and the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron that they should put an Homer of this Manna which they did eat into a Pot and lay it up before the Lord to be kept for the Generations ver 33 And the Children of Israel did eat Manna forty years until they came to the borders of the Land of Canaan and all the Congregation of the Children of Israel journied from the Wilderness of Sin after their journey according to the command of the Lord and pitched in Rephidim there was no water for the people to drink and the people did chide with Moses and the people thirsted there for water and Moses cryed unto the Lord saying what shall I do unto this people they be almost ready to stone me and the Lord said unto Moses go on before the people and take with thee the Elders of Israel and thy Rod wherewith thou smotest the River take in thy hand and go and behold I stand before thee there upon the Rock in Horeb and thou shalt 〈◊〉 the Rock and Water shall come out of it that the people may drink and Moses did so in the sight of all the Children of Israel and the Lord gave them his Laws and his Statutes and sent Moses unto them and said thus shalt thou say unto the House of Jacob and tell the Children of Israel ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and how I bare you on Eagle wings and brought you unto my self now therefore if yoâ— will obey my voice indeed and keep my Covenant then shall ye be a 〈◊〉 treasure unto me above all the people of the earth And the Lord said unto Moses loâ— come unto thee in a thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak â—nto thee and believe thee for over tâ— be readlly therefore on one third day for thâ— Lord will come down unto Mount Sina in the sight of all the people and it came to pass in the morning of the third day that there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the Mount and the voice of the Trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people that was in the Camp trembled and Moseâ— brought forth the people out of the Camp to meet with the Lord and they stood at the nether part of the Mount and Mount 〈◊〉 was altogether of a smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a Furnace and the whole Mount quaked greatly and when the voice of the Trumpet sounded long and waxed douder and 〈◊〉 Mosâ—s spake and God answered him by a vâ—iue and the 〈◊〉 Mosâ—s up to the top of the Mount and Moses went up as you may read at large Exod. 19. And the Lord gave his Law unto Moses from his own mouth and God spake all these words and said I am the Lord thy God thou shalt have none other Gods but me c. Exod. 20. And after the Lord had given his Law and his ten Commandments to them when the people saw the thundrings and the lightnings and the noise of the Trumpet and the Mountain smoking they removed and stood afar off and said unto Moses speak thou unto us and we will hear but let not God speak with us lest we die And Moses said unto the people fear not for God is come to prove you that his fear may be before your faces that ye sin not and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was and the Lord said unto Moses say unto the Children of Israel you have seen that I have talked with you from Heavenâ— ye shall not make with me Gods of Silver neither shall ye make ye Gods of Gold ver 23. And God commanded Moses to make an Ark the Ark of his Covenant with a Candlestick and all the holy Vessels of the Sanctuary as you may read at large Exod. 25. Moreover he commanded Moses to make the Tabernacle with all its Curtains Coverings and Vails Chap. 26. Also he commanded him to make an Altar on which the Offerings were to be offered as you may read from Chap. 27. to Chap. 30. and so to the end of the Book of Exodus And after this the Lord made Moses write his Law in Tables of Stone and Moses hewed two Tables of Stone and went up early in the morning as the Lord commanded him unto Mount Sinai and took in his hands the two Tables of Stone and the Lord descended in the Cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord The Lord merciful and gracious long-suffering abundant in goodness and truth and keeping mercy for thousands pardoning iniquity transgression and Sin Exod. 34. So all the precious works of Moses and Aaron and all their faithfulness and their care and their diligence and how the Lord honoured them with his presence and how they taught and governed and prophesied unto the Children of Israel why they led them through the Wilderness 40 years together ye may read in the four Books of Moses viz. Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Deuteronomy THE Lord promised the Children of Israel and said unto Moses I will raise them up from among their brethren a Prophet like unto thee and I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I command him Deut. 18.18 here Moses was a Prophet for Christ witnesses that Moses writ of him and Philip said we have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write Jâ—â— 1.45 and Chap. 5.45 do not think that I will accuse your to the Father there is one that accuseth you even Moses for 〈◊〉 you believed Moses ye would have believed me for he wrote of me but if ye believe not his writings how shall ye believe my words And the Apostle saith and Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant forth testimony of those things which were to be spoken after Heb. 3.5 And this was the Commandment which Moses laid before the Children of Israel a little before his departure from them saith he for this Commandment which I command you this day it is not hidden from thee neither is it afar off it is not in Heaven that thou shouldest say who shall go up for 〈◊〉 to Heaven and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it neither is it beyond the Sea that thou shouldest say who shall go over the Sea for us and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it but the word is very nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it I have sâ—t before thee this day life and death and good and evil Deuteronemy 30.11 to the 15. and Rom. 10.5 6 7 8 9 10. So after his Exhortations he blessed them with large blessings as you may read in the 31 3â— and 33 Chapters at large And he said I am 120 years old I can no more go out and come in and the Lord
and cryed and the people wept and the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron and the whole Congregation said would God we had died in the Land of Egypt would God that we had died in the Wilderness and wherefore hath the Lord brought us up to this Land our Wives and our Children to be a Prey were it not better for us to return into Egypt let us make us a Captain and let us return into Egypt Here you may see how they requited the Lord and how evilly they dealt with him for all his mercies and his wonders which he wrought for them and many a time did they murmur and rebel against the Lord while Moses led them through the Wilderness even forty years long was the Lord grieved with them and tempted with them till he even swore in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest and all along ever since you may see how ill they dealt with the Lord and continually provoked him to anger by their abominations and worshipping of other Gods insomuch that he complains by his Prophet Isaiah hear O Heavens and give ear O earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me the Oxe knows his owner c. as you may read through the first Chapter of Isaiah And again in Jer. 2. Be astonish'd O ye Heavens at this and be horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord for they have forgotten me the Fountain of living 〈…〉 and hewed And again the Apostle when he was speaking of his Kinsmen the Jews according to the flesh saith I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my Brethren my Kinsâ—en according to the flesh who are Israelites to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory and the Covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises whose are the Fathers and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for ever Rom. 9.3 4 5. And in the first of John when the Disciples were seeking for Christ Jesus turned and saith unto them what seek ye they said unto him Rabbi which being interpreted Master and one of them findeth his Brother and saith unto him we have found the Messiah which being interpreted is the Christ Jesus saw Nathaniel and saith of him behold an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile ver 47. And Jesus himself saith to the woman of Samaria we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews the woman saith I know that when the Messâ—â—h cometh which is called Christ he will tell us all things Jesus saith unto her I am he Joh. 4.22 to the 26. ver Thus the Lord performed his faithful Covenant and promise unto Abraham and to his seed of whom according to the flesh Christ came So that you see he is a God that keepeth Covenant with his people though they broke his Commandments and his Laws and his Ordinances and his Statutes yet he fulfilled his Promises and Covenant to them concerning Christ coming in the flesh So now as the Law was given forth by Moses grace and truth cometh by Jesus Christ And so as the Children of Israel and all their Laws and the Ark of the Covenant and their Priests and their Offerings and their Sacrifices and their Sabbaths and their Temple the Apostle saith was but a Figure for the time then present in which were offered both Gifts and Sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience they could not make the Priests perfect as you may read at large in the 9. and 10. Chapters of the Hebrews Therefore the Lord had a further thing in his determination and Decree in the manifesting his Son Christ Jesus in the flesh of which we shall speak more hereafter And the Apostle saith Col. 2. let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy day or a new Moon or of the Sabbath days which are a shadow of things to come but the body is Christ And this is that seed which the Apostle saith the promise was made unto Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made he saith not to seeds as of many but as of one and to thy seed which seed is Christ Gal. 3.16 And so notwithstanding that they broke their Covenant with the Lord which stood in outward performances yet the Lord performed his promise and Covenant unto Abraham which is the seed Christ which the Lord calls a new and everlasting Covenant Heb. 8.10 Jer. 31.33 For saith the Apostle it is written that Abraham had two Sons the one by a bond-maid the other by a free-woman he who was of the bond-woman was born after the flesh and he of the free-woman was by promise which things are an Allegory for these are the two Covenants the one from Mount Sinai which gendereth to bondage which is Hagar for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth unto Jerusalem which now is and is in â—ondage with her Children Gal. 4.22 23 24 25. These are they we have treated on all along Jerusalem according to the flesh which were the visible people that the Lord owned in their day upon the Earth which had their Laws outward written in Tables of stone their Covenant outward which was an Ark their Priests whose lips were to preserve their knowledg were outward Priests which was the Tribe of Levi their Offerings and their Sacrifices outward their Sabbath every seventh day their Temple an outward Temple buâ—lded at Jerusalem which they were all to go to worship at once a year as you may read in the Law of Moses and all these they did not perform according to the command of the Lord but broke Covenant on their parts with him So now this other seed which the Lord promised unto Abraham which all the Prophets bare witness of he changeth this first Covenant and this first Priesthood and the Law also as you may read Heb. 7. Now we saith the Apostle as Isaac was are the children of the promise for Jerusalem which now is free which is the mother of us all So then brethren we are not Children of the Bond-woman but of the free Gal. 4. So this seed Christ hath put an end to all that went before him he is the fulfilling and the substance of those that went before that were figures and types for he hath obtained a more excellent Ministry by how much also he is the Mediator of a better Covenant which is established upon better promises For if the first Covenant had been fruitless then should no place have been sought for the second but finding fault with the first he promised the second Heb. 8.6 7. as you may read in the most of the Prophesies of the Prophets who have not only relation to the first Covenant which we have treated on before but also to this second and New
shall be there and I will put a Division between my people and thy people and the Lord did so and on the morrow there came grievous swarms of Flies into the House of Pharaoh and into all the Houses of the Egyptians nevertheless Pharaohs heart was hardened again as the Lord said 6. The Lord said unto Moses go unto Pharaoh and say thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews let my people go that they may serve me if thou wilt not behold the hand of the Lord is upon thy Cattel upon thy Horses upon thy Asses upon thy Camels upon thy Oxen and upon thy Sheep there shall be a very grievous murrain And the Lord did sever between the Cattel of Israel and the Cattel of the Egyptians so that nothing did die of all the Childrens of Israel Chap. 9. 