite with us because thou art the sonne of a strange woman Thirdly If an Israelite had married a bond-woman then the children were secluded from the inheritance although their fathers were free those who were borne of Handmaids were alwayes reputed servants and God applyed this to Christ himselfe as he was man Esay 49.5 I haue called my servant from the wombe so Esay 42.1 Behold my servant whom I uphold my Elect in whom my soule is well pleased Christ as man was a servant Marie called her selfe the Lords handmaide Luk. 1.28 therefore Christ as man borne of Marie the hand-maide was a servant But yee will say Object that things take their denomination from the best part as Water and Wine mixed together is called Wine so Chaffe Wheat mingled together yet it is called Wheat Why then should not the childe be reckoned to be free after his father and not reckoned bond after his mother who is a bond-woman In Physicall mixtures it is so Answ but it is not so in marriage In Physicall mixtures things take their denomination from the better part this is rather like that which is spoken in the Schooles Conclusio sequitur deteriorem partem if any of the premisses be particular so is the conclusion The Doctors of the Iewes propound this case if a Heathenish captiue woman were taken in the Warres she is converted and becommeth a Proselyte whether should her childe be judged to be a free man or not in Israel And they answere that this childe borne of this stranger is not to be counted a free man Verum Senatus suo decreto Lustrari eum tantum curat H. Melahh 8.9 they cause onely to wash him but they will not circumcise him untill he be able to make confession of his faith and become a Proselyte and here they say Partus sequitur ventrem if the mother had beene a free woman either before or after the birth amongst the Romans the childe was reputed to be free but not so amongst the people of the Iewes Wherefore the Iudges in Israell willed all true Israelites not to match themselues unequally in degrees for the disgrace which it brought upon their children making them uncapable of freedome and unfit to be heires Conclusion Difference betwixt the Iudiciall Law and the Covenant of grace The conclusion of this is Here we may see the excellency of the Covenant of grace aboue the Iudiciall Law for if any of the Parents be faithfull then the childe is holy 1 Cor. 7.14 that is he may be admitted to the Covenant CHAPTER XIX An error personae irritat contractum IOSH. 8.18 And the children of Israel smote them not because the Princes of the Congregation had sworne unto them by the Lord God of Israel IT may seeme that Error personae irritat contractum as if a man married one woman in stead of another the marriage is nullified Object If the error of the person make the contract null what shall we thinke of Isaacs blessing who blessed Iacob in stead of Esau and yet the blessing was effectuall and what shall we thinke of Ioshua's Covenant made with the Gibeonites whom he tooke to be strangers and yet the Covenant stood firme and sure and what shall we say of Iacobs marriage with Leah in stead of Rachel Here the marriage was not irritat and made voide although there was an errour in the person First Answ for Iacobs marriage with Leah in stead of Rachel if Iacob had not afterwards approved this mariage Of Iacobs marriage with Leah and gone in unto her and begotten children upon her the marriage had beene voyde but because he went in unto her and begot children upon her this error was taken away Secondly it may be answered for Isaacs blessing Of Isaacs blessing Iacob in stead of Esau in blessing Iacob in stead of Esau Ioshua's Covenant made with the Gibeonites There were three who concurred here First God secondly the persons who craftily concurred here to deceiue and thirdly the persons who were deceived In Isaacs blessing we haue to consider first God who cannot deceiue nor be deceived In blessing of Iacob three persons concurred then Rebecca and Iacob who craftily deceived and thirdly Isaac who was deceived Now because it was Gods intention to giue the blessing to Iacob therefore neither Iacobs craft nor Isaacs error could hinder the blessing Isaac giveth the blessing ignorantly but because it was according to Gods intention and revealed will who was the principall giver of the blessing therefore the blessing was effectuall Ioshua's Covenant with the Gibeonites So in the Covenant with the Gibeonites the Lord commanded to offer peace to the seven Nations if they would seek it now in commeth the deceit of the Gibeonites and errour of Ioshua who is deceived yet because it was Gods chiefe intention that those of the seven Nations who sought peace should be saved therefore the oath stood firme and the errour in the person did not make it voyde and the matter may be cleared thus Simile the Lord forbiddeth a brother to eate with a railer a drunkard or an extortioner 1 Cor. 5.11 but if a drunkard or a railer or an exâ—ortioner should come to the Table of the Lord I am not to refuse to eate at that Table although the drunkard be there The reason is because this is not my private Table but the Lords banquet and I expect the blessing onely from him in it and the sinnes of the drunkard cannot hinder me but if I should bid such a one to my house to eate with me then I should be guiltie
