profitable And yeilded Almonds In the originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ablactavit Vaijgmol et ablactavit it weaned them for even as the mother weaneth her child when he is of such an age so did the Almond tree weane the Almonds when they were ripe The Lord likes none to enter into this holy calling untill they be ripe God will not have Ministers to enter on their calling untill they be ripe they should have the full grouth before they enter these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or young plants are not fit for it young men are not fit for the ministery Eccles 12.1 Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth why bids hee the young man remember his Creator in the dayes of his youth because he is most forgetfull of this duty to remember his God if he be not fit to remember himselfe and to recommend himselfe to God twise or thrise in the day how can he be the Lords remembrancer to remember his people before him Ambros lib. 1. de offic cap. 1. tom 1 It was a case of necessity when Ambrose was made Bishop of Millan qui simul et discebat docebat Why youthes are not fit for the Ministry Secondly youthes are not fit for this calling because this age is much subject to lust 2. Timot. 2.22 Flye the Lusts of youth if ever Lust breake forth in a mans life time usually it breaketh forth in his youth he that cannot command his owne Lusts how can he teach other men to subdue theirs 1 Tim. 3.5 if a man know not how to rule his owne house how shall he take care of the Church of God Paul will not have a young widdow admitted to wash the Saints feete 1 Tim. 5.10 because they give themselves oftentimes to wantonnesse and fleshly lusts farre lesse will he have a young man to be admitted to this holy calling who should wash the soules of the Saints and not their feete this age likewise is much subject to contempt 1 Tim. 4.11 Let no man despise thy youth and therefore not fit to enter in this calling The naturall history marketh that the whelpes of the Lyons who have the sharpest pawes do so pricke the matrix of their damme that they are borne the sooner and they never get the full strength so it fareth with young men who hasten out of the Vniversity before they get giftes and strength wherefore young students are to be exhorted to stay at the Vniversity untill they get strength and as the Lord bad his Disciples stay at Ierusalem untill the holy Ghost came downe upon them Luc. 24.49 So should they stay at the Vniversities untill the Lord enable them with gifts It is an unseemely thing to see yong ones ante lanuginem docere senes et hodie Catechumenus cras Episcopus and how unsavory a thing is it out of the mouth of a greene youth to exhort people to flye from these lusts whereunto they are most subject themselves may not the people justly say to them Physitian heale thy selfe and take out the beame first out of thine owne eye Quest What time should a man enter into the Ministery Answ We cannot prescribe a certaine time for some are sooner gifted then others Object But Christ who disputed with the Doctors of the Law when he was but twelve yeares of age yet he entred not into his Ministerie untill he was thirty yeares of age therefore it may seeme that none should be admitted before that time Answ Christ entred not into his Ministery until he was thirty yeares of age according to the Leviticall Law for it behoved him to fulfill all righteousnesse this was not a morall precept but a ceremoniall for it was changed Numb 4 3. they entred to their full ministery at thirty but Num. 8.24 he appointed them to enter at twenty and five for the beginning of their ministery but they entred not to their full ministery untill they were full thirty and they served untill they were fifty but in Davias time they began at twenty 1 Chro. 23.24 The sonnes of Levi did the worke of the service of the house of the Lord from the age of twenty yeares and upward and 2 Chron. 31.17 in Hezekiahs dayes and so in the dayes of Ezra from twenty yeares old and upward Ezra chap. 3. vers .. 8. Some may be ripe Almonds now when they are sixe and twenty or eight and twenty and some scarce when they are thirty therefore there cannnot be a certaine time determined when they shall enter but this is left to the tryall and discretion of the Church the determination of the Canon Law who concludeth absolutely that they should be thirty before they enter seemeth to Iudaize in this The Levites when they entred on their ministery they were thirty yeares before they entred because their ministery was a laborious and a painefull service and therefore required full bodily strength and so they gave up their ministery when they were fifty but the ministery now is not such a bodily service and therefore requireth not such bodily strength now the souldiers when they went to warre were admitted when they were but twenty yeares of age but the Levites not untill they were thirty there is both strength and wisedome required in the warres as Solomon saith Prov. 24.6 strength in the souldiers and wisedome in the governors but in the Levites and Priests there was both wisedome and strength required strength without wisedome before they be thirty and wisedome without strength after they are fifty So knowledge and sanctification are requisite in those who are to enter on this Holy calling knowledge without sanctification is like wine that runnes in a mans head and makes him giddy sanctification without knowledge turnes into blind zeale and therefore they are to be joyned together in those who are Preachers as strength and wisedome was in the Priests The Almonds rod brought forth buds and blossomes The Lord taught Aaron by this although hee was weake and old himselfe yet his posterite should not faile he was fourescore and sixe yeares of age now yet to let him understand of a succession he makes his rod to bud and it continued in his posterity for sixty and three Highpriests The Priesthood was entailed to Levi when they were chosen in the place of the first borne and againe when they killed their brethren for the worshipping of the golden Calfe it was promised them anew againe and when Phinehas killed Zimri and Cozbi the promise was renued to him What needed a new promise to be made to Phinehas of the Priesthood seeing it was due to him by the Law Quest and by succession This new promise secured him in the Priesthood Answ that hee should out-live his father and serve in the Priest-hood himselfe Nadab and Abihu were killed before their father dyed againe this promise assured him that it should continue in his famile But the Priesthood was soone
build the house of Israel and doe thou worthily in Ephrata and be thou famous in Bethlehem This was the blessing given to the bride And againe Vers 12. Let thy house be like the house of Pharez whom Tamar bare unto Iuda of the seede which the Lord shall giue thee of this young woman This was the blessing which they gaue to the bridegroome They prayed the Lord make thee like Rachel The explanation of the blessing it was their manner in their blessings to alledge the examples of those who had beene happie and prosperous and so when they cursed any body they brought forth the example of the most wretched and miserable creatures Ierem. 30.21 The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab whom the King of Babylon rosted in the fire such was the curse pronounced against the adulterous woman Num. 5.2 The Lord make thee an oath and a curse among thy people The Lord make thee like Rachel and Leah VVhy Rachel and Lea are taken for examples in the blessing Why like Rachel and Leah Because these two came out of their Countrey with their husbands and left their Parents so did Ruth with Naomi to get a husband secondly like Rachel and Leah because these two sought children of their husbands modestly Gen. 30.1 and vers 16. So did Ruth of Boaz. Thirdly why like Rachel and Leah and not like Bilhah and Zilpha Because these two were but handmaids and they were not the mothers of many children as Rachel and Leah Fourthly why first like Rachel and then like Leah Because Rachel was more beloved than Leah Fiftly why like Rachel and Leah and not like Sara and Rebecca Because there came of them the Ismaelites who were not of the Church as well as the Israelites To doe worthily is to doe vertuously Doe thou worthily in Ephrata in the Hebrew it is fac virtutem the Hebrewes put vertue for the substance gotten by vertuous doing Psal 49. He shall leaue his substance behinde him in the originall it is he shall leaue his vertue behinde and Prov. 31. Fecerunt potentiam id est comparârunt opes Let thy house be like the house of Pharez because there were fiue families in the Tribe of Iuda and Pharez was the chiefe of them Num. 26.20 They pray then first that they may haue children secondly that they may haue meanes to maintaine and bring up their children and thirdly that they may liue in credit among their people What song they sung after the marriage After the marriage they did sing epithalamium a song of prayse in commendation of the Bride-groome and Brid Psal 45. so Psal 77. your virgins were not praised that is they were not married and the house of marriage the Iewes called it beth hillel domus laudis The morrow after the marriage the Bridegroome came forth out of his bride-chāber in great pomp with his Bride 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out under the vaile and these who heard his voice rejoyced because then the marriage was consummated and David alludeth to this Psal 19. for as the Bridegroome made glad the hearts of his friends when he came out of his Tent or covering An anologie betwixt the Sunne rising and the Bridegroomes comming out of his chamber the morrow after his marriage so the Sunne when he commeth out of his chamber gladdeth the earth his going out is from the end of the heaven and his circuit to the end of it Luk. 1. Christ is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Sunne rising from the East that Sunne of righteousnesse comming out of the bosome of his Father and out of his bed-chamber rising in the East did shine upon the Iewes in the South and next upon us Gentiles in the North Cant. 7.9 The conclusion of this is We are married to Iesus Conclusion 1 Christ per confarreationem when he giues us the blessed Sacrament therefore let us come worthily to it that we take it not as Iudas did the soppe Ioh. 13. for that will make diffarreationem or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a divorce from him for ever Secondly we are married to him per coemptionem Conclusion 2 what was the Church when he married her She was blacke like the Tents of Kedar Miriam and Aaron grudged