be the chiefest end and mark whereat man ought to shoote it must nedes be concluded that those mens studyes and labours deserue the greatest prayse which are employed to the attayning and directing of others therevnto Wherein as God in all ages hath alwayes stirred vp some who haue taken great paynes therein to the publike commoditie of others So in my simple iudgement neyther this present worke neyther the Author thereof deserueth the least commendation And albeit I wote full vvell that so the worke it selfe be good it is not greatly materiall what the workeman be yet like as good Wyne is then best vvhen it is drunke out of a cleane vessell and good meat then best delighteth when the dresser therof is cleanly So this Booke which of it selfe I doubt not to be such that it will be liked of all those who delight in God and godlynesse I trust euen for the Authors sake it shall neuer awhit the woorse be welcome Of vvhose syncere lyfe and great prayses although there is good cause why I shoulde speake for that hee hath bene of long time throughly knowne to me and I am assured his vertues and integritie to bee such that if I shoulde saye there are fevve his like to bee founde I trust for saying the truth no good man woulde be offended Yet partly for that I am not ignorant that no man delighteth lesse to heare his owne praise than he doth partly for that there be many causes why I should rather honour him than for lacke of sufficient skill and abilitie meanelye prayse him I will leaue him to thy particular iudgement gentle Reader and to the testimoniall of the vvhole vvorld vvho I doubt not vvill say no lesse but that he is a man vvithout fraude or guile and such one as feareth God. As touching the Booke it selfe good reason it is ech man shoulde vse his ovvne iudgement and opinion But if my simple Testimoniall maye preuayle I dare vvarrant it to bee such that vvhat studie soeuer thou shalt bestovve in reading the same it shall vvell requite thy paynes And though the Author be such that he rather delighteth in good and vertuous lyfe than maketh boste of anye great learning Yet such hath his paynes bene herein that very good Clarkes neede take no scorne to receiue some light from this his Candell In summe the Booke is of God and his holy Saintes and therefore to be reuerenced collected out of Scripture and therefore no vaine fable written briefely and therefore not tedious set forth in playne and simple vvyse and therefore the better for thy capacitie ▪ truely reporting the lyfe and death of such as eyther for sinne and those to be auoyded eyther for vertue and those to bee imitated haue mention made in Gods holye Booke All that is vvritten therein is vvritten for thy helpe and instruction Vse it then to that ende that the Authour meaneth that is Not onely to increase thy knovvledge and so to be made more learned but also to increase thy vertuous life and so to become the better Man. R. M. ¶ The lyues of holy Saincts Prophets Patriarches c. AAron was the sonne of Amram and brother to Moses and of the Tribe of Leui. Hys mothers name was Iochebed sister to Caath the father of Amram Hée was appointed of God to be Moses interpreter and also his Prophet what tyme as God sent Moses to Pharao to poure out hys plagues vpon him He tooke Elisaba the daughter of Aminadab of the Tribe of Iuda to wyfe He was the fyrst Byshop of the Iewes And left with Hur to gouerne the people in the absence of Moses while he was in the Mount wyth god And in the meane time the people beyng yet infected wyth the ydolatrie of Egipt cryed out against Aaron to make them goddes to go before them Then Aaron perceyuing the people inclyned to ydolatrie and also thinking they woulde rather forgoe the same than to forsake their precious Iewels sayde vnto them Plucke of the golden earerings in the eares of your Wyues your sonnes and of your daughters and bring them to mée The people did so Aaron made thereof a Calfe Which when the people sawe and behelde they were excéeding gladde And began now to worship and honor the Calfe as a godde hopping and daunceyng for ioye But the Lorde aboue beholding theyr wickednesse tolde it to Moses and sent him downe post haste to refourme their wycked attemptes Who then comming downe from the Mount wyth the Tables of God in hys hande and drawyng néere to the host hée sawe the Calfe and the people daunceyng before it Which sight so kindeled the wrath of Moses grieued hys heart so sore that he threwe the Tables oute of his handes tooke the Calfe and burnt it in the fyer and stampte it all into powder and ashes which he threwe into the water and forced the people to drinke it Then he demaunded of Aaron what the people did to him that he had brought so great a sinne vpon them Aaron sayde let not the wrath of my Lorde ware fierce thou knowest the people that they are set on mischiefe For they sayde vnto mée make vs goddes to go before vs for we wote not what is become of Moses the man that brought vs out of Egipt Then I required to haue their golde and Iewels which they brought vnto mée and I did cast them into the fier and thereof came out this Calfe Moses then vnderstanding the matter commaunded the children of Leui to fall vpon the ydolaters and slue of them about thrée thousande persons After this it came to passe that Aaron and Miriam his sister did grudge against their brother Moses bicause he had taken an Ethiopian to wyfe saying on this wyse hath the Lorde in déede spoken onely through Moses and hath he not spoken also by vs The Lorde not content wyth this their contemning of Moses auctoritie was sore displeased and stroke Miriam wyth a foule leprosie Which so much discomforted Aaron to sée his syster so fowlye