it this was called Hesperismus the ancient Greekes called this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the time when a mans shadow was ten foot in length for they measured the houres by their shadow when the shadow was of such a length then it was such an houre when their shadow was six foot long then they used to wash themselues and when it was ten foote long then they went to Supper The meat upon which they fed at Dinner and Supper was called Sagnadah their sustentation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fulcrum a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fulcire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rapere and Tereph victus their foode which commeth from the roote Taraph to take by rapine or hunt for the prey because of old they hunted for their meat Gen. 27.3 Take thy weapons thy Quiver and thy Bow and goe out to the field and take hunt me some Venison Things set before them upon the Table were Esculenta poculenta condimenta the first for meat What things were set upon the Table the second for drinke and the third for sauce to relish their meat Meat and drinke the Scriptures oftentimes expresse by bread and water 2 King 6.22 set bread and water before them that they may eat and drinke then it is added in the next verse he prepared great provision for them Their bread was of Wheat Barley Lentils Beanes Of their bread Wheat was the most excellent bread Deut. 32.14 I fed thee with fat of the kidnies of Wheate this bread when it was not fermented was called the poores bread Deut. 16 3. because the poore had not leasure to ferment it The second sort of bread was of Barley Barley a base bread which was abaser sort of bread used onely in time of scarcitie Revel 6.6 And for the basenesse of it Gideon is compared to a Barley Cake Iudg. 7.13 those were called by the Greekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eaters of Barley this Barley-bread is a bread which nourisheth little therefore it was a great blessing of Christ when he fed fiue thousand with fiue barley loaues Ioh. 6.9 They had a more baser sort of bread made of Lentils Millet and Fitches Ezek. 4.9 Daniel and his companions eat of the Lentils Dan. 1.12 Why Daniel eat Lentiles And the reason seemeth to be this why they eat Lentils and refused the Kings meat because they used not these Lentils in their Sacrifices to their Idols The Romans of old tooke their name from those and they were called Lenticuli Fabij They used also to eat herbes Prov. 15.17 Better is a dinner of herbes where loue is than a stalled Oxe and hatred therewith and Rom. 14.2 another who is weake eateth herbes and the reason why they would eat herbes seemeth to be this because men before the Flood eat herbes onely Their other meats were called Opsonia and their coursest sort of meat was Locusts and wilde honey Mat. 3.4 there were sundry sorts of Locusts of which foure sorts were cleane Levit. 11. the rest they might not eat of them Of their drinke Their drinke was water Sicera a composed strong drinke and wine mixed or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not mixed if they mixed it with water 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vinum mixtum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 miscuit then they were said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and when it was mixed with spices it was called Mimsach Libamen mustum Their Condimenta the sauces which made their meats to relish were Salt and Vineger onely Ruth 2.14 Dip thy morsell in the Vineger The spare dyet of Gods people By this which hath beene said we may perceiue what was the sober dyet of the people of God in old times they used but a spare dyet this was called by the Latines Mensa necessaria Seneca hanc mensam produxit ad aquam panem Three sorts of dyet There are three sorts of dyets set downe in the Scripture Iohn Baptists dyet Christs dyet and the Epicures dyet Iohn the Baptist came neither eating nor drinking Mat. 11.18 That is he eat wilde honey and the coursest things Our Lord dranke Wine but yet very moderately the Epicures dyet is Let us eat let us drinke for to morrow we shall die 1 Cor. 15.32 Iohn the Baptists dyet and Christs dyet are not the two extreames but they are both vertues the two extreames are the Epicures dyet Let us eat let us drinke and the dyet of the scrupulous man who eateth onely herbes Rom. 14.2 the Epicure taketh God to be an indulgent father to him in giving him the creatures to eat of them at his pleasure and the other taketh God to be a niggard who granteth not the liberall use of the creatures to his children Of the manner how they sat at Table AT the first in the daies of the Patriarches they sat streight up as we doe now and afterwards they sat in beds and some hold that they learned this custome from the Persians but this custome was more ancient than the Persians for it was in the dayes of Samuel 1 Sam. 9.22 And he brought them into the Parlor and made them sit in the chiefest place Ezek. 23 41. 