against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married Numb 12.1 so was his Church Cant. 1.5 I am blacke but yet if shee had beene rich which is a second beautie it had beene something but being both blacke and poore there was a hard matter for the Lord to marrie her A certaine woman being asked what dowrie she gaue to her husband she answered that she should keepe her selfe chast unto him onely as a chast spouse So we having nothing to bestow upon him but he having pittie upon us when we were naked and uncomely let us studie to meete him with heartie affection againe and not to fall a whoring after other gods which if we doe he will make us comely as the curtaines of Salomon Thirdly they sung praises and rejoyced at the marriage Conclusion 3 of the Bridegroome and the Bride So let us bee glad and rejoyce and giue honour unto him for the marriage of the Lambe is come and his wife hath made her selfe readie Revel 19.7 CHAPTER XXXIIII Whether a brother naturall to keepe the Tribes distinguished might marrie his brothers wife or not in Israel or is it meant onely of the next kinsman DEVT. 25.5 If brethren dwell together and one of them haue no seed c. THe Law is given first to naturall brethren and not to kinsmen onely for the Text saith if brethren dwell together and one of them die and haue no child Numerus cardinalis pro ordinali vuus pro primo as the evening and the morning was one day that is the first day Gen. 1. now what brethren dwelt together are they not naturall brethren and one of them haue no seed that is if the eldest of them haue no seed vnus pro primo And that it is meant of naturall brethren see it by the practise of the people of God for when Er died Onan was bound to raise up seed to him Gen. 38.9 So Ruth 1. The second brother was to marrie his eldest brothers wife when Machlon the elder brother died without children then the inheritance came to Chilion And when Chilion died without children then his Vncle his neerest kinsman was to succeed and last the brothers children or cousin germans and he who was to succeed in the inheritance it was he who was bound to marrie his brothers wife wherefore the Law meaneth first of the naturall brother and if there were no naturall brethren then the cousins or next kinsmen were to doe this dutie When the Sadduces propounded the question to Christ that seven brethren married one wife it is meant of seven naturall brethren see Tobit 3.8 And where it is said Deut. 25.5 the wife of the dead shall not
in Christ and hath anoynted us is God So 1 Ioh. 2.27 the annointing which yee have received of him abideth in you Allusion It had incense joyned with it and the Apostle alludeth to this Ephes 5.2 Christ hath given himselfe for us an offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Sometimes it was baked and sometimes fryed in a pan Allusion and David alludeth to this Psal 45.2 My heart hath fryed or boyled a good matter Every Sacrifice had this Mincha joyned with it The meat offering oftentimes put for all the Sacrifices except the sinne offering and therefore oftentimes it is put for any Sacrifice as Psal 20. The Lord remember all thy mincha meat offerings that is all thy Sacrifices Of the peace offering THe peace offering was a Sacrifice of thanksgiving for the saftie of the offerer A part of the peace offering due to God a part to the Pri sts and a part to the offerer one part of it was due to God one to the Priest one to the offerer Amos 5.5 I will not accept of the fat of your offerings that is of your peace offerings David called this fat the burnt offerings of fatlings That which was the most excellent in every thing the Hebrewes called it the fat as adeps frumenti the fat of the corne medulla tritici the marrow of the wheate Ecclus 47.2 as the fat was taken away from the peace offering so was David chosen out amongst the children of Israel Allusion here he maketh a comparison betwixt David and the fat of the peace offering all the peace offering was the Lords yet all was not offered to him but a part was given to the Priests and a part to the people but the fat was fully burnt up to the Lord. So the zeale of Gods house burnt up David as the fat of the Sacrifice The fat was due onely to God The fat was the Lords the peoples part was but a leane part but under the Gâ—spel Esay 25.6 I will make the people a feast of fat things and full of marrow the people might eate none of the marrow under the Law Quest Whether might the people eate of the fat of the beasts which were not sacrificed as of those which they killed at home Answ The Lord forbiddeth them to eate the fat of whatsoever beast Lâ—vit 3.17 It shall be a statute for ever throughout your dwellings The fat of the Sacrifice might not be eaten or used to any other use that yee eate no fat nor blood The fat of the beasts which were not sacrificed might be taken to any other use but they might not eate any of it Levit. 7.24 the fat of the beast that dieth of it selfe or that which is torne may be used in any other use but ye shall in no wise eate of it The feast of the peace offering The rest of the peace offering was divided betwixt the Priest and the people and they made a feast of it 1 Sam. 9.24 Allusion and Salomon alludeth to it Prov. 17.1 better is a drye morsell and quietnesse therewith than a house full of Sacrifices with strife The Sacrifice put for the feast afetr the Sacrifice Antecedens pro eonsequente The Sacrifice here is put for the banquet which was after the Sacrifice and it was this which David meant of when he sayd there is a yeerely sacrifice there for all the familie 1 Sam. 20 6. that is a feast after the Sacrifice The breast and the shoulder due to the Priest The breast and the right shoulder of the peace offering was due to the Priest and the rest was due to the offerers it is sayd of the sonnes of Eli that they sent their boyes and pulled the flesh out of the Caldron 1 Sam. 2. that is they would not be content with that which was due to them the breast and the shoulders but they would have the peoples part also and they would not stay untill the fat was offered to the Lord 1 Sam 2.15 Quest How did the cooke set the shoulder before Saul to eate of it seeing it was the Priests part 1 Sam. 9.24 Ans The right shoulder was the Priests onely Why the Priest got the shoulder The Priest got the breast and the shoulder hee got the shoulder to signifie that he caried the burden of the people Why he got the breast can I carry all this people upon my shoulders saith Moyses Num. 11.11 Wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight that thou layest all the burden of this people upon me and he got the breast to signifie his compassion and love to the people Num. 11.12 Have I begotten them that they should say unto me carie them in thy bosome Esay 40.11 He shall feede his flocke like a sheepherd and hee shall gather his lambs with his arme and carie them in his bosome and leade these that are with young The Highpriest carried the names of the twelve Tribes upon his breast to signifie his compassion Why the Highpriest carried the names of the Tribes upon his breast and shoulder and he carried their names ingraven in Onyx stones upon his shoulders to signifie that he carried the burden of the people Eli when he looked upon Hanna and saw her lips moving he sayd she was drunke 1 Sam. 1.13 here there was no pittie in the Priests breast to the poore woman but 2 King 4.26 Elisha a man of pittie Elisha had more pittie in his breast when he sayd to Gehazi run now I pray thee and say is it well with thee and when shee came to the man of God she caught him by the feete but Gehazi thrust her away but the man of God sayd let her alone for her soule is vexed within her Churlish Gehazi had no pittie upon the poore woman but there was much pittie and compassion in the heart of Elisha the man of God The peace offering was divided betwixt God Why God the Priests and the people had a part in the offering the Priests and the people God got the chiefe part because he it is who pardoneth the sinne The Priest got his part because he is the instrument to make intimation of this pardon and the people got their part to teach them to bee thankefull for the remission of sinne God got his part and the people got theirs what a comely thing was this to see the Lord sitting at his Table Mala. 1.7 therefore the fat of the Sacrifice is called his bread Levit. 3.11 and Num. 28.2 and to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inviting his children to dine with him hee will not eate his morsels alone Iob. 31.17 what a comely thing was this to see his children standing like Olive plants round about his Table Psal 128.3 and how pleasant was it to see brethren dwell together in unitie God sate as it were the Master of the feast in the peace offering Psal 132.1 and their father
the first borne of man and beast Moreover they had the first borne of all sorts of cattell as of sheepe beeves and goats and the price of the rest which were to be redeemed according to the Priests estimation Likewise the first borne of man redeemed at five shekels the man Ezek. 44.30 Neh. 10.36 And when all the males appeared before the Lord three times in the yeare none of them must come empty handed all these the Priests got And besides all this the Levites had forty eight cities and two thousand cubites of ground round about them on every side They had 48 cities and so much ground about them with their Cattell and flockes the number of the Levites were but twenty three thousand Num. 26. The tribe of Asher was fifty three thousand and two hundreth and the tribe of Nephthali was forty five thousand and foure hundreth and the tribe of Issachar was sixty foure thousand and three hundreth and the tribe of Dan was sixty foure thousand and foure hundreth and yet the greatest of them all had but ninteene Cities but the Levites being but few in number got moe Cities than any of them all and the reason was The Levites were not the tenth part of the people yet they had the tenth part of the inâ—rease because the Lord would provide liberally for them the Levites who were not the tenth part of the people yet they got the tenth part of the increase of the Land and Priests who were but a small number in respect of the Levites yet they got the hundreth part of the increase of the Land and because the Priests had such a plentifull portion therefore the Lord alludeth to this Allusion Iere. 13.14 I will satiate the soule of the Priest with fatnesse The Lord was their portion Num. 18.20 Deut 18.1 Ezek. 44.28 and the godly allude to this Allusion Psal 73.26 God is my part for ever Allusion So Psal 142.6 Thou art my part in the Land of the Living Lam. 