7. And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron take a handful of Ashes of the Furnace and let Moses sprinkle it towards Heaven in the sight of Pharaoh and it shall become a Boil breaking forth with Blains upon man and upon beast and Moses and Aaron did so And Boils came throughout all the Land of Egypt so that the Magitians could not stand before Moses because of the Boils but the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh that he would not hearken 8. And the Lord said unto Moses rise up early his the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say unto him thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews Let my people go that they may serve me for I will at this time send all my Plagues upon thy heart and upon thy servants and upon thy people that thou mayest know there is none like me in all the earth for now I will stretch out mine hand that I may smite thee and thy people with Pestilence and thou shalt be cut off from the earth in very deed for this very cause have I raised thee up for to shew on thee my power that my name may be declared throughout all the earth behold to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof send therefore and gather thy Cattel and those that feared the word of the Lord among Pharaohs servants sent and gathered their Cattel but those that did not regard let them abide in the fields And the Lord said unto Moses stretch forth thine hand and Moses stretched forth his hand towards Heaven and the Lord sent Thunder and Hail and the fire ran along upon the ground and the Lord rained hail upon the Land of Egypt and fire mingled with hail very grievous such as there was none like it in all the Land of Egypt since it became a Nation and the hail smote man and beast all that was in the field and every herb in the field and brake down all the trees in the field only in the Land of Goshen where the Children of Israel were there was no hail 9. And the Lord said unto Moses go unto Pharaoh for I have hardned his heart and Moses and Aaron came unto Pharaoh and said thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews how long wilt thou refuse to humble thy self before me let my people go that they may serve me else behold to morrow I will bring the Locusts in thy Coasts and they shall cover the face of the earth that one cannot be able to see the earth and they shall eat the residue of that which remaineth from the hail and they shall fill all the houses of thee and thy servants and all the Egyptians and they did so So that Pharaohs servants said how long shall this man be a snare unto us Let the men go that they may serve the Lord their God knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed So Moses stretched forth his Rod over the Land of Egypt and the Lord brought an East-wind which brought in the Locusts so that they covered the face of the whole earth and the Land was darkned and they eat every herb of the Land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left and there remained not any green thing on the trees throughout all the Land of Egypt Then Pharaoh called for Aaron and Moses in haste and he said I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you and now therefore forgive I pray you my sin this once and entreat the Lord your God that he may take from me this death only and Moses went and entreated the Lord and the Lord sent a strong West-wind and took away the Locusts yet the heart of Pharaoh was hardened that he would not let Israel go 10. And the Lord said unto Moses stretch forth thy hands towards Heaven that there may be darkness over the Land of Egypt even darkness that may be felt and Moses stretched forth his hands towards Heaven and there was a thick darkness in all the Land of Egypt for three days they saw not one another neither any rose from his place for three days but all the Children of Israel had light in their dwellings but the Lord yet hardened Pharaohs heart that he would not let them go and Pharaoh said unto Moses get thee from me take heed to thy self see my face no more for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die and Moses said unto him thou hast said well I will see thy face no more 11. And the Lord said unto Moses I will yet bring one Plague more upon Pharaoh afterwards he will let you go hence about midnight will I go into the midst of Egypt and all the first-born in the Land of Egypt shall die from the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon the Throne even to the first of the Maid-servant that is behind the Miâ—l and all the first-born of the beasts and there shall be a great cry through the Land of Egypt such as there hath been none like it neither shall be like it any more but against any of the Children of Israel shall not a Dog move his tongue that ye may know the Lord hath put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel Chap. 11. Then the Lord commanded the Children of Israel to keep the Passover and to offer a Lamb without blemish a male of the first year and to take the blood of it and strike the Posts of the Houses of the Children of Israel as you may read Chap. 12. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the Houses where you are saith the Lord and when I see the bloud I will pass over you and the Plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the Land of Egypt ver 13 And at midnight the Lord smote all the first-born of the Land of Egypt from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on the Throne to the first-born of the Captive that sat in the Dungeon and all the first-born of the Cattel And Pharaoh rose up in the night he and all his
but I would not hearken unto Baalam therefore he blessed you still so I delivered you out of his hand Iosh 24. to the 10. verse Thus Ioshua goes on rehearsing the mercies of the Lord to them and exhorting them to serve the Lord God and to fear the Lord in sincerity and in truth and not to serve other Gods for the Lord God saith he is a jealous God he will not forgive your transgressions and sins if you forsake the Lord then will he turn and do you hurt and consume you And the People said unto Ioshua nay but we will serve the Lord and Ioshua said unto the people ye are witnesses against your selves that ye have chosen the Lord to serve him and they said we are witnesses And Ioshua made a Covenant with the people that day and set them a Statute and an Ordinance and thus Ioshua bound them by Covenant to serve the Lord and set up a great stone under an Oak by the Sanctuary of the Lord to be a witness unto them lest they should deny God and so Ioshua sent the people away And it came to pass that Ioshua the Son of Nun the servant of the Lord died being 110 years old and they buried him in the borders of his inheritance in Mount Ephraim And Israel served the Lord all the days of Ioshua and all the days of the Elders that outlived Ioshua which had known the works of the Lord that he had done for Israel Judges NOW after the death of Ioshua the Children of Israel asked the Lord saying who shall go up for us against the Canaanites and the Lord said Iudah shall go up behold I have delivered the Land into his hands and Iudah said unto Simeon his brother come up with me that we may go fight against the Canaanites So Simeon went with him and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands and they slew them ten thousand men as you may read in the first of Iudges throughout and likewise in the second Chapter you may see what command the Lord laid on them But Ioshua being dead and all that Generation that knew the works and wonders of the Lord being gathered to their Fathers and there arose another Generation after them that knew not the Lord nor yet the works which the Lord had done for Israel then the Children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served Baalim and they forsook the Lord God of their Fathers and served Baal and provoked the Lord to anger and it was hot against Israel as you may read the most part of Iudges After this Deborah the Prophetess judged Israel and they came up to her for judgment and Sisera came up against Israel and Deborah said unto Barak this day he is delivered into thy hands and so Barak pursued Sisera and Iâ—el slew him as you may read in the 4. and 5. Chapters of Iudges After this Gideon was called to Rule over Israel and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him Chap. 6. And the Lord made him victorious over his Enemies Chap. 7.8 And it came to pass as soon as Gideon was dead that the Children of Israel turned again and went a whoring after Baalim and made Baal-Peor their God while Abimelech the Son of Gideon ruled over them Chap. 9. And after Abimelech there arose a man of the Tribe of Issachar and he judged Israel 23 years and he died and Jephtah judged Israel Chap. 11. and 12. And there was a man of Zorah of the Family of the Danites whose name was Manoah and his Wife was barren and bare not and the Angel of the Lord appeared unto her and said unto her behold thou shalt conceive and bear a Son and this Son was Sampson and he was amongst them for several years and judged Israel twenty years Chap. 14 15 16 c. Then there was no King in Israel and the Danites sought for an inheritance and they came to Zorah and said to their Brethren arise we have seen the Land that it is good and they gathered six hundred men together appointed with Weapons of War And they took a City named Laish and called it Dan. Chap. 18. And thus the Children of Israel fell away from the Lord and the Lord was grieved and provoked with them as you may read throughout the Book of Iudges insomuch that the Tribe of Benjamin had like to have been cut off from the rest of the Tribes because of a wicked action that they wrought as you may read from Chap. 18. to the end of the Book of Judges Ruth AND it came to pass in the days when the Judges ruled Israel that there was a Famine in the Land and a certain man of Bethlehem-Iudah went to sojourn in the Country of Mâ—ab as you may read in the Book of Ruth and the name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his Wife was Naomi and the names of his two Sons was Mahlon and Chilion Ephrathites of Bethlehâ—m-Iudah and they stayed in Moab and they took them Wives of the Moabites till Elimelech was dead and his two Sons and his Wife Naomi returned back to her own Country and her Daughter-in-Law Ruth would not leave her until they came to Bethlehem-Iudah as you may read in the first Chapter And Naomi had a Kinsman of her Husbands a mighty man of wealth of the Family of Elimelech whose name was Beaz and it came to pass that this Boaz took to Wife Ruth as you may read in the 2.3 and 4. Chapters of Ruth so Boaz took Ruth and she was his Wife and he went in unto her and the Lord gave her conception and she called his name Obed he is the Fathen of Iesse the Father of David of whom Christ sprang I Samuel THere was a certain man of Ramathaim-Zophim of mount Ephraim and his name was Elkanah the Son of Ieroham the Son of Elihu the Son of Tohu the Son of Zuph an Ephrathite and he had two Wives the name of the one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnab and Peninnah had children but Hannah had no children and this man went up out of his City yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh and the two Sons of Eli Hophni and Phinehas the Priests of the Lord were there and Hannah was in much bitterness and prayed unto the Lord in her heart but her voice was not heard and Eli reproved her but the Lord heard her and granted her petition wherefore when the time was come after Hannah had conceived that she bare a Son for the Lord remembred her and she called his name Samuel saying because I asked him of the Lord as you may read 1 Sam. 1. And she exalted and praised the Lord for his mercy as you may read Ch. 2. and Samuel ministred before the Lord being a Child girded with a Linnen Ephod according to the Order of Aaron and this Child Samuel ministred unto the Lord before
David his Father and his Kingdom was established greatly ver 12. the Lord appeared unto Solomon in a Dream by night and God said ask what I shall give thee Solomon said thou hast shewed to David my Father great mercies according as he walked before thee in truth and in righteousness and uprightness of heart with thee and thou hast kept for him this great kindness that thou hast given him a Son to sit on his Throne as it is this day and now O Lord my God thou hast made thy servant King instead of David my Father and I am but a little Child I know not how to go out and come in thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen a great people it cannot be numbred nor counted for multitude give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad for who is able to judge this so great a people And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon asked this thing and God said because thou hast asked this thing and hast not asked long life neither hast asked riches to thy self nor hast asked the life of thine Enemies but hast asked for thy self understanding to discern Judgment behold I have done according to thy words I have given thee a wise and understanding heart so that there was none like thee before thee neither shall any arise after thee like unto thee Chap. 3. So King Solomon reigned over all Israel as you may read in the fourth and fifth Chapters And it came to pass in four hundred and fourscore years after the Children of Israel were come out of the Land of Egypt in the fourth year of Solomons reign over Israel in the month Zif which is the second month that he began to build the House of the Lord of which building and the magnificency of it you may read from the sixth Chapter to the ninth Chapter of 2 Chron. 5.2 Then Solomon assembled the Elders of Israel and all the heads of the Tribes of Israel unto Ierusalem that they might bring up the Ark of the Covenant of God out of the City of David which is Sion and the Priests brought in the Ark of the Lord into the Oracle of the House of the Lord even to under the wings of the Cherubims He built also his own House which he was 13 years in building Chap. 7. And it came to pass when Solomon had furnished the building of the House of the Lord and the Kings House that the Lord appeared unto Solomon the second time and the Lord said unto him I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication that thou hast made before me I have hallowed this house which thou hast built to put my name there for ever and if thou walk before me as David thy Father walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness to do according to all that I command thee and keep my Statutes and Judgments then will I establish the Throne of thy Kingdom upon Israel So King Solomon excelled all the Kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom and the Queen of Sheba heard of the same of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord she came to prove him with hard questions Chap. 10. After this King Solomon loved many strange women together with the Daughters of Pharaoh the Moabites and Ammonites and Edomites and Zidonians and Hittites all which the Lord had commanded the Children of Israel that they should not go into them So Solomon was drawn away with his Wives and worshipped their Gods and made Idols and the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which had appeared to him twice wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon for as much as this is done of thee and thou hast not kept my Covenant and my Statutes which I commanded thee I will surely rent the Kingdom from thee and give it to thy servant notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David my servants sake but I will rend it out of the hand of thy Son howbeit I will not rend away all the Kingdom but will give one Tribe to thy Son for David my servants sake and for Ierusalems sake which I have chosen And it came to pass when Ieroboam went out of Ierusalem that Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way and he clad himself with a new garment and Ahijah caught the new Garment and rent it in twelve pieces and he said to Ierobeam take thee ten for thus saith the Lord God of Israel behold I will rend the Kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and I will give ten Tribes to thee but he shall have one for my servant Davids sake and for Jerusalems sake the City which I have chosen out of all the Tribes of Israel Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam and Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt until the death of Solomon and the rest of the Acts of Solomon and all that he did are written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon and the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was 40 years and Solomon slept with his Fathers and Rehoboam his Son reigned in his stead Chap. 11. And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem he gathered of the House of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men which were Warriours to fight against Israel that so he might bring the ten Tribes to him again which Jeroboam the Son of Nebat went about to take from him for they were given to him but the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God saying speak unto Rehoboam the Son of Solomon King of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin saying thus saith the Lord ye shall not go up to sight against your Brethren return every man to his house for this thing is done of me and they obeyed the word of the Lord and returned from going against Jeroboam And it came to pass in the fifth year of Rehoboam that Shishak the King of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took the senced Cities thereabouts and the Lord sent his Prophet Shemaiah to Rehoboam and the Princes of Judah and they humbled themselves before the Lord and the Lord was entreated of them and heard them and said that he would not destroy them 2 Chron. 12. 1 Kings 14.31 and Rehoboam slept with his Fathers and Ahijah his Son reigned in his stead In the 18 year of Jeroboams reign began Ahijah to reign over Judah and there was War between Ahijah and Jeroboam and Abijah set the Battel in array with an Army of valiant men of War even four hundred thousand chosen men and Jeroboam set the Battel in array against them with eight hundred thousand chosen men being mighty men of valour Abijah stood upon Mount Semaraim which is in Mount Ephraim and said hear thou me Jeroboam and all Israel ought ye not to know the Lord God of