2 Sam. 4.5 Sometimes they had triclinia when three sat in a bed or biclinia when two sat in a bed and they had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when they did Luxuriare Christ and his Disciples when they eat the Sacrament they sat in beds therefore when the Church of Corinth received the Sacrament together we must not thinke that they sat in beds as Christ and his Apostles did for then they should haue had too many beds which had beene excessiue and contrary to the more modest custome of the Greekes This kinde of sitting was halfe sitting and halfe leaning which the Evangelist calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet because it was usuall Table-gesture they call it sitting Ezek. 23.41 and the Hebrewes call their Chambers Mesubboth and their sitters Mesubhim If three sat in a bed then the midst was the chiefest place and he that lay in his bosome erat secundus a primo he was in the second place and he that sat next unto him was in the third place he that was best beloved leaned in the bosome of the Master of the feast To leane in the bosome a token of loue from this custome is that speech borrowed to be in Abrahams bosome to signifie that familiaritie and societie which the Saints of God shall haue with the Father of the faithfull in the Heaven and also to signifie the unitie of essence in the Father and the Sonne he is said to come out of the bosome of the Father Ioh. 1.18 Of their Feasts OF their sundry sorts of feasts of those who were invited to their feasts of the number of those who sat at their feasts the end wherefore they made feasts and more particularly of their excesse and pompe in their feasting compared with the Greekes They
this the Priest did not prophesie neyther made songues to the prayse of God but having put on this breastplate it was a signe to him that God would answer these doubts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he asked of him it is called the Brestplate of judgement mishpat signifieth eyther the administration of publike judgements Esa 41.3 or private affaires Pro. 13.23 est qui absumitur absqe judicio that is because his family is not rightly administrat It is called then the breastplate of judgement because the Lord taught his people in their doubtfull cases what to doe The breastplate and the Vrim and Thumim are distinguished by this vrim and thummim Exod. 28.30 Thou shalt put in the breastplate Vrim and Thummim Some hold that the twelve pretious stones set in the brestplate were called vrim and thummim as Kimchi but the Text maketh against that for the breastplate and the vrim and the thummim are distinguished vers 30. Some of the Iewes againe incline most to this sense that these two words vrim and Thummim were set in the breastplate as holinesse to the Lord was written in great letters upon a plate of Gold What this Vrim and Thummim were and set in the forehead of the highpriest But it seemeth rather that they were two pretious stones given by the Lord himselfe to be set in the brestplate and an Ancient Iew called Rabbi Bechai marketh ה demonstrativum that these two are set downe cum he demonstrativo for their excellencie Neyther saith the Lord thou shalt make vrim and thummim as hee sayd of the rest of the ornaments of the Highpriests thou shalt make this or that The letters did not make up the answer It is commonly holden that the letters did shine out of the breastplate of Aaron when the Lord gave his answers to him that he might read the answer by the letters but this could not be as may appeare by the forme of the brestplate following The forme of the Breast-plate When David asked of the Lord 1 Sam. 23.12 will the men of Keila deliver me and my men into the hands of Saul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord sayd ysgiru they will deliver thee here the letters in the brestplate would have made up this whole answer Iod from Iehuda Samech from Ioseph Gimel from Gad Iod from Levi Resh from Reuben and Vau from Reuben but Iudges 20.8 when the Israelites asked counsell of the Lord who shall goe up first to battell against Benjaman it was answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iehuda Battechilla Iuda shall goe up first now there was not so many letters in the brestplate to expresse this answer for there wanted foure letters of the Alphabet in the brest-plate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Sam. 5.23 There wanted foure letters in the Breast-plate when David enquired of the Lord shall I goe up against the Philistimes the Lord answered Thou shalt not goe up but fetch a compasse behind them and come upon them over against the Mulberry trees The letters in the brestplate could not expresse all this therefore it was not by the letters that the Lord answered the Priest but when hee had on this brestplate How the Lord taught the Priest by Vrim and Thummim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or rationale upon him then the Lord taught him what to answer and this brestplate was but a signe unto him that the Lord would answer him as Sampsons hayre was a signe unto him that the Lord would continue his strength with him as long as hee kept his haire how was the strength in Sampsons haire not as in the cause or in the subject but onely as in the signe so in the Apostles garments and shaddow The Vrim and Thummim were a signe onely that the Lord would answer the Priest they were but a signe of their power which they had in healing miraculously and so was vrim and thummim but a signe of this that the Lord would answer the Priest The vrim and thummim were not alwayes with the Arke The Vrim and Thummim were not ever with the Arke for all the time of Saul they asked not counsell of the Arke 1 Chron. 