arayed and disfigured that he humbled himselfe to Moses and sayde Alas my Lorde I beséech thée put not the sinne vppon vs which we haue foolishlye committed sinned Oh let hir not be as one deade of whom the fleshe is halfe consumed when he commeth out of hys mothers wombe And so thorowe Aarons intreatie Moses prayed vnto God and Miriam was healed Finally when Aaron had lyued one hundred xxiij yeares hée dyed in mount Hor as the Lorde had foretolde And hys sonne Eleazar succéeded in his rowme Abacuck the Prophet was of the Tribe of Simeon He prophecied of the taking of Ierusalem by Nabuchodonosor This Prophet on a time had prepared potage and other vittayles for the haruest folkes And going to the fieldes to bring the same to the reapers an Aungell of God spake vnto him and sayde Go and cary the meate that thou hast prepared into Babilon and gyue it
kylled hir After this hir father tooke hir from Dauid and gaue hir to * Loke in the hystorie of Psaltei howe he vsed Michol Dauids wyfe Psaltei the sonne of Lays to wyfe with whome she remayned tyll the death of Saule and then was restored agayne to Dauid by Abners meanes Finally when Dauid came dauncing before the Arke of God in his shyrte â–ª to the Citie of Dauid it chauncâ—d Michol to looke out at a window and beholding the King how he leaped and daunced before the Arke she began to despise hym in hir heart â–ª and méeting him after all thinges were done she sayde O how glorious was the King of Israel this daye which was vncouered to day in the eyes of the Maydens of his seruaunts as a foole vncouereth himselfe And for thus despising of Dauid the seruaunt of God the Lorde plagued hir with Baraynesse that she neuer â–ª had Childe ¶ Michol who is perfect 2. Reg. 4. b. Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathas was lame in his féete by reason his nurse by misfortune in his infancie let him fall to the grounde out of hir armes and was brought vp and nourished after the death of his father 9. cap. in the hâ—uie of Machir tyll Dauid comming to his Kingdome tooke him from thence and restored him to all the lande of King Saule making Ziba his seruaunt chiefe ouerséer and nâ—câ—yuâ—r of the landes and to sée Micah his maysters sonne well brought vp and cherished for so much as Miphiboseth shoulde remayne with hym and eatâ— and drincke at his owne boorde â–ª Now after this when Dauid was brought into so great affliction trouble by reason of Absalom his sonnâ— Miphiboseth remayned still at Ierusalem and neuer â–ª remooued But Ziba 2. Reg. 16. â— his seruaunt went after Dauid with a present and by false report of Miphiboseth his mayster got hys lande from hym â–ª And when the King was returned and come to Ierusalem â–ª agayne then Miphiboseth who had neyther 19. â— washed his féete nor dressed his bearde nor washed his clothes from the tyme the King departed vntill he returned in peace went out to méete him and when the King sawe him he sayde Wherefore wentest thou not with mée Miphiboseth He aunswered My Lorde O King my seruaunt deceyued mée for thy seruaunt sayde I woulde haue myne Asse sadled to ryde thereon for to go with the King bycause thy seruaunt is lame Therefore Ziba hath falsely accused thy seruaunt to my Lorde the King but my Lord the King is as an Angell of God Doe therefore what it pleaseth thée for all my Fathers house were but deade mâ—n before my Lord the King and yet dydst thou set thy seruaunt amonge them that dyd eate at thine owne table What right haue I to cry any more vnto the King Then sayde Dauid â–ª why speakest thou yet in thine owne cause I haue sayde Thou and Ziba deuide the lande betwéene you Yea sayde Miphiboseth let him take all séeing my Lord the King is come home in peace ¶ Miphiboseth shame or confusion from the mouth â— Reg. 21. b. Miphiboseth the sonne of Rizpa King Sauls Concubine was of the Gibeonits with his brother Armony hanged for their fathers offence Exo. 6. c. Miriam was the daughter of Amram Iochebed and sister to Aaron and Moses When hir brother Moses 15. c. had brought the children of Israel thorow the redde Sea Miriam the Prophetesse tooke a Tymbrell in hir hande with other women following in like sorte and began ioyfully to sing and daunce their song was this Sing yée vnto the Lorde for he hath triumphed gloriously The horse and ryder hath he ouerthrowen in the Sea. After this she grudged agaynst Moses because he had taken a Num. 12. cap. woman of Inde to his wyfe wherefore the Lorde smote hir with Leprosie Then Moses partly for pittie and partly at the intercession of Aaron his brother besought the Lorde to heale hir who made hym aunswere saying If hir father in anger had spitte in hir face shoulde she not haue béene ashamed seauen dayes Let hir be shut out of the hoste seauen dayes which being doone she was restored and receyued in agayne Finallye when 20. 