3.24 The Lord is my part saith my soule therfore I will hope in him Psal 16 The Hebrewes repeate words to signifie that nothing should be omitted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et praecipuum omnium primitiarum ex omnibus et omnis oblationis omnium ex omnibus oblationibus vestris Sacerdoesto Vox 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hic quinquies repetitur The blessing of God upon those who payed their tithes the Lord is the portion of mine inheritance And see what a care the Lord had that they should want none of these Ezek. 44.30 And the first of all the first fruits of all things and every oblation of all of every sort shall be the Priests the Hebrewes when they would have a thing precisely kept they double this word Col as Psal 119.128 Therefore I esteeme all thy precepts concerning all things to be right So here the first of all the first fruits of all things c. The last thing to be considered here is the blessing of God upon those who payed their tithes they were to pay to the Priests the first fruits and tithes of all their increase of every sort And the first of their dough That he might cause the blessing rest in their house Ezek. 44. So Mal. 3.10 Bring ye all the tithes into the store-house that there may be meate in mine house and prove me now here with saith the Lord of hosts if I will not open you the windowes of heaven and powre you out a blessing that there shalt not be roome enough to receive it Deut 16.74 Thou shall rejoyce in the feast before the Lord thou thy son and thy daughter and thy maid servant and the Levite and the stranger and the fatherlesse and the widdow The Lord had foure and the Priest had foure at the eating of the Tithe of the third yeare as the Hebrewes say that are within thy gates And the Hebrewes say the Levite the fatherlesse the stranger and the widow foure that belong to me answerable to foure that belong to thee thy sonne thy daughter thy man and thy maide if thou comfort those that are mine I will blesse and comfort these that are thine and they say when a man payeth his tithes he is the husbandman and God Almighty is the Priest but when he payeth them not then God is the husbandman and he is the Priest and then Ten Akers of Vine shall yeeld but one Bath Esay 5.8 Conclusion The Conclusion of this is they who have the Lord for their portion can lacke nothing Psal 23.1 here was none of the Priests that did shut the doores of Gods sanctuary or kindle fire upon his Altar for nought Malac. 1.10 EXERCITAT XXV The Jewes might not kill the damme sitting upon the young ones A ceremoniall appendix of Command 5. Levit. 22.6 If the damme be sitting upon the young or upon the egges thou shall not take the damme with the young c. That it may be well with thee and that thou maist prolong thy dayes God made choise of Canaan after a speciall manner The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof Psal 23.1 Yet the Lord made choise of Canaan in a special manner and therefore he saith the Land is mine Levit. 25.23 Thence it is called Emmanuels Land Esay 8 8. and other Lands the Lord calleth polluted Lands Amos. 7.17 Thou shall dye in a polluted Land So the people who dwelt in Canaan were the Lords after a speciall manner and all that which belonged unto them therefore he forbiddeth to take usury of his people The damme fitting on the yong ones was not a type When the Lord forbiddeth them to kill the damme with the young ones the damme sitting upon the young ones was not a type to the Iewes here no more then the oxe when hee trode out their corne but there was a tropologicall sense here to teach them manners but Canaan it selfe was a type to them By this Law the Lord taught them mercy to all men and reverence to their parents God will have them to shew mercy upon the beasts and the birds and he will not have the damme and the yong killed together and Targum Ionathan paraphraseth it thus as your heavenly Father is mercifull in heaven so be ye mercifull in earth The farthest extent and meaning of this Law is that they should abstaine from cruelty Hos 10.14 Gen. 32.11 To kill the Mother and the Children for as God hath not regard of Oxen 1 Cor. 8.9 his chiefe regard was not to the Oxe when he forbiddeth to muzzle his mouth but that the Minister should have maintenance so the Lords chiefe regard is not here that the Damme be spared but that Parents be reverenced God taught the Iewes in their infancy sundry wayes First he taught them by their apparell God taught the Iewes many wayes that they should not weare Linsey wolsey so that the Priests should weare linnen in the Sanctuary and wooll
this for the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 7.37 If her husband be dead she is at liberty to marry whom she will onely in the Lord Rom. 1 Tim. 5.14 Let the younger Widdows mary Therefore Mamzer here signifieth him qui ex incerto patre et certa matre natus est whose mother is knowne but not his father The second thing to bee considered is this what is meant by entring into the Congregation To enter into the Congregation What is meant by entring into the Congregation is to beare charge amongst the people of God and this is expressed by going out and in before the people Deut. 31.1 I am too old to goe out and in before this people so Act. 1.21 All the time that Iesus went out and in amongst us this is to have a charge over the people and in this sense the Bastard might not enter into the Congregation that is hee might have no charge nor beare rule amongst the people of God To beare charge expressed by dwelling Sometimes to beare charge amongst the people of God is expressed by dwelling amongst them as 1 King 3.8 To dwell among the people what Thy servant is in the middest of thy people whom thou hast chosen that is he raigneth amongst them and ruleth them and so Psal 101.2 So to dwell amongst the people is to bee esteemed and to bee in account amongst them Gen. 23.10 Ephron dwelt amongst the children of Heth that is he was a Ruler and a Prince amongst them and in this sense the bastard might not dwell amongst the people of God Sometimes to dwell among the people is to dwell safely among them so the Shunamitish Woman said to the Prophet when he offered to speake to the King and to the captaines for her I dwell among my people 1 King 4.13 that is I dwell safely among them and no man doth me harme and in this sense a bastard might enter into the congregation To enter into the Congregation is to enioy all the priviledges of the people of God Againe to enter into the Congregation is to enjoy all the priviledges that the people of God enjoyed and in this sense a Bastard might not enter in the Congregagation Nehemiah findeth fault with the children of Israel because they married with the Moabites and he giveth the reason because the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the Congregation for ever Nehe. 13.1 So by the like reason the Bastard might not enter into the Congregation unto the tenth generation therfore they might not marry with them Iosh 23.7 Ye shall not come among the Nations that is ye shall not marry with them there were many other priviledges which the Israelites enjoyed whereof the Bastard was not capable the Israelite had this priviledge to be set at liberty the seventh yeare So they might not take Vsury of an Israelite these priviledges the Bastard had not When he is secluded from the Congregation The Bastard was not secluded from the worship of God here it is not meant that he is secluded from the worship of God but by Congregation here is meant their civill society and meeting Act. 19 39. It shall be determined 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a lawfull congregation that is in a civill meeting they were admitted to the Temple and to the worship of God Obj. Zach 9.6 A Bastard shall dwell in Ashdod therefore it may seeme that they might not come to the Temple of God Answ By Bastard here is meant any vile or wicked man A Bastard put for any vile person that is not regenerate by the seed of grace Vnto the tenth generation that is he should never enter Nehem. 13.1 This Law was ceremoniall and when the ceremonies were in force it was not meant of all sorts of Bastards There are three sorts of impurity set downe in the Scriptures which defile the children Three sorts of impurities the first is peccatum innatum that is originall sinne and all the children of men are equally defiled with this both those who are begotten in marriage and those who are begotten in adultery the second sort of impurity which the children doe contract is legall impurity and this is peccatum agnatum Impuritas innata agnata imputata if the woman had vowed her childe to be a perpetuall Nazarite to the Lord if she had drunken any strong drinke after the child was quicke in her belly she defiled the child and he might not be a Nazarite this was but a ceremoniall uncleannesse which hindered him that he might not enter into the Congregation So if there were defects in the Priests birth Defectus natalium persona conjugij person and marriage which hindred him that he might not enter into the Congregation First if he had been basely borne he might not enter into the Congregation So if there were any defect in his person or blemish in his body and the Canon law imitateth that yet and calleth it Impedimentū Canonicū Impedimentum canonicum or irregularity especially if he wanted his left eye that they call oculum Canonis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The third was defectus conjugij Levit. 21.7 he might not marry Hhalelah a profane woman such a one as was repudiat from her husband or one borne of a whore or a widdow Ezekiel chapt 44. verses 21 22. All these were called Hhalelah profane And a Priest that married such a one might not enter into the Congregation to serve before the Lord No defects in a mans person or birth doe hinder him from entring into the Congregation under the Gospel this was impuritas agnata that hindered the Priest Vnder the Gospel if a man should lacke an arme or a leg he might notwithstanding of this enter into the Congregation as an Eunuch is admitted to stand before the Lord Esay 56. And if the defects of a mans person and of his marriage doe not hinder him to stand before the Lord so neither doe the defects of a mans birth although he be basely born yet he may enter into the congregation Imputed uncleannesse of two sorts The third sort of impurity which defileth a man is imputed uncleannesse and it is of two sorts either before God or before the Magistrate Before God the Lord may visite the sinnes of the fathers upon the children who are begotten in holy marriage much more may he visit the sins of the fathers upō the childrē who are begotten in whoredom The Lord sometimes punisheth the whoredomes of the parents upon the children I will not have pitty upon her children because they are the children of fornications Hos 2.4 And so he visited the whoredomes of Iezabel upon Ioram 2 Kings 9.22 But if the children follow not the footsteps of their fathers then the Lord imputeth not the sinnes of the fathers unto the children if the adulterer repent him of his adultery then God pardoneth him for his adultery So he will not
