stir 3. For a man to fall down before that that he can cast into the fire water dirt and trample under feet and the Image not able to say What doest thou 4. It being in the power of man to make his image in the likeness of man or beast then when it is made to think it hath power over him and he to owe homage and duty and sacrifice and devotion to it So brutish foolish besotted a thing is man when left unto himself and his own wisdom And therefore there was need of such a Commandment against such sottishness and of tyes and terrors added to affrighten men from the folly as there are two you see in the words I have read I. That God proclaims himself a jealous God II. That he professeth he visiteth the fathers upon the children I. It is no wonder God proclaims himself a jealous God in this case when the love service and worship due to him is given to an Idol to a piece of wood or stone silver or gold Conceive in your hearts what jealousie is and you will find it no wonder he is so in this case or indeed in any other where his honour is given away and bestowed upon any creature This title is oft given him in Scripture and if we well consider what jealousie is in man or woman we will read terror in the tittle when God giveth it to himself He professeth it to be his Name Exod. XXXIV 14. The Lord whose name is jealous is a jealous God Read it again and tremble The Lord whose Name is Jealous is a jealous God Moses glosses upon it with a gloss of more terror Deut. IV. 25. The Lord thy God is a consuming fire even a jealous God As if he had said Does any ask what Gods jealousie means It means a consuming fire And so the Prophet Zephany explains it also Chap. I. 18. The whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousie And again Chap III. 8. For all the Earth shall be devoured by the fire of my jealousie What fire was that that devoured Sodom and Gomorrha The fire of Gods jealousie What fire was that that consumed Jerusalem and laid it in ashes Was it the fire the Chaldeans put to it at the first sacking of it and the Romans at the second No it was indeed the fire of Gods jealousie What is that that consumeth ungodly men as stubble that unquenchable fire that devoureth the chaff when God cometh to purge his floor It is the fire of Gods jealousie The Prophet Nahum doth yet clear it further Chap. I. 2. God is jealous and the Lord revengeth the Lord revengeth and is furious the Lord will take vengeance of his adversaries and reserveth wrath for his enemies The rest of the verse is an exposition of the first clause God is jealous What means that And read the first clause in the Text I the Lord thy God am a jealous God What means that An avenging God a God that avengeth in fury that taketh vengeance on his adversaries and reserveth wrath and vengeance in store for his enemies and them that hate him But that we may view Gods jealousie the better and with the more dread and trembling and oh that we could ever feelingly consider that the Lord our God is a jealous God let us first consider the nature of jealousie in men or women and by that arise to apprehend what this jealousie is in God Zealous and jealous are comprehended under one and the same word in the Hebrew Tongue and Zealousness and jealousie are uttered in that Language in the very same syllables 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies both In those allegations out of Zephany The land shall be devoured 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the fire of his jealousie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the fire of my jealousie Now the same word is used elsewhere in a sense most sweet and comfortable That whereas it comes in some places like Elias his fire and earthquake and wind that rent the Rocks in terror and dreadfulness in other places it comes like the still voice in sweetness and comfort In Esa. IX 6 7. Where he is speaking of Christ his Names and Kingdom that he should be called Wonderful Counseller c. And that of the encrease of his government and peace there should be no end upon the throne of David and upon his Kingdom to order and establish it with judgment and justice from henceforth ever for ever he concludes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this And so Esa. XXXVII 32. where he promiseth comfortable things to his distressed people and saith Out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant and concludes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Zeal of the Lord of Hosts shall do this And one for all Esa. LXIII 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where is thy zeal thy strength and the sounding of thy bowels In zeal is a fervent tincture of Love The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up that is the fervent Love I have to thy house And in jealousie is a high tincture of Love And accordingly Love and Jealousie are joyned and made as one thing Cant. VIII 6. In zeal is Love and forwarding that we are zealous of In jealousie Love and anger at that that provokes to jealousie A man is jealous of his wife or the wife of her husband the bottom of it is Love but the top is Anger The bottom Love How It is said that jealousie is too much Love But that rule fails For a man may be jealous of his wife he loves not And yet the bottom of jealousie is love For a man though he love not the person of his wife yet he loves to have the affection of his wife intirely to himself and cannot endure that her affections that are due to him should be given to another but disdains it and is angry at it By this we may conceive of the jealousie of God only adding the observation of that expression that is so frequent viz. Gods complaining that his people went a whoring from him Hos. I. 2. The Land hath committed great whoredom in departing from the Lord and so went a whoring after other Gods God takes it in anger and disdain that men should give away those hearts affections that love and service that is due to God to any thing besides God God doth very oft title the Church of Israel his children and oft his wife that he had married to himself Jer. III. 1. He had taken them for his wife she had played the harlot with many lovers yet if she would return he would take her again So Hos. III. 1. and in divers other places And the expression is very proper for he had forsaken all other Nations and clave only to her I shall not insist to shew how far the parallel fits any Christian Nation that God hath taken more peculiarly to himself by the administration of his Covenant among
3. 15. Vers. 21. Art thou Elias When he hath resolved them that he is not the Messias they presently question whether he be not Elias Messias his fore-runner for their expectation was of the fore-runners bodily coming as well as of Christs Their opinions concerning Elias his first coming and who he was then and of his latter coming and what they look for from him then it is not impertinent to take up a little in their words and Authors Some of our Rabbins of happy memory saith Levi Gershom have held that Elias was Phinehas and this they have held because they found some correspondency betwixt them And behold it is written in the Law that the blessed God gave him his covenant of peace And the Prophet saith My Covenant was with him of life and peace And by this it seemeth that God gave to Phinehas length of days to admiration And behold we find that he was Priest in the days of the Concubine at Gibeah and in the days of David we find it written And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was ruler over them of old and the Lord was with him 1 Chron. 9. 20. And he was the Angel that appeared to Gedeon and to Jephthah and the Spirit of the Lord carried him like an Angel as we find also of Elias And for this it is said They shall seek the Law at his mouth for he is the Angel of the Lord and for this cause also he saith Before time and the Lord was with him And behold we find Elias himself saying unto the Lord Take now my life from me for I am no better than my fathers meaning that it was not for him to live always in this world but a certain space after the way of the earth for he was no better than his fathers We find also that he died not after he was taken away from the head of Elisha for there came afterward a writing of Elias to Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat as it is mentioned in the book of Chronicles Thus Ralbag on 1 King 17. And thus the Jews hold Phinehas and Elias to have been but one and the same man And what they held concerning Elias his singular eminency for Prophesie whilst he lived it appeareth by R. Samuel Lanjado in his Comment on 2 King 2. Elias saith he was so indued with Prophesie that many of the children of the Prophets prophesied by his means Our wise men of happy memory say Whilst Elias was not laid up the Holy Ghost was in Israel as it is said the children of the Prophets that were at Bethel said to Elisha To day God will take thy Master from thy head they went and stood afar off and they passed over Jordan It may be because they were but a few the sense telleth that there were fifty men of the sons of the Prophets It may be they were private men The text saith Thy Master It is not said our Master but thy Master shewing that they were wise men like Elias When Elias was taken up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 treasured up the Holy Ghost departed from them as it is said And they said Behold there is with thy servants fifty men men of strength let them go and seek thy Master c. And concerning the departure of Elias and his estate after the same Author giveth the opinion of his Nation a little after in these words I believe the words of our wise men of happy memory That Elias was taken away in a whirlewind in the Heaven that is in the air and the Spirit took him to the earthly paradise and there he abideth in body and soul therefore they say that Elias died not and they say moreover that he went not into the firmament And they say that some have seen him in the School 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And that he shall come before the great and terrible day of the Lord come Now his coming before the day of the Lord they hold to be twofold one invisible as that he cometh to the circumcision of every child and therefore they set him a chair and suppose he sitteth there though they see him not And the Angel of the Covenant which you desire behold he cometh Mal. 3. 1. The Lord shall come to his Temple this is the King Messias who also is the Angel of the Covenant or he saith The Angel of the Covenant in reference to Elias And so it is said That Elias was zealous for the Covenant of Circumcision which the Kingdom of Ephraim restrained from themselves as it is said I have been exceeding zealous for the Lord God of Israel for the children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant He saith unto him Thou wast zealous in Shittim Phinehas in Numb 25. and art thou zealous here concerning Circumcision As thou livest Israel shall not do the Covenant of Circumcision till thou seest it with thine eyes From hence they have appointed to make an honorable Chair for Elias who is called the Angel of the Covenant Thus Kimch on Mal. 3. 1. Of this matter and of the Jews present expectation of Elias at every circumcision learned Buxtorfius giveth an ample relation in his Synagoga Judaica cap. 2. On the eighth day in the morning saith he those things that are requisite for the Circumcision are duly prepared And first of all two seats are set or one seat so made as that two may sit one by another in it covered with rich coverings or cushions according as every ones state will bear In the one of these seats when the child cometh to be circumcised sitteth the Sponsor or Godfather of the child and the other seat is set for Elias For they conceive that Elias cometh along with the Infant and sitteth down in that seat to observe whether the Circumcision be rightly administred and this they conceive from Mal. 3. 1. And the Messenger of the Covenant whom ye seek behold he cometh when they set that seat for Elias they are bound to say in express words This is the seat of the Prophet Elias That seat is left standing there three whole days together Rabbi Juda the holy once perceived that Elias came not to one Circumcision and the reason was because the child circumcised should once turn Christian and forsake his Judaism They use to lay the child upon Elias his cushion both before and after his Circumcision that Elias may touch him Thus he and more largely about their fancy of Elias his invisible coming upon that occasion And in the thirteenth Chapter of the same book he relateth how they expect him visibly at the other Sacrament even every Passover when among other rites and foolish customs they use over a cup of wine to curse all the people of the world that are not Jews as they are and that they do in this prayer Pour out thy wrath upon the Nations which have not known thee and upon the Kingdoms that have not called upon thy name Pour thine anger upon them and let
find he hath here taken little notice of the first and I think most genuine interpretation and started a new one Because of the Angels that is saith he because of the messengers or deputies of espousals the Women were permitted the liberty either of unvailing their faces to shew their comliness and beauty or of vailing them to shew their modesty Which interpretation as it shews his notable conjectural faculty so it seems to me remote and improbable For first It is hard to find any instance in the Scripture where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without any addition signifies an office and not an order of beings which we call Angels nor in the Rabbines themselves as he acknowledgeth do we find the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without the addition of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying those deputies unless they have been before mentioned together Secondly The Apostle speaks not only of Women to be married but of Women in general married or unmarried whereas the reason by this interpretation of the Womens having power on their Heads would reach only the unmarried But this only occasionally and to fill up a Page In the late ill and unjust Times he was not for nothing taken from his Country employment and put into the Mastership of Katherine-Hall in Cambridge By those who out of interest did oftimes respect and draw in Persons of some Account and Reputation for Learning Here he continued till the happy Return of our Sovereign to the rightful possession of his Crown and Kingdom when he soon ranged himself in the Church of England in which his Innocency and Learning were so far taken notice of by his Superiours and especially the late most Reverend and Generous Archbishop and the Lord Keeper Bridgman two impartial countenancers of honest Men and Scholars that as I have been informed they always used him with kindness respect and liberality And indeed his Dedicatory Epistles before his Latine Commentaries on St. Mark and St. John are sufficient witnesses both of his Benefactors and his gratitude By their care and bounty it was that what he had before his Majesties Restauration was continued to him and moreover a Prebendary of Ely bestowed upon him In those Stations he followed his Studies and constantly and honestly discharged his duty till his Death which hapned in December in the year 1675. And thus much of the Author Much more without doubt might be said to his Advantage by those who had more acquaintance with him or knew him better I have done what right I could to his Worth and Memory It remains only in the last place that we say something concerning this Edition of these several pieces of the Author and so conclude this somewhat long Preface All his Writings being in very good esteem here among us and in greater beyond Sea where I have been more than once enquired of about them and his English ones being grown scarce some Booksellers were desirous to reprint these in English and put them altogether in one fair Volume In order to which they requested me to Dispose Revise Correct and put some Preface before them which I have now done I have ordered them according to their more natural use not according to the time of publishing them by the Author and therefore I have put in the first place The general Harmonies of the Old and New Testaments then the particular Books as the Harmony of the four Evangelists his Observations on Genesis and Exodus his Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles and in the rear his two Tracts of the Temple Service and Miscellanies which contain many Observations applicable and useful to the interpretation of the Scriptures The latter of which was written by him when very young and when that Learning was not so much cultivated nor dispersed by others Works and therefore no wonder if there be in it many things now more ordinary and well known I have Corrected hundreds of Errors both in the Texts and History and in the Chronology and Figures In the first notwithstanding I left some small Matters as being uncertain whether they were the Printers faults or the Authors own way of Writing which was sometimes a little out of the common road My principal care was in the Hebrew Talmudical and Rabbinical quotations which were generally misprinted This I thought more worth the pains because the many Citations and Translations of these Authors are a very considerable help for young beginners to understand them otherwise tedious and difficult enough They are many and very useful examples so that many good notions may be gotten at the same time with the Language In the Chronology were a great number of faults likewise to be mended Those which were more manifest and plain I did alter but some which to me seemed mistakes yet uncertain whether it was the Authors opinion I have left to the observation and correction of others if they see cause And indeed it would have been endless to have examined all the little accuracies as the Interregnums the concurrent reigns of several Kings especially the last and first years when they were compleat and in order succeeding one another when they were in part coincident and concurrent so that the last year of one should be the first of another There is one thing generally altered for the best Whereas in the former Edition the numbers of several Epocha's answering one another were set any how as the Printer could hit it now they are put one over against another in the same line except here and there where the Printers have neglected my directions in the Copy of which I shall presently advise by an instance or two There is also a place or two where I know not how to reconcile the numbers as in pag. 99 100. For Jotham's first year and Uzziah's last and the 3252 d year of the World should be concurrent according to the Author himself unless he gives a double sense to the word reign of Jotham namely one more improper as Deputy to his Father Uzziah struck with Leprosie in his last year and the other more proper by himself alone the year after his Fathers death which is a way of Solution he sometimes useth How far it is to be allowed I am not here to say I am not to set down my own but my Authors sense be it what it will or what others can make of it And in general once for all I hope no man will think me oblig'd to applaud or approve every notion or remark of these Treatises It is not my business to make an Author but to give him made not to tell what the Author should say but what he hath said every one may take or leave as he pleaseth For he seems I confess too seriously to make and imitate Cabbalistical and Rabbinical observations such as that of the Talmudists and Baal Hatturim But sometimes perhaps the importance of the matter of the observation more than the certainty or probability of