2. Moses and the children of Israel were come to Cades there she dyed and was buryed ¶ Miriam exalted or reaching Dan. â— b. 3. ca. Misach first called Misael was one of Daniels companions and one of the thrée which was cast into the whote burning Ouen and myraculously preserued ¶ Misach prolonging or drawing to him or compassing the waters or hedging 3. Esd 2. b. Mithridatus was King Cyrus treasurer at whose commaundement he deliuered all the holye vessels of golde and siluer pertayning to the house of the Lorde to Salmanasar the Deputie in Iewrie The number of which vessels was fiue thousand eyght hundred and thrée score ¶ Mithridatus dissoluing the lawe Act. 21. d Mnason was a certayne godlye man and a Cyprian borne who had of long tyme beléeued the Gospell in whose house Paul was hosted at Ierusalem ¶ Mnason a searcher out or promising or remembring Exod. 2. cap. Moyses the sonne of Amram and Iochebed was myraculously preserued at his byrth For where as Pharao the King of Egipt had straightly commaunded the Moses signifieth preserued from the water Mydwyues that whensoeuer they saw an Hebrue bring soorth a man chylde they shoulde cast it into the ryuer yet Moses being borne a proper childe was notwithstanding the Kinges commaundement kept secretlye thrée monthes And when his parents coulde hide him no longer they closed him in a basket made of réede or Bulrushes dawbed with slyme and pitch and layd him in the ryuer And as the childs sister stoode looking what should become of him it came to passe that King Pharaos * Hir name was Termuth daughter came awalking by the ryuer syde who séeing the basket â—leting vppon the ryuer caused one of hir folkes to take it vp â–ª And when she had opened the basket and sawe the Childe she had pittie vpon it and caused the Mayde his sister to fet hir a Nurse who went and brought his owne mother And so the childe being nursed brought vp in Pharaos house was instructed from his Childehoode in all maner cunning and wisedome of the Egiptians and became mightie in wordes and déedes Howe that Moyses impediment of speach came The king on a time for his daughters sake tooke the childe in hys armes and set the crown vppon hys heade which Moses as it were chyldishly playing hurled to the grounde and with hys foote spurned it At the whiche the Priest cryed out saying that this was he of whome it was prophecied that he should destroy Egipt Then Termuth excused the chylde alleaging his infancie and sacke of discretion And for proofe thereof caused burning coales to be put to hys mouth which the child with his tongue licked
Hesron bare vnto him thrée sonnes Ieser Sobab and Ardon 4. Reg. 11. ca. 2. Par. 22. ca. Athalia was the daughter of Amry and wife to Ioram King of Iuda When Ioram dyed hir sonne Ahaziahu Athalia in the 4. Reg. ca. 8. is called both the daughter of Achab and the daughter of Amrye which sayth Lyra is meÌ„t thus After the death of Amry hir naturall father shee was brought vp with Achab hir brother and so in processe called his daughter or else by immitating hys maners in all kind of Idolatrie succéeded whome she entysed to all wickednesse and after his death she ruled and killed all the reast of the séede of Ioram onely Ioas excepted which was stolne awaye and hyd from hir And when she had ruled the lande most cruelly vj. yeare In the vij yeare Ioas was brought forth by Iehoiada the Priest and proclaymed King She hearing that ranne into the Temple of the Lorde with hir clothes rent crying out treason treason But at the commaundement of Iehoiada the Captaynes and souldiers tooke hir out of the Temple and slue hir ¶ Athalia Time for the Lorde Azaria the sonne * 4 Re. 15. a. b of Amaziahu King of Iuda began his reigne in the xxvij yere of Ieroboam King of Israel was xvj yere old when he was made king And so long as he gaue eare to Zacharias the Prophete and walked vprightly so long did the Lorde prosper him with great victories both of the Philistines and Arabians and made the Ammonites also tributories vnto him He ‡ Azaria is in the same chapter called also Vziah repaired Ierusalem He loued well husbandrye and had great plenty of Cattell At length he became so mightie that in his strength his heart arose to his destruction For in his pryde he went into the Temple of the Lord to burne incense which although he séemed to doe it of a zeale and good intent yet forasmuch as he vsurped the Priests office he was iustlye resisted of Azariahu the Priest and plagued of God who smote him with such a Leprosie that he went out of the Temple a Leper and so remayned all the dayes of his lyfe He reygned .lij. yeares and was buried in a part of the same fielde where his Predecessors lay but not in the same Sepulchres bicause he was a Leper ¶ Azaria Helpe of the Lorde B. BAal the sonne of Reaia was a Prince of the Rubenites and caried away with other his kinred into the lande of Assiria by Thiglath Pilneser King of the Assirians Baanah with his brother Rechab the sonnes of Rimmon were two Captaynes in the hoste of Isboseth King of Israel who when Abner their chiefe Captayne was dead went into the house of Isboseth séeming saith Lyra they had gone to fetch wheate for the King sayth he had great store of wheate which he solde to Merchants a farre of wherefore these two disguysed themselues lyke Merchants that came to buye and so entring into the house they founde where their Lorde and maister lay vpon his bed in the heate of the day fast a sleepe and slue him and tooke his heade and caryed iâ— to Dauid thinking for the same to haue had a great rewarde But for their most shamefull and trayterous acte they were both put to death and their quarters hanged ouer the poole in Hebron Baasa the sonne of Ahia conspired against 〈◊〉 King of Israel and reygned in his steade In the thirde yeare of Asa King of Iuda began Baasa to reygne ouer Israel and walked most wickedlye in all the wayes of Ieroboam whose house and posteritie notwithstanding he vtterly destroyed and left not one aliue for so it was propheried that God woulde stirre him vp one which was this Baasa for that purpose And now for as much as Baasa whome God had exalted euen out of the dust woulde styll mayntaine Ieroboams ydolatrie and cause his people to sinne he sent him worde by the Prophete Iehu that as he had rooted out the whole posteritie of Ieroboam so shoulde his be serued likewise Great warre was betwéene â–ª Baasa and Asa King of Iuda And for to stoppe the passage of Iuda that none shoulde passe out nor in safely Baasa went to builde a strong holde