the worst and fled every man before Israel and the King of Israel took all the Gold and Silver and all the Vessels that were found in the House of the Lord and Jehoash King of Israel slept with his Fathers and Iereboam his Son reigned in his stead And Amaziah King of Judah lived after his death fifteen years and they made a conspiration against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish but they sent after him and slew him there and all the people of Judah took Azaziah and made him King instead of Amaziah his Father In the twenty seventh year of the reign of Jeroboam King of Israel began Azaziah alias Vzziah Son of Amaziah King of Judah to reign sixteen years old was he when he began to reign and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem and did that which was right in the sight of the Lord Chap. 15. but the high places were not removed but the people sacrificed and burnt Incense still thereon and the Lord smote Amaziah King of Judah that he was a Leper to the day of his death In the thirty eighth year of Azaziah King of Judah did Zachariah Son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the Son of Nebat that made Israel to sin and Shallum the Son of Jabesh conspired against him and smote him and slew him and reigned in his stead This was the word of the Lord that he spoke unto Jehu saying thy Sons shall sit on the Throne of Israel to the fourth Generation and so it came to pass And Shallum the Son of Jabesh began to reign in the 39. year of Vzziah King of Judah and he reigned but one month in Samaria and Menahem the Son of Gadi went up to Samaria and slew him and reigned in his stead and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord 2 Kings 15. And in the thirty ninth year of Azaziah King of Judah began Menahem the Son of Gadi to reign and he reigned ten years in Samaria he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and slept with his Fathers and Pekahiah his Son reigned in his stead in Samaria two years and he did evil in the sight of the Lord like Jeroboam the Son of Nebat that made Israel to sin but Pekah the Son of Remaliah a Captain of his conspired against him and killed him and reigned in his stead And in the fiftieth year of Azaziah King of Judah Pekah the Son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria and reigned twenty years he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and departed not from the sins of Jeroboam In his days came the King of Syria and took Jion and Abel-beth-maachah and Janoah and Kedish and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee and all the Land of Naphtali and carried them captive to Syria and Hoshea Son of Elah made a Conspiracy against Peâ—ah the Son of Remaliah and smote him and slew him and reigned in his stead in the days of these Kings the Prophet Isaiah and the Prophet Hosea prophesied as you may read in Isa 1.6.7 Chap. and Hos 1. In the second year of Pekah the Son of Remaliah King of Israel began Jotham the Son of Vzziah King of Judah to reign 2 Chron. 27.1 and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord but the high places were not taken aways in those days did the Lord begin to send against Iudah Rezin King of Assyria 2 Kings 15.39 and Pekah the Son of Remaliah and Iotham slept with his Fathers and Ahaz his Son reigned in his stead In the seventeenth year of Pekah Son of Remaliah Ahaz the Son of Iotham King of Iudah began to reign twenty years old was he when he began to reign and he reigned sixteen years and he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord The Prophets that prophesied in these Kings days were Isaiah Hosea and Micah and how they came to war against Ahaz and Ahaz took the Silver and Gold that was found in the House of the Lord and sent it to the King of Asyria and the King of Assyria carryed the people away Captive and slew Resin and King Ahaz went to meet the King of Assyria at Damascus and made Vrijah the Priest make an Altar and offer thereon after the manner of the Assyrians as you may read in 2 Kings 16. and he turned the Kings entry from the House of the Lord for the King of Assyria 2 Chr. 28. he made his Sons pass through the fire according to the abominations of the Heathen and Ahaz slept with his Fathers In the twelfth year of Ahaz King of Iudah began Hoshea the Son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel and he reigned nine years he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord against him came Shalmaneser King of Assyria and Hoshea became his servant and the King of Assyria found a Conspiracy amongst them as you may read 2 Kings 17. They walked in the Statutes of the Heathen whom the Lord cast out and they served their Idols and they wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Iudah by all the Prophets and by all the Seers saying turn ye from your evil ways and keep my Commandments and Statutes according to all the Laws I commanded your Fathers which I sent to you by my servants the Prophets notwithstanding they would not hear but hardened their necks ver 13.14 and this did Moses prophesie of them Deut. 30.17 In the ninth year of Hoshea the King of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria for so it was that Israel had sinned against the Lord their God which brought them up from under the hand of Pharaoh and the Children of Israel did secretly that which was not right against the Lord their God they build them high places and set up Images they burnt Incense they made two Calves and made a Grove and worshipped all the Host of Heaven and served Baal and caused their Sons and their Daughters to pass through the sire and they used Divination and Inchantments and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight and there was none lest but the Tribe of Iudah only for the Children of Israel walked in all the sins of Ieroboam which he did until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight as he had said by his Prophets 10 Tribes carried into Captivity so Israel was carried out of their own Land unto Assyria unto this day Now in the third year of Hoshea King of Israel Hezekiah the Son of Ahaz King of Iudah began to reign and he did that which was right in the sight
me saith the Lord therefore thus will I do unto thee O Israel and because I will do this unto thee prepare to meet thy God O Israel ver 11 12. And the Prophet Micah saith be in pain and labour to bring forth O Daughter of Sion like a woman in travel for now shalt thou go forth out of the City and there shalt thou dwell in the field and thou shalt go to Babylon and there shalt thou be delivered there shall the Lord redeem thee from the hand of thine Enemies many Nations are gathered together against thee that say let them be defiled but they know not the thoughts of the Lord neither understand his Counsel for he will gather them as the Sheaves into the floor Mich. 4. throughout the Chapter and again Micah the 7. Rejoice not against me O mine Enemy when I fall I shall arise when I sit in darkness the Lord shall be my light I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him until he plead my cause in that day that the Walls are to be built in that day the Decree shall be far removed Thus Micah prophesied in the days of Jotham and Hezekiah Kings of Judah concerning Israel as you may read in Micah 1. And the Prophet Joel saith blow a Trumpet in Sion sanctifie a Fast call a solemn Assembly for the Lord will be jealous for the Land and pity his people and say I will send you Corn and Wine and Oyl and I will no more make you a reproach among the Heathen and I will remove off far from you the Northern Army and I will drive him into a Land barren and desolate Rejoice and be glad ye Children of Sion c. Joel 2.3 Chapters and I will bring again the Captivity of Judah and Jerusalem And the word of the Lord came to Zephaniah in the days of Josiah Son of Amon King of Judah I will also stretch out my hand upon Judah and upon all the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place and them that worship the Host of Heaven upon the House tops and them that worship and swear falsly by the Lord and that swear by Malcham Zeph. 1. Ezra THus you may read throughout the whole foregoing Prophesies how the Lord dealt with his people in loving kindness and tenderness sending his Prophets with line upon line and Precept upon Precept as you may read in all the Prophesies through all the Bible and until according to the word of the Lord by his Prophets that they were carried away captive and until the term of years was expired which the Lord by his Prophets Prophesied of And when the years were expired he raised up Cyrus according to his word by his Prophets to build his Temple and to call them home to Jerusalem as is before mentioned and as you may read in the 1. Chapter of Ezra and so on Even so did Cyrus King of Persâ—a bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the Treasurer the Vessels of the House of the Lord and numbred them unto Sheshbazzar the Prince of Judah ver 8. Now these are the Children of the Province that went up out of the Captivity 70 years fulfilled and Judah and Jerusalem coming out of captivity of those that had been carryed away whom Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon had carryed unto Babylon and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah every one unto his City you may read their names in the 2. Ch. of Ezra And when the seventh month was come and the Children of Israel were in the Cities the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem and they set up the Altar upon his basis and they offered burnt Offerings thereon unto the Lord even burnt Offerings morning and evening according to Deuteronomy 12.56 They kept also the Feast of Tabernacles as it is written in Exod. 23.16 Numb 29.12 and so on they set up the Worship of God as you may read in Ezra Ch. 3. Now in the second year of their coming unto the House of God at Jerusalem in the second month began Zerubbabel and those that were with him the Brethren the Priests and the Levites they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem they began to build the House of God and to set forward the Workmen Nehem. 4. And when the Builders had laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord they set their Priests in their apparel as you may read to the end of the Chapter Now when the Adversaries of Judah and Benjamin The Temple in building heard that the Children of the Captivity builded the Temple unto the Lord God of Israel then they came to Zerubbabel and to the chief of the Fathers and said unto them let us build with you for we seek your God as ye do and we do sacrifice unto him but Zerubbabel and Joshua and the rest of the chief of the Fathers of Israel said unto them you have nothing to do with us to build a House unto our God we our selves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel as Cyrus the King of Persia hath commanded us and the people of the Land weakned the hands of the people of Judah and troubled them in building and hired Counsellours against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus King of Persia and in the reign of Ahasuerus in the beginning of his reign wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Iudah and Ierusalem and in the days of Artaxerxes Rehum the Chancellour and Shimshai the Scribe The building of the Temple stopped wrote a Letter against Ierusalem to Artaxerxes the King in this sort which Letter hindred the building until the reign of Darius as you may read in Ezra 4. Then the Prophets Haggai and Zachariah prophesied unto the Iews which were in Iudah and in Ierusalem in the Name of the Lord God of Israel in the second year of Darius the King in the sixth month came the word of the Lord by Haggai the Prophet unto Zerubbabel the Son of Shealtiel Governour of Iudah and to Ieshua the Son of Iozadak the High Priest saying thus saith the Lord of Hosts the people say the time is not come the time that the Lords House is to be built then came the word of the Lord to Haggai the Prophet saying is it time for you to dwell in your cieled Houses and this House lie waste Hag. 1. Then Zerubbabel the Son of Shealtiel and Ieshua the Son of Lozadâ—k the High Priest with all the remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the Prophet as the Lord their God had sent him and the people did fear before the Lord then spake Haggai the Lords Messenger in the Lords message unto the people saying I am with you saith the Lord and the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel and the spirit of Ieshua and the
that moveth in the Sea and upon the Earth were created by the word of God and God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good and God said let us make man in our own likeness and let them have dominion so God created man in his own image in the image of God created he him male and female created he them To this agrees Mat. 19.4 where Christ saith have you not read he that made them in the beginning made them male and female fe added to male signifieth to encrease to multiply or bring forth So here is all the distinction that the word that was in the beginning made between them God called them male and female the same John as bears witness of the word that was in the beginning with God also bears witness that the word was made flesh Joh. 1.14 and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father which is Christ in the male and female this is the true image of God full of grace and truth according as the Apostle saith in the Ephes 4.24 Eph. 2.10 And that you put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness and this word stood in the decree and election of God until it was made flesh his Son manifested in the flesh which makes and creates the image of God in the male and in the female in righteousness and true holiness in the male and female Gal. 3.28 The males were to be the Lords Exod. 13.13.15.16 Lev. 1.3 They were to offer a male without blemish Mal. 1.14 they were cursed that had a male in their flock and offered unto the Lord a corrupt thing and again Exod. 13.2 and Numbers 18.15 According to this Law of Moses Joseph and Mary observed the command of God and circumcised Jesus on the eight day as it is written in the Law of the Lord every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord Luke 2.21.23 here is the true and living image which God has created in the male and female but here lies the mystery God manifested in the flesh which is yet hid to the most of men that lies in the fall but perfectly known to those that are in the resurrection and redemption Howbeit on the sixth day the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living Soul And the Lord God planted a Garden Eastward in Eden and the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it ver 15. and the Lord God said it is not good for man to be alone I will make him an help meet for him and the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh thereof and the rib which the Lord God had taken from man made he a woman and brought her unto the man and Adam said this is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man