13.3 Let us bring againe the Arke of our God unto us for we enquired not at it in the dayes of Saul they went usually to aske counsell in the Tabernacle and Sanctuarie of the Lord Iud. 20. they went up to Silo where the Tabernacle was to aske the Lord then the Arke was in the Tabernacle but when the Arke was separated from the Tabernacle they might sacrifice in the Tabernacle So they might aske the Lord here by vrim and thummim although the Arke was not there When the Highpriest asked counsell for David at Nob the Arke was not there nor the Tabernacle but onely vrim and thummim but when the Arke and the vrim and thummim were together they alwayes enquired the Lord before the Arke and when they were separated they turned their faces towards the Arke wheresoever it was when they asked counsell by the judgement of vrim and thummim When David was in Ziglag 1 Sam. 30. he asked counsell of the Lord by the Priest but neyther the Arke nor the Tabernacle was ever in Ziglag a towne of the Philistims They asked counsell of the Lord at the Arke by the High Priest When any are sayd to aske counsell of the Lord who were not Highpriests as the Israelites are sayd thrice to aske the Lord. Iud. 20.18 1 Sam. 14.37 23.2 1 Chron. 14. they are understood to have done this by the Highpriest for Num. 27.21 Ioshua is commanded to aske counsell at the Lord by Eleazer the High-priest How he stood who asked counsell by Vrim and Thummim The manner how he stood who asked counsell of the Lord by the Highpriest He shall stand before Eleazar the Priest who shall aske counsell for him after the judgment of Vrim before the Lord. Num. 27.21 he stood not directly before the Highpriest for then he should have stood betwixt him and the Arke therefore liphne should be translated juxta 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a latere or beside the Priest Hee stood by the Highpriest when he asked counsell and hee heard not what tht Lord sayd to the Priest but the Priest gave him his answer The Lord by Vrim and Thummim answered distinctly to every question When two things are demanded of the Lord he answered in order to them As 1 Sam. 23.9 will they come up The Lord answered they will come up So he answered to the second question will they deliver me They will deliver thee They asked not counsell of the Lord by Vrim and Thummim but in great and weighty matters They asked counsell by Vrim and Thummim onely in matters of weight as David after the death of Saul 1 Sam. 2. So 2 Sam. 5. they asked the Lord for the King for the common wealth or for a
are both called the Mothers wombe and the grave Psal 139.15 My substance was curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth that is in my Mothers wombe and as no man hateth the belly that conceived and bred him so no man should hate the grave which is his second mother He marketh the two extremes here the birth and the death and passeth by our life to teach us the shortnesse of our life the Scripture describeth the shortnesse of mans life sundry wayes First he calleth our dayes anni numeri that is which may bee easily numbered Iob. 16.22 when a few yeeres are come yeeres of number than I shall go the way whence I shal not returne so dies numeri signifie a few dayes Num. 19.20 so homines numeri a few men Deut. 4.27 So Ezek. 12.16 and Esay 10.19 The rest of the trees of his forrest shall be number that a child may write them that is they shall be few and here Iob saith When yeeres of number are come that is a few yeeres that may be easily numbered to note the shortnesse of his dayes Secondly our life is called saeculum Psal 17.14 Thirdly our yeeres are reduced to three score and tenne and if by reason of strength they be fourescore yet is their strength labour and sorrow for it is soone cut off and we flye away if a man out live threescore and ten he payeth interest for those yeeres much sorrow and griefe Then our yeeres are compared to the dayes of an hireling Iob. 7.1 which was a short time the yeres of an hirling were but three yeeres and the Lord to shew the suddaine destruction that should come upon Moah he saith Esay 16.14 Within three yeeres as the yeeres of an hirling and the glory of Moab shall be contemned that is it shall shortly be contemned so Iob saith his dayes are like the dayes of an hireling that is they are very short They are compared to monthes Iob. 14.5 the number of his monthes are with thee Then they are compared to dayes and to an artificiall day from the sunnerising to the setting of the Sunne they are like grasse which groweth up in the evening it is cut down and whitereth Ps 90.6 and to a watch in the night which was but three or foure houres vers 4. then they are compared to an houre then to a moment and last to nothing Psal 39.5 So our yeeres for the shortnesse of them are compared to a post Iob. 25. Now my dayes are swifter than a post they flyaway see no good they are passed away as the swift ships as the Eagle that hasteneth to her pray Marke the gradation here First Iob compareth his dayes to a post a post goeth on in his journey very