called Rama which he was sayne at length to leaue vnfinished and to lâ—â—se all his â—ost and traueyle to go agaynst Benhadid which had broken couenaunt with him He reygned .xxiiij. yeares and was buried in Thirza which was a place where the King remayned leauing Ela his sonne to succéede him in whose dayes the foresayde Prophecye of the rooting out his posteritie tooke place Bachides was a man of great power in the dominion of Demetrius the sonne of Seleucus And beyng the Kings faythfull friende he sent him with a great host agaynst Iudas Machabeus to reuenge him of the iniurie he had done vnto his people and in the ende slue him After whole death â–ª many of the wicked Iewes turned to Bachides whereof he made some Lordes and rulers of the lande which of enuy vttered the friendes of Iudas brought them into great veration and trouble When Bachides had giuen this ouerthrow to Iudas he sought howe he might kill Ionathas also whom the Iewes had 〈◊〉 in his brothers 〈◊〉 And méeting with Ionathas about the border of Iordan there was a great battell stricken betweene them in the which Bachides lost a thousande of his men After which conflict Bachides by occasion of Alcimus the wicked Priests death departed for that tyme so that Ionathas laye at rest two yeares after tyll a sort of vngodly men conspired against him howe they might bring Bachides vppon hym vnwares which matter being betwéene them and him concluded Bachides returned with a great power but or he came Ionathas had gotten knowledge of the Treason and put certayne of the chiefest Conspirators to death Then when Bachides came and had besieged the Citie of Bethbessen long and sawe he was not able to resist the power of Ionathas he was marueylously displeased with those wicked counsaylers which had caused him to traueyle in vaine and made him ready to depart againe whereof Ionathas hauing knowledge he sent Ambassadors to Bachides to make peace with him to the which he gladly consented and restored to Ionathas all his prisoners which he had taken in the land of Iuda and so returned home and neuer vexed Israel more Balaam the sonne of Beor or Bosor as S. Peter sayth was a couetous Prophet and for lucre sake went to the King of Moab to curse the hoste of Israel which thing God woulde not suffer him to doe but turned hys curse into a blessing Yea he was so farre ouercome with couetousnesse sayth S. Peter that he coulde not sée hys iniquitie when the tame beast speaking in mans voyce rebuked him and forbade his madnesse He caused the Israelites thorowe his counsell to commit
Chilion perfect or all like a Doue Chilion and Mahlon of the hand of Naomie and also haue purchased Ruth the Moabite the late wyfe of Mahlon to be my wyfe to stirre vp the name of the deade vpon his inheritance that his name be not put out among his brethren And all the people witnessed the same praying vnto the Lorde for Ruth to make hir as fruitefull as he did both Rachel Lea and Thamar And so Boos maryed Ruth who in processe conceyued and bare him a Sonne called Obed. ¶ Boos in Power or strength C. CAath was the sonne of Leuy had foure sonnes whereof the eldest was Amram the father of Moses and Aaron He liued 133. yeares Cain was the first sonne that Adam and Eue brought forth betwéene them and of an vnhappy disposition giuen to all vngraciousnesse He was the first tyller of the grounde and woulde alwayes offer the woorst and the vilest of the fruites of the earth vnto god Wherefore the Lorde had no respect to his offering And because God preferred his brother Abels offering before his he was so stirred with malice and enuie agaynst him that he fell vpon him in the fieldes and slue him Wherfore the Lord promised to withdrawe the increase of the grounde from Cain and so being in desperation he wandred about like a vagabonde in euery corner with much feare and treambling least any man shoulde kill him and at last Lamech slue him Caiphas was sonne in lawe to Annas and the hye Bishop in the time of Christes apprehension of whome he prophecied that it was expedient for one man to dye rather than all the people shoulde perishe Which thing he spake not of himselfe but God made him at that time euen as he made Balaam to be an instrument of the holye ghost And Christ being sent from Annas to him bounde to be examined was so caried from him to Pilate that he by the Temporall lawes might iudge hym to death Caleb was the sonne of Iephun otherwyse called Kenes of the Tribe of Iuda and one of those whom Moses sent out to search the lande of Canaan what maner of Countrie it was at the which time of going out he was about the age of .xl. yeres And when he and his companie had vewed the lande and were returned home agayne certaine of the explorators made an euill report to their brethren of that good land saying it was a countrey of strong and fierse people and such a lande as did eate vp the inhabiters thereof and with lyke perswasions made them both astonied and afrayde and to murmur grudge agaynst Moses and Aaron saying they woulde make them a Captayne and go into Egypt agayne Then Caleb and Iosua séeing their brethren so discomfited rent their clothes for sorrow and sayde Oh deare brethren be ye not discouraged at these false surmised tales neyther yet rebell agaynst the Lorde for we haue séene the lande as well as they that haue discouraged you and knowe it to be a better lande than they report a lande that floweth with milke and hony And as for the people therein feare them not for they be but breade for vs their shielde is departed from them and God is with vs therefore plucke vp your hearts and feare not With these and the like comfortable sayinges Caleb and Iosua withdrew the furie of the