of the tvvo rivers Tigris Euphrates stayd at Charan till he make many Soules his father died there aged 205. yeres heauy by yeres who toke his journey for Chanaan had not broken off but by heauy yeres death then was Abraham 75. by Moyses text by S. stephans note vpon it by the Greke Philo whose wordes I haue cited in the Concent in Latin by sundry Ebrewes in Midras Rabba And reason wold tell vs that Thara was dead before God promised Abraham that Christ should come of him Otherwise as he took journey tovvard Chanaan he had not stayd in Charan but by vveakenes An aunsvvear to M. Scaliger Because it is vvritten Thara liued seauenty yeres begate Abraham Charan Nachor M. scaliger fighteth vehemently against Beroaldus all that vvere afore of his mynd And vvher he saith still brethren be named in seniority for the obiection in Sem Cham Iapheth vvher Iapheth is eldest in the lxx he vvold haue Sem eldest Cham next Iapheth yongest I aunsvvear yf any vvil be contentions the church of God hath no such custome to S. stephen act 7. he sayd None yet vnderstood S. Luke Then vvher is the fault in our vvit or iâ— his pen And in Bathshebaes sonnes 1. Chr. 3. Salomon the Eldest is named last Nathan the second is named third And Ioachaz the second sonne of Iosias both is named first called the first borne And seing Ischa or Sara vvas Harans daughter but ten yeres yonger then Abraham the Babylonian Thalmud gathereth sensibly that Abraham vvas not the Eldest So all the Eldest Ievves fight for S. stephen for S. Luke And for S. Mathevv that Thara vvas dead before Abraham receaued the promisse That still Abraham might be alone in the dignity of the promesse So M. scaliger might haue spared disturbance of S. Mathevves begininge Of Abrahams Idolatry S. Paul calleth Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he vvas once Idolatrous such an one Philo Rambam make him to haue bene but by faith he vvas iustified So S. Paul disputeth vpon him against the Ievves thus vvhat shall vve say then that Abraham our father found by the flesh yf Abraham vvere iustefied by vvorkes he hath vvherin to reioyce But he hath no vvorkes to reioice in before God For his request vnto Sara to hazard her Chastity vvas a fault as Rabby Bechaia vpon gen 15 doth make it an egregious trespas a gross fault an exceding sin bred froÌ„ great mistrust in God the cause of Israels sorovv fall in Egypt So he hath not to rejoice before God Therfore he vvas not iustified by vvorkes before God S. Iames dealing vvith Ievves vvho then as novv think theyr reverence to the lavv belief in the trueth of the story iustifyes them shevveth that they are deceaued For Abraham all Godly shevv good vvorkes to tell others that they honour God as Abraham did in not sparing his Sonne Novv vvher as God sayd to Abraham Because thou hast not spared thy only sonne I svveare I vvill multiply thy sede The very Ievves in Midras Rabba shevv the meaning thus by the similitude of a physician vvho promiseth to heale a great man of a dangerous sicknes after his promess geueth a most bitter potion vvhich the patient taketh boldly then the physician sayth Because you haue so taken the drench I vvill svvear I vvill heale you Thus the party is confirmed not called to a nevv beginnig So Abrahams manifestation of regeneration is reâ—ompensed in a confirmation not vvith the fountain of his iustification And still the Prophetes require open iustice God punisheth every sin but lesse vpon charity in that sense charity covereth many sinnes But the fountaine vvas Abraham beleued in God that vvas recokned to him for iustice as Dauid sayth that they are happy vvhose sinnes are forgiuen So Abraham vvas iustified by faith beleving that Christ sbould come of him should be raised from the dead as he knevv that yf he had killed Isaac God wold haue raised him again So faith shal be reckoned vnto vs for iustice vvich beleue that God raised Iesus our Lord from the dead vvho vvas killed for our sinnes raised for our iustification These poinctes the Greke Crede handleth plainly the Greke fathers Porphyry and the oracles that our Lordes soule vvent hence to heauen And Ben Arama vvho saith Christianes beleue our Lordes soule vvent to Hell doth the Gospell great iniury Fot through infinite mention of death resurrection ther is never one syllable of going to Hell but in one oration in Iohn six times express mentio of going to the father A vvise vvriter never