IOSEPH OR PHAROAH'S FAVOVRITE ECCLES 39.1 4. Hee only that applyeth his minde to the Law of the most high and is occupied in the Meditation thereof shall serue among Great men and appeare before the Prince LONDON Printed by B. A. for Matthew Law and are to be sold at his Shop in Pauls Church-yard 1623. To the right honourable and reuerend Father in God Iohn Lord Bishop of Lincolne Lord Keeper of the Great Seale WHat need I any other Dedication Thy life Iosephs are but one narratiō He kept King Pharohs Seale which was his Ring Thou art the great-Seale Keeper of our King And art the neerest seruant to his Throne And in his seate of Iudgment sitst alone By him the kingdomes waight Church peoples care Committed to thy equall Ballance are Thus as to Pharoh Ioseph was at Nile So art Thou to the Monarch of this I le God make thy seruice like good Iosephs proue And thee reward with Pharohs Grace and loue So Thou shalt giue thy Maister high content And make vs happy in thy Gouernment Your Lordships most humbly deuoted ROBERT AYLET THE FIRST BOOKE OF IOSEPH Of him whom God by brethrens enuy sent From Canaan to Egypt to preuent Great dearth I sing thou that didst him protect In all his trauels me in mine direct NOw dwelt the holy Patriarch Israel At rest in Canaan in his fathers cell For Esau now did in mount Seir raigne One country could not all their flocks sustain And hauing many stormes and dangers past Now hop'd in quiet to haue liu'd at last Freed from his brothers hate and menacing From Labans cruell gripes and coueting His teares for losse of Rachel now were dride For Dina's rape and Simeons homicide His sonnes abroad in Peace their flocks do tend Ioseph at home his father doth attend When lo an enuious Spirit which did reede In holy Iacob Isaacks promisd seede Which he to come of Ioseph most did feare Because he to his father was so deare One day amongst the sonnes of God appeard Before the Lord desiring to be heard And thus began Dread Thunderer be iust Hast thou not raisd vp sinfull man from dust To make those heau'nly Mansions ay his owne From which thou Angels in thy wrath hast throwne And damn'd yet we but once did thee displease But he offends each houre yet liues at ease Iacob in Isaacks Tents doth quiet liue As with his Blessing he him Peace did giue And though by thy Decree man ought attaine To Ioyes of Heau'n by sorrow care and paine To him thou so benigne and gratious art Hee sees the Pleasures neuer feeles the smart So as it seemes 't is thy determination To make base Man for blisse Vs for damnation How hast thou blessed him on eu'ry side His Children many his Possessions wide His flocks abound and couer all the Land So thou dost blesse all workes that passe his hand Well may he serue thee for so great reward But touch him thou shalt see his slight regard Vexe thou but him or any of his race And he will thee blaspheme vnto thy face When thus th' Almightie say thou what thou can Iacob's a matchlesse iust and perfect man Who feareth God doth good escheweth ill Try him or his so thou no bloud dost spill Thus now had Satan his desires attain'd By Iacobs Angell till that time restrain'd And since for bloud he could not get permission He priuily sowes Enuie and Sedition Which make oft greater rents in Church and State Then open enmitie and knowne debate Simeon and Leui once his Instruments Of murther vnder couer'd false intents With the two handmaids sonnes shall kindle hate And Enuy for to ouerthrow the state Of simple Ioseph who in honest sort To Israel brought his brethrens ill report And in plaine meaning did to them vnfold His dreames by day which God by night had told Which enuiously this Sp'rit interpreting As if he of his Brethren would be king And for because he was to Iacob deare And tales to him as they suspect did beare He by their malice labours cunningly To ruine Iacob and his Family In Iosephs losse Thus did the enuious Fiend Proiect destruction God a blessed end Little hereof thought good old Iacob when He him to Sichem to his bretheren Doth send where wandring he at last was told That they at Dothan pastured their fold On side of hill which Sol with chearefull eyes Salutes and comforts soone as he doth rise Vnder a stately Oake whose armes dispread From Sunne and Raine all vnder sheltered Neare fairest meadowes and the Riuer side These Brethren with their Flockes in Tents abide More healthfull pleasant fruitfull spatious plaine Was not in Canaan to be seene againe Where whilst their Flockes doe feede they haue good leasure To leape dance caroll sleepe and take their pleasure And they that feele within diuiner motions In priuate shades may fall to their deuotions And imitate the plumed heaun'ly Quire Who in sweete notes Gods goodnesse doe admire Hither comes Ioseph where he first admires The places fertilenesse and faire attires For his owne coate all party coloured Seemd nought to that the ground apparelled But