lay the fathers adultery to the childs charge if he follow not his fathers footsteps The second sort of imputation is by the Magistrate How the Magistrate may impute the parents whoredomes to the children for the restraining of whoredome Thou shalt not inherite with us because thou art the sonne of a strange woman Iud. 10.2 The equity of this Law is because they are not knowne to be their fathers children and if the children of the concubines succeeded not to their fathers inheritance much lesse should the children of the harlots So they exclude them from bearing any civill charge But this defect is taken away first by their good education which washeth away this blot and then they are reabled by the Law and made capable of honors And this should be no more a blot unto them than if they wanted a hand or a legge and as we blame not the stollen seede when it is sowen and groweth up but these who stole the seede Simile so wee should not blame the child begotten out of marriage if he follow not his fathers footsteps but onely his father who begot him The Iewes say in the Talmud Talmud torah cap. 1. fol. 10. that the Priest excelleth the Levite and the Levite excelleth the Israelite and the Israelite excelleth the Mamzer and the Mamzer excelleth the Nethinim and the Nethinim the Proselyte but they say if the Priest be unskilfull in the law and an Idiot and the Mamzer be the son or a scholler of the wise then he excelleth the Priest Notable men in the Church who have been Bastards There have been profitable men in the Church who were basely borne as Lumbard Gratian and Comester who were three bastards borne of one whore and Darius Nothus among the Persian Kings and Hercules When the Lord debarred them to the tenth generation this is a ceremoniall Law and not a Morall This Law is ceremoniall and not morall David the tent fromh Pharez incestuously begotten was King in Israel and if this were a morall precept then Gods Iustice should exceede his mercy in the Church hee showeth mercy to the thousand generation but his Iustice should extend it selfe for ever What sort of Bastard is meant here Lastly it is not meant here of every bastard but of him who is borne of a common harlot Iephthe was basely borne and yet he had the charge of the people of God Foure sorts of sinnes The Lawyers marke that there are foure sorts of sonnes first some naturall and Legitimate secondly some Legitimate but not naturall thirdly some naturall and not legitimate and fourthly some neither naturall nor legitimate Naturall and legitimate are those who are borne in holy wedlocke Secondly legitimate and not naturall are those who are adopted children 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 collecti ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 collegit congregavit and such the Iewes called Asuphim collecti Psal 27.10 Thirdly naturall but not legitimate as those who are borne of harlots but not of common harlots and such are called Nothi Lastly neither naturall nor legitimate as those who are borne of common harlots such a one the Hebrewes called Mamzer and the Latines call him Spurium and the Lawiers call such children incertos quia incerto patre sed certa matre such as those might not enter into the congregation Conclusion The Conclusion of this is children beare not the reproach of their parents under the Gospell therfore it is a vile thing and an opprobry to object to a man that he is a whores sonne although his mother were a whore farre more then when his mother is an honest and chast woman as Saul did to Ionathan 1 Sam. 20.30 Thou hast chosen the son of Iesse to thine own confusion to the confusion of thy mothers nakednesse that is all men hearing that thou lovest a man whom I hate they will say that thou art not my son but the son of a whore and a Bastard and so this shall be a reproach both to thee and to thy mother EXERCITAT XXIX The Priests Daughter that defiled her selfe with fornication was to be burnt A ceremoniall appendix of Command 7. Levit. 21.19 And if any Priests Daughter defiled herselfe by playing the whore she profaneth her father she shall be burnt with fire THe Priests Daughter if she committed whoredome was to be burnt quicke this the Latines call Vivicomburium So the King of Babel Iere. 29.23 Caused rost two adulterous Priests in the fire because they lay with their neighbors wives She was to be burnt quick Why the Priests daughter was to be burnt quicke because she had profaned her father the Priest As Simeon and Levi made their father stinke before the Sichemites because of their vile murther Gen. 34.30 So the Priests Daughter committing whoredome profaneth him and maketh him vile in the eyes of the people Secondly she made the sacrifice of the Lord to be abhorred As the sonnes of Eli lyeing with the women that came to the Tabernacle made the sacrifice of the Lord to be abhorred for the people judged of the sacrifice by the Priest such Priest such sacrifice so when the Priests Daughter committed whoredome she made the sacrifice of the Priest to be abhorred This sinne deserved a fearefull punishment Christus typicus mysticus Sacramentalis proprie dictus because it was committed against the Lord Iesus in type Christ is set downe to us in the Scriptures foure manner of wayes First Christus typicus Secondly Christus Mysticus Thirdly Christus Sacramentalis and fourthly Christus propriè dictus When a profane man or woman defile themselves with whoredome and then doe come to the holy Sacrament thus they defile Christ Sacramentally So when they commit this sinne they offend the Church the Mysticall Body of Christ and they take one of his members and make it the member of an Harlot So when the Priests Daughter committed whoredome she sinned against Christ in type Quest Whether was the man that lay with the Priests Daughter burnt also or not Answ Whether the man that lay with the Priests daughter was â—urnt or not Not and the Iewes say that they killed not two upon one day unlesse they were guilty of one and the selfe same crime as the adulterer and the adultresse were both put to dead upon one day but they say if one had lyen with the Priests Daughter he was strangled and she was burnt and therefore not put to death in one day The Iewes afterwards changed this sort of burning and they burnt them powring in hote Leade at their mouth Combastio anima quid apud hebraeos and this is called Combustio animae and so Ionathan the Paraphrast paraphraseth it this wayes she shall be burnt powring in hote Leade at her mouth Combusti per munus cali qâ—â—d and this sort of burning they called also Combustio per manus coeli that is as if they were stricken from the Heavens
by Gods hand immediately the ground of this punishment they made to be this because it is said of Nadab and Abihu combusti sunt in animabus suis they were burnt in their soules there was no burning seene in their bodies but they looked like those who were stricken with thunder from the heavens their cloathes were not burnt Levit. 10.5 And their bodies were caried forth whole and buried they looked as if they had dyed a naturall death without any marke in their bodies not unlike unto this punishment was that kind of death which Sir Roger Mortimer put King Edward the second to causing an hote broach to be put in his fundament that he might seeme to be killed per manus coeli as the Hebrewes speake The Priests Daughter was burnt and not the man Why the Priests daughter was burnt and not the man that lay with her because she defiled her fathers house Sometimes the sinne is more exaggerated upon the Womans part then upon the mans so Tamers fault was greater then Iudahs because she knew him to be her father in Law but Iudah tooke her onely to be a whore and not his Daughter in law How sinne is exaggerated both upon the womans and mans part Sometime againe the sinne is exaggerated more upon the mans part than upon the womans Levit. 19.20 if an Israelite had lyen with a stranger that was betrothed he was both to be beaten and to offer a sacrifice the woman was onely whipt and offered not a sacrifice because she was not an Israelitesse and somtimes the sinne is equall one both their parts as if a Priests sonne had lyen with a Priests Daughter then they were both to be burnt Quest What if a Ministers Daughter now under the Gospell should commit whoredome should she bee burnt as the Priests Daughter under the Law Answ Not A Ministers daughter now is not to be burnt if she commit whoredome because a Minister now under the Gospell is not a type of Christ to come as the Priest was under the Law I grant she should be more severely punished then another woman in respect of Scandall but not in this respect as if her father were a type of Christ so the breach of the Sabbath under the law was punished by death because it was a pledge to them of all the benefits which they were to receive in Christ to come but the breach of the Sabbath now is not so to be punished because our Sabbath now is not a type of that which we are to receive in Christ to come The conclusion of this is Conclusion that those who should bee most holy if they become profane they shall endure the greatest punishments in Hell fire EXERCITAT XXX How the woman suspected of adultery was tryed by her jealous Husband A ceremoniall appendix of Command 7. Num. 5.12 If any mans wife goe aside and commit a trespasse against him and a man lie with her carnally and it be clept close c. The manner how the woman suspected of adultery was tryed THe Lord bearing with the infirmity of the jealous Iewes setteth downe this tryall that the woman who was suspected of adultery should be tryed after this manner The husband brought her before the Priest and the Priest brought her before the Lord and he charged her with an oath that she should confesse if she were guilty then he tooke holy water and mixed it with the dust of the Sanctuary and set it before her and said The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people when he maketh thy thigh to rot and thy belly to swell and after that she had drunke the bitter water if she was guilty then this curse lighted upon her but if she was not guilty then she was free and