repeates but vvith some addition yf any can be And seing the going of a iust soule to Hell is more strange then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dvvelling of God in man or resurrection it had bene oftener handled in plain termes yf it had bene true One R. Man a Ievv obiected vnto me our Crede of going to Hell I told him it vvas an heathen phrase but meaned as theyr Thalmudique to go to Paradâ—se So descending in Moses Iosue Iudges Ruth Kinges is for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so translated more then once translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 asceÌ„ded And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to go is translated Ascend Descend So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is vsed of passage as from Nazareth to Capernaum â—aum in our Lord exceding often in the actes of the Apostles and Hades for Abraham is heauen or Paradise For as Britanie conteyneth tvvo partes England Scotland So Haides conteyneth Heauen Hell in Abraham set in the beginnig of the Nevv Testament God vvold vse Haides Luc. 16 tell expresly that God praepared Heauen to receaue Abraham the pilgrom stranger loking for the heauenly city hence the Ievves might haue lerned the meaning of our Crede for Paradise Luc. 23. the matter vvas plain that our L. vvent thence thither And no Ievves of Modesty vvold haue slaundered our Gospell to Mach mad to forge beter Keys of Paradise A phaÌ„tastical Black smith not a Bâ—ssaleel he proued Although this article should here be handled largely in Abraham the Patron of faith yet I may be short because L. Th. vvinton proveth against Geueveans by Iosephus Ignatius Iustin martyr Eusebius Athanasius in his sermon Cyrillus Epiphanius Nazianzen That Haides or Caâ—achthonia to Godly is heauen he fortifieth Geneveans faith that by Grek our Lord vvent hence to Paradise iustly reiecteth Hell grefe from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as hated of Bible Rabbines vpon Ebrevv Attiques vpon the Gospell I shevved in six Greke vvorkes left in Germanie hovv lernedly the R. R. F. healed the Geneveans disease vvho denyed a going to Haides vvher Abraham is Luc. 16. all faithfull soules to crosse theyr ovvne faith deny soules immortality vvold haue all heathean enemies for fâ—endes all
the Thalmudiques Cerinthianes other heretiques And matter required that myndes longe occupied in easier matter should at the last be called to consyder the Eternity of the heyre of all vvhich made the vvorld And S. Luke sone after mention of Elias Iohn baptist handleth the humanitie of Iesus Corist vp to Adam vvhom Satan overraught to bring darkenes vpon him self before the sun euer left him in darkenes then ioyneth a nevv combat to the old serpent thence vvill I shevv the familie of our Lord cmment vpon it S. Mathevv shall folovv touching succession to the Kingdom other dependantes all for instruction of Ievves such as vvold not lay a trap to Ievves theyr ovvne destruction THVS THE TEXT SPEAKETH Luke 3. from v. 23 ANd Iesus himself euen began to be of The noblest story of all that are for yeres 3927 The piller of all the Bible to which Heathen be servantes thirty yeres being Sonne of Ioseph as meÌ„ thought of Eli of Matthat of Leui of Melchi of Ianna of Ioseph of Mattathias of Amos of Naum of Esli of Nagge of Maath of Matathias of Semei of Ioseph of Iuda of Ioanna of Rhesa of Zorobabel of Salathiel of Neri of Melchi of Abdi of Cosam of Elmodam of Er of Iose of Eliezer of Iorim of Matthat of Leui of Symeon of Iuda of Ioseph of Ionan of Eliacim of Melea of Mainan of Mattatha of Nathan of Dauid of Iesse of Obed of Booz of Salmon of Naasson of Aminadab of Aram of Esrom of Phares of Iuda of Iacob of Isaac of Abraham of Thara of Nachor of Saruch of Ragau of Phalec of Eber of Sala of Cainan of Arphaxad of Sem of Noe of Lamech of Mathusala of Enoch of Iared of Malaleel of CainaÌ„ of Enos of Seth of AdaÌ„ of God 1 Here Children should begin first to rede to compare the sorowfull combat of Adam killed on his first day from life of soule made dead in sin with the glorious combat of our Lord resisting the old serpent driving him to flight Luke ch 4. 