swiftly when one horse wearieth he will take another and so goeth on but yet he must rest sometimes Therefore hee goeth further and compareth them to the swiftest ships that are called ships of desire the ship will not weary day nor night yet there may come a contrary winde and make her stay therefore he goeth higher and he compareth his dayes to the Eagle which of all fowles is the swiftest to catch pray and nothing can stay her untill she have obtained it So mans dayes wearies not nothing can stay them in their course but they flye away and hasten to their end So mans life is compared to the weavers shitle Iob. 7.6 this comparison would be marked for the shuttle carieth the threed within it and the weaver tosseth the shuttle too and fro untill the threed be spent and then he cuteth it off So time is the weaver that tosseth the shuttle and our dayes are as the threed within the shuttle which peece and peece are spent and then death cutteth them off So they are compared to a smoke and to a dreame or to a vapour Psal 49. or to the breath of ones mouth and to this the Apostle hath reference when he saith what is your life it is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away Iam. 4.4 Now that our death may be comfortable unto us first we must remember that we are mortall Gen. 2.17 In that day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye the death Symachus translateth it Mortalis eris the consideration of mortalitie in Abraham made him to say that he was but dust and ashes Gen. 78.27 It is appointed unto men once to dye but after this the judgement Heb. 9.17 If men dyed not they could not obtaine life eternall for flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdome of God neither doth corruption inherit incorruption therefore we must either die or be changed And this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortall must put on immortality and then we need not to be afraid of death for it shall be swallowed up in victory 1 Cor. 15.50 as the Wise man saith Ecclus 14.12 Remember that death is not long in comming and that the covenant of the Grave is not shewed unto thee The Lord sheweth unto us that we are all mortall and that we must dye but he sheweth not in particular the time when we shall dye and therefore we should be ready at all times Secondly remember the advertisements of death when thou art faint and weary those are Gentlemen Vshers to death when yee feele those messengers remember that the sound of their Masters feet is behind them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cincinni sic dicti quod facile mutantur a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mutabit 2 King 6.32 We are called in the Scriptures bene hhaloph Prov 31.8 Children of change and the lockes of our haire are called mahhaliphoth mutationes Iudg 16.13 because they are soone changed when our haire beginneth to change once that is an advertisement to death as the wise man saith but many men take no notice of those advertisements when a Sergeant commeth to arrest a man the man absenteth himselfe and will not seeme to be at home yet notwithstanding the arrestment is valide and holdeth good in the Law so those advertisements of death although thou neglect them and seemest not to be at home yet the arrestment shall hold good and thou shalt be enforced to answer at the day appointed Thirdly looke upō the death of others for that he looketh seriously upon the death of others he cannot chuse but that he must remember his mortality 2 Sam. 20.12 When Amasa was wallowing in his blood all the people stood still and lookt upon him when people behold the death of others then it should put them in minde of their owne death Fourthly acquaint thy selfe often with death that it seeme not a stranger to thee when it commeth Hierome set the skull of a dead man before him daily and the Anchorites of old scraped with their nailes some part of their owne grave every day Put not the evill day farre from thee Esay 22.12 When the Lord called the Iewes to mourning yet they put the evill
day farre from them and they said Let us eate let us drinke for tomorrow wee shall die 1 Cor. 15.32 Many men live now as though they should never dye they make a covenant with death as the Prophet saith Esay 28.16 We have made a covenant with death and with hell are we at agreement But they are deceived death is unmercifull it will mak a league with no man this league is made only in the imagination of their owne hearts Fiftly consider the comforts which we have against the grave it is very terrible in it selfe it is called a pit Esa 38.18 darknesse and the Land of oblivion Psal 88.13 The shadow of death Iob 10.21 corruption and destruction and for the power of it it is said to have gates and doores Iob 38.13 and a soule Esay 5.