conceived seed The Veile upon the womans head a token of subjection First when her husband suspected her he brought her before the Priest and her head was uncovered her Veile was a token of subjection to her husband and therefore she stood bareheaded as not being under her husband for so is the Scripture phrase Rom. 7.2 The Priest wrote these curses in a booke The Priest wrote the curses in a booke and then blotted them out with the bitter water Thou writest bitter things against me Iob. 13.26 This was a bitter writing that was written against the woman and shee was to drink it in water even as the Israelites dranke the golden Calfe being beaten to powder which was their bitter sinne She dranke the bitter waters here Why the woman was made to drinke the bitter waters Because stollen waters were sweet to her Prov. 9.17 Sinne is sweet in the beginning but sowre in the end and chiefely this sinne of adultery The lippes of the whore drop as an honey combe and her mouth is smoother than oyle but her end is bitter as wormewood Prov. 5.4 Againe she dranke these waters out of an earthen vessel Why she dranke in an earthen vessell because she dranke wine before in a golden Cup of whoredomes Lastly she dranke the waters that were mixed with the dust Why mixed with the dust of the Sanctuary in the floore of the Tabernacle because she despised the Tabernacle of the Lord therefore now she hath no part of it but onely the Serpents portion to drinke the dust of it Her thigh did rot if she was guilty That part of the body wherewithall a man sinneth is commonly punished the part of the body whereby a man sinneth that is punished commonly As Absolom was punished by his haire Zimri and Cosbi stricken through the belly and here the adultrous womans thigh rotteth and her belly swelleth and David alludeth to this curse Psal 109.18 Let cursing come into his bowels like water It is strange to see how God beareth so much with the man here First when he is married God beareth with man in many things if he did suspect that he had not married a Virgin then the tokens of her virginity were to be brought before him Secōdly if he agreed not with his wife he was to give her the bil of divorcement but she might not give it to him Thirdly if he suspected her of adultery she was to drinke the bitter waters but not he if she suspected him The woman that was innocent became fruitfull although before barren If the woman was innocent then she incurred no danger by drinking the bitter water but if she had been barren before then seminabat semen she did give seed it is not rightly translated she shall conceive seed Quest Whether was this her conception being barren before a miracle or not Ans Whether was this conception of the woman a miracle When God who is the Author of Nature contracteth Nature or inlargeth it it is not a miracle although it be a great worke of God when God blessed the seventh yeare so that it brought forth for three yeares it
was a great worke but it was not a miracle it was onely an inlarging of Nature Secundum naturam Prater naturam Supra naturam Contra. naturam God worketh not contrary to nature God worketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but he worketh never 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God worketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to Nature when he maketh a man see ordinarily so he worketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 besides Nature when he made Stevens eye to see to the third Heaven Act. 7. But when he made the blind to see this was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When a yong woman conceiveth and beareth a child this is according to Nature but when Sarah bare a sonne After that it ceased to be with her after the manner of women Gen. 18.11 This was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 besides nature but when the Virgin Mary bare a sonne this was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 above Nature The Lord reserveth foure keyes to himselfe She shall bring forth children the Lord is he that giveth children to the barren Ier 31.27 I will sowe the house of Iuda and the house of Israel with the seed of men The paraphrast of Ierusalem in Gen. 30.4 setteth downe foure keyes the first is clavis foecunditatis ad aperiendum the key of fertility to open the wombe and sterilitatis ad oceludendum of barrennesse to shut the wombe Gen. 30.22 God remembred Rahel and opened her wombe Secondly clavis pluviae Deu. 28.12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasures the heavens to give raine unto the Land in due season The third is clavis cibationis the key of feeding Psal 145. Thou openest thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing And the fourth is clavis sepulchre the key of the grave Ezek. 37.12 And I shall open your graves She shall give seed The woman giveth seed in generation the woman giveth seed in the generation as well as the man it should not be translated Si semen conceperit aut susceperit for that is contrary to the nature of the Active conjugation hiphil and it is oftentimes spoken in the Scriptures of trees and herbes sementare semen which cannot be translated suscipere semenâ— So Heb. 11.11 Sarah received strength 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quid 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not susceptio sed jactus or the casting out of the seed as when the Husbandman casteth the seed into the ground that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the casting out of the seed The Syriacke paraphrase doth not paraphrase it rightly ut susceperit aut conceperit semen that she might conceive seed The Anabaptiste deny that Iesus Christ tooke flesh of the Virgin Mary but that he passed through her The errour of the Anabaptists as water doth the row a golden Pipe and their chiefe reason is because as they say Women give no seed in generation but this Text sheweth the contrary So Levit 1â— 2 And if Christ had not taken flesh of the Virgin Mary he had never been our Goel but as our neere kinseman he has redeemed us from eternall damnation Lastly observe The Word of God like the bitter water as this bitter water made the guilty womans thigh to rot so it maketh her that is innocent to conceive So the Word of God which is the savour of death unto death to the wicked is the savour of life unto life to the godly The conclusion of this is Conclusion God findeth out punisheth all sinne but especially adultery He will â—uagerwomen that breake wedlocke Ezek. â—6 28 And he shall be a swift witnesse against adulterers Mal. 3.5 Commandement VIII EXERCITAT XXXI Of devouring of holy things A ceremoniall appendix of Command 8. Prov. 20.25 It is a snare for a man to devour that which is holy and after Vowes to make inquiry Sacriledge compared to a snare IT is a snare for a man to devour holy things a snare is set as a trape to catch Ier. 5.26 When the fowler layeth his snare he scattereth some Corne about it to draw the Birds to it then the snare catcheth the Birds and lastly the fowler destroyeth them when Sacrilegious men meddle with holy things to devour them they see some hope of gaine there which allureth them but there is a snare laid secretly to catch them and then the Lord who taketh them justly destroyeth them for meddling with holy things The judgements of God upon those who have devoured holy things There was never one that medled with those holy things to devour them or turne them to their owne private use and commodity but it was a snare to him Iehoiakim tooke the Cedar out of the house of God and seiled his owne Windowes with it and painted it with Vermilion that it should not be knowne to be the seiling of the house of God but see what judgements befell to him quia commiscuit se cum ista cedrâ— because he meddled with that Cedar turned it to his owne use the Lord saith They shall not lament for him he shall be buried with the buriall of an Asse drawne and cast forth beyond the gates of Ierusalem Iere. 22.19 And see what judgements befell to Nebuchadnezzer because he robbed the Temple and to Belshazzer becaused hee dranke in the Vessels of the House of the Lord And what befell Sbishak King of Egypt and to Crassus for robbing of the Temple of the Lord All these doe let us see what a snare it is to devour holy things Abimelech when he burnt the house of Baal Berith the Idol his snare catched him quickely because he medled with the house of Baal which he tooke to be a god hee was killed by a Woman with a piece of a Milstone Iudg 9.53 How dangerous a thing is it then to rob the house of the living God Dionysius the Tyrant after he had robbed the Temple of Apollo and finding a good goale of wind as he returned home he jestingly said O how doth sacrilege please the Gods But here the Lord saith It is a snare to devour that which is holy When the Heathen were sacrificing Simile there came an Eagle to the Altar and caught a peece of the sacrifice from it but a coale did cleave to the flesh which she carrying into her nest burnt her nest her yong ones and she hardly escaped her selfe it is easie for any to apply this who is not a mocker as Dionysius was So it was a snare to the sonnes of Eli to take that part of the Sacrifice which belonged not to them so it was a snare to those in the dayes of Malachy Who with-held the tithes from the house of God and so to the Priests who changed and alienated their Portions Ezek. 48.14 And so to those who delayed to pay their vowes So the Hebrewes say What it is to transgresse in holy things that to transgresse in the holy things is sacriledge as if they did eate the tithe of their