2 Mary the mother of our Lord is in name left out but in matter conteyned For the terme Sonne through all these hath relation to Iesus as in the Last Sonne of God They vse small judgment that hould Adam called the S. of God S. Luke in Satans spech ch 4. sayeth that Iesus was meant by him Son of God 3. Iosephs father who begate him was named Iacob Math. 1. But as all maried men haue tvvo fathers so Ioseph Dauid had Iessai Saul Ioseph had Iacob natural Ely in Lavv. yet by argument only Ioseph is Elyes S. not expresly 4. Ievves Gentiles that cam not to the story of the resurrection shevving Christ to be the son of God by the might that raised him vvold haue made a scoff to see the mother layd dovvne in the Genealogie And so the holy Gh. piâ—ying maâ—â— vveakenes leaueth Mary for name out but in by argument sure collection as thus Iesus Mary Ely c. 5. The vvhole number is disposed in order fit for memoriâ— Ten to the flod ending the old vvorld ten to Abraham heyrâ— of the nevv vvorld repeating him tvvise seauen of most Godly fathers are to Dauid Then his S. NATHAN 1. Chr. 6. Beginneth a tvventy vvho Liued priuate obscure men vnder the Kinges of Salomons house vntil the captiuity of Babylon Tvvo Liued in the captiuity Salathiel Zorobobel He vvas governour vvhen the Ievves vvere sent home by Cyrus vpon the Angel Gabriel his Message for redemption ending of Moses at 490 yeres Rhesa beginneth out Lord endeth a nevv tvventy Heathen in Eusebius making a Chronicle by ages vvold make but 400 yeres of 20. The Olympiq folovvers that vvold make 590 yeres to disturbe Daniels light to all the Bible our Lordes house shevved smal iudgement The tvventy from Rhesa to our L. vvill be heauenly Championes for salvation joyning vvith Daniel in their nuÌ„ber to kepe men from feining moo yeres then God reckoned 7. When Ievves refuse the auctority of S. Luke all the Nevve Testament they should be told that for ciuil recordes all nations vvold blame them So for the 15 of Tiberius vvhen Pilate vvas governour of Iudea Herod Tetrarch of Galily Philip his brother Tetrarch of â—turea Trachonis Lysanias Tetrarch of Abylene vvhen Annas Caiphas vvere high Sacrificers for all those civil recordes stand knovven to many nationes one mans auctority is not considered in them So for the familie of a King Nationes nere Knevv it Theophilus vvold examine the matter yf doubt had bene Scribes S. Lukes foes had confuted him yf fault had bene But none did as none could So vvhen S. Mathevv maketh Rachab wife to Salmon he speaketh according to Iewes ciuil recordes vvell knovven And so vvhen S. Paul Sayth he vvas an Ebrevv continually by fathers mothers he knevv that other of Gamaliels scholers could examin that So vvhen he calleth Andronicus Iunias Herodion his consins his Kinsemen that vvere yet Pharisces had reproved him yf he had lyed So vvhen S. Luke Sodenly calleth Saul Paul he had felt reprofe yf the matter had not bene vvel Knovven As vvhen he telleth King Agrippa Festus hovv he vvas spoken to by Iesus our Lord Saul Saul vvhy dost thou persecute me Festus vvold not haue sayd to him thou are mad Paul too much lerning maketh thee mad yf he had not knovven that he had tvvo names So vvhen Iohaiada the father of Zacharie the martyr is called Bâ—rachias by the like notation S. Mathevv knevv him self vvarranted Iâ—â— Zach one man in 2. names Math. 27. by many like examples and vvhen Zacharie the auctour of the prophecie of Christ his exaltation of the King â—iding vpon an asse sold for 30 sicles is called of him Ieremie the exalter of God he had vvarrantes enough from old ages so to do And for Genealogies knovven to heathen Moses in Edoms story for the Kinges of Seir that reigned sucessours before he vvas King in Israel vvas an ancient vvarrant to S. Luke So vvhen S. Mathew maketh King Iechonias that died without issue father in place of Kingdome to one of Salomons brother Nathan in very far descent he knew that other Ievves foes to the Gospel vvho knevv the Kinges familie vvold herein mainteine him So Hercules familie SpartaÌ„e Kinges Macedonian Cyrus the Persian his cosyns Kinges of Pontus Seleucidae Lagidae are famous in sundry Graecians none vvill deny any vvithout bringing better record So Ievves should be required to bring other families of Zorobabel yf they despise our Euangelistes and vve should not suffer them to deny that vvhich a Turk or any heathen vvold be ashamed to deny 8. The names of our Lordes Line are evident to be sagely geuen in more vvise sort then ever any feigner could think vpon Many are from the Patriarkes Ioseph cometh oftnest to