Months 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vers 19. which the Rabbins interpret And one Officer which was in the Land for the Leap-year or for the thirteenth Month which befel every third year Solomon had four thousand Stables of Horses and Chariots 2 Chron. 9. 25. that is forty thousand Stalls of Horses for his Chariots 1 King 4. 2. one Horse in every Stall and ten Horses to a Chariot and in a Stable So seven hundred Chariots 2 Sam. 10. 18. is rendred seven thousand 1 Chron. 19. 18. that is seven thousand men with seven hundred Chariots ten to a Chariot Solomon is said to be wiser then Heman and Ethan and Chalcol and Darda that is in humane learning for these men lived in Egypt in the time of Israels affliction there and it seemeth were singularly skilled in all the wisdom of the Egyptians Yet Solomon went beyond them in Philosophy CHAP. II. from vers 39. to the end And CHAP. III. vers 1 2. ABout the latter end of Solomons third year or beginning of his fourth Shimei compasseth his own death by breaking the bonds and bounds of his consinement And as the Jews held Solomon after that marrieth Pharaohs daughter The time is uncertain and the determination of it not much material Solomon preferreth her before the rest of his wives for they were of Nations that were his Subjects but she the daughter of an intire King and by this match he allieth that potent King to him and secureth himself the better abroad especially from Hadad his Enemy who had married a Lady from the same Court 1 King 11. 19. CHAP. VI. all And VII from vers 13. to the end 2 CHRON. III IV. World 2993 Solomon 4 THE foundation of the Temple laid on Mount Moriah where Isaac had Solomon 5 been offered It is said That the foundation of the house of the Lord was Solomon 6 laid in Solomons fourth year in the month Zif or the second month and in the eleventh year in the month Bul which is the eighth month it was finished and Solomon 7 Solomon 8 so was he seven years in building it It was exactly seven years and six months Solomon 9 in building but the odd six months are omitted for roundness of the sum as Solomon 10 the six odd months are of Davids reigning in Hebron Compare 1 King 2. 11 with 2 Sam. 5. 5. Now the beginning of the seventh Chapter of 1 Kings relateth the Story of Solomons building his own house before it come to mention the furniture of the Temple because the Holy Ghost would mention all Solomons fabricks together or the piles of his buildings before it come to speak of the furniture of any CHAP. VIII all 2 CHRON. V. VI. VII to ver 11. World 3000 Solomon 11 THE Temple finished in the three thousand year of the world and dedicated by Solomon with Sacrifice and Prayer and by the Lord with fire from Heaven and the cloud of glory This dedication of the Temple was in the month Tisri or Ethanim the seventh month answering to part of our September at which time of the year our Saviour whom this Temple typified Joh. 2. 19. was born and 29 years after Baptized And thus have we an account of three thousand years of the world beginning with the Creation and ending with the finishing of Solomons Temple CHAP. VII From vers 1. to vers 13. World 3001 Solomon 12 SOLOMON after the building of the house of the Lord buildeth his Solomon 13 own house in Jerusalem and buildeth a summer house in Lebanon and an Solomon 14 house for Pharaohs Daughter and his own Throne so sumptuous as there was Solomon 15 not the like And thus doth he take up twenty years in this kind of work in Solomon 16 building the house of the Lord and his own houses His wisdom power Solomon 17 Solomon 18 peace and magnificence exceeding all Kings upon earth did make him not only Solomon 19 renowned among all people but also in these he became a type of Christ. Solomon 20 Thus high in all eminencies and perfections that earth could afford did the Solomon 21 Lord exalt him and yet afterward suffered him so fouly to fall that he like Solomon 22 Adam in happiness might exemplifie that no earthly felicity can be durable and Solomon 23 that here is nothing to be trusted to but all things vanity but the Kingdom Solomon 24 that is not of this world CHAP. IX From beginning to Vers. 10. 2 CHRON. VII From Vers. 11. to the end SOLOMON hath an answer to his prayer made in the Temple thirteen years ago Then the Lord made a return to it by fire and a cloud and here he doth the like again by an apparition this is the second time that the Lord appeareth to him The first was when he was even entring and beginning upon his Kingdom and this is now he is come to the height of settlement and prosperity in it CHAP. IX From Vers. 10. to the end 2 CHRON. VIII all Solomon 25 SOLOMON buildeth Cities up and down the Country conquereth Solomon 26 Hamath Zobah setleth Pharaohs Daughter in the house he had built for her Solomon 27 setteth out a Fleet at Ezion-Geber for Ophir is growing still more and Solomon 28 more potent rich and magnificent Is constant still and forward in Religion Solomon 29 and offereth a constant rate of Sacrifices every day and extraordinary ones at Solomon 30 the solemn festivities The Book of the PROVERBS AMong the Stories of Solomons renown in other things may be inserted also and conceived his uttering of his Proverbs three thousand in number as is related 1 King 4. 32. and the making of his Songs one thousand and five as is storied in the same place Now it is no doubt but the most of these are lost as also are his Books of Philosophy But these that are now extant in the Book of the Proverbs and the Song of Songs we may very properly conceive to have been penned by him in some of those times that have been mentioned The very exact time is uncertain and therefore not curiously to be enquired after but the time at large betwixt his Sons growing to capacity whom he instructeth and his own fall by the inticement of his Idolatrous Wives The Book of the Proverbs falleth under several divisions As 1. From the beginning of the first Chapter to the end of the ninth which whole piece seemeth to have been compiled by him more especially for the instruction of his Son 2. From the beginning of the tenth Chapter to the latter end of the four and twentieth wherein are lessons framed for the instruction of others 3. From the beginning of the five and twentieth Chapter to the end of the twenty ninth are Proverbs of Solomon found in some Copy of his in the time of Ezechiah as Moses his Copy of the Law was found in the days of Josiah 4. The thirtieth Chapter is a script of Agur the Son of Jakeh
Potectors Amaziah 10 Ierob 24 Division 169 whilst Uzziah is in his Amaziah 11 Ierob 25 Ierob 26 Division 170 Division 171 minority 2 KING 14 ver 23. to 29. Amaziah 27 Ierob 13 Division 158 Jehu even from the entring Amaziah 28 Ierob 14 Division 159 in of Hamath on the North World 3189 Amaziah 29 Ierob 15 Division 160 to the Sea of the plain or Amaziah 1 Ierob 16 Division 161 the dead Sea South He also Amaziah 2 Ierob 17 Division 162 restoreth Hamath it self Amaziah 3 Ierob 18 Division 163 and Damascus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Amaziah 4 Ierob 19 Division 164 to Judah in Israel Amaziah 5 Ierob 20 Division 165 2 King 14. 28. David had Amaziah 6 Amaziah 7 Ierob 21 Division 166 conquered them and they Amaziah 8 Ierob 22 Division 167 being now revolted he rerecovers Amaziah 9 Ierob 23 Division 168 them to Israel in Amaziah 10 Ierob 24 Division 169 Judahs title as fitter to Amaziah 11 Ierob 25 Division 170 be subject to the Seed of Ierob 26 Division 171 Israel then to Syria Judah was not able to recover his own right for they had lately been subject to Jeroboams father and he had sacked Jerusalem and done with it what pleased and now Jeroboam his son being a far more potent King and Judah continuing still in its wickedness as having never recovered strength since Jehoash conquered Amaziah and pulled down Jerusalem wall and withal there being now no King on the throne of Judah this Jeroboam when he had recovered the two Tribes and half beyond Jordan from Syria in the right of the Kingdom of Samaria he also recovers Hamath and Damascus to himself and Israel in the right and title of Judah Judah being now exceeding much in his power since his father had so miserably brought them under Of these Victories over the Syrians Jonah the Prophet prophesied who lived in these times but his journey to Niniveh was not as yet but some space hereafter as shall be observed anon 2 KINGS XIV ver 21 22 15. ver 1 2 3 4. World 3201 Uzziah 1 Ieroboam 27 Division 172 UZZIAH crowned he Uzziah 2 Ieroboam 28 Division 173 is also called Azariah Uzziah 3 Ieroboam 29 Division 174 both the names sounding to Uzziah 4 Ieroboam 30 Division 175 the same sence the one The Uzziah 5 Ieroboam 31 Division 176 Lord is my strength the other Uzziah 6 Ieroboam 32 Division 177 The Lord is my help as 2 Chron. Uzziah 7 Ieroboam 33 Division 178 26. 7. Uzziah 8 Hereabout was the time that Uzziah 9 Ieroboam 34 Division 179 Hosea and Joel began to prophesie Uzziah 10 Ieroboam 35 Division 180 and presently after Amos Uzziah 11 Ieroboam 36 Division 181 also beginneth Uzziah 12 Ieroboam 37 Division 182 There had been Prophets before Uzziah 13 Ieroboam 38 Division 183 this time continually but Uzziah 14 Ieroboam 39 Division 184 none left their Prophesies behind Uzziah 14 Ieroboam 40 Division 185 in writing but now ariseth a company of Prophets World 3215 Uzziah 15 Ieroboam 41 Division 186 that do 2 CHRON. XXVI ver 1 2 3 4. 2 KING XIV ver 29. World 3201 Uzziah 1 Ieroboam 27 Division 172 IN the twenty and seventh Uzziah 2 Ieroboam 28 Division 173 year of Jeroboam began Uzziah 3 Ieroboam 29 Division 174 Azaâ—iah to reign two and Uzziah 4 Ieroboam 30 Division 175 fifty years He built Elath or Eloth Uzziah 5 Ieroboam 31 Division 176 in the Country of Edom Deut. Uzziah 6 Ieroboam 32 Division 177 2. 8. 2 Chron. 17. And restored Uzziah 6 Ieroboam 32 Division 177 it to Judah after that the King Uzziah 7 Ieroboam 33 Division 178 Amaziah slept with his fathers Uzziah 8 Uzziah 9 Ieroboam 34 Division 179 that is even in those eleven Uzziah 10 Ieroboam 35 Division 180 years before his Coronation Uzziah 11 Ieroboam 36 Division 181 whilst he was yet in his minority Uzziah 12 Ieroboam 37 Division 182 Uzziah 13 Ieroboam 38 Division 183 A fearful Earthquake happens Uzziah 14 Ieroboam 39 Division 184 before the death of Jeroboam Uzziah 14 Ieroboam 40 Division 185 and Amos fore-tells it two years before it comes and foretells World 3215 Uzziah 15 Ieroboam 41 Division 186 of Jeroboams death by the sword Amos 7. The order and time of these former PROPHETS THE Murder of Zacharias the son of Barachias or Jehoiada was the first ruine of Judah and the beginning of their first rejection For when they slew that Prophet and Priest of the Lord in the Court of the Temple and besides the Altar they plainly shewed how they despised and rejected the Lord and his Temple Priest-hood and Prophesie From that time did their state decay and was mouldring towards ruine and that from thence forward fell into sad diseases as well as King Joash did that commanded the Murder This Hosea toucheth upon as the very Apex of their wickedness when they so brake out as that blood touched blood Hos 4. 2. the blood of the Sacrificer was mingled with the blood of the Sacrifice as Luke 13. 1. And the very Apex of their incorrigibleness in that they proved a people that strove with the Priest Hos. 4. 4. And this wicked act of theirs our Saviour makes as the very period and Catastrophe of their State and Kingdom Matth. 23. 35. How they declined from that time both in Religion Joash and Amaziah and the people with them becoming open Idolaters and in the State by the oppression of Syria and of Joash is so apparent in the Story that he that runneth may read and he that readeth not the cause with these effects readeth not all that may be read But more especially in these times that we have in hand in the latter times of Jeroboam the Lord spake indignation from Heaven in more sensible and more singular and terrible manner in three dreadful judgments the like to which neither they nor their fathers had seen nor heard and the sight and feeling of which when it did not avail with them for their conversion and bettering the Lord hath a company of Prophets that are continually telling them of worse judgments namely of final subversion to come upon them The first of these fearful judgments was an earthquake so terrible that it brought them to their wits ends and put them to flee for their lives but they knew not whether Ye shall flee as they fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah Zech. 14. 5. This was as the beginning of their desolation and the shaking of the earth was as a sign unto them that their State and Kingdom should ere long be shaken Amos prophecied of this two years before it came Amos 1. 1. and that the Lord would roar from Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem as did Joel also some time before Joel 2. to 11. This earthquake was in the days of Jeroboam as well as in the days of Uzziah for so Amos sheweth
17 Division 239 AHAZ reigneth very Ahaz 2 Pekah 18 Division 240 wickedly serveth Baalim Ahaz 3 Pekah 19 Division 241 and burneth his Sons 2 Chron. 28. 3. that is one of his Sons 2 King 16. 3. in the fire to Molech Hezekiah is preserved by a special providence for a better purpose World 3268 Iotham 16 Ahaz 1 Pekah 17 Division 239 PEKAH is a desperate Ahaz 2 Pekah 18 Division 240 enemy to Judah and Ahaz 3 Pekah 19 Division 241 joyneth with Syria against Jerusalem to make Rezin a son of Tabeel or one of the the posterity of Tabrimmon King there Esay 7. 6. 2 KING XVI Vers. 5. ESAY VII AHAZ his wickedness bringeth Rezin and Pekah against Jerusalem but they cannot prevail against * * * Observe this phrase in ver 2. 13. the House of David for the promise sake Esay assureth Ahaz of deliverance from those two fire brands both Kings and Kingdoms which were now grown to be but tails and were ready to smoak their last He offereth Ahaz a sign which he scornfully refuseth and despiseth to try Jehovah his son Hezekiah is of another mind 2 King 20. 8. therefore the Lord himself giveth this sign That the Lord will not quite cast off the House of David till a Virgin have born a Son and that Son be God in our nature both which are great wonders indeed yet he threatens sad days to come upon Jerusalem before ESAY VIII ESay writes a Book full of no other words but this * * * Hasting to the spoil he hasteth to the prey Maher-shalal-hash-baz and takes two men that were of esteem with Ahaz Zechariah his father in law and Uriah the Priest to see and witness what he had done that so it might come to Ahaz his knowledge He also names a child that his wife bare him by this very name and all to confirm that Damascus and Samaria the two enemies of Judah now in Arms against it should speedily be destroyed He useth two several phrases of the same signification as applying them to the two places Samaria and Damascus yet doth he withal threaten those of Judah that despised the house and Kingdom of David because it was but like the waters of Shiloam of a very small stream in comparison of those great Kingdoms that were so potent and therefore that desired to be under one of those great Kingdoms and to make confederacy with it such men he threatens that he will bring upon them a Kingdom great enough which should come as a mighty River since they despised the small stream and should over-flow Emmanuels land all over He prophesieth glorious things of Emmanuel himself as that he should be a Sanctuary that he should have children or Disciples that he should give them a law and testimony which should be Oracles to inquire at and that whosoever should * * * Vers. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And â—e transgresseth against it i. e. against the Testimony ver 2. or the Gospel transgress that law and testimony should be hard bestead famished perplexed and at last driven to utter darkness ESAY IX THAT this darkness shall be a worse darkness and affliction then that was in Galilee in their captivity either by Hazael or the Assyrian for those places saw light afterward for the Gospel began there but the contempt of the Gospel should bring misery irreparable He speaketh again glorious things concerning Christ the Child promised before Davids house fail the Prince of Peace and * * * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vers 6. Father of Eternity A letter of note and remarkableness is in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lemarbeh in ver 7. Mem clausum to shew the hiddenness and mysteriousness of Christs Kingdom different from visible pomp and to hint the forty years before Jerusalems destruction when this Dominion increased through the world The juncture of the first verse of this Chapter with the last of the preceding and this subject of vers 9. 11. shew plainly that this Chapter is of the same time with those two before ESAY XVII HERE also is the Reader to take in this seventeenth Chapter of Esay made upon the very same subject that these three last mentioned the seventh the eighth and the ninth were namely concerning the final ruine of Damascus and Ephraim And whereas Damascus was destroyed and captived in the beginning of the time of Ahaz and as it is easily argued thereupon that this Prophesie that foretelleth the destruction of it should be set before the Story that relateth its destruction so it may be concluded that this Prophesie may be very properly taken in here upon these considerations 1. Till the time of the raign of Ahaz the Prophet meddles not with Damascus and Ephraim joyned together namely not till they joyned together to invade Judah 2. Step but one step further in the Chronicle then this very place where we would have this Chapter taken in and Damascus is ruined And therefore this Chapter had to deal with Damascus and Ephraim joyned together it is an argument that it is to be laid no sooner then here and since it is a Prophesie of the destruction of Damascus before it come it can be laid no further forward Now the reason why it lieth in that place of the Book where it doth is because there are many Prophesies against many several places laid there together and when the Lord is dealing threatnings among all the Countries and places thereabout Damascus and Ephraim could not go without And therefore as these three last named Chapters are laid where they be as single and singular denuntiations against these two places so is this Chapter laid where it is because it should there go in company with other threatnings ESAY XXVIII IN the same manner is the eight and twentieth Chapter of this Book which foretelleth also the destruction of Ephraim laid beyond its proper time among Chapters on either side it that are of a date after Ephraim was destroyed but it is laid there that threatnings against that place might also come in among the threatnings against other places And since there is no certain notice of what date that Chapter is it may not unfitly be taken in here and so all Esays Prophesies against Ephraim come together 2 CHRON. XXVIII vers 4 to vers 16. REZIN and Pekah returning to their several homes from Jerusalem which they could not overcome spoil Judah miserably as they go Pekah slayeth 120000 men and taketh 200000 women and children Captives but they are mercifully used and inlarged at the admonition of a Prophet the only good deed that we read of done in Samaria of a long time Rezin also carrieth a great Captivity away to Damascus 2 KING XVI ver 6. AND not content with that he taketh his opportunity after he comes home now Judah is so low to take in Eloth the Sea-town in Edom which Uzziah had recovered in the beginning of his reign
Nebuchad-nezzar mad Captivity 39 Nebuchad-nezzar mad Captivity 40 Nebuchad-nezzar mad Captivity 41 Nebuchad-nezzar mad Captivity 42 Nebuchad-nezzar mad Captivity 43 Captivity 44 Nebuchad-nezzar restored to his wits and Kingdom again Captivity 45 2 KINGS XXV vers 27 28 29 30. JEREMY LII vers 31 32 33 34. World 3446 NEbuchad-nezzar dieth and Evil-merodach reigneth This is the thirty Captivity 46 seventh year of the Captivity of Jechoniah On the five and twentieth Captivity 47 day of the twelfth moneth Evil-merodach bringeth him out of Captivity 48 prison and on the seven and twentieth day he promoted him above all the Captivity 49 Kings of Babel and feedeth him all his life it may be Nebuchad-nezzars seven Captivity 50 years madness and misery had wrought some humility and gentleness upon Captivity 51 this his Son Jechoniah was now fifty five years old and had indured seven Captivity 52 and thirty years imprisonment and now the Lord releaseth him and he nameth Captivity 53 Salathiel as his next heir to Davids Throne and Principality for Jechoniah Captivity 54 had no heir of his own The time of the three Babylonian Kings that Captivity 55 took up the whole space of that Monarchy are easily to be collected by the Captivity 56 Scripture namely Nebuchad-nezzar to have reigned five and forty years current Captivity 57 Evil-merodach three and twenty current and Belshazzar three The Captivity 58 first is plain by this that the seven and thirtieth of Jechoniah is called Evilmerodachs Captivity 59 first The last will be made plain by and by and the apparency of Captivity 60 the second will result from both these Evil-merodach by the Septuagint in Captivity 61 Jer. 52. is called Ulamadachar but he is called far nearer to his own name by Captivity 62 them in 2 King 25. Josephus calleth him Abilamaridochus Antiq. lib. 10. cap. 12. Captivity 63 There is a general silence in Scripture of any thing done in his time besides Captivity 64 his inlarging of Jechoniah whereas there are very wondrous and remarkable Captivity 65 matters mentioned and recorded to have been done in Babylon in the time of Captivity 66 Nebuchad-nezzar his father and of Belshazzar his Son World 3468 Captivity 67 Belshazzar reigneth three years DANIEL VII IN this first of Belshazzar Daniel seeth the Vision of the four Kingdoms that troubled the World but especially the Church from the first rising of Nebuchad-nezzar till the coming of the everlasting Kingdom of Christ in the Gospel viz. Babylonian Mede-Persian Grecian and Syrogrecian All the time of the Kingdoms before the Babylonian is not medled withal because handled before along in the Bible and all the times of the Roman State after the coming of Christ is not medled withal neither but left to be treated of by a beloved Disciple as these are by a beloved Prophet viz. in the Revelation The dislocation of this Chapter will easily be spied by any eye that looketh but upon the two Chapters next before it for the fifth speaks of Belshazzars end of reign and this of his beginning and the sixth speaks of matters done in Darius his time which was after Belshazzars death and this of matters done in the first of Belshazzers reign but the reason of this dislocation is almost as conspicuous as the dislocation it self and that is because the Historical things of this Book are set by themselves first and the visionary or prophetical things afterward Captivity 68 Belshazzar 2 In this second of Belshazzar there is no particular occurrence mentioned DANIEL V. World 3470 Captivity 69 Belshazzar 3 BABYLONS Sins are now come to the full Belshazzar toppeth them up by abuse of the Vessels of the House of God at a drunken and Idolatrous Feast to the despite and scorn of him that owed them and to the grief of those that had concernment in them Hereupon that Divine hand that had written the two Tables for a Law to his people writeth the doom of Babel and Belshazzar upon the wall viz. the ruine of these his enemies This turneth the night of the Kings pleasure into fear unto him as Esay had Prophesied of him long ago Esay 21. 4. and Jeremy Jer. 50. 43. The Wise Men of Babylon are become fools and cannot read this writing though it were in their own Language Daniel readeth and interpreteth it and that both in an Hebrew and a Chaldee construction for the words were both Languages Mene Mene He hath numbred and finished Tekel in Chald. He hath weighed In Heb. Thou art too light Parsin in Heb. The Persians Paresin in Chald. Dividing and Daniel interprets it according to the extent of the words in both Tongues for both Hebrews and Chaldeans were concerned though differently in the issue of the matter Presently the enemy that lay about the Town began to storm and the Centinels and Watch-men in the Watch Towres give the Alarme Arise ye Princes and anoint the Shield see Esay 21. 5. And one Post runs to meet another to shew the King of Babylon that his City is taken at one end Jer. 51. 31. and that night is Belshazzar slain And Darius the Median took the Kingdom being sixty two years old and so it appears he was born in the year of Jehoiaâ—ims and Jehoiachins captivity and thus did the Lord provide that in that very year when the Babylonian was most busie to captive and destroy the captiver and destroyer of Babylon should be born The Reader will here observe in the Chronicle in the Margin that the third of Belshazzar proves but the sixty ninth year of the Captivity and not the seventy But if he do but withal observe that part of Jehoiakims third was properly the beginning of those seventy years he will also see that part of Belshazzars third was in the like reckoning some of the seventieth year and the rest of that year was taken up in Cyrus and Darius setling the Monarchy before the Decree for building Jerusalem come forth Cyrus the Persian was joyned with Darius the Median in the expedition against Babel and so in the rule of the Monarchy when they had obtained it and therefore the Prophet Esay describeth the enemies of Babel by a Chariot with a couple of Horse-men a Chariot of Asses and a Chariot of Camels Esay 21. 7. 9. and Daniel interprets the hand-writing on the wall that the Babylonian Monarchy should be divided betwixt the Median and the Persian But Darius only carrieth the name here because he was far the older man and because indeed he was Cyrus his Grand-father If we may conjecture any thing from the Heathen Writers They speak of Astyages the Median King who had one only Daughter called Mandane and she the Mother of Cyrus by Cambyses the King of Persia vid. Xenoph Herod Justin. Now this being the general consent of all the Writers of the best repute among the Heathen that there was no King of Media at that time but only Astyages Cyrus his Grand-father we may very well conclude that this