So Adam gave names to all the creatures for God brought every beast of the field and every fowl of the air unto Adam that he might give names unto them and so he brought the woman unto Adam and he called her woman because she was taken out of man Now the Serpent being more subtle than any beast of the field which God had made he began to exercise his subtlety and to lay his temptations and snares unto the innocent and weak and so began with the woman which was but a part of man and in the first place told her a lie to entice her to break the command of the Lord God which the Lord God strictly commanded the man that he should not eat of it for in the day that thou eats thou shalt surely die saith the Lord saith the Serpent hath the Lord God said that ye may not eat of every tree in the Garden the woman said unto the Serpent we may eat of the trees of the Garden but of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the Garden God hath said ye shall not eat neither shall ye touch it lest ye die the Serpent said ye shall not surely die Here was the lyar and so Christ saith of him Joh. 8.44 ye are of the Father the Devil and the lust of your Father ye will do he was a Murtherer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own for he is a lyar and the Father of it 1 Joh. 3.8 he that committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinned from the beginning so this was he that did encounter with weak and innocent woman and when he led out her eyes to look upon the tree she saw it was good and pleasant to the eye and a tree to be desired to make one wise and she took of the fruit thereof to eat and gave also unto her Husband and he did eat with her And so here they both came into the disobedience and fell from the command of God lending their ears their minds and their eyes to the temptation of the Devil fell from righteousness fell from innocency and holiness and so became transgressors against God and breakers of his commands And so the Devil was the Original and beginning of this sin and transgression and they hearkening unto his temptation and answering unto his desires and joining with him in it came under the curse and so was driven out from the presence of God and so dread and fear took hold on them that when they heard the voice of God they hid themselves from his presence among the trees of the Garden and when the Lord called unto Adam he heard his voice and was afraid because he was naked the Lord said who told thee thou wast naked hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I told thee thou shouldst not eat the man said the woman thou gavest to be with me she gave me of the tree and I did eat And the Lord said unto the woman what is this that thou hast done and the woman said the Serpent beguiled me and I did eat and the Lord said unto the Serpent because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattel and above every beast of the field upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life Gen. 3.14 This is the Serpents portion and the decree of God upon him for evermore and all that are of his Spirit that hearken to his temptations who disobey the command of the living God and transgress against him he that commits sin is of the Devil 1 Joh. 3. And the Lord said I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy
moved with fear prepared an Ark to the saving of his house by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by Faith ver 7. So here the Lord had a Church then upon the earth that worshipped and served and feared and walked with the Lord and dyed in the faith as the Apostle bears witness of in Heb. 11. and may be read at large in Gen. 5. which was of that seed which God accepted And Lamech lived 182 years and begat a Son and he called his name Noah saying this shall conmfort us concerning the work and toil of our hands because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed Gen. 5.28 Here Lamech was a Prophet concerning his Son Noah which the Apostle witnesses to be a Preacher of Righteousness 2 Pet. 2.5 And Noah was 500 years old and begat Shem Ham and Japhet for it came to pass when men began to multiply upon the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them and the Sons of God saw the daughters of men were fair and they took them Wives of all which they chose Gen. 6.2 And so here again the earth was corrupted and here they fell again into transgression and the Lords Spirit was grieved and the Lord said my Spirit shall not alwaies strive with man for that he is but flesh yet his daies shall be 120 years and God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was evil and that continually and it repented the Lord that he had made man upon the earth and it grieved him at his heart and the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth both man and beast and the creeping things and the fowls of the air for it repenteth me that I have made them But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord Noah was a just man and perfect in his Generation and Noah walked with God and the earth was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence and God looked upon the earth and behold it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted his way and God said unto Noah the end of all flesh is come before me for the earth is filled with violence through them and behold I will destroy them with the earth make the an Ark of Gopher wood c. So Noah being a perfect and just man obeyed the Lord and set about the work for he had the Lords words and promise Gen. 6.18 with thee I will establish my Covenant and thou shalt come into the Ark thou and thy Sons and thy Wife and thy Sons Wives with thee So Noah laboured in the work and Commandment of the Lord and preached amongst them after the Lord complained of the wickedness of men a hundred years before the flood in which time the long suffering of God waited while the Ark was preparing so that there was but eight persons saved 1 Pet. 3.20 And Noah took of every living thing of all flesh two of every sort and brought into the Ark to him to keep them alive according as the Lord commanded him male and female of every sort and of the fowls after their sort and the cattel after their kind and of every creeping thing after his kind two shall come unto thee of every sort to keep them alive and take unto thee of all food that is eaten and it shall be meat for thee and them thus did Noah according to all that God commanded him The Lord God said unto Noah come thou and all thy house into the Ark for thee have I seen righteous in this Generation and of every clean beast take with thee by sevens males and females for yet seven days and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from the face of the earth And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him and Noah was 600 years old when the floods of the Waters were upon the earth and Noah went in and his Sons and his Wife and his Sons Wives with him into the Ark and here was his Father Lamech's Prophecy fulfilled Cen. 5.29 who saw the curse upon the ground which by reason of sin and wickedness the Lord cursed he saw this before it came even when he named his Son Noah saying this same shall comfort us and so he did for through his faithfulness unto the Lord in this wicked Generation the Lord had respect unto him who was a just and perfect man preserved him and his house even in that great deluge that they might be a seed unto the Lord God and so here it is proved that the Lord had a Church upon the earth that served the Lord and walked with him even before the flood as the Apostle bears witness Jude 14. Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophesied of these saying behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly amongst them here Enoch prophesies of the eternal truth that was to be revealed And Peter saith God spared not the old world but saved Noah the eight person a Preacher of righteousness by which he went and preached to the Spirits in Prison when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the Ark was prepared wherein few that is eight souls were saved 1 Pet. 3.19 20. So brought in the flood upon the world of ungodly 2 Pet. 2.5 So he saved a seed for himself of those that worshipped and served him but these were not of Cain's stock that slew his brother Abel but these were of that seed which Cain persecuted and whose blood cryed to the Lord for justice against the mâ—rderer which seed hath suffered ever since by that murdering persecuting spirit and that was Cain's stock that corrupted the earth and filled it full of violence by which they grieved the Lord at the very heart as Jude saith in the 10. ver But these speak evil of dignities which they know not but what they know naturally as bruit beasts in those things they corrupt themselves wo unto them for they have gone in the way of Cain So Cain's spirit is always full of wrath envy murder and bloodshed and so this fulfils the word of the Lord unto the Serpent when he said I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed and so upon this seed and world of ungodly men the Lord brought the flood and overflowed the whole world because of their wickedness so that all flesh dyed and every living substance was destroyed Noah only remained alive and they that were with him in the Ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth 150 days and in the second Month on the 27. day of the month the earth was dryed and God spake unto Noah saying
for it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judab it is also evident that after the Order of Melchisedec there ariseth another Priest who is made not after the Law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless life for being that the Priesthood is changed there must of necessity be a change of the Law Heb. 7. for he testifieth thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec which Order is not of a carnal commandment neither is this Priest a mortal man subject to fall and infirmities More might be said concerning this Melchisedec which met Abraham and blessed him but the Apostle is very laâ—ge in the demonstration of him for he saith Heb. 5.11 that he had many things to say of him hard to be uttered because they were dull of hearing After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a Vision saying Fear not Abram I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward and Abram said Lord God what wilt thou give me seeing I go childless and one that is born in mine house must be mine heir the Lord said this shall not be thine heir but one that comes out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir and the Lord said look up towards Heaven and tell the Stars if thou beest able to number them and he said so shall thy seed be and Abram believed and it was accounted to him for righteousness And when Abram was 99 years old the Lord appeared unto him and said walk before me and be thou perfect and my Covenant shall be with thee and thou shalt be the Father of many Nations and thy name shall be called no more Abram but Abraham shall be thy name a Father of many Nations have I made thee and as for Sarai thy Wife thou shalt not call her name Sarai but Sarah shall her name be and I will bless her and she shall be the Mother of Nations then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed and said in his heart shall a child be born unto him that is 100 years old and shall Sarah that is ninety years old bear and Abraham said unto God Oh that Ishmael might live before the Lord and God said Sarah thy Wife shall bear thee a Son indeed and thou shalt call his name Isaac and I will establish my Covenant with him for an everlasting Covenant and with his seed after him and as for Ishmael I have heard thee behold I have blest him but my Covenant will I establish with Isaac which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year And according to this the Lod sent his Angels unto Abraham and Sarah to confirm unto them that at the time appointed she should bring forth a child and the Lord said unto Abraham wherefore did Sarah laugh saying shall I have a child is any thing too hard for the Lord at the time appointed will I return unto thee according to the time of life and Sarah shall have a Son so at the same time the Lord discovered unto Abraham what he intended against Sodom And the men turned their faces towards Sodom and Abraham set them on their way and the Lord said shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I do seeing that Abraham shall be surely great and a mighty Nation and all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed in him for I know that he will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord and do justice and judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him And the Lord said because of the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sins are very grievous I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto me and if not I will know and the men turned their faces from thence and went towards Sodom but Abraham stood before the Lord and drew near and prayed unto the Lord for the righteous in Sodom and the Lord heard him as you may read Gen. 18. And so the two Angels came into Lot's house and Lot received them kindly and so he and all his house were preserved the men said unto Lot hast thou any here besides thy Son-in-law and thy Sons and thy Daughters and whatever thou hast in the City bring it out for we will destroy this place because that the cry of it is waxen great before the Lord and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it So the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire out of Heaven from the Lord but just Lot was preserved in the little City called Zoar and was permitted to escape thither that his Soul might live he his Sons and his Daughters and all the Cities round about were destroyed all the Cities of the plain And God remembred Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow where Lot dwelt in the plain And Abraham got up early in the morning and he looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah and the smoke of the Country rose up as the smoke of a Furnace Gen. 19.28 And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said for Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a Son in his old age and Abraham called the name of his Son that was born unto him Isaac and he circumcised him the eight day as God had commanded him and Abraham was a hundred years old when his Son Isaac was born And it came to pass after these things that God called Abrabam and said unto him take now â—hy Son thine only Son whom thou lovest and get thee into the Land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his Ass and took two of the young men with him and Isaac his Son and clave the wood for a burnt-offeâ—â—g then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off and Abraham said unto the young men abide you here with the Asses and I and the Lad will go yonder and worship and come again unto you And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and laid it upon Isaac his Son and he took fire in his hand and a knife and they went both of them together And Isaac spake unto Abraham his Father and said my Father and he said here am I my Son and he said here is the fire and the wood but where is the Lamb for a burnt-offering and he answered my Son the Lord will provide one So they went both of them together and they came to the place which God had told him of and Abraham built an Altar and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his Son and laid him upon the wood and Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his Son and the Angel of the Lord called