familie of the house of Nathan apart their vviues apart the familie of the house of Levi apart and their vvives apart the familie of Semei apart their vvives apart The notation of Zorobabel Zorobabel his name conteineth the stately prophecy of Babels fall vvher vvith Ieremy comforteth Iuda ch 51. 2. I will send against Babel Zor-im fanners vvhich Zor o Babel Mark here vvith-all hovv the golden head is fanned to chaff And this much doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Zorobabel conteine in name And vvhen Babel the house of Nemrod Cham vver fanned by Sem Iapheth then cometh an Angel to tell vvhen Christ the signet of God from Zorobabel should be sealed that all men might reckon from yere to yere hovv nere they came to the Kingdome of ther names notation As Zorobabel vvas also called Saâ—betzar glad in affliction so his eldest son vvas called Mosollam that is he shal be settled in Salem as Naasson called Salmon in that sense so he is called 1. chr 3. by an other notation Abihu Math. 1. The second sonne is called Ananias in remembrance of Ananias the noble martyr the glory of men that quenched the fyer He vvas fitly termed so a father to Christ that quencheth Hell fier from burning his servantes The same man is called by an other name Rhesa principal being the second brother Because he that is principall over all shall come from him make the second brother principal to the first Names from famous ancient men The name of Nathan Dauids sonne might not be geuen to moo as noÌ„e but one vvas called Dauid nor any in the right Liâ—e to Adam to kepe the story from confusion But the Like in notation are full many Nathan is HE God geveth Mattatha Matthat Mattathias tvvise coming Matth n Mat. 1. be all remeÌ„brances of Nathan Dauids sonne named after the prophet vvhich promised Christ to Dauid So they still knevv that Christ should come of them So Ianna short or Ioanna longe IonaÌ„ as the lxx expresse Ebrevv all be Iohn by vvhich name Iohaiada the good high sacrificer vvas called So the second Melchi Amos Nachum reuiue stories loke for Kingdome strenght comfort So Elmodam reuiueth the story of IocktaÌ„s Elmodad vvher to avoyd loth some doublyng of D. the one is changed Iocktans house highly angred God falling to Babels Idols after many from Sem Arphaxad Sela Eber folovved the godly fathers Therfore God scattered them further to fill east vvest India Yet Christ vvold once call all one of his fathers shevved that in his name from Iocktanes Eldest son Elmodad Others haue religions foundation as lose all one to Iesus a Saviour Eliezer God hath strengh Iorim â—liakim God setteth vp Her the vigilant These conteine the ground of religion Others touched the lot of the particular familie As Malea fulnes Majnan vvaters of encrease vvhen Roboams house vvas decaying quickly Some express the fathers confort in a sonne as Chesly my glory Addy an ornament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one remembrance of hard lot Mahath vexation All be vvittely named our Lord Er the Aey vigilant sayth ye shall not seke me in vain An idle syllable shall not be found in the names of Iesus his fathers By these argumentes the vvicked Ievves that reiect the Kinges record knovven over nationes might be avvnsvveared musselled Of Cainan ioyned to Arphaxad vvhich Cainan neuer vvas in the vvorld S. Luke shevveth to all lerned in tongues that he folovved the very syllables of publiq recordes othervvise moo names from one Hebrevv as Ianna Ioanna Ionan he had expressed in one tenour So he folovveth the lxx for Cainan son as it was supposed to Aaphaxad the lxx knevv that he never vvas in the vvorld as nether Cainan the sixt son to Sem Gen. 10. in the lxx as they knevv that Ioseph vvas father but to Manasses Ephraim vvhen Iacob came to Egypt not yet to the fiue added by them gen 46 ch vvhich make for Ebrevv lxx soules in the lxx they make 75. vvhich thing also S. Luke folovveth act 7. I haue in my Consent shevved the reason But here also it may fiitly be handled yet a long discourse must come to open the vvhole nature of the matter Why the lxx hid their mind The lxx ij Ievves six for every tribe are named in shortnes lxx vvhen Ptolemy Philadelphus ambitious of a great librarie sent to Iudah to haue them bookes in Greke so many translaÌ„ters vvere sent to Egypt vvith the holy volume vvhich they turned into Greke but vvith exceding departing from the Ebrevv And they caryed not vvith them the pomcted Bible that they might more frely dally vvith the prophane