expression speaks the Jews own language and by the very phrase that they ordinarily used to magnifie their own abilities by he magnifieth faith When they would speak of the high parts and qualities of their great ones they used to say He is a remover of mountains Tal. Bab. Beracoth fol. 64. fac 1. Sinai and the Remover of mountains whether of them sent first c. Now Rabh Joseph was Sinai and Rabbah was The remover of mountains Why so named The Gloss upon the place resolves us thus They called Rabh Joseph Sinai because he was most expert in deep explications And they called Rabbah bar Nachmani A remover of mountains because he was most acutely learned c. The same Talmud also in Erubbin fol. 29. saith thus Rabba saith Behold I am like ben Azzai in the streets of Tiberias The Gloss thereupon saith thus Ben Azzai taught profoundly in the streets of Tiberias and there was no man in his daies that was a remover of mountains like him By removing of mountains meaning how able men they were and how they could overcome the greatest difficulties in Divinity Which common phrase Christ useth to face that wretched boasting of theirs of their own parts and worth and to set up faith in its proper dignity as that that is only able for all things SECTION LXXV MATTH Chap. XXI from Ver. 23. to the and of the Chapt. MARK Chap. XI from V. 27. to the end And Chap. XII from the beginning to Ver. 13. LUKE Chap. XX. from the begin to Ver. 20. CHRIST in the Temple posing them about Johns Baptism The parable of the Vineyard c. THe continuation of the order is apparent Christ cometh again from Bethany into the Temple and there being questioned by what authority he did what he did he stops their mouth by proposing a question again What they thought of Johns authority by which he made that great change in Religion that he did and intraps them in such a dilemma as they are not able to get out of He proposeth the Parable of the Vineyard and Husbandmen and by it sheweth the priviledges and yet the perversness of the Jewish Nation and their destruction from Isa. 5. c. See R. Tanohum fol. 54. col 4. SECTION LXXVI MATTH Chap. XXII from the beginning of the Chapter to Ver. 15. The Parable of the Wedding Supper THE order is plain of it self The Parable setteth forth the Jews despising of the means of grace and evil usage of those that were sent unto them ver 5 6. and for this their destruction and ruine of their City and the calling of the Gentiles c. SECTION LXXVII MATTH Chap. XXI from Ver. 15. to the end And Chap. XXIII all the Chapter MARK Chap. XII from Ver. 13. to Ver. 41. LUKE Chap. XX. from Ver. 26. to the end of the Chapter Tribute to Cesar. The Resurrection asserted in the Law The great Commandment Christ how Davids Son Wo against the Scribes and Pharisees THE Evangelists are so clear in their order both here and a good way forward that there can be no scrupling in it The question proposed Whether it were lawful to give tribute to Cesar proceeded from that old maxime among them upon mistake of Deut. 17. 15. that they ought not to be subject to any power or potentate which was not of their own blood or Religion the holding to which maxime cost them the ruine of their City and Nation His answer from the Image of Cesar upon their coin was according to their own concessions The Jerusalem Talmud doth personate David and Abigail talking thus Abigail said What evil have I done or my Children or my Cattel David saith to her Because thy Husband vilified the Kingdom of David She saith Art thou a King then He saith to her Did not Samuel anoint me King She saith to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Coin of our Lord Saul is yet current In Sanhedr fol 20. col 2. Maym. in Gezelah per. 5. A King that cuts down the trees of any owner and makes a bridge of them it is lawful to go over it c. How is this to be understood Of a King whose Coin is current in these Countries for the men of the Country do thereby evidence that they acknowledge him for their Lord and themselves his servants But if his coin be not current then he is a robber c. The topick from whence he argueth the Resurrection against the Saduces is also acknowledged by the Writers of that Nation Tanchum fol. 13. col 3. The holy blessed God doth not joyn his Name to the Saints while they are alive but when they are dead as it is said To the Saints which are in the earth c. But behold we find that he joyns his Name to Isaac meaning he calls himself the God of Isaac while he was alive c. Jerus in Beracoth fol. 5. col 4. Whence is there proof that the righteous are called living when they are dead c. He poseth the Pharisees in their very Catechism they used it as a common name for the Messias to call him the Son of David and yet when they are put to it to observe that David calls him Lord they are so far nonplust that they have not only not what to answer for the present but this silenceth them from future disputes Now therefore he falls upon them with their deserved character and doom and as in Matth. 5. he had pronounced beatitudes so here in Matth. 23. he denounceth woes and curseth these men from Isa. 65. 15 c. This Chapter as it is a speech to and of the Scribes and Pharisees and treateth of their doctrines and demeanours so from their own Pandects and Authors may it be explained from point to point those speaking out their doctrines and practises to the full Their sitting in Moses chair ver 1. meaneth them as Magistrates to whom Christ injoyneth all lawful obedience Vid. Sanhedr per. 1. halac 6. Their heavy burdens ver 4. translates their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which they speak so much and so highly Their Tephillin are called Phylacteries ver 5. which meaneth not only Observatives because they were memorials of their duty and devotions being four portions of the Law written in two paâ—chments and the one worn upon their forehead and the other upon their left arm but Preservatives as being reputed by them a fence against evil spirits Jerus Beracoth fol. 2. A man hath need to say over his Phylacteries every evening in his house to fright awâ—y evil spirits They loved to be called Rabbi Rabbi ver 7. R. Akibah said to Eliezer Rabbi Rabbi Jerus Moed Katon fol. 81. 1. And yet they had this rule against it Love the work but hate the Rabbiship Maym. in Talm. Torah per. 3. Call no one Father ver 9. in that sense as they owned their Doctors by the title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 relying upon the authority of humane doctrines Their
enough of him when he speaks but this Antonius Felix per omnem saevitiam ac libidinem jus regium servili ingenio exercuit Histor. lib. 5. cap. 2. Upon which Josephus will give you a large comment of his intolerable covetousness polling cruelty sacriledge murdering and all manner of wickedness His injuriousness to Paul in the story before us and the very naming of his wife Drusilla may be brand enough upon him for her by inticements and magical tricks he allured to himself from her Husband and married her And him he kept prisoner two years wrongfully because he would not bribe him In his pleading before him he makes him tremble but it is but a qualm and away CHRIST LVII NERO. III PAUL is a prisoner this year at Caesarea under Felix A great City of Jews and Greeks mixtly the place where the first spark of Jews Wars kindled afterward A famous University of Jews in time if so be it was not so at this time CHRIST LVIII NERO. IV ACTS Chap. XXIV Ver. 27. PAUL still a prisoner at Cesarea under Felix for the first part of this year Then cometh Festus into the Government and Felix packeth to Rome to answer for his misdemeanours ACTS Chap. XXV XXVI PAUL answereth for himself first before Festus alone then before Agrippa and his Sister Bernice this Agrippa was his Son whose death is related Acts 12. he by the favour of Claudius the Emperour succeeded his brother in Law-Uncle Herod for such relations did that Incestuous family find out in the Kingdom of Chalcis For Bernice his Sister had married Herod King of Chalcis her Uncle and his who was now dead and this Agrippa succeeded him in his Kingdom being also King of Judea Of this Agrippa as it is most probable there is frequent mention among the Hebrew Writers as particularly this that King Agrippa reading the Law in the latter end of the year of release as it was injoyned and coming to those words Deut. 17. 15. Thou shalt not set astranger King over thee which is not of thy brethren the tears ran down his cheeks for he was not of the seed of Israel which the Congregation observing cried out Be of good comfort O King Agrippa thou art our brother He was of their Religion though not of their blood and well versed in all the Laws and Customs as Paul speaks Chap. 26. 3. Berenice his Sister now a Widdow lived with him and that in more familiarity then was for their credit afterwards she fell into the like familiarity with Titus the Son of Vespasian when he came up to the Jews Wars There is mention in Jerus in Taanith fol. 66. col 1. and again in Megillah fol. 70. col 3. of the Scribes or learned Jews of Chalcis against whom the people rose and tumultuated In the one place it is written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It may be they were of this Agrippa's planting there As Paul pleads for himself Festus takes him to be beside himself but Agrippa better acquainted with those kind of things that he spake of was much moved and concludes that had he not appealed to Caesar he might have been quit What he did in this appeal was not a small thing and it is very questionable whether ever Jew had appealed from their own Sanhedrin to the Heathen Tribunal before But for this he had a Divine Warrant ACTS Chap. XXVII PAUL shipped for Rome and Luke with him and Aristarchus a Thessalonian Paul calls him his fellow-prisoner Coloss. 4. 10. whether now or not till he came to Rome is a question Trophimus an Ephesian is also now with him Acts 21. 29. whom he leaves sick at Miletum as he passeth by those coasts of Asia Acts 27. 2. 2 Tim. 4. 20. and there likewise he leaves Timothy Who else of those that went with him to Jerusalem Acts 20. 4. were now with him is uncertain It was now far in the year and Winter entring for the feast of expiation was over so that they met with a tempestuous journey and at last suffer shipwrack and swim for their lives and do all escape The Reader by the time of the writing of the second Epistle to the Corinthians which he hath passed will easily see that what he speaks there A day and a night have I been in the deep 2 Cor. 11. 25. cannot be understood of his shipwrack now but refers to some time a good while ago CHRIST LIX NERO. V ACTS CHAP. XXVIII from the beginning to Ver. 30. PAUL and his company are the three winter months in Malta where he doth some miracles And when winter was now drawing over they put to sea again in an Alexandrian bottom whose badge was Castor and Pollux or the Picture of two young men on white horses with either of them a javelin in his hand and by him half an egge and a star whom Heathenish folly and superstition conceited to have been twins begotten by Jupiter and Deities favourable to those that sailed on the sea And this seemeth to have been the reason why Luke doth mention this circumstance because he would intimate the mens superstition as expecting better sailing under this badge then they had had From Melita they sail to Syracuse in Sicilie and there abide three daies Form thence to Rhegium in Italy and from thence to Puteoli there they find Christians and stay with them seven daies and then set away for Rome At Appii Forum about Fifty miles from the City some of the Roman Christians hearing of their coming come to meet them and at the Tres Tabernae Thirty three from the City they met with more and so they injoy the society of one another some space together as they travel along which was no small refreshing to Paul who had desired so much and so long to see them SECTION XXVIII Ver. 30. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his hired house and received all that came to him 31. Preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Iesus Christ with all confidence no man forbidding him JULIUS the Centurion that had brought him and the rest of the Prisoners from Judea had been his friend and favourer from their first setting out Chap. 27. 3. and so continued even to the time of his setling in Rome obtaining him this liberty that he might take lodgings of his own and there he was kept under a restraintless restraint After three daies he sends for the Chief of the Jews and laies open his case before them and upon a day appointed he asserteth and expoundeth the truth and doctrine of the Gospel whereupon some believe but others do the rather become his enemies His accusers that were come from Judea to lay in his charge against him for we can hardly suppose otherwise but that some such were come would be urgent to get their business dispatched that they might be returning to their own homes again and so would bring him
was not weaned if in this he followed the use and custom of the Jewish children as it is like he did but still sucked his Mothers breasts As he grew in body he grew much more in mind for so the phrase He waxed strong in Spirit seemeth to be understood by the Evangelist taking Spirit not so much for the Holy Ghost though it is past question he was filled with that as for his Soul or spiritual part of his humane nature And so he describeth his growth in both parts in the two expressions The child grew in body and waxed strong in intellect and soul filled with wisdom in an extraordinary manner above other children and a graciousness appeared in him both in person and actions Ver. 41. Now his Parents went to Jerusalem c. Joseph is called the Parent of Christ as Paul calleth preaching foolishness 1 Cor. 1. 21 23. because he was so commonly reputed by men And as for Womens going up to this Festival whereas the Law required only the Males appearance before the Lord three times in the year we shall have occasion to speak of it hereafter Ver. 42. And when he was twelve years old c. At what age our Saviour sheweth his admirable wisdom in the Temple among the Doctors in this Story at the same age had Solomon shewed his in the matter of the two Hostesses about the dead and living child 1 King 3. 25. 28. For that he was twelve years old at that time may be conceived upon these collections First Absalom began to rebel in the thirty seventh year of Davids Reign or three years before his death or thereabout This is to be picked out of that dateless reckoning of years 2 Sam. 15. 7. And after forty years Absalom said let me go pay my vow c. These forty years are counted from the time that Israel asked a King three of Sauls Reign 1 Sam. 13. 1. and seven and thirty of Davids and then began Absalom to challenge the Kingdom and the reckoning from that date giveth this hint and intimation that as their asking a King then did sore displease the Lord so now are they punished in the proper kind for it when they have so many Kings that they know not well which to follow and many of them perish in following the usurper Secondly Before his open rebellion Absalom had been two years in Jerusalem and not seen the Kings face 2 Sam. 14. 28. Thirdly Before that time he had been three years in deserved exile in Geshur 2 Sam. 13. 38. Fourthly And two years had passed betwixt the rape of Tamar and slaughter of Amnon which occasioned him into that exile 2 Sam. 13. 23. So that counting all these years together they appear clearly to be ten at the least betwixt the rape of Tamar and Davids death and so are they so many of Solomons age at the same time Now that there was some good space that passed betwixt these sums of time mentioned as betwixt the birth of Solomon and the rape of Tamar betwixt Absaloms seeing of the Kings face and his breaking out after into that rebellion and other spaces it cannot be denied upon serious and considerate casting up of the Story But to find out the exact space and measure of time is hardly possible and so is it to determine the age of our Saviour at the time of his disputing with the Doctors For though the Evangelist say that he was twelve years old yet hath he left it doubtful whether current or compleat and that it was a whole half year under or over it cannot be denied seeing that he was born about September and this his disputing was at the Passover about March or April So when we say Solomon was twelve years old when he began to Reign and when he determined the controversie of the two Hostesses it is not necessary punctually to pick out and shew that space of time to all exactness it sufficeth to shew that the Text bringeth him near to that age under or over See Ignat. Martyr in Epist. ad Magnes Vers. 43. The child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem and Joseph and his Mother knew not of it That morning that they were to depart to their own home it was the custom to go first to the Temple and to worship the Lord 1 Sam. 1. 19. Now the multitudes that went together at these times were exceeding great and many all the males of the Nation and very many of the females being constantly present at these occasions When therefore Joseph and Mary and the Galilean company that went along with them departed from the Temple to go their Journey it is likely that Christ stayed behind them in the Temple Court where also he haunted till they found him again Now he having been absent from them and in other companies sometimes before in the Festival week as it can hardly be doubted it is not to be wondred if they were not so punctually exact as to be sure to bring him with them in their sight out of the Temple and the City For they knew not nor could they conceive that he had any thing to do or how he could stay behind them when they were gone and therefore though they saw him not yet doubted they not but he was with some of his acquaintance or other in that vast and numerous multitude Yea so confident they were of this that when after a while they missed him yet did they not suspect his staying behind them in Jerusalem but went that days journey forward searching and inquiring for him among their kindred and acquaintance that went along with them for so are those words to be understood till they came to their lodging And by that time not having found him they resolve and accordingly do on the next morning return for Jerusalem It is conceived by some that the multitudes going to and from these festivals went the men by themselves and the women by themselves and the children indifferently with either parent as they thought good and so Mary supposed that Jesus was with Joseph and Joseph supposed that he was with Mary and by this mis-apprehension they went their first days journey till they met at their lodging before they mist him But if that were certain which is very doubtful that they thus travailed males and females apart yet it is clear by the Text that they jointly mist him in their first days journy and betimes in the journey long before they came to their Inn and yet would not return to seek him at Jerusalem where they could not so much as suspect that he would stay behind when he saw all the company setting homewards but they still go on their journey and inquire up and down in the company for him till their not meeting him at night resolves them that he was not in the company at all Vers. 46. After three days they found him in the Temple That is on the third day for one they spent in