translated from the family of Phinehas to Ithamars posterity Ob. for Eli was of the posterity of Ithamar and not of Phinehas and from Eli it came to his sonne Phimehas and then to Achitub and then to Achiaz the brother of Ahimelech and then it was restored to Zadoc see 1 Chron. 24.3 for foure generations the posteritie of Phinehas wanted the Priesthood Elies posterity had it de facto et non de jure Ans therefore it is to be marked what bad successe most of them had in the Priesthood Eli brake his necke his sonne Phinehas was killed in the battell Abiathar was put from the Priesthood and his soone Ahimelech was slaine by Doeg and all this time when they wanted the Priesthood the posterity of Elcazer farre surpassed the posterity of Ithamar 1 Chron. 24.4 Againe it was promised to Phinehas posterity conditionally if they should walke in their fathers wayes This promise of the Priesthood was not made so absolutely to Phinehas but that Phinehas posterity for their sinnes might be deprived of it for a time even as the promise made to David that the Kingdome should continue with his posterity for ever did not exclude the captivity of Babylon and the overthrow of the kingdome for a time yet by vertue of this promise made to Phinehas his posterity could not want it for ever And thirdly it is so promised to his posterity that it should not be taken for ever from him as it was from the posterity of Eli. This rod brought forth Almonds without a roote the fathers reason out of this place against the Iewes who will not beleeve that the Virgin could beare a sonne why will ye beleeve this say they that Aarons rod brought forth Almonds without a roote and cannot beleeve that a Virgin can beare a sonne ye beleeve that Eva was created out of the side of Adam and that Adam was created out of the dust why may yee not beleeve this likewise that God can create a child in the Wombe of the Virgin Yee beleeve that Sara an old withered stocke conceived by the power of God and why ye will not beleeve this that God by his power created the Child in the Wombe of the Virgin The tree blossomed although it was withered Hence we may gather that the withered tree the Church of the Iewes shall flourish againe a man looking with a naturall eye upon that heape of dry bones Ezek. 37. would never thinke that they should rise againe but the Lord by the mighty wind of his Spirit gathered these bones together and made them to live so the Lord by his mighty power shall make the withered tree of the Iewes to flourish againe Obj. But ye will say that Christ cursed the figtree which represented the Church of the Iewes and said Never fruit grow upon thee henceforth Mat. 21.19 Then it may seeme that this tree shall never flourish againe Answ That figtree that was accursed by Christ never to beare fruit againe represented the Iewes who lived then and those who shall live till the conversion of the Iewes but when the wrath of God is come upon them to the full as the Apostle speakes then the Lord shall call them and their rod shall flourish againe Quest Whether kept this rod still the buds blossomes and Almonds when it was laid up before the Lord or not No question it did Answ for the Lord commandeth to lay it up as a testimony against the rebels now when it kept the buds blossomes and Almonds it testified the more vively against them and as the Manna lasted so many hundreth yeares in the golden pot so did this rod keepe the blossomes and Almonds When Aarons rod budded it was a token to him that he was called of the Lord he that runneth and is not sent by the Lord shall never doe good in that holy Calling these Agrippa who were borne with their feet formost it was a bad token of their evill government to follow as it fell out in Herod Agrippa who was a very bad Governour so when a Preacher is not sent by God to his people and the Lord doth not make his rod to bud he shall never be a profitable Minister in his Calling Of the priviledges of the first borne under the Law and what he was bound to doe to his brethren and kinsmen Matth. 22.24 If a man die having no children his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed unto him AFter that the Pharisees had tempted Christ the same day the Sadduces came to tempt him who denyed the Resurrection and they reason with Christ ab absurdo if there were a Resurrection then this absurdity would follow that seven men should have one wife at the Resurrection but this is absurd therefore c. and thus they goe about to ground upon Moses Law For Moses commanded in the Law that if a man dye without seed then his brother should raise up his seed unto him Deut. 35.5 Now there fell out a case among us that a man married a wife and dyed without children his brother married his wife and he dyed without children also and seven brethren had her to wife Whose wife then shall she be in the Resurrection Our Lord answereth that they erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God for in the Resurrection men neither marry nor give in marriage but are like the Angels of God The Sadduces who denyed the Resurrection put this question to Christ He that denyeth the immortality of the soule cannot hold one sound point in Religion the Sadduces denyed the immortality of the soule they held the soule to be like Quickesilver which made the body to stirre or like Salt that kept the body from corruption as Epicurus held and the best that they made of it they said it was an exact temperature of the humours of the body and then for the Angels they said they were but good thoughts but not subsisting spirits Now if the soule be not an immortall substance the body cannot be joyned to it againe for the weale of the body dependeth upon the soules immortality they held the soule to be mortall and therefore of necessity they behoved to deny the resurrection Tertullian called the Marcionites and Valentinians qui credebant reditum animae non corporis partiarios Saducaeos We who professe our selves to be Christians say the Creed and repeate this Article often I beleeve the resurruction of the body but yet if we will looke to the lives of most part of men we shall heare than say no other thing but that which the Sadduces and Epicures said 1 Cor. 15.32 Let us eate let us drinke for to morrow we shall dye that is be quite extinguished in soule and body as if there were no more of us after our death thā beasts when they are knockt on the head when the Pharises reasoned with the Sadduces they said unto thē Why study ye to keep the Law seeing ye beleeve not the immortality
life to come this relation ceaseth And we shall be like the Angels of God who neither marry nor give in marriage We shall be like the Angels of God Our condition in the life to come shall be perfect Marke the perfection of our condition and estate in the life to come above our estate and condition here our estate and condition here is twofold either our estate after our fall or our estate in innocency we stand in need of many things after our fall that we needed not before our fall after our fall we have need of cloathes to cover us of Physicke to cure us of sleepe and rest to refresh our wearied bodies and a thousand such before the fall we had need of meat and we had need of marriage for man was not to live in Innocency here for ever and therefore had need of children to succeed him to continue his generation but in the life to come we shall stand in need of none of these things whereof we stood in need either in our first estate in innocency or after the fall This Doctrine serveth to reproove Turkes Iewes Chiliasts Epicures and such as imagine the life to come to be after the condition and estate of this life that men shall be there in pleasant Gardens have great Feasts weare gorgeous apparrell by imagining no higher of heavenly things and estate in the life to come than of earthly things below here like unto little children the highest things that they can imagine of are sweetnesses or those things which delight the taste but we must have transcendent thoughts wheÌ„ we think of heaven those things which the eye never saw the eare never heard nor entred into the heart of man are laid up for his children in the life to come 1 Cor. 2.9 there our meat and our drinke shall be to doe the will of our God we shall not stand in need of marriage there because we shall continue for ever In this life marriage is necessary to continue our kind because we are mortall here wee live in our mâ—â—â—ers bâ—lly We have three mansions this is our first mansion we live in the world this is our second mansion and we live in heaven that is our third mansion If it were possible that a child could imagine or thinke any thing in his mothers belly and should conceive the estate of the perfectest man upon earth when he is lying in his mothers belly wallowing in his blood breathing by the Navell were not this a false and a base imagination a thousand times greater difference is there betwixt our estate here and our condition in the life to come therefore to measure the life to come by our condition here is great folly We shall be like the Angels of God Great difference betwixt our condition in this life and our estate in the life to come Here the Iesuites fall into the commendation of single life that it is Angelicall but they distinguish not our condition in this life and our estate in the life to come this single life shall make us like the Angels but in this life it makes us not to resemble the Angels for men here marry and give in marriage they marry here for the continuance of their kind which they need not in the life to come they marry here for the avoyding of Lust and fornication but in the life to come they shall not be subject to this and therefore neede no marriage We shall be like the Angels of God How the Angels are describeâ— cap. 1. The creatures which are most perfect are the Angels and the perfection of man is to imitate them the Angels are described by the Prophet Ezek. c. 1 with the face of a man with the Crest of a Lyon with the wings of the Eagle and the foote of the Oxe First with the face of a man to signifie their understanding for of all visible creatures man is the most understanding Secondly they are described with the Crest of a Lyon for their strength Thirdly with the wings of the Eagle for their swiftnesse and lastly with the foote of the Oxe for their obedience would ye then describe an Angell He is a creature most wise most strong An Angell what most swift and nimble and most obedient and yee have the proofe of this first of their wisedome the woman of Tekoah said to David And my Lord is wise according to the wisdome of an Angel of God 2 Sam. 14.26 And for their strength ye see how one Angell killed an hundreth fourescore and five thousand in one night in Senacheribs host 2 King 19.35 and for their swiftnesse ye have example in the Angell who in one night killed all the first borne in Egypt Exod. 12.29 and for their obedience they are so ready to obey the Lord that they are made a paterne and example to us Matth. 6.10 Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven We should doe his will upon earth as they doe if in the heavens that is most willingly And now to make use of this for the Ministery the Ministers are called the Angels of the Lord Reve. 3. because they should resemble most the Angels First The Angels behold the Face of God continually Matth. 18 10. and they desire with stretched out neckes to behold the mystery of the incarnation 1 Pet. 1.12 If they desire to see the face of God in his Word as the Angels doe see his face in glory and have an earnest desire to understand the mysteries of salvation then they are like the Angels and may bee called Angels Secondly they are the Angels of God because they cary the message of the Lord and therefore they should speake nothing but the Lords message unto the people Hag. 1.13 Then spake Haggai the Lords messenger in the Lords message unto the people Thirdly The good Angels keepe the Saints in all their wayes Psal 91.12 For hee shall give his Angels charge over thee to keepe thee in all thy wayes lest thou dash thy foote against a stone So should Ministers keepe the people committed to their charge they should beware to cast in offences either by erronious Doctrine or scandalons living to offend the weake that they dash not their foote against them Fourthly The Angels doe separate the good fish from the bad And sever the wicked from amongst the just Matth. 13.49 So should Ministers strive to separate notorious vile sinners from amongst the righteous and then they shall resemble the Angels yea they shall become the Lords mouth in so doing Iere. 15.19 If thou take forth the pretious from the vile thou shalt be as my mouth Of Satans accusation of Joshua the High-Priest Zach. 3.1 And he shewed me Ioshua the Highpriest standing before the Angell of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him c. IN this Chapter are set downe the benefits wh ch God bestowed upon his Church after she returned from