multitude which were ready to destroye them and also ceased their murmuring which murmuration of the people so gricued the Lorde that he swore to Moses that not one of them all shoulde sée that good lande saue Caleb and Iosua although their children shoulde sée it But first sayde God to Moses they shall wander in the wyldernesse fortie yeares and suffer for their fathers whoredome vntill their fathers carkasses be wasted a yeare for a daye according to the number of dayes in searching the lande which was fortie dayes And bicause Caleb followed the Lorde continually God swore to Moses that Caleb and his séede shoulde inherite that lande which came so to passe for after xlv yeares Caleb then being at the age of .lxxxv. yeres and as lusty as he was when Moses sent him first to search the lande required of Iosua his heritage who appoynted out vnto him the Citie of Hebron with the Countries thereabout out of the which Citie he droue out the thrée sonnes of Enach This Caleb had a yonger brother called Othoniel to whome he gaue his daughter Acsah to wyfe for taking of a certayne Citie called Kariasepher Carpus was a certayne godlye man dwelling at Croada with whome Paule left his Cloake with certaine bookes which he desired Timothie to bring with him when he came to him agayne Cendebius was Captayne Generall of Antiochus hoste And when he had done much harme in the lande of Iewrie and builded vppe Cedron and fortified it wyth men of warre he was at the last by the sonnes of Simon discomfited and put to flight Cereas was brother to Timotheus and Captayne of a strong Castle called Gazar into the which Timotheus being ouercome of Iudas Machabeus was fayne to flie for succor Nowe Cereas and they that were wyth him in the Forte trusted so much to the strength of the place that they fell to rayling and cursing of their enimies without who notwithstanding set so manfully vppon the holde that at last they wanne it and tooke the blasphemers and burnt them quicke slue this Cereas and his brother Timotheus with another famous Captaine called Appollophanes Cetura looke Ketura Chodorlaomor looke Kedorlaomor Cis was the sonne of Abiel of the Tribe of Beniamin and father to King Saule â–ª Whose Asses on a time being strayed abroade he sayde vnto Saule his Sonne Take one of the Laddes with thée and go and séeke out mine Asses that are lost This Cis is called also the sonne of Ner. 1. Par. 8. c. Cis the sonne of Abi Gibeon his mother was called Maacah Cis the sonne of Mahly sonne to Merari His brothers name was Eleazar Whose daughters he being deade the sonnes of this Cis tooke to their Wyues Claudia was a certaine godly brother who being with Paule at Rome sent as other mo did gréetings to Timothie in Paules letter Claudius was an Emperour in whose tyme the fourth yeare of his reygne was a great dearth thorâ—â— out all the worlde whereof Agabus the Prophet prophâ—cied aforehande Cleopatra the daughter of King Ptolomie was maried to Alexander the sonne of noble Antiochus And agayne for displeasure taken from Alexander hir lawfull husbande and giuen to Demetrius the sonne of Demetrius Cleophas was the husbande of Mary sister to Mary the mother of Christ and one of the two Disciples which after the death of Christ went to the towne of Emaus talking and reasoning togithers of all things that had happened to Iesus and as they were
of his finger in water to coole my tongue for I am sore tormeÌ„ted in this flame Naye sayde Abraham forasmuch as in thy life time thou receiuedst thy pleasure and had no pitie on the poore now art thou punished And contrarywise Lazarus which receyued paine and tooke it paciently is nowe comforted Lea was the eldest daughter of Laban the sonne of Nahor Abrahams brother somewhat squint eyed She preuented hir sister Rachel in marriage being brought to Iacobs bedde in hir sisters steade and so became Iacobs first wyfe bare vnto him one after an other these foure sonnes Ruben Simeon Leuie Iuda and so ceased till it chaunced Ruben hir eldest sonne in the tyme of wheate haruest to go out into the fields finde Mandrakes and brought them home to his mother Then Rachel hearing thereof went to Lea hir sister desiring to haue hir sonnes Mandrakes who sayde to Rachel is it not ynough that thou hast taken awaye my husbande but wouldest take away my sonnes Mandrakes also Well quoth Rachel let hym sléepe with thée this night for thy sonnes Mandrakes And so Iacob comming out of the fielde at euen Lea met him and sayde Come in vnto me for I haue bought thée with my sonnes Mandrakes and that nyght she conceyued with Iacob and brought him forth the fift sonne and called his name Isachar After that she conceyued againe and brought him forth the sixt sonne and called his name Zabulon Last of all shée conceiued and brought hym foorth a daughter and called hyr name Dyna Leuy the thirde sonne of Iacob and Lea with his brother Simeon slue Hemor and Sichem his sonne for rauishing of their sister Dyna And therefore were they called of Iacob their father Cruell Instruments Leuy had thrée sonnes Gerson Caath and Merari The tribe of Leuy the Lorde chose vnto hymselfe and appoynted them to serue in the Tabernacle of witnesse with Aaron to beare the Arke of the appoyntment of the Lord to minister and blesse in his name and had no inheritance among their brethren but the Lorde who was their inheritance He lyued 137. yeres Luke 5. f. Leuy otherwise called Mathewe the sonne of Alpheus was a Toll gatherer or a receyuer of Custome who at the voyce of Iesus when he sayde folow me left Mar. 2. c. his office and all thinges behinde him and followed the Math. 9. 