journying home-wards though they missed him the other in returning that journey to Jerusalem and on the third day they find him in the Temple where he had slipped from them in the croud when they came to do their farewel-Worship §. In the Temple sitting in the midst of the Doctors Compare Psal. 82. 1. Hag. 2. 7. Mal. 3. 1 2. The Sanhedrin or great Bench of Judges and Doctors sate in the Court of the Temple This R. Solomon observeth upon the conjuncture of the end of the twentieth and beginning of the one and twentieth Chapters of Exodus for whereas the twentieth ends with An Altar of Earth shalt thou make unto me c. and the one and twentieth begins with And these are the judgments his collection from hence is that the Judges were to sit in the Sanctuary And to the same purpose and far more largely speaketh Maimonides The Sanhedrin saith he sate in the Sanctuary and their number was seventy one as it is said Gather me seventy men of the Elders of Israel and Moses was over them as it is said and let them stand there with thee behold seventy one The chiefest in wisdom among them they made head over them and he was the head of the Bench and Wisemen constantly call him Nasi the Prince and he stands in stead of Moses And him that is chief among the LXX they appoint second to the head and he sits on his right hand and he is called Ab beth Din or the Father of the Court and the rest of the LXX sit before them two according to their Dignity c. And they sit as it were in half the floor in a Circle that the Nasi and the Ab beth Din may see them all And they erected also two other Courts of Judges of twenty three men a piece one by the Gate of the Court and one by the Gate of the mountain of the house Maimond in Sanhedr per. 1. 5. That is one at the gate of the outer Court and another at the gate of the inner Now into which of these Societies our Saviour was got at this time it is something hard to determine since being in any of them he may be said to be in the Temple SECTION IX St. MATTHEW CHAP. III. The Ministry of John the Baptist the beginning of the Gospel Multitudes baptized IN those days came Iohn the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Iudea 2. And saying Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand 3. For this is he that was spoken of by the Prophet Esaias saying The voice of one crying in the wilderness Prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths streight 4. And the same Iohn had his f f f f f f A rough garment the garb of a Prophet Zech. 13. 4 rayment of Camels hair and a leathern g g g g g g See Elias so arrayed 2 King 1. 8. girdle about his loins and his meat was h h h h h h A clean meat Liv. 11. 22. locusts and wild i i i i i i Honey abroad in the fields a Deut. 32. 13. Judg. 14. 8. 1 Sam. 14. 26. honey 5. Then went out to him Ierusalem and all Iudea and all the Region round about Jordan 6. And were baptized of him in Iordan confessing their sins 7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadduces come to his baptism he said unto them O generation of Uipers who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come 8. Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance 9. And think not to say within your selves We have Abraham to our Father For I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up Children to Abraham 10. And now also l l l l l l The same word is used by the LXX Psal. 74. 6. Judg. 9. 48. 1 Sam. 13. 20. the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Syrian hath is used by the Chaldee Par. Joh. 14. 20. or in our English 29. v. is the ax laid unto the root of the trees Therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire 11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he that cometh after me is mightier then I whose shoos I am not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire 12. Whose fan is in his hand and he will thoroughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire St. MARK CHAP. I. THE beginning of the Gospel of Iesus Christ the Son of God 2. As it is written in the Prophets Behold I send my Messengers before thy face which shall prepare thy way before thee 3. The voice of one crying in the Wilderness Prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths streight 4. Iohn did baptize in the Wilderness and preach the Baptism of repentance for the remission of sins 5. And there went out unto him all the land of Iudea and they of Ierusalem and were all baptized of him in the river of Iordan confessing their sins 6. And Iohn was clothed with Camels hair and with a girdle of skin about his loins and he did eat locusts and wild honey 7. And preached saying There cometh one mightier then I after me the latchet of whose shoos I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose 8. I indeed have baptized you with water but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost St. LUKE CHAP. III. NOW in the fifteenth year of Tiberius a a a a a a Called Claudius Tiberius Nero and for his vitiousness and intemperance Claudius Bibâ—rius Mero Suâ—t in Ti. c. 42. Caesar b b b b b b Pontius was a common prâ—nomen among the Romans as Pontius Nigrinus Dion lib. 58. Pontius Fregellanus Tac. an l. 6 Pontia Id. ib. lib. 13. derived belike a ponte Pontius c c c c c c A Pilo a Roman weapon or pila a pillar Pilate being Governour of Iudea and Herod being Tetrarch of Galilee and his brother Philip Tetrarch of Iturea and of the region of Trachonitis and Lysanias the Tetrarch of Abylene 2. d d d d d d In Josephus called Ananus Annas and Caiaphas being the High Priests the word of God came unto Iohn the Son of Zacharias in the wilderness 3. And he came into all the Country about Iordan preaching the Baptism of repentance for the remission of sins 4. As it is written in the Book of the words of Esaias the Prophet saying e e e e e e Not Christ the crier and John his voice as some would understand it but John the crier and his voice his preaching The voice of one crying in the wilderness Prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths streight 5. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought
he include no less in what he speaketh and though if ever generation were viperous that was But the Baptist useth an expression that hitteth and reflecteth upon their Fathers and predecessors as well as themselves for he calleth them a brood or off-spring of Vipers intimating that they and their Fathers were Vipers both And this he doth that he might face and affront that fond and vain opinion of theirs which so much deluded them and whereupon they built great hopes and made great boasting namely of their being the children of Abraham No saith John Say not within your selves we have Abraham to our Father for ye are not the seed of the promise but the seed of the Serpent And thus he speaketh not only to the Pharisees and Sadduces the hereticks of the Nation but as Luke inlargeth it to all the multitude that came to be baptized Commenting upon the first promise at this first preaching of the Gospel and as on the one hand proclaiming Jesus that was coming after him to be the seed of the Woman so on the other declaring the Jews to be now become the seed of the Serpent who should persecute and kill the seed of the Woman howsoever they boasted themselves for the holy seed of Abraham And the same lesson our Saviour readeth them when he giveth them the same title Mat. 12. 34. and 23. 33. Vipers are the worst and most deadly of any Serpents for they destroy and kill suddenly Act. 28. 4. 6. See Job 20. 16. Isai. 30. 6. and 59. 5. from whence the Baptist and our Saviour seem to have this phrase and Epithet and Isai. 41. 24. as the margin of our English and an Expositor in Dav. Kimchi do interpret it § To flee from the wrath to come In this speech John seemeth to refer to the last words in all the Old Testament where Malachi prophecying of the Baptist and of his beginning to preach the Gospel He shall turn saith he the hearts of the Fathers to the Children and the hearts of the Children to the Fathers Lest I come and smite the Land with a curse This meaneth that wrath to come which should surely fall upon them if they should disobey the Gospel which was now the last means offered them for their conversion and so it came to pass with them when about forty four years after this they were destroyed by the Romans Matth. 3. Vers. 9. Say not we have Abraham to our Father This was their common boasting as John 9. 33. the Chaldee Paraphrast and R. Sol. on Isai. 62. 6. And so doth Rabbi Solomon conceive that the Edomites were proud of their descent from Abraham as well as the Jews for thus he expoundeth those words in the Prophecy of Obadiah ver 3. Which dwellest in the clefts of the Rock He leaneth upon the staff of his Fathers Abraham and Isaac and they will not profit him § Of these stones to raise up children to Abraham Some take this figuratively as Ignat. Mart. Epist. ad Magnesios Clem. Alex. Portrept ad Graec. and others of the Gentiles who are stony-hearted toward the Truth and who worship stocks and stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham But it is rather to be interpreted literally for the crying down of their idle boasting That it was but a vain prop whereupon they leaned to think that it was enough for them that they were descended of Abraham for God by his omniponent power was able to make as good and towardly children to Abraham as they were even of stones Matrh 3. ver 10. And now also is the Ax laid unto the root of the Trees Whether we read it rationally as doth the Vulgar Latine For now the ax or conjunctively as doth our English And now also it plainly sheweth it self to be an Argument or Reason used to inforce something that goeth before And indeed it suiteth so very well with any of the three verses next preceding that it is hard to tell to which most properly it should be applyed For being laid to the seventh verse it doth so strongly confirm that there was a wrath to come that it sheweth it to be hard by and even close at hand For now the ax is laid to the root of the Trees Join it to the eighth verse and it followeth the metaphor that is used there of bringing forth fruit and enforceth the exhortation or Doctrine that is there given from the danger that may follow on unfruitfull trees For now the ax is laid to the root of them Or apply it likewise to the verse next preceding and it doth argue against the carnal confidence that the Jews had in their descending of the stock of Abraham paraphrastically thus Ye have had warning of wrath that is to come and you think you are out of the danger of it because ye are the children of Abraham and descended lineally from his loins a Prerogative so little to be boasted of that it may be common with you to stones for God is able of them to raise up children unto Abraham and a shelter so little to be trusted under that look to your selves the Ax is already laid to the root of the trees Some by the Ax understand the word of God and the preaching of the same or the publication of the Gospel from Jerem. 23. 29. after the reading of the LXX and from Hosea 6. 5. Others Christ himself consisting say they of two natures divine and humane as an Ax of two parts the head and the handle But the current of the most and the best Expositors understand it of the judgments of God and that it is so to be understood may be strongly concluded by these reasons First because the context both before and after speaketh of Judgement and vengeance to come upon the impenitent and unfruitful as wrath to come ver 7. and casting into fire and fire unquenchable ver 10. 12. and therefore it is most proper to expound the Ax as an instrument destroying for judgment or destruction Secondly this place seemeth plainly to have reference to Esai 10. 33 34. Behold the Lord the Lord of hosts shall lop the bough with terror and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down and the haughty shall be humbled And he shall cut down the thickets of the Forests with iron and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one which how the more ancient Jews understood of the destruction of their State and Kingdom and that neer upon the coming of Christ a testimony of their own in their Talmud in the treatise Berachoth may sufficiently evidence There was a certain Jew say they was plowing and one of his Oxen lowed The Ox lowing told of the coming of the Lord. A certain Arabian passing by heard the lowing of the Ox and said unto the Jew O Jew unyoke thine Oxen and care not for thine implements for your Sanctuary is destroyed And the Ox lowed again and the Arabian saith O Jew yoke thine Oxen and make
glorifie his divine power and authority in shewing his command and disposal that he had over the Sabbath Therefore whereas his pleading My Father worketh hitherto and I work does answer most directly but to one objection that lay against him namely for healing on the Sabbath yet doth it satisfie the other sufficiently which was his command to the man to carry his bed for he that wrought in other things with the same authority that the Father worketh he also hath the same authority over the Sabbath that the Father hath who as he ordained it so can he dispense with it as pleaseth him Now Christ in this command cannot be conceived to have intended to vilifie the Sabbath as it was a day of rest or to lay that Ordinance of keeping such a day of rest unto the Lord in the dirt but he that was to alter the Sabbath to a new day and in that equality of working which he had with the Father he was to set a new Sabbath day upon the finishing of the work of Redemption as the Father had done the old upon the Creation and therefore as in preface to such a thing he both giveth such a command and pleadeth for what he had done from his divine authority as beginning to shake the day which within two years was to be changed to another The proof of the divine institution of the day of the Christian Sabbath may be begun here Vers. 19. The Son can do nothing of himself but what he seeth the Father do 1. By the Son in this place and in the discourse following we are to understand not the second person in the Trinity simply and solely considered in his God-head which while some have done they have intricated these words with endless and needless scruples but the Son as he stood there before them when he speaketh these words namely as the Messias God and Man and so he himself doth teach us to understand it at vers 27. The Father hath given authority to the Son to execute Judgement because he is the Son of man 2. The terms of Father and Son do not only speak that relation of the Father and the Son in the God-head which doth peculiarly regard the eternal generation of the Son begotten of the Father and the mutual and natural notion of Fatherhood and Sonship that is betwixt them by that generation but it more singularly referreth to the several or distinct managings of the Father as to the affairs of the old Testament and the Son as to those of the new For though it is most true and undeniable that the Father in times of the old Testament did work by the Son in his dispensations to the Church and World as by him he made the World and him he made Lord of all things yet was his acting by the Son in the times of the new Testament infinitely more apparent and discernable because the Son appeared in humane and visible shape the Messias sent of God God blessed for ever and did great and powerful things parallel to any done by the Father in the administration of the old Testament And this construction of the Relative terms Father and Son the very scope of Christs discourse doth call upon us to make and the particulars of it as we come to take them up will help to clear unto us and confirm For 1. the matter that Christ was pleading now about which was concerning his present demeanour towards the Sabbath needeth not so much a discourse to tell the Jews how far the second person in the Trinity simply considered as God could act of himself or how far he received his activity from the first Person or how far the first person shewed his Counsels to the Second as to shew how far the Lord gave power and imparted himself unto the Messias and how far he in his Kingdom and Administrations did come neer to the Lord in his For 2. the Jews were not so well acquainted with the distinction of the Persons in the Trinity the first and the second as they were with the distinction of the Father or the Lord that had ruled in the world hitherto and the Massias that in his time should be the King and Ruler by the Lords appointment and it was proper for Christ to speak to them so as they might best understand him and so he doth according to their own distinction which indeed was most true and proper And 3. Observe the whole speech of Christ throughout this Chapter and you find it divided into these two parts 1. To shew what was the power and acting of the Messias to vers 31 32. and 2. to prove and evidence that he was he Not so much to shew what is the power and acting of the second Person in the Trinity simply considered in his Godhead and compared with the first nor so much to prove that he was the second Person in the Trinity as to shew and to prove himself to be the Messias 3. When he saith therefore The Son can do nothing of himself he meaneth that the Messias cometh not in his own power though the second person in Trinity be Omnipotent but he is sent and hath his Commission from God the Father as he doth continually both in this speech and in other places inculcate that the Father sent him As he is the Son of God he is all powerfull in his nature and as he is the Messias he hath all power put into his hand by the Father and yet he saith He can do nothing of himself because he owns the appointment by which he was sent as Messias by the Father He could do all things of himself as he was God but he could do nothing of himself as he was Messias because he was a servant and bare that Office upon the designment And therefore the Arrians were miserably wide and wilfully blind when they produced these words of the Son himself to infringe the glory of the Son and to prove him not equal to God the Father not distinguishing what a Child might have done betwixt his divine Nature which could do all things and his Mediatorial Office which could not do but what he that sent him had appointed In the former they might have owned infinite power and in the latter infinite obedience for it was not imperfection in him that he could do nothing of himself as Messias but it was perfection of obedience and compliance to the will of him that sent him and this does not only argue the readiness of his will but the impeccableness of his nature for he could do nothing of himself but his actings were wholly and necessarily wrapped up in the Will of God 4. Now to apply this part of his speech to the occasion of his present plea He had done a great miracle and he had as they thought violated the Sabbath and he was especially to speak unto the latter for thereupon lay his accusation and he argueth that he had not done
couples for breed and the odd one for Adams sacrifice upon his fall but of unclean only one couple for the propagation of the kind Vers. 26. Man created by the Trinity about the third hour of the day or nine of the clock in the morning CHAP. II. The three first verses that treat of the institution of the Sabbath are according to their proper Order of time to be taken in at the end of the third chapter Vers. 4. c. On the morning of the sixth day a mist that had gone up from the Earth fell down upon it again in rain or dew and watered the Earth with which watering the trees and plants budded to maturity in a trice this dew being as a natural cause thereof yet the effect being withal exceeding supernatural because â—o speedy Vers. 7. Of the dust of the Earth thus watered God created the body of man and to this the Psalmist alludeth The dew of thy youth Psal. 110. 3. And into that Earth so prepared he breatheth the Spirit of Life and Grace Ephes. 4. 24. Vers. 10. Eden watered by a river that overflowed it once a year after the manner of Nilus and Jordan Chap. 13. 10. To Adam thus created and made Lord of the creature the Lord himself bringeth the creatures to receive their names which he giveth to them agreeable to their natures and that at the first sight shewing at once his dominion over them and his wisdom among them all he seeth no fit match for himself but by seeing every one of them mated and that they came before him by pairs he is brought to be sensible of his own want of a fellow which thereupon God provideth for him out of his own body of a rib which part of him might best be spared And thus the Creation endeth in the making of the woman CHAP. III. The woman thinking it had been a good Angel that spake in the trunk of the Serpent she entreth communication with the Devil who perceiving her both to add and to diminish to and from the Commandment that was given them groweth the more impudent to tempt and seduceth her by the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life as 1 John 2. 16. And she perswadeth her husband and so they both are fallen on the very same day that they are created Gen. 9. 1 2 3. Psal. 49. 12. Christ is promised before the man and the woman are censured and they are questioned also before they be sentenced but so was not Satan for God had mercy in store for them but none for him The curse is not upon man himself but upon the Earth to teach him to set his affections on things above and not on the cursed ground and not to look for an earthly Kingdom of Christ on this Earth which the Lord hath cursed Adam apprehendeth and layeth hold upon the promise by Faith and in evidence of this his faith he calleth his wives name Eve or Life because she was to be the mother of Christ according to the flesh by whom life should come and of all believers that by faith should live in him for an outward sign and seal of this his Faith and for a further and more lively expression of the same God teacheth him the rite of sacrifice to lay Christ dying before his eyes in a visible figure And with the skins of the sacrificed beasts God teacheth him and his wife to cloath their bodies And thus the first thing that dieth in the world is Christ in a figure At the end of this third chapter imagine the three first verses of Chap. 2. concerning the Sabbath to be observed to come in and suppose the texture of the story to lye thus Adam thus fallen censured recovered instructed and expelled Eden on the sixth day the next day following he by Gods appointment keepeth for a Sabbath or an holy rest and spendeth it only in divine duties Now the reason why it standeth in the place where it doth Chap. 2. Is partly because Moses would lay the seven days or the first week of the world altogether without interposition and partly because he would shew by setting it before Adams fall that had he persisted in innocency yet must he have observed a Sabbath The seventh day or Sabbath is not bounded in the Text with the same limits that the other days are for it is not said of it as it was of them The Evening and the Morning were the seventh day because a time should come when it should have a new beginning and end and though to the Jews it was from Even to Even yet from the beginning it was not so expressed CHAP. IV. Cain and Abel twins of one birth and first was born he that was natural and after he that was spiritual The faith of Abel appeared in the very materials of his sacrifice it being of slain beasts and so a representation of the death of Christ for this it is fired from Heaven and Cain's is not though his dry ears of Corn were materials far more combustible Cain and Abel were both their own Priests for it cannot be proved that Sacrifices were ever offered but upon emergent occasions till the Law fixed it for a common service and he that had such an occasion had liberty to be his own Priest even under the Law as it appeareth by Gedeon Manoah c. and then much more was that liberty before The word Sin in vers 7. seemeth rather to signifie an offering or attonment for sin than punishment For first God cometh not to deject Cain lower than he was but to raise him from his dejection as it appeareth both by his deigning to give him an Oracle from Heaven and also by the words wherewith he beginneth Secondly If the words Sin lieth at the door intend suddain Judgment ready to devour him what dependance can the words following have with these If thou do not well thou shalt certainly be punished and thy brothers desire shall be subject to thee for this were to threaten poor Abel more or at least as much as Cain Thirdly The Original word Chateath as it signifies Sin so also doth it the sacrifice for sin as Hos. 4. 8. 2 Cor. 5. 21. And all along Leviticus and it was the custom according to which Moses speaketh as best known to lay the Sacrifice at the Sanctuary door Vers. 14. Cain sensible of his punishment though he was not of his sin beggeth of God that he might die to ease him of it Therefore let any one that findeth me kill me but this God denyeth to him reserving him to a lingring punishment and Cain being assured of long life giveth himself to all sensuality to sweeten it as much as he can and this is the way of Cain Jud. vers 11. Vers. 23. Lamech in horrour of Conscience for his Polygamy which now began to be examplary to the general corruption of the world acknowledgeth his sin seventy times greater than