and thou saidest I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the Sea which cannot be numbred And Jacob took 200 She-goats and 20 He-goats 200 Ews and 20 Rams 30 milch-Camels with their Colts 40 Kine and 10 Bulls twenty She-Asses and ten Foals and he delivered them unto his Servants and behold when Esau my Brother meeteth thee and asketh thee saying whose are these before thee thou shalt say they be thy servant Iacobs it is a Present sent unto my Lord Esau behold he is behind us and thus he commanded his Servants to say unto Esau when they met him And sent his two Wives and two Women servants and his eleven Sons over the Brook Jabbock and that night Iacob was left alone and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day and when he saw that he prevailed not against him he touched the hollow of Iacobs thigh and it was our of joint as he wrestled with him and he said let me go for the day breaketh and he said I will not let thee go unless thou bless me and he said unto him what is thy name and he said Iacob and he said thy name shall no more be called Iacob but Israel for as a Prince thou hast power with God and with men hast thou prevailed and Iacob called the name of that place Peniel for I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved And Iacob lifted up his eyes and behold Esau came and with him 400 men and he divided the Children unto Leah and unto Rachel and unto the two Handmaids and he put the Handmaids and their Children foremost and Leah and her Children after and Rachel and Ioseph hindermost and he passed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times until he came neer unto his Brother and this he did to stop his Brothers fury who had been enraged against him when they parted for he knew he was a proud man and a great man in the earth and so to allay his spirit and get past him for he was to pass through his Country did he make this Obeysance to him and Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him and they wept and he lift up his eyes and saw the Women and the Children and he said whose are these with thee Iacob said these are the Children which God hath graciously given thy servant and the Women and the Children passed by him and they bowed themselves and he said what meanest thou by all this drove which I meet And Iacob said these are to find grace in the sight of my Lord and Esau said I have enough my brother keep that which thou hast to thy self and Iacob said nay I pray thee if I have found grace in thy sight receive my present at my hand because God hath dealt graciously with me and I have enough and he urged him and he took it And Esau would have gone on his journey with him but Iacob said my Lord knows that the Children are tender and the flocks are with young and we must lead them on softly as they are able to endure So Esau returned that day unto Seir and Iacob journied unto Succoth and came to Salem a City which is in the Land of Canaan And God said unto Iacob arise go up to Bethel and dwell there and make an Altar unto God that appeared unto thee when thou fledst from Esau thy Brother And Iacob said to all those that were with him Let us arise and go up to Bethel and let us make there an Altar unto God who answered me in the day of my distress and was with me in the way which I went So Iacob came to Luz which is in the Land of Canaan that is Bethel and built there an Altar and called upon the Lord and God appear'd unto Iacob again and blessed him and God said unto him thy name shall not any more be called Iacob but Israel shall be thy name and he called his name Israel And God said unto him I am God Almighty be fruitful and multiply a Nation and a company of Nations shall be of thee and Kings shall come out of thy loins and the Land which I gave Abraham and Isaac to thee will I give it and thy seed after thee and God went up from him And they journied from Bethel and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath and Rachel travelled and had hard labour and when she was in hard labour the Midwife said unto her fear not thou shalt have this Son also and it came to pass as her soul was departing that she called his name Benonl but his Father called his name Benjamin and Iacob set a Pillar upon her Grave and so Iacob came unto Isaac his Father unto Mamre unto the City of Arhab which is Hebron where Abraham and Isaac so journed and the days of Isaac were one hundred and fourscore years and Isaac gave up the Ghost and died and was gathered unto his people being old and full of days and his Sons Esate and Iacob buried him Gen. 35. In the next Chapter you may read the Generations of Esau who is Edom how he took Wives of the Daughters of Canaan but this is not the seed that I am to treat of this 36. Chapter of Genesis will shew the Off-spring of Esau And Iacob dwelt in the Land wherein his Father was a Stranger in the Land of Canâ—an Gen. 37. The History concerning Ioseph how his Father loved him and how his brethren envied him and how they intended to have killed him and took him and cast him into a Pit and how they sold him to the Ishmaelites and he was brought down to Egypt and Potiphar an Officer of Pharaoh an Egyptian bought him at the hand of the Ishmaelites which had carried him down thither and how the Lord was with Ioseph and preserved him from Potiphar's Wife how she betrayed him and accused him falsly but the Lord was with him and shewed him mercy and gave him favour in the sight of the Gaoler and how he came to be the Governour of Pharaoh's House and how he governed Egypt in the time of plenty that when the Dearth came there was Corn enough and how his Brethren came down into Egypt to buy Corn when the Famine was sore in the Land of Canaan and how he discovered himself to his Brethren and sent for his Father and Brethren and all their Families all this you may read of from the 37. Chapter to the 46. And Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba and offered Sacrifice to the God of his Fathers and God spake unto him in the visions of the night and said Iacob and he said here am I. And God said I am the God of thy Fathers fear not to go into Egypt I will make of thee a great Nation I will go down with thee into Egypt and will
commanded them but saved the Children alive and the more they afflicted them the more they grew and multiplied Thus you see how kindly the Lord hath dealt with the seed of his promise and Covenant and how often he hath renewed his Promises and his Blessings and Mercies unto them hereafter you may see also how he took care all along of his seed that his Promise remained upon and how he committed them afterwards to the hand of Moses whom he preserved by his power who was nursed up by Pharaohs Daughter as you may read at large in Exod. 2. And when this cruel King of Egypt died the Children of Israel sighed and groaned under their bondage and the Lord heard their cry and God heard their groaning and God remembred his Covenant with Abraham with Isaac and with Jacob and God looked upon the Children of Israel and God had respect unto them and the Lord sent his Angel unto Moses to the Mount of God even to Horeb and he appeared to him in a flame of Fire out of the midst of a Bush and he looked and behold the bush burnt with fire and the bush was not consumed And Moses said I will now turn aside and see this great sight why the bush is not burned And when God saw he turned aside to see God called unto him out of the bush and said Moses Moses and he said here am I and he said draw not nigh hither put off thy shoes from thy feet for the place where thou standest is holy ground Moreover he said I am the God of thy Fathers the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob and Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look upon God and the Lord said I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt and have heard their cry by reason of their Task-Masters for I know their sorrows and I am come down to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that Land into a good Land come now therefore I will send thee unto Pharaoh that thou mayest bring my people the Children of Israel out of Egypt for I have heard their cries and seen their oppressions Here the Lord committed his seed into the hand of Moses a faithful Servant who came of Lavi both by Father and Mother which was Jacobs third Son So how Moses went unto Pharaoh with the Elders of Israel and wrought the Wonders of the Lord and his miracles before him and how Moses and Aaron brought them from under the Egyptian Bondage and the many Plagues that the Lord brought upon Pharaoh we shall shew hereafter And Moses said unto God who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh and the Lord said certainly I will be with thee and this shall be a token unto thee that when thou hast brought the people out of Egypt ye shall serve God in this Mount c. as you may read in Exod. Chap. 4.5 And thou shalt say unto Pharaph thus saith the Lord Israel is my Son even my first-born I say unto thee Let my Son go that he may serve me if thou refuse to let him go behold I will smite thy Son even thy first-born ver 23. Thus Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh saying thus saith the Lord God of Israel let my people go that they may hold a Feast unto me in the Wilderness And Pharaoh said who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go I know not the Lord neither will I let Israel go Chap. 5. So he caused the greater Tasks to be laid upon them that they should make their tale of Bricks without straw as you may read and the Lord said unto Moses Now thou shalt see what I will do unto Pharaoh And God spake unto Moses and said I am the Lord and I appeared unto Abraham unto Isaac and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty but by my name Iehovah was I not known to them and have also established my Covenant with them to give them the Land of Canaan the Land of their Pilgrimage wherein they were strangers and I have also heard the groaning of the Children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage and I remember my Covenant wherefore say unto the Children of Israel I am the Lord and I will bring you from under the burdens of the Egyptians and I will rid you out of their bondage and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great Judgments and I will take you to me for a people and I will be to you for a God and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God which bringeth you out from under the bondage of the Egyptians and I will bring you into the Land concerning the which I sware to give it to Abraham to Isaac and to Iacob and I will give it to you for an heritage I am the Lord Chap. 6.8 So Moses spake to the Children of Israel as you may read to the end of the Chapter And the Lord said unto Moses see I have made thee a God unto Pharaoh and Aaron thy brother a Prophet and thou shalt speak all that I command and Aaron thy Brother shall speak unto Pharaoh that he send the children of Israel out of his Land and I will harden Pharaohs heart c. Chap. 7. And so the Lord wrought his 12 miracles upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians as you may read from the 7. Chapter to the 14. where Pharaoh and his Hoste were overwhelmed in the red Sea 1. The first of his wonders was Aarons Rod that became a Serpent and swallowed up all the Egyptians Serpents 2. Moses smote the Waters with his Rod and they became blood and all the Fish in the River died Chap. 7.20.21 and the Magitians did so 3. He smote all the borders with Frogs and Aaron stretched forth his hand over the Waters and Frogs came up and covered the Land of Egypt and the Egyptians did so Chap. 8.6 7. 4. And again the Lord said unto Moses stretch forth thy Rod and smite the dust of the Land that it may become Lice and Aaron did so So that the dust of the Land became Lice throughout all the Land of Egypt and the Magitians would have done so but they could not then the Magitians said unto Pharaoh this is the finger of God but Pharaohs heart was hardned that he would not hear them as the Lord had said 5. The Lord said unto Moses rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say unto him thus saith the Lord let my people go and serve me else I will send swarms of Flies upon thee and upon thy Servants and upon thy people so that all the Houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of Flies and also the ground and I will sever in that day the Land of Goshen in the which my people dwell so that none of the swarms of Flies
servants and all the Egyptians and there was a great cry in Egypt for there was not a house in which there was not one dead And he called for Moses and Aaron by night and said arise and get ye forth from among my people both you and all the Children of Israel go serve the Lord as ye have said and bless me also And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people that they might send them out of the Land in haste for they said we be all dead men So the Children of Israel journied from Rameses to Succoth about six hundred thousand on foot that were men besides Children as you may read in this 12. Chapter And it came to pass at the end of 430 years even the self same day that all the Hosts of the Lord went out from the Land of Egypt it is a night much to be observed unto the Lord for bringing them up from the Land of Egypt this is that night to the Lord to be observed by all the Children of Israel ver 42. And they went up harnessed out of the Land of Egypt And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him for the Children of Israel had strictly sworn unto him and he said God will surely visit you and ye shall carry my bones away from hence ver 18 19. And the Lord said unto Moses sanctifie unto me all the first-born whatsoever openeth the Womb of man or beast among the Children of Israel it is mine as you may read at large Chap. 13. And it came to pass when Pharaoh let the People go that God led them not through the Land of the Philistines although that was neer but God led them about through the wilderness of the Red Sea and the Lord spake unto Moses saying speak unto the Children of Israel that they turn and encamp before Pi-habiroth between Migdol and the Sea over against Baal-Zephon for Pharaoh will say of the Children of Israel they are entangled in the Land the Wilderness hath shut them in and I will harden Pharaohs heart and he shall follow after them And it was told Pharaoh that the People were fled and his heart was hardned and the hearts of his Servants and they said why have we done this that we should let the People go from serving us And the King made ready his Chariots and he took 600 chosen Charlots of all the Chariots of Egypt and made Captains over every one of them And the Lord hardned the heart of the King of Egypt and he pursued after the Children of Israel but the Lord carried them out with a high hand but the Egyptians pursued after them all the Horses and Charlots of Pharaoh and his Horsemen and his Army and overtook them encamped by the Sea and when Pharaoh drew nigh the Children of Israel lift up their eyes and behold the Egyptians marched after them and they were sore afraid and the Children of Israel cryed unto the Lord and Moses said unto them fear ye not stand stil and see the salvation of the Lord which he will shew you this day for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day ye shall see them no more for ever the Lord shall fight for you and hold your peace And the Lord said unto Moses speak unto the Children of Israel that they go forward but lift up thy Rod and stretch forth thy hand over the Sea and divide it and the Children of Israel shall go on dry ground in