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dilatat sepulchrum animam suam Hirhhibbah sheol naphshah the grave hath enlarged her soule so to have hands Psal 49.16 and 89.49 so to have a mouth Ps 141.7 so a sting 1 Cor. 15.55 all those Epithites are to shew how terrible and fearefull it is to a wicked impenitent sinner who lyeth down in it with his sins upon him but to the godly it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sleeping place it is a place that all men yea even the best must come into Iacob made account to go thither Gen. 37.35 and Iob desired to be there O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave Iob 14.13 Because he knew that it was his house Iob. 17.13 Yea Christ himselfe was there and sanctified it first he bought the grave the price of him that was valued after that Iudas had cast it backe againe was given for a potters field for the buriall of strangers this is the first right which gentiles have to the grave because Christ purchased it unto them Againe Christ was buried in Golgotha where his blood ranne downe upon the graves of the dead that were buried there Thirdly he hath lyen downe in it and whereas it was loathsome before now he hath persumed it so that we may safely lye downe in that bed in which his blessed body lay and lastly he hath the key of the grave to open it when hee pleaseth so that it hath no power to keepe us Revela 1.18 I have the keyes of hell and of death this is a singular comfort to us then who are the Children of God so that we may say better is the day of our death than the day of our birth Sixtly wee should remember that our dead bodies are within the covenant and the Lord forgetteth them not When Iacob went downe to Egypt the Lord promised to bring him backe againe Gen. 46.4 but how did the Lord bring him backe againe seeing he dyed in Egypt The Lord was with him when his bones were brought out of Egypt so the Lord preserveth all the bodies of his Saints and he keepeth all their bones Psal 34.20 yea even when they are in the grave because they are within the Covenant therefore it is called domus viventium the house of the living Lastly that our death may be comfortable unto us let us remember that it doth not onely put an end to our miseries in this life but it is the entrance to glory and everlasting happinesse where we shall see the Lord and his Angels and abide with them eternally Moses is renowned unto the worlds end because hee saw the Lords backe parts onely but we shall not onely see his backeparts but we shall see him as he is even face to face 1 Iohn 3.2 1 Cor. 13.12 The Queene of Sheba heard many things of Salomon and yet the halfe was not told her but when shee saw him face to face then shee said Happy are thy men happy are thy servants that stand continually before thee 1 King 10.8 So in this life wee heare many things of Christ the true Salomon and his kingdome but yet the halfe are not told us for the eye hath not seene nor eare heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2.9 But at the day of our death when our soule shall be separated from our bodies then wee shall see these things and shall say with the Queene of Sheba happy are thy men happy are thy servants that stand continually before thee and blessed are the dead that die in the Lord Revel 14.13 If wee consider these things seriously wee shal be inforced to conclude with Salomon here better is the day of death thā the day that one is borne Errata Pag. 32. line 6 for Ezek. r. Esa pag. 43. l. 15. for eate of this r. eate not of this bread but other lesse holy things pag. 68. l. 30. were essentially r. as the cause and the effect pag. 73. l. 8. r. first fruits pag. 82. l. 20. dele done upon pag. 95. l. 1. Pentecost r. Passeover pag. 101. l. 11. dele therefore p. 114. l. 25. r. they blew not at all in the fifty yeere as Masius holdeth but in the forty nine yeere pag. 156. l. 22. for neither r. and his sonnes but not his daughter pag. 168. l. 27. for thee r. his FINIS AN EXPLICATION OF THE IVDICIALL LAWES OF MOSES Plainely discovering divers of their ancient Rites and Customes As in their Governours Government Synedrion Punishments Civill Accompts Contracts Marriages Warres and Burialls Also their Oeconomicks Vizt their dwellings Feasting Clothing and Husbandrie Together with two Treatises the one shewing the different estate of the godly and wicked in this life and in the life to come The other declaring how the wicked may be inlightned by the preaching of the Gospel and yet become worse after they be illuminated All which are cleered out of the Originall Languages and doe serue as a speciall helpe for the true understanding of divers difficult Texts of Scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Venia danda primum aliquid experienti By IOHN WEEMSE of Lathocker in Scotland Preacher of Gods Word LONDON Printed by Iohn Dawson for Iohn Bellamie and are to be sold at his Shoppe at the signe of the three Golden Lyons in Cornehill neere the Royall Exchange 1632. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE COLENE EARLE OF SEAFORT Lord Mackenzee and Kintaill one of his MAIESTIES most Honorable Privie Councell in the Kingdome of Scotland Honorable and my very good Lord GOD who is the God of order and not of confusion from whom all good things descend hath placed here below sundry sorts of people Prov. 30.25.26.27.28 the Ants are a people not strong yet they prepare their meat in the Summer the Conies are but a feeble folke yet make they their houses in the Rocks the Locusts haue no King yet goe they forth all of them by bands the Spider taketh hold with her hands and is in Kings palaces this sort of people differ very much for some of them are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which provide onely