2. Lorde And became of a sinfull Publican a true Disciple of Christ He inuited Iesus to his house and made him a great Feast at the which were many Publicanes beside other of his acquaintaunce which sate at meate with Christ and his Disciples wherewith the Phariseys were much offended .3 Sichemitarum regem cum freÌ„ necaui Disiecique urbis moenia celsa ferox Propterea Leui poenas fert nil propriuÌ„que Possidet in certo nec manet ipse loco Hac f. Act. 16. 6. Lidia was a certaine woman and a seller of Purple in the Citie of Thiatria and a worshipper of God whose heart the Lorde so opened at the preaching of Paule that she with all hir housholde were conuerted and baptised saying then to Paule and the other Disciples if ye haue iudged me to be faythfull to the Lorde come into my house and abide there and so she constrayned them who founde so much faythfulnesse then in the woman that afterwarde being cast in prison and deliuered againe they returned into hir house to comfort the brethren which resorted thither ¶ Lydia Natiuitie or generation 1. Mac. 3. c. Lysias being a great man with Antiochus and of his bloude was such an enimie vnto the Iewes that the King made him Captayne of his host who with fourtye thousande footemen and seauen thousande horsemen went to fight agaynst Iudas Machabeus But Iudas ouercame hym and slue thrée thousand of his men Then Lysias being sore grieued at Israels prosperitie came 4. c. d. at an other tyme with thréescore thousand footemen and fiue thousand horsemen at which time Iudas ouercame hym agayne and slue fiue thousand of his men Finally as he laye with Antiochus the King at the Citie of Antioche 7. 2. Demetrius came vpon them and slue them both ¶ Lysias Dissoluing Act. 22. d. Lysias was an hye Captayne vnder the Emperour and hauing Paule committed vnto hym as prysoner was afrayde to punishe hym bycause hée was a Romayne And therefore to knowe the certayntie wherefore the Iewes had accused hym he brought hym foorth 23. cap. before the Counsell where in the ende fell such discention and debate among them that Lysias fearing least Paule shoulde haue bene pulde a sunder of the Iewes tooke him and had him into the Castle And hauing knowledge how the Iewes had conspired Pauls death he sent him awaye secretly by night to Felix being at that time the Emperours Lieutenaunt to whome he wrote on this wise Claudius Lysias vnto the most mighty ruler Felix sendeth gréetings As this man was taken of the Iewes and shoulde haue bene killed of them I came vppon them with Souldiours and rescued him perceyuing he was a Romayne And when I woulde haue knowne the cause wherefore they accused him I brought him foorth in their counsell There I perceyued that he was accused of questions of their lawe and had no cryme woorthy of death or of bondes and when it was shewed mée how that the Iewes layed wayte for the man I sent hym straight waye vnto thée commaunded his accusers if they had ought against him to tell it vnto thée Farewell Maâ—c 4. c. 2 f. g. Lysimachus was made the hye Priest of the Iews in the rowme of Menelaus his brother by whose Counsell he robbed the Temple did much mischiefe whose wickednesse was so manifest vnto the people that they rose vppe agaynst him and made a great vprore in the Citie Wherevpon Lysimachus perceyuing where about they went got vnto him thrée thousande vnthriftes well armed for his defence Agaynst whome the multitude fought so furiously with clubbe and battes and with hurling of stones and such weapons as they coulde get that they wounded many slue some and chased the reast awaye and at the last kylled the wicked Churche robber himselfe beside the Tresurye ¶ Lysimachus dissoluing Battell Ose 1. d. Loammy was the seconde Sonne of Gomer the daughter of Deblaim And when she brought hym foorth the Lorde sayde Call his name Loammy For why yée are not my people therefore wyll not I be your God. ¶ Loammy not my People 2. Tim. 1. 2. Loys was a faythfull godly woman and Graundmother to Tymothy who alwayes brought vp hir Children and famylie in the feare of God and knowledge of Christes Doctrine ¶ Loys Better Ose 1. â— Lornhama was the daughter of Gomer the daughter of Deblaim And when she brought hym foorth the Lorde sayde Call his name Lornhama for I will haue no pittie vppon the house
wherby he euer after had impediment in his tongue Lanquet sauing in his speache he had an impediment And when he was full fourtie yeare olde it came in his heart to go and visite his brethren the children of Israel whome Pharao vexed without all measure And as he saw an Egiptian smyting an Hebrue he slue the Egiptian and hid him in the sande The next day he went agayne and founde twoo Israelites striuing togithers and demaunded of him that had done the wrong wherefore he smote his fellowe who made thée a Iudge quoth he or a Ruler ouer vs Thinkest thou to kill mée as thou dydst the Egiptian yesterdaye Then Moses perceyuing his fact to be knowne for sooke to be the sonne of the daughter of Pharao and fled into the lande of Madian where he was receyued into the house of Iethro who gaue to him in mariage his daughter Ziphora by whome in processe he had twoo sonnes And when he had continued with Iethro his father in lawe fourtie yeres and kept his shéepe the Lorde appeared to him in the wyldernesse of Synay out of a bushe which séemed to be all on fyre and there gaue hym authoritie to go into Egipt to deliuer his people out of the bondage of Pharao Who at last after dyuers myracles doone by hym in the sight of Pharao for the confirmation of hys Authoritie brought them thorowe the redde Sea and deliuered them quite out of bondage Thus was Moses whome they had before refused both their Deliuerer and Ruler He was a man full of méekenesse he lyued one hundred twentie