heathen One example may be in the yeres a thousand many hundre theâ— vvhich they feigned Of that I haue vvritten at large to Melchisedeck An other strange departing from Ebrevv appeareth in Gen. 4 to this Ebrevv vnpoincted Halo im tetib sheeth ve im lo tetib le petach chatathrobets or thus le patteach chatatha Rebatz Is ther not vpon vvell doing recompence and yf thou do not vvells syns pay is nere at the dore Because heathen should not plead hense in heathen maner Do vvell haue vvell they adde vovvls thus yf thou offre well devide not vvell thou hast sinned be quiet And this mockage they thought fittest for heathen scorners of truth This vvas the vvell doing spoken by God That Cain yf he vvold come to God must beleue that God is is a revvarder of them that seke him But Lagidae Chemmis land vvold not sone conceaue this sense Therfore he that sitteth in heauen vvold scorne them the Eternall vvold make a mock of them For this rule was from the beginnig Cast not pearles to hogges nor holy thinges to dogges An other daliance vvas this Deut. 32. when the only High scattered the sonnes of Adam he settled the borders of nationes according to the number of the Angels of God The Ebrew hath According to the number of the sonnes of Israel They savv vveighty cause of this dalliance vvhich I haue printed in a dedication to my Grek translatioÌ„ of the prophets dedicated to the B. of Mentz The 2. Psalme speaketh in this sort Kisse the sonne lest he be angry vvher is anger sone Kindled Happy are all that trust in him Flesh blood could not open this vnto the vvorld only the father which is in heauen should reveale it How God so loued the world that he gaue his only begoten son to the end that vvhsoeuer beleue on him should not perish but haue lift everlastinge At this they would haue skoffed as hovv often skoffed they the King of glory in the dayes of his flesh Therfore the holy vvordes vvhich proprely say Kisse the Son they turne craftily thus Lay hould vpod dostrine lest vvicked men should say Dauid maketh him self the Son of God So they vvere in danger of more then skoffing in a
sonnes to beimitated of vs the Kinges should be knovven to consider imperfectiones arguing that Christ his Kingdome should not be as an earthly one Novv the third rovv vvill force vs to examine stately stories of their enemies destruction hovv they by Daniel seauens did knovv vvhen Christ vvold come into the vvorld there I must defend our church many others against betrayers of the truth vnto Ievves vpon that occasion in sundry sortes They notorioushy vexe vs for our Doctours Babyshnes for confunding our Lordes holy fathers vvith Acabean Kinges of Roboams Ammonean â—ace for disagreing for redemption time for Daniels fourth Kingdome OF THE FATHERS CITED IN S. Mathevv his holy text A book of the Kindred of IESVS Christ the sonne of Dauid the sonne of Abraham Abraham begate Isaac Isaac begate Iacob Iacob begate Iudas his brethren Iudas begate Phares Zara of Thamar Phares begate Esrom Esrom begate Aram. Aram begate Aminadab Aminadab begate Naasson Naasson begate Salmon Salmon begate Booz of Rachab Booz begate Obed of Ruth Obed begate Iessaj Iessaj begate Dauid the Kinge Dauid the King begate Salomon of her vvhich vvs Vriaes Salomon begate Roboam Roboam begate Abia. Abia begate Asa Asa begate Iosaphat Iosaphat begate Ioram Ioram begate Ozias Ozias begate Ioatham Ioatham begate Achaz Achaz begate Ezechias Ezechias begate Maâ—nsses Manasses begate Amon. Amon begate Iosias Iosias begate Iechonias his brethren nere the captiuity of Babylon After the captiuitie of Babylon Iechonias begate Salathiel Salathiel begate as a King for a successour as Baasa for Achab 1. King 20. Zorobabel Zorobabel begate Abihud Abihud begate Eliakim Eliakim begate Azor. Azor begate Sadok Sadok begate Achim Achim begate Elihud Elihud begate Eleazar Eleazar begate Matthan Matthan begate Iacob Iacob begate Ioseph the husband of Mary of vvhich vvas begotten IESVS vvhich is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to Dauid are fourteene generations And from Dauid vntill the captiuity of Babylon fourteene generations and after the captiuity of Babylon vntill Christ fourteenegenerations Novv the berth of Iesus Christ vvas thus When his mother Marj vvas betrothed to Ioseph before they came together she vvas found vvith child of the holy Ghost Novv Ioseph her husband being agratious man vnvvilling to make her cause