his ten brethren him no sooner spie But lo here comes the dreamer all do crie Come let vs kill and in some pit him cast Then see how all his Dreames will proue at last And when our father misseth him wee le say Some wicked beast deuour'd him on the way And had not Prouidence with-held their knife By Ruben they then taken had his life Full glad to see his Brethren was the childe And with a pleasing face vpon them smilde As little thinking by them to be sold As they at Nile his glory to behold As cruell Cain against his brother rose When nothing lesse good Abel did suppose And as fierce Simeon came most cruelly On Sichem looking for affinity So Iacobs sonnes vnwares on Ioseph run Who kindly to salute them then did come One bends his fist another drawes his knife Another sweares he 'le teare from his life Wretch saith another thou comest for a spy That thou returning home maist tell a lye And vs disgrace in our old fathers eare And be alone his ioy and darling deare Lo saith another we our sheaues must bring And do to thee obeisance as our king One saith thou art the Sunne we starres of night And must all bow whence we do borrow light Then stripping off his party coloured coate They blindfold him and on the shoulder smote And said since thou diuin'st and dreamst so right Reckon now which of vs thee last did smite Whilst Lambe-like he before the sharer lies Mute and amaz'd yet thus at last replies Ah brethren deare though now too late I proue The peril 's not so great in Hate as Loue Cain mortall hate did to his brother beare For that his offrings acceptable were My father hardly scap't mine Vncles knife Because he was Rebecca's dearest life So did you and your mother mine despise
face behold Without the Lad be there except I would Bring on my Fathers house such wrechednesse As no mans Tongue is able to expresse With that like Iordanes flouds his teares doe fall And as he wept so wept his Brethren all But Ioseph then no longer could refraine But biddes forbeare there may not one remaine Within with him whilst he himselfe declares Vnto his Brethren with such cryes and teares That the Egyptians and Pharoh heare His loud laments and scarcely can forbeare To mourne with him who kept them all from mourning But Ioseph to his Brethren soone returning Saith I am Ioseph doth my Father liue Feare not my Brethren I you all forgiue As when a King that he discouer may Some traitrous plot his body doth array In such an habit as none can descry Him from one of that close Conspiracy Till hearing all the Traitours Coniuring He shewes himselfe to be their Lord and King So that they all stand mute and in a maze And gastly one vpon another gaze So stand the ten one looking on another To see so high their late betraied Brother Thus at the last the wicked men shall hide Their face at sight of him they Crucifide When on his Throne his glory they behold Like Iosephs who shall like to him be sold. But Beniamin poore harmelesse innocent After he had endur'd this chastisement At hearing Iosephs name lifts vp his eyes And lowder now for Ioy then Sorrow cryes So shall the innocent at last appeare To be absolued by their Brother deare Then Ioseph saith my Brethren all draw neare I am your Brother Ioseph doe not feare That very Ioseph you to Egypt sold But be not greeu'd therewith nor doe it hold A cruell thing For God me sent before For to preserue your liues with millions more This is the second yeare fiue are behinde When none shall reape or mow or sheaues vp binde God sent me to preserue your Progeny And saue you by a great deliuery Not you I say but God me hither sent And made me here to your astonishment Great Pharoh's Father and giu'n free command Ore all his House and ouer all his Land Hast to my Father Tell him in a word Thus saith thy Ioseph God hath made me Lord Of Egypt Tarry not but soone come downe And thou shalt dwell on Goshens fruitfull downe Thy Children Childrens children and thy flocke Beasts Asses Camels all thy store and stocke Lo there I sustenance for thee will finde For those fiue yeares of Famine yet behinde Your owne eyes see and Beniamins behold I all in your owne tongue haue truly told My glory here then to my Father tell As you haue seene and hither hast to dwell So weeping he vpon the necke doth fall Of Beniamin and he on his so all He kisses and doth after with them talke Familiarly as they together walke As when a Treasure in the earth is found Fames Trumpet doth it farre and neere resound So Fame this newes in Pharohs Court doth tell Which pleased him and all his seruants well Therefore he thus to Ioseph out of hand Thy Brethren send with Corne into their Land To bring their Father and his family That they may eate my Lands fertilitie Besides I will my Charrets thou command For to conuey your Father to my Land With Wiues and Children let them leaue their stuffe Egypt shall furnish them with store enough Then Ioseph hasting them