at the receiving of the Sacrament as that they had a supper before and so much Wine stirring before as that some were drunk 1 Cor. 11. 21 22. And that for conclusion of the Meal they had the Bread and Wine of the Lords Supper as they at the Passover had the unleavened bread and the Cup of Blessing And as the Apostle in this Phrase alludeth to their expression and custom so doth our Saviour also speak suitably to their practice when he taking this third cup or the cup of blessing bids them divide it among themselves For the four cups that were used at the Passover supper were enjoyned to Men Women and Children all alike 31 31 31 Pesach ubi ante in Gemara Our Rabbins deliver it for a Tradition say the Gemarists that these four cups ought to have in them a fourth part of a hin all alike for Men Women and Children And because we are fallen upon mention of their being drunk at their Supper before the Sacrament in the Church of Corinth let us take notice of a Talmudick passage or two that may give some light about such a matter though it seems in pretence to be of a contrary tune They have a Tradition that runneth thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any will drink between these cups he may so that he drink not between the third cup and the fourth The Jerusalem Gemara debating the case why between the first and second cup or between the second and third but not between the third and fourth it resolves it thus that this was to prevent their being drunk but they raise hereupon again a very just objection what prevention could be in this And they give this poor answer to it 32 32 32 Ier. ibid. in Gemara Because Wine at Meat maketh not a man drunk but Wine after Meat doth If Religion did not prevail with them to withhold them from tryal of the truth of this Aphorism more than the vertue of the Aphorism would prevail to keep them from drunkenness I doubt not but there were drunken heads to be found at their Paschal Cups as well as at the Sacramental Suppers in the Church of Corinth And the Caution which the Tradition giveth a little after those words alledged but now doth make the matter somewhat suspicious when they provide thus Doth any one sleep at the Passover meal and wake again he may not eat again after he is awaked Do more of the company sleep they may eat again when they awake do they all sleep they may not eat Rabbi Jose saith if they nod or slumber only they may eat upon their waking but if they have been sound asleep they may not IX And now we are come to the fourth cup which was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the cup of the Hallel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 33 33 33 Pesach ubi ante in Mishueh for he finished the Hallel at it and at it he said the blessing of the Song He had begun the Hallel over the second cup for he concluded the Haggadah or shewing forth of their deliverance as 1 Cor. 11. 26. with the rehearsal of the hundred and thirteenth and hundred and fourteenth Psalms And now he begins with the hundred and fifteenth and rehearseth that and the hundred and sixteenth and hundred and seventeenth and hundred and eighteenth for these six Psalms were the Hallel as was observed even now Now the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blessing of the Song was a Prayer or Blessing that they uttered after the Hallel or the Hymn was finished 34 34 34 Ibid. in Gemara about which there is some dispute between R. Judah and R. Johanan in the Gemara what it should be the one naming one Prayer and the other another but the Scholiasts thereupon do conclude that the difference between them is not so much about the Prayers themselves as about the order of them or which was uttered first and they determine these two to be they and that they were uttered in this order O Lord our God let all thy works praise thee and thy Saints and the righteous ones that do thy will and thy People the house of Israel all of them with shouting Let them praise and bless and magnifie and glorifie and sing cut the name of thy glory with honour and renown for remembrance of thy Kingdom for it is good to praise thee and it is lovely to sing unto thy name For ever and ever thou art God Blessed be thou O Lord the King who art to be lauded with praises Amen And he concludeth thus Let the soul of all living bless thy name O Lord our God and the spirit of all flesh glorifie and exalt thy memorial for ever O our King For for ever thou art God and besides thee we have no King Redeemer or Saviour c. And here ordinarily the meal was quite ended and they ate nor drank no more that night compare Mat. 26. 29. Yet they have a Tradition 35 35 35 Ibid. that if they were minded they might drink off a fifth Cup of Wine upon this condition that they should say over the great Hallel over it But what was the great Hallel Rabbi Judah saith from O give thanks to By the Rivers of Babylon that is the hundred fix and thirtieth Psalm Rabbi Johanan saith from A Song of degrees to By the Rivers of Babylon that is from Psal. 120. to Psal. 137. Rabbi Ahabar Jacob saith from For the Lord hath chosen Jacob to himself Psal. 135. ver 4. to By the Rivers of Babylon Psal. 137. 1. Thus they debate it in the Gemara in the Treatise Pesachin and in the Treatise Erachin they seem yet to go further and to add the hundred and fifth Psalm to this Hallel and so they make it of a doubtful measure as is observed well by the learned Buxtorsius sometimes larger sometimes less according as they saw good And now to take up the whole Rubrick of this Sacramental Supper in a short summ they sate them down in a leaning posture began with a Cup of Wine over which they hallowed the day washed their hands the table is furnished they first eat some Sallet have a second Cup of Wine filled over which is the rehearsal of the Haggadah and of Psal. 113 114. and then the Wine drunk off They wash their hands again unleavened bread is broken and blessed and some of it eaten with bitter herbs dipt in the thick sawce then eat they the flesh of the peace offerings and then the flesh of the Lamb after which they wash have a third cup of Wine filled or the cup of blessing over which they first say grace after meat and then give thanks for the Wine and so drink it off And lastly they have a fourth Cup of Wine filled over which they say the Hallel out and a prayer or two after it and so they have done Thus was the Rubrick and Ritual of this great solemn Supper with which
Vid. Lev. Gers. ibid. If this be spoken concerning the Lamps in the Candlestick this was somewhat before day for the Lamps burnt from Even till Morning yet did they sometimes some of them go out in the Night They put Oil into them by such a measure as should keep them burning from Even till Morning and many times they did burn till Morning and they always found the Western Lamp burning Now it is said that this Prophesie came to Samuel before the Lamps went out while it was yet Night about the time of Cocks crowing for it is said afterward that Samuel lay till Morning Or allegorically it speaks of the Candle of Prophesie as they say the Sun ariseth and the Sun sets Before the holy blessed God cause the Sun of one righteous Man to set he causeth the Sun of another righteous Man to rise Before Moses his Sun set Joshua's Sun arose before Elie's Sun set Samuel's Sun arose And this is that which is said Before the Candle of God went out The Lord needed no light of Candles no more than he needed Bread which was set upon the Shew-bread Table nor the Priests needed no Candles in this room neither for the Windows though they were high yet did they give light into the Room abundantly but God by these Candles did as it were enlighten the People to teach them Spiritual things by these Corporal and to acquaint them with the necessity of the light of his Word and the Bread of Salvation which came down from Heaven And therefore when Solomon did make d d d 2 Chron. IV. ten Candlesticks and ten Tables and set them intermixedly by five and five on either side the House he added nothing to God but he added only more splendor to the service and more lustre to the Doctrine of the necessity of the light of the Word and of the Bread of Life e e e Baal Hatturim in Lev. XXIV Our wise Men say saith Baal Hatturim that the Western Lamp which never went out was a testimony that the Divine glory dwelt amongst Israel SECT V. The Shew-bread Table ON the North-side of the House which was on the right Hand stood the Shew-bread Table of two cubits long and a cubit and a half broad a a a Exod XXV 23. in the Tabernacle of Moses b b b Maym. ubi sup but wanting that half cubit in breadth in the second Temple the reason of the falling short not given by them that give the relation It stood length ways in its place that is East and West and had a Crown of Gold round about it toward the upmost edge of it which c c c Vid. Baal hatturim in Exod. XXV the Jews resemble to the Crown of the Kingdom Upon this Table there stood continually twelve Loaves which because they stood before the Lord they were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 d d d Mark XII 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The bread of setting before for which our English hath found a very sit word calling it the Shew-bread The manner of making and placing of which Loaves was thus e e e Maym. in Tamidâ—n per. 5. Out of four and twenty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sata three of which went to an Ephah that is out of eight bushel of Wheat being ground they sifted out f f f Lev. XXIV 5. four and twenty tenth Deals g g g Exod. XVI 36 or Omers of the purest Flower and that they made into twelve Cakes two Omers in a Cake or the fifth part of an Ephah of Corn in every Cake They made the Cakes square namely ten Hand breadth long and five broad and seven Fingers thick They were made and baked in a room that was in the great building Beth mokadh on the North-side of the Court as we shall shew anon and they were baked on the day before the Sabbath On the Sabbath they set them on the Table in this manner Four Priests went first in to fetch away the Loaves that had stood all the week and other four went in after them to bring in new ones in their stead Two of the four last carried the two rows of the Cakes namely six a piece and the other two carried either of them a golden dish in which the Frankincense was to be put to be set upon the Loaves and so those four that went to fetch out the old Bread two of them were to carry the cakes and the other two the dishes these four that came to fetch the old Bread out stood before the Table with their Faces towards the North and the other four that brought in the new stood betwixt the Table and the Wall with their Faces toward the South those drew off the old cakes and these as the other went off slipt on the new so that the Table was never without Bread upon it because it is said that they should stand before the Lord continually They set the cakes in two rows six and six one upon another and they set them the length of the cakes cross over the breadth of the Table by which it appears that the Crown of Gold about the Table rose not above the surface of it but was a border below edging even with the plain of it b b b R. Sol. in Exod. XXV as is well held by Rabbi Solomon and so the cakes lay two hand breadths over the Table on either side for the Table was but six hand breadth broad and the cakes were ten hand breadth long Now as for the preventing that that which so lay over should not break off if they had no other way to prevent it which yet they had but I confess that the description of it in their Authors I do not understand yet their manner of laying the cakes one upon another was such as that the weight rested upon the Table and not upon the points that hung over The lowest cake of either row they laid upon the plain Table and upon that cake they laid three golden Canes at distance one from another and upon those they laid the next cake and then three golden Canes again and upon them another cake and so of the rest save only that they laid but two such Canes upon the fifth cake because there was but one cake more to be laid upon Now these which I call golden Canes and the Hebrews call them so also were not like Reeds or Canes perfectly round and hallow thorow but they were like Canes or Kexes slit up the middle and the reason of laying them thus betwixt cake and cake was that by their hollowness Air might come to every cake and all might thereby be kept the better from moldiness and corrupting and thus did the cake lie hollow and one not touching another and all the golden Canes being laid so as that they lay within the compass of the breadth of the Table the ends of the cakes that lay over the Table on
and the Thundrings and Lightnings and Voices do so clearly relate to the giving of the Word at Sinai that so to Allegorize it is without any straining at all especially considering how commonly the Word of God is compared to fire in the Scripture as Deut. XXXIII 2. Jer. V. 14. XXIII 29. XX. 9. 1 Coâ— III. 13. Thus were these living Creatures which did resemble and emblem the Lords Ministers the emblem of the People or the Congregation was two-fold in Ezekiel Wheels in the Revelation four and twenty Elders and these later help to understand the meaning of the former As the Ark and Cherubins upon it and by it are called the Charet of the Cherubins 1 Chron. XXVIII 18. the Lord there riding as it were in his Glory and Presence in the Cloud that dwelt upon it even such another composture doth Ezekiel describe here the Divine Charet of the Lord of his Glorious and Triumphant riding and sitting among his People in his Word and Ordinances and his Presence in them And it is remarkable what is spoken by Ezekiel in Chap. X. 4 18. of which mention was made before when he saith That the Glory of the Lord went up from the Cherub and stood over the Cherubins which meaneth but this that that Glory which had dwelt upon the Ark in the most Holy place did now depart and came to dwell upon this other Charet which he had described of living Creatures and Wheels denoting this that though the visible Presence of the Lord which had appeared in the Cloud of Glory upon the Ark were now departed yet was his Presence still among his People in that manner which he emblemed in that Scheme namely his Ministers and People attending him in his Word and Ordinances and acting and moving according thereunto And in the description of this Divine Charet you may observe that the living Creatures or Ministers are charactered out as both the Body of the Charet and they also that acted the Wheels for the Lord rideth upon their Ministry as it were and his Name is thereby carried where he pleaseth and they are those whom he useth by that Ministry to draw and move the People to Obedience and Conforming to his Word and there the Lord doth ride triumphantly among a People as Psal. XLV 4. where Ministers and People in joint and sweet harmony and consent do agree and concur to carry up the Word Name and Glory of the Lord and both do act in the Power of the Word and Ordinances the Ministers ministring and the People moving or standing according to the direction and influence of that Word What the Apocalyptick meaneth by the four and twenty Elders he himself giveth some explanation of in Chap. XXI 12 14. where he speaketh of the Gates and Foundations of the New Jerusalem parallel to the Twelve Tribes of Israel and the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb. And as these Twelve and Twelve were the beginnings as we may call them the one number of the Church under the Law and the other number of the Church under the Gospel so under the sum and number of both these united together or under the notion of these four and twenty Elders he intendeth the whole Church or Congregation both of Jews and Gentiles Both Wheels and living Creatures are described full of Eyes in Ezek. I. 18. Rev. IV. 8. because of the great measure of Knowledge the Lord vouchsafed to his People and to denote the heedfulness of the Saints in their walking before him The Lord himself is described dwelling upon them and among them in Bright Glorious and Majestick representations but withal incircled with the likeness of the Bow that is in the Cloud in the day of Rain Ezek. I. 28. Rev. IV. 3. which was the Emblem of the Lords Covenant with his People as Gen. IX 13 14 15. CHAP. XXXIX The motions and stations of the Ark and Tabernacle THE Tabernacle which in its time was as a moving Temple being brought into the Land of Canaan by Joshua a a a Maym. in Beth babbech per. 1. Ral. â—ag in Josh. IV. was first pitched and set up at Gilgal the famous place of their first Incamping Josh. IV. 19. but the Ark and it were parted asunder immediately after the pitching of it For that was carried into the field and marched with them in the Wars of Canaan Josh. VI. 12. VIII 33 c. while the Tabernacle stood without it at Gilgal and there the Sanhedrin sat near unto it with a strong Camp as a Guard for defence of both Josh. IX 6 15. XX. 43. The time of the Tabernacles standing there was till the Land was conquered and Judah and the Sons of Joseph were seated Josh. XVIII 1. which was seven years though b b b Maym. ubi sup Seder Olam some of the Jews do allot it fourteen in which time as they also assert high places were lawful and it was permitted to offer Sacrifices elsewhere than at the Tabernacle because in that time they were abroad in the Wâ—… and their condition was unsetled Before the Tabernacle was first set up c c c Talm. in Zevachin per. 14. say they high places were permitted and the Service was done by the first born But after the Tabernacle was erected high places were prohibited and the Service was performed by the Priest-hood The most Holy things were eaten within the curtains and the less holy in any part of the Camp of Israel When they came to Gilgal high places were permitted again and the most Holy things were eaten within the curtains and the less holy in any place The memorable monuments that had been at Gilgal did leave it as a place of honour and renown and did prove occasion in after times of exceeding much superstition will-worship and Idolatry there for there they sacrificed Bullocks Hos. XII 11. and all their wickedness was there and there the Lord hated them Hos. IX 15. d d d Kimch in Hos. IX either because they renewed the Kingdom in Gilgal 1 Sam. XI 12. and refused the Lord to reign over them or because the Tabernacle had been first set up at Gilgal and that was a choice place thereupon the Prophets of Baal perswaded them there to worship Baal When the Land was conquered and now at peace they removed the Tabernacle from Gilgal to a Town of Ephraim for his birth-right sake and set it up there and called the place Shiloh or Peaceable because the Lord had given them rest from their Wars and from their Enemies round about Here was built a House of Stone for the Tabernacle e e e Talm Maym. ubi supr as the Jews suppose but only it was not roofed over with any thing save with the curtains with which it had been covered from its first making and this they ground from 1 Sam. I. 9. because it is called a Temple and 1 Sam. III. 15. because it is said to have
m R. Sol. in â—sâ—y XIX We learn in Sedar Olam that after the fall of Sennacherib Ezekiah stood up and let go all the multitudes that he had brought with him from Egypt and Cush and they took upon them the Kingdom of Heaven and they returned to their own place as it is said In that day there shall be five Cities in the Land of Egypt c. They went and built an Altar to the Lord in the Land of Egypt and offered upon it an offering to God to fulfill what was spoken In that day there shall be an Altar to the Lord in the Land of Egypt c. But some of our Doctors in the Treatise Menacoth do understand it of the Altar of the Temple of Onias the Son of Simeon the Just who fled to Egypt and built there an Altar In the last Chapter of the Treatise Menacoth the tract which our Rabbin citeth the Talmudists have speech concerning this Temple of Oniâ—s and particularly these passages n n n Menachoth per. 13. A man saith Behold I undertake to offer a burnt-offering he must offer it at the Sanctuary and if he offer it at the Temple of Onias he is not discharged If he say I undertake for an offering in the Temple of Onias he is to offer it at the Sanctuary but if he offer it at the Temple of Onias he is discharged If he say I undertake to be a Nazarite he is to poll his Head at the Sanctuary and if he poll it at the Temple of Onias he is not discharged But if he say I will poll at the Temple of Onias let him poll at the Sanctuary yet if he do poll at the Temple of Onias he is quit The Priests that serve at the Temple of Onias shall not serve at the Sanctuary at Jerusalem So that it appeareth that there were Sacrifices offered and other Temple-rites used in this Temple in Egypt as were in the Temple at Jerusalem o o o Iuchas ubi supra and it so stood in great glory two hundred years according to the opinion of Rambam But it seems they are the words of Juchasin that it stood all the time of the Sanctuary for Joshuah the son of Perahiah fled thither and so in the time of Hillel and they were obedient to the wise Men of Jerusalem and brought offerings and so they brought their Wives espousal writings to Hillel for they said they were bastards and he allowed them And there was there a great Congregation double to the number that came out of Egypt till after the destruction of the second Temple when Adrian the Emperor came up against them and slew them all at the time of the destruction of Bitter Think of this great plantation of Jews in Egypt when ye read Matth. II. 13 14. But let us return from this Temple in Egypt to the Temple at Jerusalem where our business lies Alcimus the High Priest whose illegal induction to that Office had occasioned this Act of Onias as he was the Creature of the Antiochian family so was he serviceable to it to his utmost even to the mischief of that Religion and People in and among which he took on him the High Priesthood He assists Demetrius though he had slain Antiochus who had so favoured him in the invasion of Judea and attempteth to p 1 Mac. IX Jos. Ant. lib. 12 cap. 17. pull down the Wall of the inner Court of the Sanctuary but is suddainly struck with a Divine stroke from Heaven and so dieth Nicanor a Commander of this Demetrius forced Judas Maccabeus to betake himself to a Garrison in Jerusalem and he himself going up into the Temple and there intertained fawningly by the Priests who clawed him by shewing him the Sacrifices which they said they offered for his Lord the King he taunted them and threatned mischief to the place if Judas were not delivered to him but ere long the proud boaster and threatner was overthrown and slain Jonathan the Brother and Successor of Judas Maccabeus in his command proved to be so in favour with Alexander the Successor of Demetrius and Demetrius again the Successor of Alexander and Antiochus that succeeded him that though there were now and then some stirrings among them yet the Temple which is our scene that we are upon did suffer little alteration or prejudice all his time no more did it in the times of Simon his Brother and Successor nay he in his first year obtains the peoples liberties dismantles the Antiochian Garrison in Jerusalem purifies the place and appoints that day for a yearly rejoycing and restores the Land to intire peace and prosperity Hyrcanus the Son and Successor of Simon being straitly besieged in Jerusalem by Antiochus at the Feast of Tabernacles desires a cessation for the time and solemnity of the Feast which he not only obtaineth but many and costly Sacrifices also from Antiochus which nobleness causeth Hyrcanus to seek for an agreement and so the Siege is raised He is reported to have heard a voice in the Temple whilest he was offering Incense there which told of the victory of his Sons who were then in battel with Antiochus Cyzicenus and when he came out he told so much to the people Josephus sticks not to style him a King Priest and Prophet or at least he speaketh but little short of so much when he saith q q q Id. ib. lib. 13 cap. 18. that God vouchsafed him the three greatest honours the rule of the Nation the honour of the High Priesthood and Prophesie He cast off the Syrian yoke and homage Alexander his Son proves an unhappy scourge to his own Nation so much scorned and despised by them that at the Feast of Tabernacles they pelted him with their Pomecitrons whereupon he slays six thousand of them and troubles the Land with a six years civil War He railed in the Court of the Priests that none but the Priests might come in there for fear of the peoples disturbance Aristobulus and Hyrcanus the Sons of this Alexander quarrel about the rule and call in forrain aid as first Aretas King of Arabia who besiegeth Aristobulus in the Temple and then Pompey who cometh in taketh the City and Temple bringeth the Nation under the Roman yoke from under which it never delivered its neck till City and Temple by that power was raked up in ashes SECT IV. The state of the Temple under the Romans SO sad were the beginnings of the Temple under the Roman Power that an Omen might have been taken from them what would become of it ere this Nation had done with it Pompey coming up to Jerusalem had the Gates shut against him so that he presently begirt it with a Siege a a a Dion Cass. lib. 36. But the taking of the City cost him not much labour saith Dion Cassius for he was let in by the party of Hyrcanus But the Temple which Aristobulus party had possessed cost him some