aequidistantiae and the second is interpositionis Medium aequidistantia interpositionis the Sunne is in medio aequidistantiae when it is in the middle point betwixt the Sunne-rising and the Sunne-setting this is in the midst of the day but it is in medio interpositionis when it is in any part of the Heaven betwixt the two extreames it was now but in medio interpositionis Againe This miracle was wrought twentie dayes after the Equinoxe this miracle was wrought twentie dayes after the Equinoxe for Ioshua instituted the Passeover Cap. 5. the fourteenth day of Nisan which was at the Equinoxe and that Moone had but fourteene dayes to runne to the change and now the Moone was before the Sunne but when the miracle fell out the Moone was behinde the Sunne and it was quarter-Moone so that the fourteene dayes of the old Moone and the eight dayes of the other Moone made up twenty dayes after the Equinoxe Ioshua's day was 24. houres Thirdly Ioshua's day was twenty-foure houres nine houres alreadie past and three houres to the Sunne-setting then the Sunne stood a whole Equinoctiall day which all being joyned together maketh twenty-foure houres then it is said Iosh 10.14 That there was no day like to it before or after which must be understood that there was no day before or after like unto it for length Hezekias day was 22. houres Hezekias day was but twenty-two houres in length which is proved thus the Sunne had runne twelue degrees already forward upon Ahaz Diall which maketh sixe planetary houres then it goeth backe againe tenne degrees which maketh fiue planetary houres and this made eleven houres Quest Might not the Sunne haue gone backe to the Sunne-rising and so haue made sixe planetary houres Answ Not because the Sunne casteth no shadow upon the Diall of Ahaz an houre after it riseth and an houre before it set neither upon any other Diall for then the shadowes are so long that they shew not the houre it went backe then but to the houre after that it arose which was the second planetary houre then it had fiue planetary houres to the midst of the day which made up sixteene houres and six houres to the Sunne-setting which maketh in all twenty-two houres Now to make some application and spirituall use of these Dials The spirituall use of these Dials Christ before his Incarnation was like to the Sunne shining upon the Equinoctiall Diall where the shadow is very low secondly before Christ came in the flesh there were many Ceremonies and a long shadow but since Christ came in the flesh this is like the Sunne shining upon the Polar Diall the shadow is short and the Sunne is neerer Thirdly our estate in this life compared with the life to come is like to the meridionall Diall for the meridionall Diall sheweth not the twelfth houre so in this life we see not the sonne of righteousnesse in his brightnesse Fourthly our estate in this life is like the verticall Diall which sheweth neither the rising nor setting of the Sunne so in this life we know neither our comming into the world nor the time when we are to goe out of it Fiftly our estate in the life to come is like the Horizontall Diall for as the Sunne shineth alwaies upon the Horizontall Diall so shall the Sunne of righteousnesse shine alwayes upon us in the life to come CHAPTER XXVI Of their Day GEN. 1.3 And the Evening and the Morning were the first day A Day in the Scripture is either a naturall Dies Naturalis Artificialis Propheticu◠artificiall or a propheticall day The naturall day consisteth of foure and twentie houres comprehending day and night Num. 8.17 In that day that I smote every first borne in the land of Egypt But Exod. 12.29 it is said that at midnight the Lord smote the first borne of Egypt so that by day here is meant the whole twentie foure houres The artificiall day began at the Sunne-rising and ended at the Sunne-setting Exod. 16.14 Why sit yee all the day from morning till night And it had three Periods in it morning mid-day and evening and the mid-day is called Zeharaijm 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Meridies and it is put in the duall number because it containeth a part of the forenoone and a part of the afternoone Psal 65.8 Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and the evening to rejoyce the outgoings of the morne is the rising of the starres before the Sunne rise as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the outgoings of the evening that is when the Moone riseth and the starres with her as Hesperus the Sunne is said to go out as it were out of his chamber when he ariseth out of the Sea or the earth Psal 19. And he is said to goe in and to dip in the Sea Mark 4. when he setteth Ortus Heliacus Chronicus Cosmicus Ortus Heliacus is when the starres arise with the Sunne Ortus Chronicus is the rising of the starres with the Moone Ortus Cosmicus is when the starres rise at certaine seasons in the yeare as Orion Plejades c. A Propheticall day is taken for a yeare in the Scriptures as they had a propheticall day so they had propheticall weekes propheticall moneths and propheticall yeares Propheticall dayes weekes and yeares A weeke signifieth a weeke of yeares as Daniels seventie weekes Dan. 9.25 So the moneth signifieth a moneth of yeares according to the Greeke computation counting thirtie dayes to a moneth so the yeare signifieth a yeare of yeares Iere. 28.3 Adhuc duo anni annorū So these places in the Revelation Forty two moneths an hundreth and sixtie dayes three yeares and an halfe so time times and halfe a time are prophetically to be understood A propheticall day is a yeare the weeke seven yeares the moneth thirtie yeares and the propheticall yeare three hundreth and sixtie yeares and this way they counted to signifie the shortnesse of the time A day is applyed in the Scripture first to our estate in grace Heb. 4. To day if ye will heare his voyce A day applied to the estate of grace harden not your hearts and all the Comparisons in the Scriptures are taken from the forenoone to shew the growth of grace First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the morning Starre and the dawning of the day and the day-starre arise in your hearts 2 Pet. 1.19 Secondly to the Sunne-rising Esay 8.10 It is because there is no morning in them and thirdly to the Sunne in the strength of the day Iudg. 5.3 Then the declination of grace is compared to the Sunne in the afternoone Iere. 6.4 Arise Declination of grace compared to the declining of the Sunne let us goe up at noone woe unto us for the day goeth away for the shadowes of the evening are stretched out Micah 3. And the Sunne set upon the Prophets The forenoone is compared to the time of grace before it come to the declining
prison lest he died there Iere. 27.20 So let us put up our supplications to the Lord that he would not send us into that eternall Prison to die for ever CHAPTER XXXVI Of their Whipping DEVT. 35.3 Fortie stripes may be given him and not exceede Divers sorts of punishments THere were sundry sorts of punishments amongst the Iewes first damnum secondly vincula thirdly verbera fourthly talio fiftly ignominia sixtly servitus seventhly mors But they never used to banish any because they would not put them where there was a strange Religion professed When they whipt their malefactors first they had a respect to the offence committed and secondly to the person who was to be whipt and thirdly to the whip They had a respect both to the person and to the offence in whipping First they had a respect to the offence in simplici delicto they might not exceede fortie stripes but they might diminish the number of the stripes if the person offending had beene of a weake body Secondly for a double offence they might not exceed fortie but they were to giue him the full fortie all at once if a man had committed theft and with all had added perjurie this was a double offence and for this he got the rigour full fortie If he had a strong body and committed a double offence then he got the full fortie all at one time secondly if he had a strong body and committed a simple offence then he got not the full number thirdly if he had had a weake body committed a double offence then he got the full number but at two severall times but if he had beene of a weake body and committed a simple offēce then the number of the stripes was much diminished Againe they considered how many stripes the offender might beare and the number of the stripes which the whip gaue Example the offender is able to beare twentie stripes and they adjudge him to haue twentie stripes now they giue him but sixe blowes for if they had given him seven blowes they should haue exceeded the number prescribed for the whip wherewith they whipped them had three thongs and if they perceived that he grew faint and weake when they were beating him they diminished some of the number if they ordained that he should haue twelue stripes and observed in the meane time that he fainted not yet they exceeded not that number twelue which they had ordained to giue him at the first When they whipped Paul 2 Cor. 11.24 and gaue him thirtie-nine stripes at three severall times first it seemes that he hath beene of a strong body secondly it was for three severall offences as they thought that they beat him The offender was not whipt thrice for one fault for if the offender had thrice committed the selfe same fault then he was no more beaten but he was shut up within a narrow wall wherein he might neither sit nor stand and there he was fed Pane afflictionis aquâ pressurae example if he had eaten the fat twice Levit. 