away to send Peace by the way doth thus to them commend I will not now things past commemorate Your griefe and sorrow more to aggrauate For God hath turn'd your morne of griefe and sadnesse Vnto a day of Feasting Ioy and gladnesse Yet patiently my louing Counsell heare And by your former harmes learne to beware Let not that wicked Enuyer of mankinde Breede discords strifes or quarrels in your minde Nor question or dispute one with another Who 's most in fault for selling of your brother Each of his sinne vnfainedly repent And giue God glory who me hither sent And all the euill you against me thought Turning to good this great deliuerance wrought I send now Charrets by the Kings command To bring my aged Father to this land Ten Asses laden all with Egypts good I likewise send my father for his food And ten she-Asses lade with corne and bread That by the way you may thereof be fed Changes of Rayment I to each assigne These fiue my dearest Beniamin are thine With these three hundred siluer peeces So He hath his right yet you no wrong I do Let not your eye cause I am good be ill 'T is reason good enough to say I will Yet Nature may informe you of another He is my onely brother by my mother Enuy him not because he in mine eyes Most gracious is nor shall he you despise Brethren in loue and amitie combind Are like small stickes we in a fagot bind No force them bends whilst they remaine in one Disioynd a child will breake them all alone Hast Fare-you-well fall not out by the way W'offend against my Father by your stay Lo thus they flie from Nile to Iordans shore To tell their Father all you heard before Ioseph is yet aliue saith Iudah and Is Gouernor of all King Pharohs land Alas saith Iacob come you me to flout Ioseph now liues in heau'n I make no doubt He was the Prey long since of cruell beast I haue his bloody Coate still in my chest Ah! saith Dan to Gods glory we confesse Who hath laid open all our wickednesse That we our brother out of enuy fold When we at Dothan pastured our fold To Ishmaelites who after for their gaine In Egypt where we found him sold againe His colourd Coate which doth with thee abide We dipt in bloud our fowlest sinne to hide Lo now thy sonnes on knees before thee fall And for this our offence beg pardon all Ioseph vnaskd our trespasse did remit Therefore good father also pardon it As Indian merchant on the sodaine told His ship is safe arriu'd all lade with gold Which long since to be cast away he feard Because he neuer tidings of her heard First wauers and it hardly can beleeue Fearing lest he too sodaine credence giue But when he sees the Porters bringing in The golden Oare and Ingots doth begin For to reuiue Eu'n so old Israel Misdoubts when first he heard his children tell Of Iosephs life and glory great at Nile But when he thus had wauered awhile And saw the goodly charrets Ioseph sent To bring him and his houshold from their tent To Egypt and his dearest Beniamin Confirm'd it all for Truth Behold within The old mans spirit doth againe reuiue And cryes with Ioy Ioseph is yet aliue God pardon you all your Iniquitie I will goe downe and see him ere I die The end of the third Booke of Ioseph THE FOVRTH BOOKE OF IOSEPH NOw Iacobs tents abound with such great store Of corne which they had wanted heretofore As if God had
not in their machinations Who in their Wrath the Sichemites slew all And in their Fury digged downe a wall Curst be their wrath for it was voyd of shame And Fiercenesse which was cruelly to blame Lo I their seede in Iacob will diuide And them abroad in Israel scatter wide Iudah is next whom all his brethren praise Thine hand be in thine enemies necke alwayes Thy Fathers Children thee shall stoupe before Lo Iudah like a Lyons whelpe shall rore My sonne comes like a Lion from the spoile Who laid him downe and couch'd himselfe awhile Eu'n like a Lion or a Lionesse Who dares awake him from his sleepinesse The Scepter from his race shall neuer start Nor a Law giuer from his feete depart Till the Messias come who to him shall By his great powre the Nations gather all Lo he shall binde his Foale vnto the Vine His Colt vnto the Branch His Cloke in Wine Is washt His Cloths with bloud of grapes bedight Eyes red with wine His Teeth with milke are white The Sea-Haun's Zabulon shall dwell beside And 's Border eu'n to Sidon shall diuide Like a strong Asse shall Isachar couch low Betweene two burthens And for he doth know That rest is good in such a pleasant Land Shall stoupe and be anothers to command Dan shall be Iudge and one of Israels Tribes A serpent by the way him well describes Or Adder in the path horse-heeles to gall Vntill he make the rider backward fall To be a Iudge's a dangerous Vocation Lord I haue waited long for thy Saluation An host of men God downe in warre shall cast Yet they shall ouer-come him at the last Aser from fattest Lands his bread shall bring And shall enioy eu'n pleasures for a King