yeres and was buryed by Angles in the lande of Moab whose Sepulchre was neuer knowne ¶ Moses drawne vp N. NAaman Captayne of the hoste of the King of Siria was a mightie man and honorable in the sight of his Lorde bicause that by him the Lorde had deliuered the Sirians He was also a valiant man and expert in warres but was a Leper Wherefore the King of Siria being enformed that there was a Prophet in Samaria that coulde heale his seruant Naaman of his leprosie sent him to Ioram King of Israel with his letter conteyning this tenor Nowe when this letter is come vnto thée vnderstande that I haue sent thée Naaman my seruaunt that thou mayest heale him of his Leprosie And when the King had redde the letter he rent his clothes saying Am I a God to kill and to giue lyfe that he sendeth to me that I shoulde heale a man of his leprosie Consider I pray you howe he séeketh a quarrell against me The Prophet hearing of this sent to the King to sende Naaman vnto him And when he was come to the house of Elizeus and stoode at the doore the prophet sent him worde and bade him go washe him scauen times in Iordan and he shoulde be whole Then Naaman departed in displesaure saying I thought with my self he will surely come out and stand and call on the name of the Lorde his God and put his hande on the place and heale the leprosie Are not Abana and Pharphar riuers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel may I not as well washe me in them and be clensed Then one of his seruantes sayde father if the Prophete had commaunded thée to doe a great thing wouldest thou not haue done it how muche rather then when he sayth to thée washe and be cleane And so at his seruantes perswasion he went to Iordan and washed him seauen times as the Prophete had commaunded and being whole he returned to the Prophet and gaue thankes vnto God saying Nowe I knowe that there is no God in all the worlde but in Israel And so making promise he woulde neuer offer sacrifice nor offering to any other God saue vnto the Lorde God of Israel he returned home into his Countrey agayne Nabal was a great riche man but of churlishe nature and frowarde condicion As he lay in Carmel in the time of his shéepe shearing Dauid sent certaine of hys men desiring Nabal to helpe him now in his great necessitie with some of his victuals whatsoeuer he woulde and he woulde requite him at one tyme or other But he not regarding their message made them this churlishe answere againe who is Dauid or who is the sonne of Isai There be many seruants nowe a dayes that breake away from their maisters shall I then take awaye my breade and my water and my fleshe which I haue killed for my shéerers and giue it vnto men whom I know not whence they be And so with this answere the messengers departed Reade the storie of Abigail for the reast of his life Naboth was a certaine rich man and a Iesrahelite borne whose Vineyarde lay ioyning harde by the palace of Achab King of Israel which Vineyarde the King woulde fayne haue bought and giuen him as much for it as the grounde was woorth But Naboth consideryng it was his fathers inheritaunce and that he had no néede to sell it woulde in no wise graunt therevnto Wherefore the King being heauie and sadde went home to hys house and sayde him downe vpon his bed so waywarde that he coulde neyther eate nor drinke Then came Iezabel his wyfe and demaunded why he was so sadde who tolde hir it was for Nabothes Vineyarde which he had denyed him What quoth she doest thou gouerne the kingdome of Israel vp and eate thy meat and set thine heart at rest and I will giue thée the Vineyarde And so she wrote a letter in Achabs name sealed with the kings Signet and sent it to the Elders of the Citie where Naboth dwelt commaunding them to proclayme a fast and ser Naboth among the chiefest of the people and to bring two false witnesses against him which should saye he had blasphéemed God and the King and then to put him to death And so all thinges were done according to the tenor of Iezabels letter and Naboth caryed out of the Citie and stoned Nabuchodonosor was King of Babilon And by the occasion of his great and woonderfull dominion fell into such pryde that he woulde haue hys Image honoured for god But shortlye after he sawe the vision of the falling trée whereby he was warned of hys fall and sodaynly by the power of God transformed and turned into a beastly fury lyuing in the woodes among beastes eating hearbes and grasse for the space of seauen yeares Finally God of his mercy restored hym agayne to his prestyne forme who afterwarde lyued well and commaunded that the very God of heauen shoulde be honoured of all men and whosoeuer refused so to doe shoulde dye Nadab the sonne of Ieroboam began to raygne ouer Israel in the seconde yeare of Asa King of Iuda and walked in all the wicked steppes of his father And in the seconde yeare of his raygne as he was laying siege to a Citie of the Philistins called Gibbethon Eaasa conspired agaynst hym and slue him Taking