the midst of the Sea and I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians and they shall follow them And the Angel of God which went before the Camp of Israel removed and went behind them and the Pillar of a cloud which went before their face stood behind them and it came between the Camp of the Egyptians and the Camp of Israel and it was a cloud and darkness to them but it gave light by night to the Children of Israel so that one came not neer the other all the night and Moses stretched out his hand over the Sea and the Lord caused the Sea to go back by a strong East-wind all that night and the Children of Israel went into the midst of the Sea upon dry ground and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left 12. And the Egyptians pursued and went after them to the midst of the Sea all Pharaohs Chariots his Horses and his Horsemen and in the morning watch the Lord looked on the Host of the Egyptians through the Pillar of fire and the Cloud and troubled their Host and took off their Chariot-Wheels that they drove heavily so that the Egyptians said let us fly from the face of Israel for the Lord sighteth for them and against us and the Lord said unto Moses stretch out thy hand over the Sea that the waters may come upon the Egyptians upon their Chariots and upon their Horsemen and Moses stretched forth his hand over the Sea and the Sea returned to its strength and when the morning appeared the Egyptians fled against it and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the Sea and the waters returned and covered their Chariots and their Horsemen and all the Host of Pharaoh that came into the Sea after them there remained not so much as one of them thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hands of the Egyptians and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the Sea shore Then sang Moses and the Children of Israel this Song unto the Lord c. Exod. 15. Thus the Lord wrought these 12 wonders upon Pharaâ—h and the Egyptians all which made them harder and harder notwithstanding they could not with hold the Israelites when the Lord would deliver them for he brought them forth with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and led them through the Wilderness where they met with many tryals and hardships it being a place not affording outward necessaries and they wanted Faith to trust in the arm and power of the Almighty which had so graciously and mercifully heard their cryes under their oppression and seen their sorrows and had delivered them out of their heavy bondage and darkness that they were in under the Egyptians and though he had shewed his mighty and wonderful works upon Pharaoh and his Host yet when they came to want what they desired they murmured exceedingly against the Lord and the Children of Israel said would to God we had dyed by the hand of the Lord in the Land of Egypt when we sat by the flesh-pots and when we did eat bread to the full for ye have brought us forth into this Wilderness to kill this whole Assembly with hunger then the Lord rained Manna from Heaven And it grieved the Lord that they murmured against him and the Lord said I have heard your murmurings at even ye shall eat flesh and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God Exod. 16.12
Eli the Priest And the word of the Lord was precious in those days for there was no open vision in those days and when the Lord called unto Samuel he answered and went unto Eli and Eli sent him back again and the Lord called again and Samuel went to Eli again and said here am I for thou didst call and Eli said I called not my Son lie down again Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him And the Lord called Samuel again and he went to Eli the third time and Eli perceived the Lord had called the child Eli said unto Samuel go lie down and if the Lord call thee thou shalt say speak Lord for thy servant heareth so Samuel went and lay down in his place and the Lord came and stood and called as at other times Samuel Samuel then Samuel answered speak for thy servant heareth and the Lord said to Samuel behold I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of every one that heareth shall tingle and this word was against Eli and his house as you may read in the 3. Chapter Eli called Samuel and 〈◊〉 what is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee I pray thâ—â— hide it not from me and Samuel told him every whit and aâ—â— Israel even from Dan unto Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a Prophet of the Lord. And when Samuel grew old he made his Sons Judges over Israel and before that he judged and ruled over Israel for the Lord was with him but the Elders of Israel were not pleased with Samuels Sons to judge over them and so they desired a King as you may read in the 8. Chapter but the thing displeased Samuel when they asked a King and Samuel prayed unto the Lord and the Lord said unto Samuel hearken unto the voice of the people in what they say for they have not rejected thee but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them and according as they have dealt with me so shall they have a King and Samuel told the mind of the Lord unto the People as you may read in Chap. 8. to ver 18. Nevertheless the people refused to hear the voice of Samuel and they said nay but there shall be a King over us that we may be like all the Nations and that our King may judge us and go before us and sight our battels and Samuel rehearsed the words of the people in the ears of the Lord and the Lord said unto Samuel hearken unto their voice and make them a King Now there was a man of Benjamins Tribe whose name was Kish and he had a Son whose name was Saul a choise young man and goodly higher from the shoulders upward than any of the People as you may read in the 9. Chapter Then Samuel took a Vyal of Oyl and poured it upon his head and kissed him Chap. 10. and Samuel said unto all the people behold I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me and have made a King over you and behold now the King walketh before you and I am old and grey-headed and my Sons are with you and I have walked before you from my childhood to this day Now therefore behold the King whom ye have chosen and whom ye have desired whom the Lord hath set over you if ye will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the Commandments of the Lord then shall both ye and your King all follow the Lord your God but if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord but rebel against the Commandment of the Lord then shall the hand of the Lord be against you as it was against your Fathers So this Saul ruled over Israel and judged Israel from Chap. 12. to 15. in which the Lord sent Samuel unto him that he might hearken to the voice of the words of the Lord Chap. 15. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts I remember that which Amaleck did to Israel Exod. 17.8 9 10 11. how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt Now go and smite Amaleck and utterly destroy that they have and spare them not but slay both man and woman infant and suckling Camel and Ass but Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the Sheep and the Oxen and the Fatlings of the Lambs and all that was good they spared Then came the word of the Lord to Samuel saying it repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be King for he is turned back from following me and hath not performed my Commandments and it grieved Samuel and he cryed to the Lord all night and Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul and Saul said unto him blessed be thou of the Lord I have performed the Commandment of the Lord and Samuel said what meaneth this bleating of the Sheep and lowing of the Oxen in mine ears and Saul said the people have saved the best of the Sheep and of the Oxen to sacrifice to the Lord thy God and the rest we have utterly destroyed And Samuel said hath the Lord greater delight in burnt Offerings and Sacrifices than in obeying the voice of the Lord to obey is better than Sacrifice and to hacken than the fat of Rams for Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubborness is as Iniquity and Idolatry because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord he hath also rejected thee from being King and Saul said unto Samuel I have sinned 1 Sam. 15.23.24 And the Lord said unto Samuel how long wilt thou mourn for Saul seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel fill thine Horn with Oyl and I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite for I have provided me a King amongst his Sons and Samuel said how can I go if Saul hear he will kill me and the Lord said take an heifer with thee and say I am come to Sacrifice to the Lord and call Jesse to the Sacrifice and I will shew thee what thou shalt do and thou shalt annoint him whom I name unto thee c. And Samuel did that which the Lord spake and came unto Bethlehem and the Elders of the Town trembled at his coming and said comest thou peaceably and he said peaceably I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord sanctifie your selves and come to the sacrifice with me and he sanctified Jesse and his Sons and called them to the Sacrifice and Samuel looked on Jesses Sons and Jesse made seven of his Sons to pass before Samuel and Samuel said unto Jesse the Lord hath not chosen these and he said are here all thy children and he said there remaineth yet the youngest and behold he keepeth the Sheep and Samuel said unto Jesse send and fetch him for we will not sit down till he come hither and he sent and brought him in David Now he was ruddy
and withall of a beautiful countenance and goodly to look to and the Lord said arise annoint him for this is he then Samuel took the horn of Oyl and annointed him in the midst of his Brethren and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward Here the Lord annointed David to be King over Israel by his Prophet and by his eternal Spirit but this was hid from Saul many years as you may read from Chap. 16 to 23. And how the Lord was with David in all his undertakings and how he was preserved from the wrath and fury of Saul and how David preserved Sauls life when he came into the Cave where he and his men were upon the Rocks and he would not hurt Saul as you may read in the 24. Chapter but still Saul pursued Davids life as you may read throughout the Book of Samuel And the Armies of the Amalekites gathered together against Israel and David enquired of the Lord saying shall I pursue after this Troop shall I overtake them and he answered pursue them and without fail recover all So David went and six hundred men that were with him four hundred pursued and two hundred stayed behind and David recovered all that the Amalekites carryed away and David recovered his two Wives and there was nothing lacking neither small nor great neither Sons nor Daughters neither flocks nor herds but David recovered them all and came to the two hundred men that stayed behind that were so faint they could not follow him Now after this the Philistines fought against Israel that was under Saul and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and the Battel went sore against Saul and the Archers hit him and he was sore wounded and Saul said unto his Armour-Bearer draw thy Sword and thrust me through but his Armour-Bearer would not therefore Saul took a sword and fell upon it and when his Armour-Bearer saw that Saul was dead he fell likewise upon his sword and died with him so Saul died and his three Sons and his Armour-Bearer and all his men fell that day together 1 Sam. 31. II. Samuel AND when David had word that Saul and Jonathan were dead then David took hold on his Cloaths and rent them and all the men that were with him and they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his Son for the People of the Lord and for the House of Israel because they were fallen by the sword and David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his Son which Lamentation you may read 2 Sam. 1. And it came to pass after this that David enquired of the Lord saying shall I go up into the Cities of Iudah and the Lord said unto him go up and David said unto him whither shall I go and he said unto Hebron so David went up thither and his two Wives and his men that were with him every man with his Houshold and they dwelt in the Cities of Hebron and the men of Iudah came and there they annointed David King over the House of Iudah and they told David that the men of Iabesh-Gilead were they that buried Saul and David sent Messengers unto the men of Gilead and said unto them Blessed be ye of the Lord that ye have shewed this kindness unto the Lord even unto Saul and buried him and now the Lord shew kindness and truth unto you and I will requite you this kindness for your Master Saul is dead and the House of Iudah hath annointed me King over them So now David reigned over the House of Iudah but yet there continued long War between the House of Saul and the House of David but David waxed stronger and stronger and the House of Saul waxed weaker and weaker Then came all the Tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron and spoke saying we are thy bones and thy flesh and in time past when Saul was King over us thou leddest out and brought in Israel and the Lord said unto thee thou shalt feed my people Israel So all the Elders of Israel came to the King to Hebron and King David made a league with them before the Lord and they annointed David King over Israel Chap. 5. David was thirty years old when he began to reign in Israel in Hebron he reigned over Iudah seven years and he reigned over Israel and Iudah forty years So David governed Israel in the fear and wisdom of the Lord God for David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel thirty thousand and David arose and went with all them that were with him from Baal of Iudah to bring up from thence the Ark of God whose name is called the Lord of Hosts that dwelleth between the Cherubims the whole passage whereof you may read Chap. 6. And when King David sat in his house the King said unto Nathan the Prophet see I dwell in an house of Cedar but the Ark of God dwells within Curtains and that night the word of the Lord came unto Nathan saying go tell my servant David thus saith the Lord shalt thou build a house for me to dwell in whereas I have not dwelt in an house since the time that I brought up the Children of Israel out of Egypt even to this day but have walked in a Tent and in a Tabernacle but when thy days shall be fulfilled that thou sleeps with thy Fathers I will set up thy seed after thee which shall proceed out of thy Bowels and I will establish his Kingdom he shall build an house for my name and I will establish the Throne of his Kingdom for ever I will be his Father and he shall be my Son if he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men but my mercy shall not depart away from him as I took from Saul Chap. 7. Thus David governed the Kingdom of Israel nobly all his days and the mighty works that he did and the great Victories that the Lord gave him you may read of to the end of this Book 1 Kings 2 Chron. AND when the days of David grew nigh that he should die he charged Solomon his Son saying I go the way of all the earth be thou strong therefore and shew thy self a man and keep the charge of the Lord thy God to walk in his ways and to keep his Statutes and his Commandments and his Judgments and his Testimonies as it is written in the Law of Moses that thou mayst prosper in all that thou doest that the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me saying if thy Children take heed to their way to walk before me in Truth with all their heart and with all their Soul there shall not fail thee a man said he to sit on the Throne of Israel 1 Kings 2. And so David slept with his Fathers and was buried in the City of David Then sat Solomon upon the Throne of