a man first take upon himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven and then the yoke of the Precept u u u u u u Gemâ—ra Bab. ibid. fol. 13. 2. Rabh said to Rabbi Chaijah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We never saw Rabbi Judah taking upon himself the Kingdom of Heaven Bar Pahti answered At that time when he put his hands to his face he took upon himself the Kingdom of Heaven Where the Gloss speaks thus We saw not that he took upon himself the Kingdom of Heaven for until the time came of reciting the Phylacteries he instructed his Scholars and when that time was come I saw him not interposing any space x x x x x x Ibid. fol. 15. 1 Doth any ease nature Let him wash his hands put on his Phylacteries repeat them and pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this is the Kingdom of Heaven fulfilled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 y y y y y y Ibid. col 2. in the Gloss. If thou shalt have explained Shaddai and divided the letters of the Kingdom of Heaven thou shalt make the shadow of death to be cool to thee that is if in the repeating of that passage of the Phylacteries Deut. VI. 4. Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord c. you shall pronounce the letters distinctly and deliberately so that you shall have sounded out the names of God rightly thou shalt make cool the shades of death For the same Gloss had said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The repeating of that passage Hear O Israel c. is the taking of the Kingdom of Heaven upon thee But the repeating of that place And it shall be if thou shalt harken c. Deut. XI 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the taking of the yoke of the Precept upon thee z z z z z z In eodem cap. 2. tract Berac hal 5. Rabban Gamaliel recited his Phylacterical prayers on the very night of his nuptials And when his Scholars said unto him Hast thou not taught us O our Master that a bridegroom is freed from the reciting of his Phylacteries the first night He answered I will not harken to you nor will I lay aside the Kingdom of Heaven from me no not for an hour a a a a a a Zohar in Levit. fol. 53. What is the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven In like manner as they lay the yoke upon an Ox that he may be serviceable and if he bear not the yoke he becomes unprofitable so it becomes a man first to take the yoke upon himself and to serve in all things with it but if he casts it off he is unprofitable as it is said Serve the Lord in fear What means In fear The same that is written The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom And this is the Kingdom of Heaven a a a a a a Hieros Kid 〈◊〉 â—â—â— 59 4 The Scholars of Jonathan ben Zaccai asked why a servant was to be bored through the ear rather than through some other part of the body He answered When he heard with the ear those words from Mount Sinai Thou shalt have no other Lord before my face he broke the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven from him and took upon himself the yoke of flesh and blood If by the Kingdom of Heaven in these and other such like places which it would be too much to heap together they mean the inward love and fear of God which indeed they seem to do so far they agree with our Gospel sense which asserts the inward and spiritual Kingdom of Christ especially And if the words of our Saviour Behold the Kingdom of God is within you Luke XVII 21. be suited to this sense of the Nation concerning the Kingdom of Heaven there is nothing sounds hard or rough in them for it is as much as if he had said Do you think the Kingdom of Heaven shall come with some remarkable observation or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with much shew Your very Schools teach that the Kingdom of God is within a man But however they most ordinarily applied this manner of speech hither yet they used it also for the exhibition and revelation of the Messiah in the like manner as the Evangelical History doth Hence are these expressions and the like to them in Sacred Writers The Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God should come Luke XVII 20. They thought that the Kingdom of God should presently be manifested Luke XIX 11. Joseph of Arimathea waited for the Kingdom of God Luke XXIII 52. c. And these words in the Chaldee Paraphrast Say ye to the Cities of Judah the Kingdom of your God is revealed Esa. XL. 9. They shall see the Kingdom of their Messiah Esa. LIII 11. The Baptist therefore by his preaching stirs up the minds of his hearers to meet the coming of the Messiah now presently to be manifested with that repentance and preparation as is meet VERS IV. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The food was locusts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b b b b b b Hieros Nedarim fol. 40. 2. He that by vow tyeth himself from flesh is forbidden the flesh of fish and of locusts See the Babylonian Talmud c c c c c c Câ—olin fol. 65 1. concerning Locusts sit for food VERS V. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The region round about Iordan THE word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the region round about is used by the Jerusalem Gemara d d d d d d Sheâ—iâ—th fol. 38. 4. From Beth Horn to the Sea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is one region 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 round about or one circumjacent region 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perhaps both in the Talmudists and in the Evangelist is one and the same thing with a Coast or a Country along a coast in Pliny e e e e e e Lib. 5. cap. 13 The country saith he along the coast is Samariâ— that is the Sea coast and the country further lying along by that coast which may be said also concerning the region round about Jordan Strabo concerning the Plain bordering on Jordan hath these words It is a place of an hundred furlongs all well watered and full of dwellings VERS VI. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And were baptized §. A few things concerning Baptism IT is no unfit or unprofitable question whence it came to pass that there was so great a conflux of men to the Baptist and so ready a reception of his Baptism I. The first reason is Because the manifestation of the Messias was then expected the weeks of Daniel being now spent to the last four years Let us consult a little his Text. Dan. IX 24. Seventy years of years are decreed concerning thy people c. That is four hundred and ninety years from the first of Cyrus to the death of Christ. These years are divided into three parts and they very unequal 1. Into seven weeks
or forty nine years from the giving of Cyrus his Patent for the rebuilding Jerusalem to the finishing the rebuilding of it by Nehemiah 2. Into sixty two weeks or four hundred thirty four years Namely from the finishing the building of the City to the beginning of the last week of the seventy In which space of time the times of the Persian Empire which remained after Nehemiah if indeed there was any time now remaining and the times of the Grecian Empire and of Syro-Grecian were all run out and those times also wherein the Romans ruled over the Jews 3. The holy Text divides the last week or the last seven years into two equal parts vers 27. which I thus render And he shall strengthen or confirm the Covenant with many in that one week and the half of that week shall make the sacrifice and oblation to cease or in the half of that week he shall make to cease c. Not in the middle of that week but in the latter half that is the latter three years and an half of the seven First Seven weeks having been reckoned up before and then sixty two weeks vers 25. now there remained one only of the seventy and in reference to that in the middle of it the Messias shall begin his Ministry which being finished in three years and an half the latter halved part of that week he shall make the sacrifice and oblation to cease c. The Nation could not but know could not but take great notice of the Times so exactly set out by the Angel Gabriel Since therefore the coming of the Messias was the great wish and desire of all and since the time of his appearing was so clearly decreed by the Angel that nothing could be more and when the latter half of the last seven years chiefly to be observed was now within a very little come it is no wonder if the people hearing from this venerable Preacher that the Kingdom of Heaven was now come should be stirred â—â— beyond measure to meet him and should flock to him For as we observed before They thought that the Kingdom of God would immediately be manifested Luke XIX 11. II. Another reason of it was this The Institution of Baptism for an Evangelical Sacrament was first in the hand of the Baptist who the Word of the Lord coming to him Luke III. 11. went forth backed with the same authority as the chiefest Prophets had in times past But yet the first use of Baptism was not exhibited at that time For Baptism very many centuries of years backwards had been both known and received in most frequent use among the Jews and for the very same end as it now obtains among Christians namely that by it Proselytes might be admitted into the Church and hence it was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Baptism for Proselytism and was distinct from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Baptism or washing from uncleanness See the f f f f f f Fol. 45. 2. in the Gloss. Babylonian Talmud in Jevamoth I. I ascribe the first use of it for this end to the Patriarch Jacob when he chose into his family and Church the young women of Sichem and other Heathens who then lived with him Jacob said to his family and to all who were with him Put away from you the strange Gods and be ye clean and change your garments c. Gen. XXXV 2. What that word means 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and be ye clean Alben Ezra does very well interpret to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The washing of the body or Baptism which reason it self also perswades us to believe II. All the Nation of Israel do assert as it were with one mouth that all the Nation of Israel were brought into the Covenant among other things by Baptism g g g g g g Issure Biah cap. 13. Israel saith Maimonides the great Interpreter of the Jewish Law was admitted into the Covenant by three things namely by Circumcision Baptism and Sacrifice Circumcision was in Egypt as it is said None uncircumcised shall eat of the Passover Baptism was in the Wilderness before the giving of the Law as it is said Thou shalt sanctifie them to day and tomorrow and let them wash their garments III. They assert that that infinite number of Proselytes in the days of David and Solomon were admitted by Baptism h h h h h h Maimonid ibid. The Sanhedrins received not Proselytes in the days of David and Solomon Not in the days of David lest they should betake themselves to Proselytism out of a fear of the Kingdom of Israel Not in the days of Solomon lest they might do the same by reason of the glory of the Kingdom And yet abundance of Proselytes were made in the days of David and Solomon before private men and the great Sanhedrin was full of care about this business For they would not cast them out of the Church because they were baptized c. IV. i i i i i i Id. ibid. Whensoever any Heathen will betake himself and be joyned to the Covenant of Israel and place himself under the wings of the Divine Majesty and take the yoke of the Law upon him voluntary Circumcision Baptism and Oblation are required but if it be a Woman Baptism and Oblation That was a common Axiom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No man is a Proselyte untill he be circumcised and baptized It is disputed by the Babylonian Gemara k k k k k k Iâ—vamoth fol. 46. 2. A Proselyte that is circumcised and not baptized what of him R. Eliezer saith Behold he is a Proselyte for so we find concerning our Fathers that they were circumcised but not baptized One is baptized but not circumcised what of him R. Joshua saith Behold he is a Proselyte For so we find concerning the maidservants who were baptized but not circumâ—â—sed But the wise men say is he baptized and not circumcised Or Is he circumcised and not baptized He is not a Proselyte until he be circumcised and baptized But Baptism was sufficient for women so far forth as this held good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â—â—am fol. 45 â— One baptizeth a Heathen woman in the name of a woman we can assert that for a deed rightly done Where the Gloss is thus To be baptized in the name of a woman was to be baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the washing of a woman polluted and not with the baptism to Proselytism But we may nevertheless assert her who is so baptized for a compleat Proselytess because that Baptism of washing for uncleanness serves for Proselytism to her for a Heathen woman is not baptized or washed for uncleanness V. They baptized also young children for the most part with their Parents 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 m m m m m m â—â—â— Châ—â—â—bb fol. 11. 1. They baptize a little Proselyte according to the judgment of the Sanhedrin that is as the
Author Juchasin i i i i i i Fol. 19. 1. Speaking of Hillel and Shammai Heretofore saith he Hillel and Menahem were heads of the Council but Menahem withdrew into the family of Herod together with eighty men bravely clad These and such as these I suppose were called Herodians who partly got into the Court and partly were of the faction both of the Father and Son With how great opposition of the generality of the Jewish people Herod ascended and kept the Throne we have observed before There were some that obstinately resisted him others that as much defended him to these was deservedly given the title of Herodians as endeavoring with all their might to settle the Kingdom in his family and they it seems were of the Sadducean Faith and Doctrine and it is likely had leavened Herod who was now Tetrarch with the same principles For as we noted before the leaven of the Sadducees in Matthew k k k k k k Matth. XVI 6 is in Mark l l l l l l Mark VIII 19 The leaven of Herod And it was craftily contrived on both sides that they might be a mutual establishment to one another they to his Kingdom and he to their Doctrine When I read of Manaem or Menahem the foster brother of Herod the Terarch m m m m m m Act. XIII ◠it readily brings to my mind the name and story before mentioned of Menahem who carried over with him so many eminent persons to the Court of Herod VERS XX. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whose is this image and superscription THEY endeavour by a pernicious subtilty to find out whether Christ were of the same opinion with Judas of Galilee Which opinion those lewd disturbers of all things whom Josephus brands every where under the name of Zelots had taken up stifly denying obedience and tribute to a Roman Prince because they perswaded themselves and their followers that it was a sin to submit to a Heathen government What great calamities the outragious fury of this conceit brought upon the people both Josephus and the ruins of Jerusalem at this day testifie They chose Caesar before Christ and yet because they would neither have Caesar nor Christ they remain sad Monuments to all ages of the Divine vengeance and their own madness To this fury those frequent warnings of the Apostles do relate That every one should submit himself to the higher powers n n n n n n Rom. XIII 1. 1 Pet II. 13. c. And the characters of these mad men They contemn Dominions o o o o o o 2 Pet. II. 10. Jud. vers 8. and They exalt themselves against every thing that is called God p p p p p p 2 Thes. II. 4. Christ answers the treachery of the question propounded out of the very determinations of the Schools where this was taught Wheresoever the mony of any King is currant there the inhabitants acknowledge that King for their Lord. q q q q q q Maim on Gezelah chap. 5 Hence is that of the Jerus Sanhedr r r r r r r Fol. 20. 2. Abigail said to David what evil have I done or my Sons or my cattel He answered Your husband vilifies my Kingdom Are you then said she a King to which he Did not Samuel anoint me for a King She replied 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The mony of our Lord Saul as yet is currant that is Is not Saul to be accounted King while his mony is still received commonly by all VERS XXIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Sadducees who say that there is no Resurrection s s s s s s Tanchum sol 3. 1. THE Sadducees cavil and say The cloud faileth and passeth away so he that goeth down to the grave doth not return Just after the same rate of arguing as they use that deny Infant-baptism Because forsooth in the Law there is no express mention of the Resurrection Above we suspected that the Sadducees were Herodians that is to say Courtiers but these here mentioned were of a more inferior sort VERS XXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God is not the God of the dead READ if you please the beginning of the Chapter Chelek * * * * * * In Bab. Sanhedr where you will observe with what arguments and inferences 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Talmudists maintain the Resurrection out of the Law namely by a manner of arguing not unlike this of our Saviours We will produce only this one R. Eliezer Be R. Josi said In this matter I accused the Scribes of the Samaritans of falshood while they say that the Resurrection of the dead cannot be proved out of the Law I told them You corrupt your Law and it is nothing which you carry about in your hands for you say that the Resurrection of the dead is not in the Law when it saith That soul shall be utterly cut off his iniquity is upon him t t t t t t Numb XV. 31. Shall be utterly cut off namely in this world His iniquity is upon him When Is it not in the world to come I have quoted this rather than the others which are to be found in the same place because they seem here to tax the Samaritan Text of corruption when indeed both the Text and the Version as may easily be observed agree very well with the Hebrew When therefore the Rabbin saith that they have corrupted their Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth not so much deny the purity of the Text as reprove the vanity of the interpretation as if he had said You interpret your Law falsly when you do not infer the Resurrection from those words which speak it so plainly With the present argument of our Saviour compare first those things which are said by R. Tanchum u u u u u u Fol. 13. 3. R. Simeon ben Jochai saith God Holy and Blessed doth not joyn his Name to holy men while they live but only after their death as it is said w w w w w w Psa. XVI 3. To the Saints that are in the Earth When are they Saints When they are laid in the Earth for while they live God doth not joyn his name to them because he is not sure but that some evil affection may lead them astray but when they are dead then he joyns his name to them But we find that God joyned his name to Isaac while he was living I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac x x x x x x Gen. XXVIII 13. The Rabbins answer He looked on his dust as if it were gathered upon the Altar R. Berachiah said since he became blind he was in a manner dead See also R. Menahem on the Law y y y y y y Fol. 62. 1. Compare also those words of the Jerusal Gemara z z z z z