Napthalim is as nimble as the hind But fauour seekes with pleasing words to finde Ioseph's like plant by well whose boughs are small Yet run vp flourishing vpon the wall With shooting many Archers haue him harm'd And with sharpe Darts to 's hindrance him disarm'd But he stands fast his armes are made so strong By God to whom all strength and powre belong His glory all his Brethrens doth excell And hee 's become a stone in Israel His Fathers God shall helpe him from aboue And the Almightie with his Blessings proue With Blessings that from hight and depth shall come With Blessings of the Breasts and of the Wombe To thee thy Fathers Blessings be more strong Then those that doe from mine to me belong From th' vtmost hils they light on Iosephs head That from his Brethren once was seuered Beniamin like a Wolfe shall spoile The prey He shall diuide by night and eate by day Thus Iacob of each seuerall prophecide What should to their Posteritie betide Some call it his last will Then to them all He dying spake these words in generall We all are Pilgrims on the way our home Is Heau'n as all men enter by the Wombe So through the Gate of Death we all must driue Before we at this Citie faire arriue Lusts of our youth Infirmities of age Make few and ill our daies of Pilgrimage All spend like Lamps some blowne out with a blast Some waste some melt some hold out till the last Like fruit all blow bud grow greene ripe then fall Bud blossome greene or ripe we perish all And turn'd to dust are vnder Deaths subiection In Graue vntill the day of Resurrection Eu'n as our ages so we change our minde For those things we doe most delightfull finde To Child-hood Youth disdaines our Youth-full fires Accord not with our riper yeares desires Old-age in none of all the three delights The reason 's plaine we serue our appetites Truth and Religions path we leaue to treade And follow as our Lusts and Pleasures leade Which alter with our bodies constitutions And these are sensuall beastly resolutions But who doth his affections measure by Right rules of Reason and of Pietie Them neuer alters but is still the same All tending to the glory of Gods name No change of state age health wealth constitution Can alter such desires and resolution This Life 's a minute to Eternitie Like mite vnto the Globes immensitie Like droppe compard vnto the Ocean Maine Yet here we either all must lose or gaine Vpon this mite droppe minute doth depend All Blisse we aye continue as we end All Gods most gracious glorious promises But types and Shadowes are of future Blesse Phari on Land vs to the Port to light And guide our Barkes through worlds darke misty night In all our voiage through worlds Ocean-wast Are many Rockes and dangers to be past Without are Satan and the Worlds infections Within our Lusts vaine fraile and vile affections Which like so many Traitours readiely Against the Pilot ay to mutiny But most in danger of them all we stand When nearest we approch vnto the Land So some escape the boistrous raging Sea And neere the Port doe wrecke vpon the Lea I looking backe my span like daies behold Like a fantastique Dreame or tale new told And were I now them to begin againe I should all worldly vaine delights refraine Yea could you see heau'ns Ioyes by Faiths cleare eyes You would with me Worlds Pleasures vaine despise And runne fast to the marke you set before Your end to liue with God for euermore As th' aire is hottest neerest to the Sunne Brookes deeper neerer to the Sea they runne So nearer to your end doe you aspire To grow in grace and glow with heaun'ly fire Now goe I hence and shall be seene no more Haue mine examples alwaies you before So Isaack followed faithfull Abraham I holy Isaack from whose loines I came What we did well doe you the like But when We did amisse obserue we were but men Oh let your wisedome shine with your gray haires Most of you now draw neere to seu'nty yeares Ioseph is fifty seu'n a child eu'n when The most of you were growne vp to be men Seau'nty seau'n yeares a single life I led God since hath seau'nty to them numbred The youngest nor the strongest haue no power To adde a minute to their fatall hower Deferre not of Repentance then the date Now is the time to morrow is too late Count all mens ages that on earth remaine More die before then to your daies attaine And should you old Mathuselaes surmount The longer life the greater your account I will not exprobrate offences past Repent amend and turne to God at last Leaue off to sinne his Promises beleeue You cannot aske so much as God will giue You are a chosen seede a holy race Not by desert or worthinesse but Grace Oh make it knowne to all your Generations God vs hath chose before all other Nations To walke here worthy of this Grace diuine And like to purest heau'nly Tapers shine In this worlds mistie darke obscured night Whose euill workes abhorre to see the light Expect not worlds vaine glory Pompe