3.17 he was but beaten twice but if he had eaten the third time of it then he was shut up in a close prison or such a prison in which Ahab commanded Micheas to be put 1 King 22.27 The offender was bowed downe when he was beaten Deut. 25.2 he neither sat nor stood and he who whipt him stood upon a stone and he let out or in the whip by drawing up or downe the knot upon it for when the knot was drawne up then the thongs spread farther and gaue a shrewder blow and when the knot was drawne downe then the thongs were contracted and they gaue the lesser blow when he stood behinde him then he whipt him upon the breast and belly and he gaue him three blowes at a time and when he stood before him he lashed him upon the shoulders and gaue him sixe blowes three upon every shoulder Three Iudges stood by vvhen they were vvhipt There stood three Iudges by when he was whipt the first repeated these words of the Law to him Deut. 28.58 If thou obey not all these things then the Lord shall multiply thy plagues the second Iudge numbered the stripes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Maymone Hal Sauht cap. 16. and the third Iudge said to the whipper Lay on shelishi omer lachozen hacce Dicit ei qui portat flagellum percute He who was beaten was not disgraced by this beating Whipping was not a disgrace amongst the Iewes for whipping amongst them was but as a civill mulct or fyne not a disgrace as it is amongst us and therefore the Lord said Deut. 25.3 That thy brother should not seeme vile in thine eyes When they whipt any of their brethren they did it not in scorne or derision but in compassion they looked upon him and received him after the punishmēt as their brother againe and as he who looked upon Cato Vticensis seeing him drunke turned away his eyes and seemed to take no notice of it being ashamed that such a graue man should be so overtaken so did they behold their brethren with pitie and were readie to cover their offence and would not upbraid them afterwards for it Conclusion 1 The spirituall uses which wee are to make of these whippings are first as they fitted the whip to the person if he were weaker or stronger so the Lord layeth no more upon us than we are able to beare Conclusion 2 Secondly as the Iudge stood by and numbered the stripes so the Lord our God numbereth all the afflictions which befalleth his children Conclusion 3 Thirdly although they were beaten yet they were not vile in the eyes of the Iudges so when the Lord correcteth us he counteth not basely of us but esteemes us as his children Conclusion 4 Fourthly as they were reckoned still brethren when they were whipped so should we account these who are afflicted and the Lords hand upon them to be still our brethren CHAPTER XXXVII Whether an Israelite that had lien with a bondmaide that was betrothed was whipped or not LEVIT 19.20 And whosoever lyeth carnally with a woman that is a bond-maide betrothed to a husband and not at all redeemed nor freedome given her shee shall be scourged THe Iewes did hold if an Israelite had lien with a bond-woman betrothed and not redeemed she was to be beaten and he was to offer a sacrifice for his offence shee was to be beaten because shee was not a free-woman and shee had nothing to offer and although she had yet she could not offer it because she was a stranger and not converted The Seventie translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vapulatio erit a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bos from Bakar Inquirere but it commeth from Bakar Bos because they were whipt with a thong of oxe-leather and some translate it Nervo bovino The reason why the Iewes held that the woman should onely be beaten is this
drinke Tacitus lib. 5. Plutarch in symposiasis 4. cap. 5. therefore the Iewes worshipped the golden head of an Asse see how some shaddow of holy history was still amongst the Heathen Example 3. When the destroying Angell destroyed the first borne of their children beasts in Aegypt the Lord caused to sprinkle the blood of the paschall Lamb upon the Lintels of the doores that so their first borne might be saved Epipha contra haerefes lib. 18. Exod. 12.13 Epiphanius recordeth that the Egyptians afterwards although they had forgotten the history of the worke of God yet they rub'd over their Cattell with a red sort of Keill to save them that no evill should befall them that yeare ignorantly counterfeitting that blood which saved the Israelites once in Egypt which fable letteth us to understand that this Scripture was once taught amongst them Example 4. Plato did hold that in the revolution of so many yeares men should be just in the same estate wherein they were before which is drawne obscurely from the resurrection when we shall be in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as we were in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 19.28 Example 5. Clemens Alexandrinus and Basill note The Heathen grounded many of their fables upon the Scriptures that the Heathen Philosophers did make their fables counterfeitting the Scriptures and founded their falsehoods upon the truth of God that men might give credit to their lies as upon this Ionas was swallowed up by the Whale they made up this fable of Arion sitting upon a Delphin and playing upon an harpe and a thousand such The Conclusion of this is Conclusion Seeing the Scriptures are Divine we must pray with David Psal 119.18 open thou mine eyes that I may behold the wondrous things out of thy Law in the originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Devolue ab oculis meis velamen scilicet caliginis and let us be diligent searchers and dwell in them as Paul biddeth Timothy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Panormitan writeth of Alphonsus King of Arragon that in the midst of all his princely affayres hee read over the Bible fourteene times with the glosse and commentaries upon it The Iewes say let a man divide his life in three parts a third part for the Scriptures a third part for mishneth and a third part for gemara 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is two for the Talmud and one for the Scriptures see how well they were exercised in reading of the Law EXERCITAT X. Jn what languages the Scriptures were written originally Gen. 11.1 And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech THe Old Testament was written originally in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greeke In what character the Scriptures were written at the first The Character in which the Old Testament was written first was the Samaritane Character It was called the Samaritane Character not because the Samaritans used it first but because it was left to the Samaritans after the Iewes refused it This Samaritane Character was the first Character as may be seene by the inscriptions upon their shekels set downe by Arius Montanus Why called the Samaritane character Beza and Willet upon Ezekiel And sundry of the Iewes ancient monuments have these letters upon them The Character at the first was the Iewes and not the Samaritans The inscriptions upon the Shekels shew the Samaritane character to be the first as is proved by the inscriptions of the shekels The inscription is this Ierusalem hakkodesh but no Samaritan would have put this inscription upon it for they hated Ierusalem and the Iewes therefore this inscription must bee the Iewes and not the Samaritans Secondly most of these ancient shekels are found about Ierusalem The Iewes kept the Samaritane character in the captivitie therefore the shekel and letters upon it was at the first the Iewes and not the Samaritans This Samaritane Character the Iewes kept still in the time of the captivity when Belshasser saw fingers writing upon the wall Mene mene tekel c. Dan. 5.25 These Characters were the Samaritan Characters therefore the Babylonians could not reade them because they knew not that Character neyther could the Iewes understand the matter although they knew the letters to the Babylonians it was like a sealed booke and to the Iewes it was like an open booke to an unlearned man because they understood it not Esa 29.11 But Daniel read it and understood it both because he knew the letters and also understood the Chaldee tongue Esdras changed this Character after the captivity Hieron in Perfat lib. regum and left it Idiotis to the Samaritans and he set downe this new Character which before was the Chaldee Character The reason why he changed it was this because being long in the captivitie they forgot their owne language that they could neyther reade it rightly nor write it rightly and therefore he changed the Characters in these which we have now But the ancient Samaritan Character seemeth to bee kept still in Lamina sacerdotali Why Esdras changed the Character in the plate of Gold which was upon the forehead of the Highpriest after the captivity for they might change noen of the ornaments of the Highpriest So neyther that which was written upon the plate of Gold Kokesh Laihova holinesse to the Lord because the Lord commanded these cloathes and ornaments to be made for him and his seede after him Exod. 28.43 The Inscription which was upon the Plate of Gold in the forehead of the Highpriest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The New Testament was written originally in the Greeke Character and there were two translations of it Syriacke and Arabicke the Syriacke was written in the Syriacke Character which differed much from that which is called Alphabetum Salomonis or the Character which Salomon found out This Character Pineda setteth downe in his booke De rebus Salomonis These diverse Characters may be seene set downe here as followeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Character Antiquiâ—r Mosiâ— sive Samaritanorum Recentior Samaritanorum Hebraeorum sive Merubha Ezâ—aerecentior Chaldaeorum antiquorum nunc Rabbinorum Antiquorum Arabum seu Alphabetum Salomonis Arabum Recentior Syrorum Gracorum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Old Testament was originally written in the Hebrew tongue and some of it in the tongues derived from the Hebrew as Chaldee We may know the Hebrew was the first originall tongue because it hath fewest Radicall letters whatsoever tongue is derived from thence it addeth some letters to the first originall as from the Hebrew word Galal commeth Golgotha the Syriacke word So Gabbatha Bethsaida from Gabha and Chased Secondly that language which the Lord spake to Adam Abraham and Moyses and they to him must be the originall language But God spake to them in the Hebrew and he