seen vvold haue put her avvay secretly And as he vvas thus minded Behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dreame sayng Ioseph sonne of Dauid feare not to take Mary thy vvife For that vvhich is begoten in her is of the holy Ghost For she shall bear a sonne thou shalt call his name Iesus because he shall saue his people from their sinnes And all this came to passe to fullfill that vvhich vvas spoken of the Lord by Esaj the prophet sayng Behould a virgin shal be vvith child shall beare a sonne his name shal be called Emmanuel vvhich is by interpretation God vvith vs. Then Ioseph avvaked out of slepe did as the Angel of the Lord commaunded him toke his vvife but knevv her not vntill she bare her sonne the first-borne called his name IESVS Observationes This narration dependeth vpon the demaund of the Persian Philosophers vvho by Daniels prophecy ch 9. came to Ierusalem to seke the late borne King of the Ievves the most holy Daniel the vvise full of grace vvold not misse to take order that his nation Susan vvher is rombe vvas yet honored of Elam should reckon most exactly yere by yere vvhen the King of glory vvold make his covenant vvith all nationes And the half seauen of teaching the Gospell vvas made knovven thirty yeres for to be a father in nature Solon the old Hesiod noted in poetry Sala Paleg Saruch our Lords fathers shevv it in practise fathers at thirty And for governement Ioseph as King in Egypt at thirty Dauid King in dede at Hebron the lavv for the Levites to begin their office of sad or heay charge at thirty So all the vvorld as the Philosophers of Susan might knovv in vvhat yere since Iudah came from Babel Christ vvas to come into the vvorld And a comfortable light in the ayer appearing at Susan strange aboue the course of nature could not but move the Persian lerned men to knovv Gods counsel to loke for the King told off by holy Daniel so longe before For this cause the Persians Sages come to Ierusalem But Herod better knevv the time as the Sacrificers the vvhole nation of vvhom none brought exception that vvay none of any striving against the truth for other poinctes But Herod mistoke the nature of the King knevv not that God vvas in Christ reconciling the vvorld vnto him self To teach Herod the Thalmudique all the vvorld vvhat kind of King Messias should be S. Mathevv vvriteth this chapter shevving fourtene fathers after the flesh to the sonne Eternal vvho savv his dayes afore rejoyced although they vvere nor perfitect in doctrine seuerally from vs yet heauen the perfect blessing for the soule they had vvhen they left this vvorld All good men in priuate life But the first King hardly saued him self after he came to rest Fourtene be of them After them come fourtene Kinges fathers for the Kingdome but not natural fathers to Christ all faulty for governement many greatly sinful not in Gods favour So S. Mathew doth teach such as knew the law that Christ his Kingdome was not of this world And he leaueth Salomons house vvhose natural succession did end vvith Iechonias thence he cometh to Salathiel of Nathan to zorob vvho ar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And then he turneth aside to the Kinges line vvher be ten Mary Iesus make vp the third fovvertene and all be called in Daniel heyres of the Eternal Kingdome Great matters depend vpon their story vvherby allshould be considered severally as they are severally set dovvne for that purpose And the principal matters that touched their story shall be handled vvith them Of the first fovvertene of Abraham severally Dauid the King is once named first because Herod demaunded of the King to Dauid first the Eternal Kingdome vvas promised After a touch that vvay Abraham is set fyrst the rest in order to make fourtene vvher the last is King Why Abraham geueth the beginning of the story The Land of Chanaan vvher the Kingdome should arise vvas first promised to AbrahaÌ„ Christ vvas promised to him first of any man in open distinct plain vvordes And he is made father of the heathen vvhich vvold folovv his beliefe the heathen might offer first frutes at Ierusalem as Maimony noteth Bechor Per. 4. So for Ievves gentiles the beginning from him is very fit Of Abrahams glory Abraham is often commended vnto vs vvhose commendation all his children by faith should gladly knovv publish He left the field of the Chaldeans being nere Babel in the most propre Mesopotamia nere the meting