of them and burnt them upon the Altar according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed who cryed the same words then said he what title is this that I see and the men of the City said it is the Sepulchre of the man of God which came from Iudah and told these things which thou hast done to the Altar of Bethel 1 Kings 13.2 then said he let him alone let none remove his bones 2 Chron. 34.35 Chap. And this King Iosiah caused the Law of the Lord to be read and when he heard the words of it he rent his Cloaths because that his fore-Fathers had forsaken the Lord and burnt incense unto Baal and he sent to Huldah the Prophetess that dwelt in the Colledge in Ierusalem to enquire of the Lord concerning the people of Iudah and she said unto them thus saith the Lord God tell the man that sent you thus saith the Lord I will bring evil upon this place and upon the Inhabitants thereof even the words of the Book which the King of Iudah hath read because they have forsaken me and burnt incense unto other Gods that they might provoke me to anger therefore my wrath is kindled against this place and shall not be quenched Chap. 22. And the King sent and gathered unto him all the Elders of Iudah and Ierusalem and read the Law before them in the house of the Lord and the King stood by a Pillar and made a Covenant before the Lord and before all his people to walk after the Lord and to keep his Commandments as you may read Chap. 23. In his days Pharaoh Neehoh King of Egypt went up against the King of Assyria to the River Euphrates and King Iosiah went up against him whom when Pharaoh saw he slew him at Megiddo and the people of the Land took Jehoahaz Son of Josiah and annointed him King in his Fathers stead And Iehoahaz was thirty and three years old when he began to reign and he reigned three months in Ierusalem and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and the King of Egypt put him down at Ierusalem and made Eliakim his Brother King over Iudah and Ierusalem and turned his name to Iehojakim And Iehojakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign and he reigned eleven years in Ierusalem and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and in his days the King of Babylon came up and the Lord sent against him the Bands of the Chaldees and Bands of the Syrians and Bands of the Moabites and Bands of the Children of Ammon and sent them against Iudah to destroy it according to the word of the Lord which he spake by his Servants the Prophets surely at the Commandment of the Lord came this upon Iudah to remove them out of his sight for the sins of Manasseh according to all that he did and also for the innocent blood that he shed for he filled Ierusalem with innocent blood Chap. 24. At that time Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon came up against the City of Ierusalem and he and his Servants besieged it and Iehojachim King of Iudah he and his Mother and his Princes and his Servants and his Officers went out to meet him and the King of Babylon took them and he carried out thence all the Treasures of the House of the Lord and the Treasures of the Kings House and cut in pieces all the Vessels of Gold which Solomon the King of Israel had made in the Temple of the Lord and he carried away all Ierusalem and all the Princes and the mighty men of valour even ten thousand Captives and all the Crastsmen and the Smiths and there remained none save the poorest sort of the people And he carried away Iehoiachim into Babylon and the Kings Mother Judah and Jerusalem going into Babylon and the Kings Wives and his Officers he carried away captive from Ierusalem the mighty men of the Land even seven thousand and Craftsmen and Smiths a thousand all that were strong and apt to War them the King of Babylon brought captive to Babylon and he made his Fathers Brother King of Ierusalem and he reigned seven years until he rebelled against the King of Babylon and then the King of Babylon came against him and took him and then the havock and the spoil that was made at Ierusalem you may read in the twenty firth Chapter 2 Chr. 36. And thus the sins and abominations that the Children of Israel wrought against the Lord with their Kings that reigned over them and how the Lord by his Prophets would have turned them unto himself and how he sent precept upon precept and line upon line as you may read at large in the Prophesie of Isaiah and in the Prophesie of Ieremiah and Hosea prophesied in that time in the days of Vzziah Iotham Ahaz and Hezekiah and in the days of Ieroboam the Son of Ioash King of Israel The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea the Lord said unto Hosea go take thee a Wife of Whoredoms and the Children of Whoredoms for the Land hath committed great Whoredoms departing from the Lord. So he went and took Gomer the Daughter of Diblaim which conceived and bare a Son and the Lord said unto him call his name Iezreel for yet a little while and I will avenge the blood of Iezreel upon the House of Iehu and it shall come to pass in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Iezreel Hos 1. to 5. my people ask Counsel at their stocks and their staff declareth unto them for the spirit of Whoredoms have caused them to erre and they have gone a whoring from under their God they have dealt treacherously against the Lord the Princes of Iudah were like them that remove the bound therefore I will pour out my sury upon them like water saith the Lord Hos Chap. 4.5 and so on throughout that Book you may read how the Lord by his Prophet complains of their Idolatry The words of Amos who was amongst the Herdsmen which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Vzziah King of Iudah and in the daies of Ieroboam King of Israel two years before the earthquake and he said the Lord will roar from Zion and utter his voice from Ierusalem and the inhabitants of the Shepherds shall mourn and the top of Carmel Amos 1. Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you O Children of Israel against the whole Family which I brought up from the Land of Egypt saying ye only have I known of all the Families of the earth therefore will I punish you for your iniquities Amos 3.1 2. And the Prophet Ezekiel saith now it came to pass in the thirtieth year in the fourth month on the first day of the month as I was among the Captives that I saw the Visions of God here the Lord did not only prophesie before they went into
Covenant that the Lord made with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah as you may read in Isa 42. I the Lord have called thee in Righteousness and will hold thine hand and will keep thee and will give thee for a Covenant of the people for a light to the Gentiles ver 6. And in Isa 49. he said it is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the Tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayst be my salvation to the end of the earth ver 6. And in Jer. 31. Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the Land of Egypt which my Covenant they broke although I was an Husband unto them saith the Lord but this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people and also Chap. 24. And Ezckiel 36. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your silthiness and from all your Idoâ—â— I will cleanse you a new heart will I give you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and will give you a heart of flesh ver 25 26. also Chap. 11. 19. This is the Covenant which God is establishing and Christ Jesus is the seed which was promised unto Abrsham Christ Jesus is the Elected seed which God hath chosen which he prophesied of by his Prophet Esaiah Behold my Servant whom I uphold mine Elect in whom my soul delighteth I will put my Spirit upon him and he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles this is he that is the true and right seed and with this agrees the Apostle when he was speaking of Jacob and Esau for the children being yet unhorn neither having done good nor evil but that the purpose of God according to Election might stand and again the Apostle saith Israel hath not obtained that which he secketh for but the Election hath obtained it and the rest are blinded Rom. 11. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all Children but in Isâ—â—c shall thy seed be called that is they which are the children of the flesh are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted for the seed and therefore the Apostle told them that blindness in part hath happened unto Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles come in and so all Israel shall be saved both of the Jews and also of the Gentiles but the Apostle tells you in another place that all are not Israel that are of Israel but there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer and shall turn away â—ugodliness from Iacob this is my Covenant with them when I take away their sins Rom. 11.26 27. And the Redeemer shall come to Sion 〈◊〉 unto them that turn from transgression in Iacob saith the 〈◊〉 as for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord My Spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the 〈◊〉 of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord from henceâ— forth and for ever Isa 59.20 21. This is the seed which the Lord is gathering in this day both in Jews and Gentiles even to the ends of the Earth even such as turn away from iniquity and sin for Christ Jesus is manifest to take away sin and in him is no sin and the gathering is unto him for he is the head of his body which is his Church and the Apostle saith that the body is Christ and the seed is Christ so the head and the body is united together and of this body and Church all the holy Prophets of the Lord have prophesied of all along as you may read in the Scriptures David of whom the Lord said I have found David my Servant with my holy Oyl have I anointed him with whom my hand shall be established for ever he prophesied of the Mystery of Christ and his Church as you may read in Psal 45. and Solomon in his Song you read how largely he treated there of the Mystery of Christ and his Church and the Prophet Isaiah in the 54. Chap. saith Sing O barren thou that didst not bear break forth into singing c. for thy Maker is thy Husband the Lord of Hosts is his Name and the Redeemer the holy One of Israel the God of the whole Earth shall he be called as you may read in the 54. of Isaiah and Chap. 62.11 at large with many more places of Scripture Also Zachariah he prophesies of Christs coming to his Church Zach. 9.9 Rejoyce greatly O Daughter of Zion shout O Daughter of Ierusalem behold thy King cometh unto thee he is just having Salvation lowly riding upon an Ass and upon a Colt the Foal of an Ass and this was fulfilled Math. 21. as you may read there when Jesus came nigh unto Ierusalem for there was the place that this might be fulfilled in he sent his Disciples to a Village and told them they should find an Ass tyed and a Colt with her and he bad them loose them and bring them unto him and the Disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them as you may read in that Chapter Mark saith that he was tyed at the door without where two ways met Mark 11. And they brought the Colt to Jesus and cast their garments upon him and set Jesus upon him Luke saith that they were to find a Colt tyed that yet never man sat thereon and they brought him to Jesus and cast their garments upon him and set Jesus thereon Luke 19.36 And John saith and Jesus when he found a young Ass sat thereon as it is written Fear not Daughter of Sion behold thy King cometh sitting on an Asses Colt Iohn 12.14 15. And this perfectly fulfills old Iacoby Prophesie of his Son Iudah where he saith Indah is a Lions Whelp from the prey â—oy Son thou art gone up Iudah was thâ— Whelp of this â—ion which was before Abraham Ioh. 8. â—8 and this is hâ— which Iohn saw in the Rev. 6. open the Bock that was sealed this â—â—on stooped down and crouched down as an old Dion when he stooped to Iudah who shall rouze him up saith old Iacobâ— the Scepter shall not depart from Iudah nor the Lâ—â—â— giver from between his feet until Sâ—ilch come and unto him 〈◊〉 the gethering of the people be bâ—inding his Foall unto the Vine and his Astes Colt unâ—o the choice Vined
Volumn of thy Book it is written of me to do thy will O God he taketh away the first saith the Apostle that he might establish the second he took away the first Offerings and the first Sacrisices which he delighteth not in neither had he pleasure therein and he established the second and everlasting Offering Christ Jesus who hath a body prepared to do thy will O God by the which will saith the Apostle we are sanctified through offering up the body of Iesus Christ once for all Heb. 10. to the 10. ver And this is the Offering and Sacrifice in which God is well pleased this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased saith the Lord hear ye him for he hath given himself for his Church that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blâ—mish Eph. 5.25 26 27. And so this pure Church and Body of Christ is he coming now to redeem and to bring out of Captivity as he brought his former Israel out of Captivity of which you have heard which was but a Figure of this true and pure and holy Church which hath been a long time in the Wildernesâ— as you may read in Revel 12. And for this end is Christ Jesus come a light into the world not only to the Jews but to the whole world for he came unto his own even unto his Tribe of Judah which was at Jerusalem but his own received him not but as many of them as received him to them he gave power to become the Sons of God not only of them but the whole world for to that end is he come that whosoever believes on him they should not perish but have everlasting life For he is come a light and hath enlightned the whole world and every man that comes into the world Joh. 1. So every one that comes into the world that turns his mind unto the light of our Lord Jesus Christ turns his mind to the elected seed which the Lord hath chosen which he hath laid in Sion for a foundation And therefore thus saith the Lord behold I lay in Sion for a foundation a stone a tryed stone a precious corner-stone a sure foundation that lays judgment to the Line and righteousness to the Plummet Isaiah 28.16 And the Apostle Peter saith wherefore it is contained in the Scripture behold I lay in Sion a chief corner stone elect and precious he that believeth on him shall not be confounded unto you therefore who believe he is precious but unto them who are disobedient he is a stone of stumbling and a rock of Câ—fence to them that stumble at the word 1 Pet. 2.6 7 8. So this is the foundation that the Lord hath laid in Sion Christ Jesus the light he hath sown in every mans heart and this new Covenant of which we have mentioned which cannot he broken he hath written in every mans heart and who keeps in this Covenant and obeys this light and the Spirit of the Lord that is in his heart which shews him his thoughts and reproveth him for his sin who believes in this light of the Lord Jesus believes in the Elect of God chosen of God and precious to all that believes he is precious but to the disobedient a stone of stumbling So here is the difference and distinction between the holy Nation the royal Priesthood the peculiar people and the whole world those that believe and obey and follow him that is precious they become precious they that obey Christ Jesus and follow him in whom there