this be a Rabbi let there not be many such in Israel VERS XIV 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ye devour widows houses THE Scribes and Pharisees were ingenious enough for their own advantage Hear one argument among many forged upon the anvil of their covetousness a little rudely drawn but gainful enough g g g g g g Bab. Joma fol. 72. 2. saith the Lord Make me an Ark of Shittim-wood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hence it is decided say they in behalf of a Disciple of the wise men that his fellow citizens are bound to perform his servile work for him O Money thou mistress of Art and mother of Wit So he that was preferred to be President of the Council was to be maintained and enriched by the Council See the Gloss on Bab. Taanith i i i i i i Fol. 21. 1. They angled among the people for respect and by respect for gain with a double hook I. As Doctors of the Law where they first and above all things instilled into their Disciples and the common people That a wise man or a Master was to be respected above all mortal men whatsoever Behold the rank and order of benches according to these Judges k k k k k k Jerus Horaioth fol. 84. 2. A wise man is to take place of a King A King of a High Priest A High Priest of a Prophet A Prophet of one anointed for war One anointed for war of a President of the Courses A President of the Courses of the head of a family The head of a family of a Counsellor A Counsellor of a Treasurer A Treasurer of a private Priest A private Priest of a Levite A Levite of an Israelite An Israelite of a Bastard A Bastard of a Nethinim A Nethinim of a Proselyte A Proselyte of a freed slave But when is this to be namely when they are alike as to other things But indeed if a Bastard be a Disciple or a wise man and the High Priest be unlearned the Bastard is to take place of him A wise man is to be preferred before a King for if a wise man die he hath not left his equal but if a King die any Israelite is fit for a Kingdom This last brings to my mind those words of Ignatius the Martyr if indeed they are his in his tenth Epistle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. My Son saith he Honour God and the King But I say Honour God as the cause and Lord of all the Bishop as the chief Priest bearing the image of God in respect of his rule bearing Gods image in respect of his Priestly office Christs and after him we ought to honour the King also II. Under a pretence of mighty devotion but especially under the goodly shew of long prayers they so drew over the minds of devout persons to them especially of women and among them of the richer widows that by subtle attractives they either drew out or wrested away their goods and estates Nor did they want nets of counterfeit authority when from the Chair they pronounced according to their pleasures of the dowry and estate befalling a widow and assumed to themselves the power of determining concerning those things Of which matter as it is perplexed with infinite difficulties and quirks you may read if you have leisure the Treatises Jevamoth Chetubboth and Gittin Concerning the length of their prayers it may suffice to produce the words of the Babylon Gemara in Beracoth l l l l l l Fol. 32. 2. The religious anciently used to tarry an hour meditating before they began their prayers whence was this R. Joshua ben Levi saith it was because the Scripture saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blessed are they who sit in thy house R. Joshuah ben Levi saith also He that prays ought to tarry an hour after prayers As it is said The just shall praise thy name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The upright shall sit before thy face It is necessary therefore that he should stay meditating an hour before prayers and an hour after and the religious anciently used to stay an hour before prayers an hour they prayed and an hour they stayed after prayers Since therefore they spent nine hours every day about their prayers how did they perform the rest of the Law and how did they take care of their worldly affairs why herein In being religious both the Law was performed and their own business well provided for And in the same place m m m m m m Fol. 54. 2. Long prayers make a long life VERS XV. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To make one Proselyte THE Talmudists truly speak very ill of Proselytes n n n n n n Bab. Middah fol. 13. 2. Our Rabbins teach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Proselytes and Sodomites hinder the coming of the Messias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proselytes are as a scab to Israel The Gloss For this reason that they were not skilled in the commandments that they brought in revenge and moreover that the Israelites perchance might imitate their works c. Yet in making of these they us'd their utmost endeavours for the sake of their own gain that they might some way or other drain their purses after they had drawn them in under the shew of Religion or make some use or benefit to themselves by them The same covetousness therefore under a vail of hypocrisie in devouring widows which our Saviour had condemned in the former clause he here also condemns in hunting after Proselytes which the Scribes and Pharisees were at all kind of pains to bring over to them Not that they cared for Proselytes whom they accounted as a scab and plague but that the more they could draw over to their Religion the greater draught they should have for gain and the more purses to fish in These therefore being so Proselyted they made doubly more the children of Hell than themselves For when they had drawn them into their net having got their prey they were no further concern'd what became of them so they got some benefit by them They might perish in ignorance superstition atheism and all kind of wickedness this was no matter of concern to the Scribes and Pharisees only let them remain in Judaism that they might Lord it over their Consciences and Purses VERS XVI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Whosoever shall swear by the gold of the Temple he is a debtor THESE words agree in the same sense with those of the Corban Chap. XV. 5. We must not understand the gold of the Temple here of that gold which shined all about in the walls and cielings but the gold here meant is that which was offered up in the Corban It was a common thing with them and esteemed as nothing to swear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Temple and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Altar which we have observed at the 31 vers of the 5th
the Fable or shall we suspect some truth in the story For my part when I recollect with my self how addicted to and skilful that Nation was in Art Magic which is abundantly asserted not only by the Talmudists but by the holy Scriptures I am ready to give some credit to this story and many others of the same nature namely that thing was really acted by the art and help of the Devil by those Ensign-bearers and Captains of errors the more to establish their Honour and Tradition Therefore from the story be it true or false we observe these two things I. How tenacious the Jews were of their Traditions and how unmoveable in them even beyond the evidence of miracles That Eleazar was of great same among them but he was a follower of Shammai Hence he is called once and again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Shammean b b b b b b Hieros Trumah fol. 43. 3. Iâ—m Tobh fol. 60. 3 c. When therefore he taught something against the School of Hillel although he did miracles as they themselves relate they gave no credit to him nay they derided him The same was their practise the same was their mind against the miracles of Christ. And to this may these words of our Saviour tend Why does this generation seek a sign A generation which is not only altogether unworthy of miracles but also which is sworn to retain their Traditions and doctrines although infinite miracles be done to the contrary II. You see how the last testimony of the miracles of this conjurer is fetched from Heaven For the Bath Kol went forth c. Which the followers of Hillel nevertheless received not and therein not justly indeed when they feign such a voice to have come to themselves from Heaven as a definitive Oracle for the authority of the School of Hillel not to be gainsaid concerning which the Talmudists speak very frequently and very boastingly After the same manner they require a sign from Heaven of our Saviour not content with those infinite miracles that he had done the healing of diseases the casting out Devils the multiplying of loaves c. They would also have somewhat from Heaven either after the example of Moses fetching Manna from thence or of Elias fetching down fire or of Joshua staying the Sun or of Esaias bringing it backwards CHAP. IX VERS I. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Kingdom of God coming in power IN Matthew it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Son of man coming in his Kingdom The coming of Christ in his Vengeance and power to destroy the unbelieving and most wicked Nation of the Jews is expressed under these forms of Speech Hence the day of Judgment and Vengeance I. It is called the great and terrible day of the Lord Act. II. 20. 2 Thes. II. 2 3. II. It is described as the end of the world Jer. XXIV 24. Mat. XXIV 29. c. III. In that phrase In the last times Esa. II. 1. Act. II. 17. 1 Tim. IV. 1. 2 Pet. III. 3. That is in the last times of that City and Dispensation IV. Thence the beginning of the new World Es. LXV 17. 2 Pet. III. 13. V. The Vengance of Christ upon that Nation is described as his coming Joh. XXII 21. Heb. X. 37. His coming in the clouds Rev. I. 7. In glory with the Angels Mat. XXIV 30. c. VI. It is described as the inthroning of Christ and his twelve Apostles judging the twelve tribes of Israel Mat. XIX 28. Luke XXII 30. Hence this is the sense of the present place Our Saviour had said in the last verse of the former Chapter Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when he shall come in the glory of his father with his holy Angels to take punishment of that adulterous and sinful generation And he suggests with good reason that that his coming in Glory should be in the life time of some that stood there VERS II. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Into an high mountain NOW your pardon Reader I know it will be laughed at if I should doubt Whether Christ were transfigured upon Mount Tabor for whoever doubted of this thing But let me before I give faith to the thing reveal my doubts concerning it and the Reader laying before his eyes some Geographical Map of Galilee perhaps when he shall have heard me will judge more favourably of my doubting I. Let him consider that Christ in the story next going before was in the Coasts of Cesarea Philippi Mat. XVI 13. Mark VIII 27. Luke IX 18. and for any thing that can be gathered out of the Evangelists changed not his place before this story Who will deny those words There are some that stand here who shall not tast of death c. were uttered in those coasts of Cesarea Philippi And presently the story of the Transfiguration followed II. Six days indeed came between in which you will say Christ might travail from Cesarea Philippi to Tabor He might indeed But 1. The Evangelists intimate no change from place to place saying only this that he led up into the Mountain three of his Disciples 2. It seems indeed a wonder that our Saviour would tyre himself with so long a journey to choose Tabor whereon to be transfigured when as far as we read he had never before been in that Mountain and there were Mountains elsewhere where he conversed frequently 3. Follow the footsteps of the History and of Christ in his travail from his transfiguration onwards When he came down from the Mountain he healed a child possessed with a Devil and when he betook himself into the house they said Why could not we cast out the Devil c. And they departed thence and passed through Galilee And came to Capernaum Mark IX 30. 33. III. And now Reader look upon the Chorographical Map and how incongruous will this travailing seem 1. From Cesarea Philippi to Mount Tabor through the whole length almost of Galilee 2. From thence from Mount Tabor by a course back again to Capernaum a great part of Galilee especially as the Maps place Capernaum being again passed over When Capernaum was in the way from Cesarea Philippi to Tabor and there was a Mountain there well known to Christ and very much frequented by him IV. So that it seems far more consonant to the History of the Gospel that Christ was transfigured in some Mountain neare Cesarea Philippi perhaps that which Josephus being witness was the highest and hung over the very fountains of Jordan and at the foot whereof Cesarea was placed In that place formerly called Dan was the first Idolatry set up and now in the same place the Eternal Son of God is shewn both in the confession of Peter and in the unspeakably clear and illustrious demonstration of the Messias VERS XXXVIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We saw one in thy name
of some delicate niceness VERS V. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Above three hundred pence I. THE prizes of such precious oyntments as it seems in Pliny were commonly known For thus he f f f f f f Lib. XII c. 1◠The price of Costus is XVI pounds The price of Spike Nard is XC pounds The Leaves have made a difference in the value From the broadness of them it is called Hadrospherum with greater Leaves it is worth X xxx that is thirty pence That with a lesser leaf is called Mesopherum it is sold at X lx sixty pence The most esteemed is that called Microspherum having the least leafe and the price of it is X lxxv seventy five pence And elsewhere g g g g g g Cap. 20. To these the merchants have added that which they call Daphnois surnamed Isocinnamon and they make the price of it to be CCC 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Three hundred pence See more there II. It is not easie to reduce this sum of three hundred pence to its proper value partly because a peny was twofold a silver peny and a gold one partly because there was a double value and estimation of mony namely that of Jerusalem and that of Tyre as we observed before Let these be silver which we believe which are of much less value than gold and let them be Jerusalem pence which we also believe which are cheaper than the Tyrian yet they plainly speak the great wealth of Magdalen who poured out an oyntment of such a value when before she had spent some such other Which brings to my mind those things which are spoken by the Masters concerning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The box of spices which the husband was bound to give the wife according to the proportion of her dowry h h h h h h Bab. Chetub fol. 66. 2. But this is not spoken saith Rabh Ishai but of Jerusalem people There is an example of a daughter of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nicodemus ben Gorion to whom the Wise men appoynted four hundred crowns of gold for a chest of spices for one day She said to them I wish you may so appoynt for their daughters and they answered after her Amen The Gloss is The husband was to give to his wife ten Zuzees for every Manah which she brought with her to buy spices with which she used to wash her self c. Behold a most wealthy woman of Jerusalem daughter of Nicodemus in the contract and instrument of whose marriage was written A thousand thousand gold pence out of the house of her Father besides those she had out of the house of her Father in-Law whom yet you have in the same story reduced to that extream poverty that she picked up barly corns for her food out of the cattles dung VERS VII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For ye have the poor always with you SAmuel i i i i i i Bab. Schabb. fol. 63. 1. saith There is no difference between this world and the days of the Messias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 anless in regard of the affliction of the Heathen kingdoms as it is said A poor man shall not be wanting out of the midst of the earth Deut. XV. 11. Observe a Jew cofessing that there shall be poor men even in the days of the Messias Which how it agrees with their received opinion of the pompous kingdom of the Messias let him look to it R. Solomon and Aben Ezra write If thou shalt obey the words of the Lord there shall not be a poor man in thee but thou wilt not obey therefore a poor man shall never be wanting Upon this received reason of the thing confess also O Samuel that there shall be disobedient persons in the days of the Messias which indeed when the true Messias came proved too too true in thy Nation VERS XII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And on the first day of unleavened bread SO Matth. Chap. XXVI 17. and Luke Chap. XXII 7. And now let them tell me who think that Christ indeed kept his Passover the fourteenth day but the Jews not before the fifteenth because this year their Passover was transferred unto the fifteenth day by reason of the following Sabbath Let them tell me I say whether the Evangelists speak according to the day prescribed by Moses or according to the day prescribed by the Masters of the Traditions and used by the Nation If according to Moses then the fifteenth day was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first of Unleavened bread Exod. XII 15 18. But if according to the manner of the Nation then it was the fourteenth And whether the Evangelists speak according to this custom let us enquire briefly Sometime indeed the whole seven days feast was transferred to another month and that not only from that Law Numb IX but from other causes also concerning which see the places quoted in the margin l l l l l l Hieros in Maasar Sheni fol. 56. 3. Maimon in Kiddush Hodesh cap 4. But when the time appointed for the feast occurred the Lamb was always slain on the fourteenth day I. Let us begin with a story where an occasion occurs not very unlike that for which they of whom we spake think the Passover this year was transferred namely because of the following Sabbath The story is this m m m m m m Hieros Pisachin fol. 33. 1. After the death of Shemaiah and Abtalion the sons of Betyra obtained the chief place Hillel went up from Babylon to enquire concerning three doubts When he was now at Jerusalem and the fourteenth day of the first month fell out on the Sabbath observe that it appeared not to the sons of Betyra whether the Passover drove off the Sabbath or no. Which when Hillel had determined in many words and had added moreover that he had learnt this from Shemaiah and Abtalion they laid down their authority and made Hillel president When they had chosen him President he derided them saying What need have you of this Babylonian Did you not serve the two chief Men of the world Shemaiah and Abtalion who sat among you These things which are already said make enough to our purpose but with the Readers leave let us add the whole story While he thus scoffed at them he forgat a Tradition For they said What is to be done with the people if they bring not their knives He answered I have heard this tradition but I have forgot But let them alone for although they are not Prophets they are Prophets sons Presently every one whose Passover was a Lamb stuck his knife into the fleece of it and whose Passover was a Kid hung his knife upon the horns of it And now let the impartial Reader judge between the reason which is given for the transferring the Passover this year unto the fifteenth day namely because of the Sabbath following that they might not be forced to abstain from
to his promise look for New Heavens and a New Earth The Heavens and the Earth of the Jewish Church and Commonwealth must be all on fire and the Mosaick Elements burnt up but we according to the promise made to us by Isaiah the Prophet when all these are consumed look for the New Creation of the Evangelical state IV. The day the time and the manner of the execution of this vengeance upon this people are called the day of the Lord the day of Christ his coming in the Clouds in his Glory in his Kingdom Nor is this without reason for from hence doth this form and mode of speaking take its rise Christ had not as yet appeared but in a state of Humility contemned blasphemed and at length murdered by the Jews His Gospel rejected laught at and trampled under foot His followers pursued with extream hatred persecution and death it self At length therefore he displays himself in his Glory his Kindom and Power and calls for those cruel enemies of his that they may be slain before him Acts II. 20. Before that great and notable day of the Lord come Let us take notice how St. Peter applies that prophesie of Joel to those very times and it will be clear enough without any commentary what that Day of the Lord is 2 Thess. II. 2. As if the day of Christ was at hand c. To this also do those passages belong Heb. X. 37. Yet a little while and he that shall come will come James V. 9. Behold the judge is at the door Revel I. 7. He cometh in the Clouds and XXII 12. Behold I come quickly With many other passages of that nature all which must be understood of Christ's coming in judgment and vengeance against that wicked Nation and in this very sense must the words now before us be taken and no otherwise I will that he tarry till I come For thy part Peter thou shalt suffer death by thy Country-men the Jews but as for him I will that he shall tarry till I come and avenge my self upon this generation and if I will so what is that to thee The story that is told of both these Apostles confirms this Exposition for it is taken for granted by all that St. Peter had his Crown of Martyrdom before Jerusalem fell and St. John survived the ruins of it VERS XXIV 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And we know that his testimony is true THE Evangelist had said before Chap. XIX 35. He knoweth that he saith true and here in this place he changeth the person saying We know that his testimony is true I. One would believe that this was an Idiotism in the Chaldee and Syriack Tongue to make 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We know and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know the same thing which is not unusual in other Languages also Joshua II. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know The Targumist hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which you would believe to be We knew 1 Sam. XVII 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I knew Targumist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We knew So amongst the Talmudists 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which seems to be We know we say And indeed sometimes nay most frequently they so signifie But sometimes the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I is included So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so of the rest which appears very clearly in that Expression * * * * * * Beracoth fol. 56. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tell me what I am to see in my dream For that so it must be rendred I am to see the Gloss and Context directs us where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We will not therefore in this place take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We know for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know although the sense might not be very disagreeable if we did so But II. We suppose the Evangelist both here and Chap. XIX 35. referreth to an eye witness or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For in all judicial causes the ocular testimony prevailed If any person should testifie that he himself saw the thing done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his witness must be received For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 True when it is said of any testimony does not signifie barely that which is true but that which was to believed and entertained for a sure and irrefragrable evidence So that the meaning of these words is this This is the Disciple who testifies of these things and wrote them And we all know that such a testimony obtains in all judgments whatever for he was an eye witness and saw that which he testifies Soli Deo Gloria HORAE Hebraicae Talmudicae HEBREW AND TALMUDICAL EXERCITATIONS UPON THE ACTS of the Apostles And upon some CHAPTERS of the Epistle of Saint PAUL TO THE ROMANS By JOHN LIGHTFOOT D. D. late Master of Katharine-Hall in the University of CAMBRIDGE LONDON Printed by William Rawlins for Richard Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCLXXXIV HEBREW AND TALMUDICAL EXERCITATIONS upon the ACTS of the Apostles CHAP. I. VERS I. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The former treatise have I made c. WE may reduce to this place for even thus far it may be extended what our Historian had said in the very entrance of his Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It seemed good to me also to write to thee in order where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In order seems to promise not only an orderly series of the History of the actions of our Saviour but successively even of the Apostles too For what passages we have related to us in this Book may very well be reckoned amongst the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things which were most surely believed amongst them Indeed by the very stile in this place he shews that he had a design of writing these stories joyntly that is to say first to give us a narration of the Actions and Doctrine of Christ and then in their due place and order to commit to writing the Acts and sayings of the Apostles As to most of the things contained in this Book St. Luke was both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Eye-witness yea and a part also but how far he was spectator of those acts of our Saviour which he relates in his other book none can say What he speaks in the Preface of that work is ambiguous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and leaves the Reader to enquire whether he means he had a perfect understanding of things from the first by the same way only which those had that undertook to compile the Evangelical Histories from the Mouth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of those that were Eye-witnesses and Ministers of the Word Or whether he came to this understanding of things from the first he himself having been from the beginning an Eye-witness and a Minister Or lastly Whether he does not by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