first an interpreter of Moses law and afterwarde became an earnest preacher of the Gospell of Christ Of whome Paule writeth to Tite Byshop of Crete that whensoeuer Zenas departed from him he shoulde bring him on his iourney with all diligence and that nothing shoulde be lacking vnto him His wordes to Tite were these Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their iourney diligently that nothing be lacking to them Zephora was the daughter of Raguel Priest of Madian and wyfe to Moses by whom she conceyued bare him twoo sonnes The one Gerson and the other Eleazer And as she went with Moses hir husbande towarde the lande of Egipt by the waye in hir Inne she tooke a sharpe knyfe and cut awaye the foreskinne of hir sonne and cast it at his féete saying Thou art in déede a bloudye husbande vnto mée she sayde a bloudy husbande bycause of the circumcision Ziba was one of King Saules olde seruauntes after whose death he belonged to Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathas and had the ouer sight of all his maisters landes which Dauid had restored vnto hym and the gouernaunce also of Mica his Maysters sonne This Ziba intending to deceyue his mayster what tyme as Dauid fled from Absalom his sonne and was a little past the top of Mount Oliuete mette him with a couple of Asses sadled and vpon them twoo hundred loaues and one hundred bunches of Raysins an hundred frayle of dryed Figges and a bottell of Wine And when the King sawe him he sayde What meaneth thou with these Ziba They be quoth he Asses for the Kings householde to ryde on and breade and fruite for the yoong men to eate and Wyne that such as be fayntie in the Wildernesse may drincke Then sayde the King where is thy maister Miphiboseth Ziba sayde beholde he taryeth styll at Ierusalem for he sayde This daye shall the house of Israel restore me the Kingdome of my Father Then sayde Dauid to Ziba Beholde all are thine that pertayned to Miphiboseth Then sayde Ziba I doe homage vnto thée I beséeche thée I maye finde grace in thy sight my Lorde O king Thus Ziba deceyued his mayster got his lande from him But when the King was returned agayne to Ierusalem and perceyued by Miphiboseth that Ziba had wrongfully accused him he commaunded the lande to be diuided betwéene them Zimri was the seruaunt of Ela the sonne of Baasa King of Israel and Captayne of halfe his Charrettes who or his Mayster had raygned full twoo yeares conspired agaynst him and siue hym as he was in Tirzah drincking till he was droncken in the house of Arza Stuwarde of his house in Tirzah And raygned in his steade in the tyme of whose raygne which was but seuen dayes he siue all the house of Baasa leauing neyther kinsman nor friende of his alyue At this tyme had Ela the King an hoste of men lying at the siege of Gibbethon a Citie of the Philistines And when they hearde of the Treason of Zimri and that he raygned in the steade of Ela they with one consent made Amry their Captayne King who then went and besieged Zimri where he laye in the citie of Tirzah And when Zimri saw that the citie must néedes be woonne then he least they shoulde take him a lyue and put hym to a shamefull death brent himselfe and the Kinges house with fyre and so dyed Zorobabel the Sonne of Salathiel withall the Iewes which were delyuered from Babilon by Cyrus returned to Ierusalem where they repayred agayne the Citie and Temple of God and renewed their lawes though they were sometyme hindred and let by their enimies about them FINIS Exed 6. c. d. 24. d. 32. cap. Idolatrie punished Nu. 12. cap. Disobedience punished 20. d. 33. c. ¶ Aaron a Teacher Dani. 14. f. g. Abacuck died sixe hundred yeares before the incarnation of Christ Eliote ¶ Abacuck a Wrastler Abdy 1. cap. ¶ Abdy a Seruant of the Lorde Ieremi 38. b. 39. d. â—indnesse recompensed Gen. 4. a. b. Abel Delbora his sister were born both at one byrth fiftene yeares after Cain Cooper ¶ Abel Vanitie 3. Reg. 15. a. 2. Par. 13. ca. 3. Reg. 14. ca. ¶ Abia Father of the Sea. 4. Reg. 18. a. ¶ Abia The will of the Lorde 1. Reg. 22 â–ª 3. Reg. 2. ¶ Abiathar Father of the Remnant or excellent Father 1. Reg. 25. ca. Eccle. 31. d. 2. Reg. 3. a. ¶ Abigail The Fathers Ioye 1. Par â–ª 2. b. Gen. 20. cap. ¶ Abimelech The Kings Father or a Father of Counsell or the Chiefe King. Iudith 9. cap. 2. Reg. 6. a. 1. Reg. 16. b. 31. a. ¶ Abinadab A Father of a Vowe or of a free minde or Prince 3. Reg. 1. a. 2. d. ¶ Abisag The Fathers Ignorance 1. Par. 2. b. 2. Re. 16. b. â— 21. d. 23 â–ª â— â–ª ¶ Abisai The Fathers Rewarde ¶ Abner The Fathers Candell â—â—â— 11. d. 〈◊〉 â—â—â— the sonne of â—eâ—ah beâ—oâ— ten of hys seconde â—yâ—e â— because of his 〈◊〉 is counted be sore 〈◊〉 â—â—â—aâ— bornâ— of the 〈◊〉 wyfe * 1â— câ—p Abraham â—â—ught the Egiptians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 13. cap. 16. cap. 17. cap. 21. a. b. 22. cap. 25. cap. Abraham dyed before the incarnatioÌ„ of Christ 1838. yeares ¶ Abraham a Father of a great Multitude 2. Reg. 3. 2. 14. f. 2. Reg. 13. ca. 14. cap. 15. cap â–ª 17. a. b. c. d. 18. a. b. c. d Rebellion neuer escapeth gods punishment ¶ Absalom A Father of Peace or the Fathers Peace or Rewarde Iosua 7. cap. ¶ Acan Troubling 3. Reg 16. g. 18 cap. 21. f. 20. cap. * Here God as he many symes doth dyd punyshe one wicked by another 3. Reg. 21. câ—â— * His repentance was not true but plaine ypocrisie 22. cap. ¶ Achab The Fathers Brother 1. Cor. 16. c. ¶ Achaicus Mourning or sadde Achaz looke Ahaz Iudith 5. cap. Iudit 6. ca. Iudith 14. a. ¶ Achior the Brothers Light. 1. Reg. 21. c. d * Here it is sayde that Dauid feined himselfe mad before Achis and in the. 34 Psalme before Abimelech which twoo were both one maÌ„ for here he is called by his proper name Achis and in the other place by his general name Abimelech * 27. cap. * 29. cap. ¶ Achis Euen so it is Gene. 4. 36. ¶ Ada a Companye or Congregation Gene. 1. ¶ Adam Man Earthly 2. Reg. 3. a. 3. Reg. 1. cap. 3. Reg. 2. d. ◠¶ Adonia the Lorde is the ruler Iudic. 1. a. b. ¶ Adonibesech the Lordes Thunder 4. Reg. 19. g. ¶ Adramelech the Kings Cloake or his greatnesse on power or the greatnesse of Counsell 3. Reg. 12. c. 2. Par. 10. d. ¶ Aduram Their Cloake or their power or greatnesse 1. Reg. 15. ca. ¶ Agag An House or sollour Act. 11. d. 21. c ¶ Agabus A Grashopper Gen. 16. cap. 21. a. b. c. ¶ Agar A Straunger 1. Esd 5. a. ¶ Aggeus Solemne festiuall or wynding and turning himselfe