is no sin but takes away the sins of the whole world of those that obey him all that continue and abide in him are cleansed and purged from sin and washed and made nigh by his blood but to the disobedient that hates the light to them he is a stone of stumbling to them he is a rock of Offence whereunto the Apostle saith they were appointed So this is the main substance of all that can be said Christ Jesus that is Gods everlasting Covenant not only to the Jews but also Gentiles and all people even to the ends of the earth his light hath reached and shined into every man and every womans heart and conscience that is come into the whole world so that every one that will turn to that measure of the light of our Lord Jesus Christ which they have received they turn to the Elect of God they turn to that which God hath chosen in which his Soul delighteth whether they are Barbarian or Scythian whether they are Jew or Gentile whether they are bond or free whether they are male or female if they come to the light of Christ in their heart they are all one in Christ Jesus and so by this pure and glorious shining light which shines in the hearts and consâ—â—ences of people doth the Lord redeem his Church and purge it and purifie it and gives liberty to that precious seed that hath long laid in Captivity The Lamb hath been slain from the foundation of the world which world entred into mans heart at the fall of Adam and into mans heart is Christ Jesus come a light the new Covenant and everlasting Covenant of God which he hath written in every mans heart and his spirit he hath put in the inward parts by which the Prince of the power of the air cometh to be removed by the spirit of his mouth and the brightness of his coming will he slay that wicked one that man of sin and Son of perdition that hath sitten in the Temple of God exalted above all that is called God Now is the Judgment of this world how shall the Prince of this world be cast out and if I be lifted up from the Earth I will draw all men unto me saith Christ John 12.31 32. chap. 8.28.35 So Jesus having tasted death for every man Heb. 2. the vertue of his death hath reached unto every man so that every man hath partaken of that infinite mercy and bounty for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell whose fulness of grace and mercy hath reached unto all men and women for saith the Apostle he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world 1 Joh. 2.2 Jesus cryed and said he that believeth on me believeth not on me only but on him that sent me and he that seeth me seeth him that sent me I am come a light into the world that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness and if any hear my word and believe not I judge him not for I am come not to judge the world but to save the world Joh. 12. this was the end for which the Father sent his Son into the world God so loved the world that he gave his only
Servant the things which must shortly be done For the Lord God had prophesied of these things before by the Prophets and by Christ Jesus and his Apostles and saith unto Iohn seal not the Prophesie of the sayings of this Book for the time is at hand and behold I come quickly for my reward is with me to give unto every one according to his works And I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end the first and the last blessed are they that do his Commandements that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the City I Jesus have sent mine Angel to testifie unto you these things to the Churches I am the Root and Off-spring of David and the bright morning Star and the Spirit and the Bride saith come and let him that heareth say come and let him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely He that testifieth these things saith surely I come quickly even Amen come Lord Jesus the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen ver 20.21 Thus you may see in part the constancy and faithfulness of the Lord God how unchangeable and how unâ—lterable he is and what love and faithful care he hath had over his seed ever since he made man and gave him a being upon the Earth but indeed his love is everlasting for he had elected and decreed and determined Salvation and Redemption to his seed before the foundation of the world was and because he could not alter nor change therefore his seed was preserved as you may read in several places of the Scriptures because I change not therefore ye Sons of Jacob are not consumed and if the Lord had not left us this seed we had been as Sodom and like unto Gomorah But by this little tract that we have gone through the Scriptures since the Lord made man you may read the long-suffering and the patience of the Lord God and his kind dealing and his fatherly care over his seed even when they rebelled against him and that because of his faithfulness in keeping of his promises and Covenants which he so often promised and covenanted as hath been shewed not only unto Abraham unto Isaac and unto Iacob but also unto David as you may read at large in the Prophesie of Isaiah and in Ieremiah and the Book of Psalms often hath he redoubled his promises unto David and unto his seed for ever that as his Covenant was with the day and with the night so is his Covenant with David and his seed for ever and as he had sworn that the Waters should not go over the Earth so he had sworn that his Blessing and Covenant should be with David and his seed for ever which he hath faithfully performed of the seed of David he hath sent his Son And so the Lord hath led them along as you may read thorow this Treatise until Christ and according to his promise Christ came and took not upon him as Apostle saith the Nature of Angels but he took on him the seed of Abraham for he was made a little lower then the Angels for the suffering of death crowned with Glory and Honour that he by the Grace of God should tast of death for every man as you may read in Heb. 2. And he that thought it no robbery to be equal with the great God yet he took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of man and being found in the fashion of a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto the death even the death of the Cross wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name better then every name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of the Father Phil. 2. So he hath gone thorow this great Work and finished it for as the Apostle saith so it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things to make the Captain of our Salvation perfect through sufferings for in the days of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications Christs Sufferings with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard and though he was a Son yet learned he obedience by the things that he suffered and being made perfect through sufferings he became the Author of Eternal Salvation unto all them that obey him Heb. 5. So the price he hath paid and mans Salvation and Redemption he hath purchased by his own blood as Iohn saith Jesus Christ who is the faithful and true Witness the first begotten of the dead and the Prince of the Kings of the Earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood Rev. 1. And he according to his promise unto his Disciples that he would pour down his Spirit upon them and send them another Comforter and bad them stay at Ierusalem till the Spirit was poured on them from on high which was plentifully and richly fulfilled as the Scripture testifies for they were made partakers of it in a plentiful manner and the Apostles were made able Ministers of the Spirit by which they begat multitudes unto God and to the true Faith which is in Christ Jesus so that the light of the glorious Gospel shone gloriously among them and Christ had a glorious Church at that day as those Epistles which the Apostles wrote to the Churches being left upon Record bears a true testimony of the holy Spirit that was in them and all that live in the Spirit of the living God and is endowed and enriched with it bears witness to the Scriptures that they were given forth by the holy Spirit of God and by the inspiration of the Almighty But we may see that Christ and his holy Apostles had a foresight and a knowledge of the beauty and glory of this Church being vailed and that the night of Apostacy and darkness would come over as hath been already shewed and as you may read in the Scriptures which hath been fulfilled as experience of many ages can testifie for by most of the Records that we can find it is above twelve hundred years since the glorious beauty of the Church of Christ was stained but all this hath not come to pass without the fore-knowledge of the holy Prophets Christ and the Apostles And so now blessed and honoured be the glorious God our lot is fallen in a good Land and our time is a time of love and as we are fallen into the last age of the world so also we are risen with Christ Jesus the Sun of Righteousness who ariseth with healing in his wings and now the light of the glorious Gospel hath shined in our hearts and hath given us the knowledge of the glory of the invisible God in the face of Jesus Christ and this Gospel of the
Caldees to go into the Land of Canaan Gen. 11.31 And the Lord said unto Abram get thee out of thy Country and from thy kindred and from thy Fathers house into a Land that I will shew thee and I will make of thee a great Nation and I will bless thee and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing and I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee and in thee shall all the Families of the earth be blessed So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him and Abram took Sarai his Wife and Lot his Brother's Son and all their substance that they had gathered and the Souls that they had got in Haran and they went forth to go into the Land of Canaan and into the Land of Canaan they came and Abram passed through the Land to Scchem unto the plain of Morch and the Canaanite was then in the Land this Canaanite was of Ham's stock and seed which afterward the Lord drove out to bring in his own seed of his Promise And the Lord appeared unto Abram and said unto thy feed will I give this Land and there Abram built an Altar unto the Lord who appeared unto him there in the Land though the Canaâ—nite was there and Abram removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his Tent and there he builded an Altar unto the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And so journied towards the South and there was a grievous Famine in the Land and Abram and his Wife and Lot went down into Egypt to sojourn there because the Famine was great and there they stayed in Egypt till they were grown very rich in Cattel in Silver and in Gold And Abram came back again out of Egypt and his Wife and Lot and all that they had and he went on his journey from the South even to Bethel unto the place where his Tent had been in the beginning and unto the place of the Altar which he had made there at first there Abram called on the name of the Lord even in the Land which the Lord had given unto him he came back unto it from Egypt he and his Wife and Lot and all their substance and Cattel but their Servants and Herdsmen could not agree and Abram desired that there might be peace betwixt Lâ—â— and him because they were brethren and Abram said the whole Land is before thee separate thy self from me and take the one hand and I will take the other and Lot chose the plain of Jordan because it was well watâ—red and as the Garden of the Lord and Abram dwelt in the Land of Canaan and Lot dwelt in the Cities of the plain and pitched his Tents towards Sodom but the men of Sodom were wicked and sinned before the Lord exceedingly for they were of Ham's stock and of that cursed seed for he was the Father of Canaan and the Lord said unto Abram after that Lot was separated from him list up now thine eâ—es and look from the place where thou art Northward and Southward and Eastward and Westward for all the Land which thou seest to the will I give and to thy seed for ever and I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth so that if thou canst number the dust of the earth then shall thy seed be numbred Abram removed his Tent and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre which is in Hebron and builded there an Altar unto the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord Then there was a great battel fought about Sodom and Comorrah four Kings against five made War and they took Lot Abraham's brothers Son a Prisoner and all his goods And when Abram heard they had taken his Brother's Son captive he armed his servants that were born in his house and pursued them unto Dan and pursued them unto Hobah and he brought back all the Goods and he also brought again his brother Lot And when Abram returned back from the slauther of the Kings Melchisedec King of Salem brought forth bread and Wine and he was the Priest of the most high God and he blessed him and said blessed be Abram of the most high God possessor of Heaven and earth and blessed be the most high God which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand and Abram gave him Tyths of all Now the Scripture saith that Christ the everlasting high Priest is after the Order of Melchisedec Psal 110.4 David saith the Lord hath sworn and will not repent thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec and the Apostle saith Heb. 6.20 whither the forerunner is entred even Jesus made an high Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec this cannot be of mortal man nor according to mans Order that Christ Jesus is made a Priest after the Apostle saith this Melchisedec King of Salem Priest of the most high God who met Abram returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him to whom Abraham also gave a tenth part of all The Apostle gives the signification of his name first being by interpretation King of Righteousness after that King of Salem which is King of peace without Father without Mother without descent having neither beginning of days nor end of life but made like unto the Son of God abideth a Priest continually This is the interpretation the Apostle gives of him now consider saith the Apostle how great he is unto whom the Patriarch Abraham gave the tenth Now they that are of the Sons of Levi who receive the Office of Priesthood have a commandment to take Tythes according to the Law but he whose descent is not counted from them received Tythes of Abraham and blessed him that had the promise and without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better for if he had not been above Abraham he could not have blessed him for here men that die saith the Apostle receive Tythes but there he received them of whom it is witnessed that he liveth Heb. 7.8 What will it advantage the Priests of this age when they cannot prove by the Levetical Law Tythes to be lawful in these days because they profess themselves to be Ministers of the Gospel and their Order should be Gospel-Order and they bring Melchisedec that he took Tythes and they bring Abraham who is the seed that God hath blessed that had the promises of God unto him that paid them and they themselves are mortal sinful men that takes the Tythes and people that are loaden with sin and iniquity pays the Tythes what example have these from Melchisedec's Order after whose Order Christ Jesus the everlasting high Priest is made for Levi that took Tythes paid Tythes in Abraham unto Melchisedec for he was in the loins of his Father when Abraham met him if there were perfection in the Levitical Priesthood which is after the Order of Aaron what needed there another Priest after the Order of Melchisedec