CHAP. XIV VERS VI. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To Derbe and Lystra Cities of Lycaonia STRABO tells us expressly that Iconium also was within Lycaonia b b b b b b Strab. Geogr. lib. 12. Thence are the Lyconian Hills plain cold naked and pastures for wild Asses c. There are also the lakes the greater called Coralis the less called Trogitis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 About those places stands Iconium a Town built in a better soil than what I mentioned as the pasture of wild Asses Ptolomy also places Iconium in Lycaonia c c c c c c Ptol. tab Asiae 1. cap. 6. How comes it to pass then that St. Luke doth not call Iconium a City of Lycaonia as well as Derbe and Lystra Because Iconium was of something a distinct jurisdiction d d d d d d Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 27. Datur et Tetrarchia ex Lycaonia c. There is also granted a Tetrarchy out of Lycaonia on that side that bounds upon Galatia consisting of fourteen Cities the most famous of which is Iconium VERS XI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Speech of Lycaonia IT is hard to say what the Lycaonian Tongue was nor is it easie to say why this was added when it might have sufficed to have said They lift up their voices saying the Gods c. I. I should hardly be perswaded the Lycaonian Language was any Greek Dialect when it sufficiently appears by what I lately quoted out of Strabo that there were peculiar Mother Tongues in these Countries distinct from the Greek And he himself remarketh * * * * * * Lib. 8. That the Carians who are situated something nearer Greece than the Lycaonians were called by Homer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 people of a barbarous language so the Phrygians also were Barbari barbarous e e e e e e Pausan. lib. 1. Let us hear once again what Strabo saith f f f f f f Strab. lib. 12. The Coppadocians who use the same language are those chiefly who are bounded South-ward with that part of Cilicia that is called Taurus East-ward by Armenia and Colchis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and other interjacent Countries that use a different language What amongst these other languages should be the Lycaonian let him find out that hath leisure and capacity to do it As for my part I neither can nor dare attempt it CHAP. XV. VERS II. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. No small dissension and disputation c. WERE I to render these words into the Talmudick Language which was the School Language I would render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 terms very well known in the Schools according to which Idiom if they were expounded there would be no difficulty in them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. They determined that Paul should go up c. Of this journey Paul himsel makes some mention Gal. II. 1. where he intimates that he went up by revelation that is given to the Ministers of Antioch for it would not have been said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they determinded if the Revelation had been made to Paul himself Amongst others that â—â—companied him in his journey Titus was one But where he adopted him to himself in those his journeys described Chap. XIII and XIV let him guess that can VERS VII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A good while ago c. I Do not question but St. Peter in these words had an eye to that saying of our Saviour I will give thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven viz. that thou mayst first open the door of the Gospel to the Gentiles Then it was that the Lord chose him that by his mouth first the Gentiles might hear the word of the Gospel and might believe This he saith was done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In former days that is as he speaks elsewhere In the time when Jesus went in and out amongst them Acts I. 21. which time is expressed by our Evangelists by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 From the beginning Luke I. 2. VERS XVI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will build again the Tabernacle of David which is fallen down g g g g g g Sanhedr fol. 69. 2. RAB Nachman said to R. Isaac 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whence art thou taught when Bar Naphli will come He saith unto him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who is this Bar Naphli The other replied it is the Messiah Dost thou then call the Messias Bar Naphli Yes saith he for it is written In that day I will build again the Tabernacle of David 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nopheleth falling down VERS XVII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That the residue of men might seek after the Lord c. I. I Think it will hardly be denied by any but that St. James spake now in Hebrew i. e. in the Syriac Tongue For reason will tell us that the Council at Jerusalem would be managed best in the language of Jerusalem and indeed the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Symeon with which he begins his discourse argues that he spoke Hebrew amongst Hebrews not so much in that he saith Simeon and not Simon as in that he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the letter v and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simeon the Syriac Tongue affecting the letter u in the first syllable as in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Buâ—ra Gushma Ductha and many such words So also in proper names 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ben Sutda in Jerusalem Language for Ben Satda and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mugdala for Magdala II. Neither I presume will it be denied that the Apostle quoting this passage of the Prophet recites the very words as they are in the Hebrew which was always done in their Schools and Sermons when they recited any place or testimony of Scripture they did it always in the very original words But do you think that the Hebrew words of Amos in the mouth of James were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That the residue of men might seek in which sense the Greek words speak The Hebrew Text in Amos IX 12. is thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That they may possess the remnant of Edom. But the Greek Interpreters have it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That the residue of men might seek after the Lord. where they add 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord of their own and is not the Prophets nor indeed is it in the Roman Copy but in the Alexandrian M. S. it is It is hardly worth our enquiry whether through carelessness or set design they have gone thus wide from the words of the Prophet for indeed nothing is more common with those Interpreters than to depart after that manner from the Hebrew Text. One may suspect that they did it on purpose here partly as envying so comfortable a promise
the Seventy thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every Anathema or devoted of men shall not be redeemed but shall dye the death But what is the Anathema of men The Author of Tosaphtoth answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that is condemned to death by the Sanhedrin R. Solomon saith When an Israelite devoted his man servant or his maid servant that were Canaanites to death R. Menahen saith When the Israelites in war devoted their enemies to destruction if they overcame them as was done by them Numb XXI i i i i i i Bab. Chetubb fol. 37. 2. Whence is it that when any condemned to dye by the Sanhedrin is led forth to suffer death another goes forth interceding and saying I will pay for his Redemption Whence is it I say that he saith this to no purpose Namely Thence because it is said Every Anathema of men shall not be redeemed but shall be punished with death If therefore we enquire into the original and proper nature of this Anathema it was certainly the destining of some Malefactor to most certain death and destruction Hence is that in the Chaldee paraphrast in Esa. XLIII ult Where for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will deliver Jacob to Anathema he renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will deliver him to be slain And now in reference to the words Maran-atha very many Commentators agree that this Phrase is a certain form of Excommunication and that it is the highest and heaviest Thus say they is the extremest kind of Anathema marked as though he would say Cursed be he to the coming and in the coming of the Lord. They assert this to be the third kind of Excommunication among the Jews and think that it sounds the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Schammatha and interpret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God cometh to the same sense But let me with the leave of so great men speak freely what I think in this business I. I have not found in my reading in any places although I have sought diligently in any Jewish Writers that I have perused where Maran-atha occurs once for a form of Excommunication Nor have I found in any Christian Writer the least sign whereby might be shewn in what place or in what Hebrew Author that Phrase is found in such a sense Yea to speak out plainer as the thing is I do not remember that I have found this Phrase Maran-atha in any sense at all in any Rabbinical or Talmudic Writer at any time in any place II. But those Commentators mentioned do silently confess that Maran-atha indeed in so many syllables does not occur in the Hebrew Writers but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Schammatha which speaks the same thing occurs very frequently and so they interpret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God cometh But passing over this that this interpretation seems to betray an ignorance of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from thence Schammatha is derived the Talmudists to whom that word is sufficiently common and well known produce another Etymology of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Schammatha 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l l l l l l Bab. Motd Katâ—n fol. 16. What signifies Shammatha Rabba answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sham metha There is Death Samuel answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let Death be there or come thither as it is written The curse shall come into the house of the Thief and shall lay it waste Zach. V. They have these and the like sayings but no mention in them of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God cometh What the Apostle means by Maran-atha we shall more easily trace when we shall have observed this first That the Apostle chiefly directs the dint and stroke of this Anathema and Curse against the unbelieving Jews who were most bitter enemies against the Lord Jesus and his Gospel which I cannot but think being induced thereunto by these four reasons I. Because the Jews above all other of humane race loved not the Lord Jesus neither yet do love him The Holy Scripture teaches this abundantly unhappy experience teaches it The Pagans indeed love not Christ because they knew him not but because they know him not neither do they hate him The Turks indeed love not Jesus in that manner as the Christians do but they do not hate him in that manner as do the Jews II. Because he speaks here in the Language and Dialect of the Jews namely in that Syriack phrase Maran-atha He had spoke Greek through the whole Epistle he speaks Greek in all his Epistles but when he speaks here in the Jewish Language the thing it self speaks it without all controversie that he speaks concerning the Jews III. The Jews only of all mortals called Jesus accursed see Chap. XII 1. therefore the Apostle deservedly strikes them above all other Mortals with a curse rendring like for like IV. Hither I or rather doth the Apostle bring those words of Esaiah Chap. LXV 15. Ye shall leave your name for a curse to my chosen Hither also may be brought that of Malachi Chap. IV. wherewith the Old Testament is concluded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lest I come and smite the land with Anathema a Curse Lest I come this is the same with that which the Apostle saith Maran-atha The Lord cometh And I will smite with Anathema the same with that in this verse let him be Anathema Against whom is the threatning in the Prophet Against the unbelieving Jews Against the same is both his threatning and curse of the Apostle taken methinks out of the very words of the Prophet And now you may easily fetch out the sense of the word Maran-atha The Holy Scripture speaks great and terrible things concerning the coming of Christ to punish the Nation of the Jews for their not loving yea hating Christ and treading the Gospel under foot It is called his coming in his Kingdom in the Clouds in Glory which we observe elsewhere So that I should much more readily interpret this expression Maran-atha that is our Lord cometh in this sense from this common manner of speech and which is so very usual to the Scripture than to run to I know not what Jewish form which yet is not at all to be met with among the Jews To be added to Chap. XIV THAT some light may be added to what we spake at Chap. XIV about the use of an unknown Tongue we thought it not amiss to make a brief discourse for the discussing that Question What Bibles were commonly used in the Religious Meetings of the Iews Which discourse we have laid here that the continuation of the Commentary might not be broken CHAP. I. Concerning the Hebrews and Hellenists WHEN the Hellenists and Hebrews are distinguished Act. VI. 1. it seems to be less obscure than when distinction is made between the Hellenists and the Jews Act. XI 20. For that the Hellenists were Jews almost all agree The reason of the distinction may be fetched either from their Dispersion or
spoken in Scripture of this righteousness of God and indeed never enough My righteousness is never to be revealed To bring in everlasting righteousness New Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness c. Never enough spoken never enough conceived of this Righteousness the most mysterious acting of Heaven the wonder of wonders among men the Justice of God in justifying a sinner A Divine Justice that exceeds divine Justice Divine Justice turned into Mercy You may think I speak strangely if I do it I am something excusable with Peter ravished with the Transfiguration I am upon a subject that may swallow up all minds with amazement but I clear my meaning In Rom. I. 17. It is said Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith Revealed in the Gospel not in the Law Was there no revelation of Justice till the Gospel came Yes the Law revealed Justice but it was condemning Justice as that Text speaks From faith to faith so from righteousness to righteousness Gods Justice was most divine that appeared in the Law to condemn but that Justice exceeded in the Gospel to justifie Where are they that talk of being justified by their own works Then must they have a righteousness of their own that must out-vy Gods condemning justice which is infinitely just But his own justifying justice doth out-vy it As it is said Where sin abounded Grace did superabound So where condemning Justice was glorious justifying Justice was much more glorious I said Justice was turned into mercy I say the greatest Justice into the greatest mercy How are we justified and saved By Mercy True and yet by Justice become mercy not ceasing to be Justice what it was but becoming Mercy what it was not Here is a lively Copy before you God so loveth so acteth justice that he will satisfie it upon his own Son that he might glorifie it by way of mercy on all justified His greatest mercy appeareth in this acting of his justice and you are the greatest Mercy to a people when you do them the most Justice A third and last Copy that I would set before you all that hear me this day is fairly yet seems strangly written with Gods own hand in the Gospel In divers places of the New Testament where mention is made of the Law and where you would think it meant both the Tables it comes off only with mention of the Second Matth. XIX 17. If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments You would look for all the Ten but look forward and he pitcheth only upon the second Table So Rom. XIII 8. He that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law You would look for the whole Law to be mentioned there but look forward in vers 9. and only the second Table is mentioned So Jam. II. 8. If you fulfil the Royal Law according to the Scripture c. you would look for the whole Law but he concludes all under this Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self Why where are the Duties of the first Table See how God put even all religion in the second Table As it is said Behold how he saved Lazarus so Behold how God loveth honest upright charitable dealing 'twixt man and man I shall not insist to shew you the reason of this strange passage I might tell you it is because whatsoever men pretend of Religion towards the Commands of the first Table it is nothing if it appear not in our obedience to the second I might tell you God puts you to that that is more in your own power as to obey the second Table is more so than the first But I leave the Copy in your own hands to read and comment on And when you have studied it the most you will find this to be the result how God requires how God delights in our righteous upright charitable dealings one with another A SERMON PREACHED AT HERTFORD Assise March 13. 1663. JUDG XX. 27 28. And the Children of Israel enquired of the Lord. For the ark of the Covenant of the Lord was there in those days And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron stood before it in those days AND it was time to enquire of the Lord considering their present condition and exigent and it was well they had the Ark in those days to enquire at considering the evil of those days and their exceeding wickedness And it was strange that Phinehas was then there considering the time of the story when he is thus brought in The three clauses in the Text that hint their inquiring and the manner of their inquiring and the Person by whom they inquired of the Lord and they inquired at the Ark of the Covenant and they inquired by Phinehas require each one a serious explication and each one explicated it may be will afford something of information that every one hath not observed before I. They enquired of the Lord. And it was time to enquire indeed when business went so crosly with them that though the Lord himself had encouraged them to that war yet they lose so many thousands in the battel At their first mustering they ask counsel of God and he allows their quarrel and appoints their Captain vers 18. And the Children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God and asked counsel of God and said which of us shall go up first to the battle against the Children of Benjamin And the Lord said Judah shall go up first And yet when they come to fight they lose two and twenty thousand men vers 21. They ask counsel of God again and he bids them go up and yet when they come to fight again they lose eighteen thousand men more And now after the loss of forty thousand men they inquire again and indeed it was very full time But what was it they inquired about If why they thus fell when God himself had encouraged them to the War which was a very just Quaere Had I or you been there we might have resolved them without an Oracle There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee O Israel and a very strange accursed thing that it is not strange that thou canst not stand but fallest thus before thine enemies In the Chapter before a Levites Concubine plays the whore and runs from him and as he fetches her again she is paid in her kind and whored with at Gibeah till it cost her her life Hereupon all Israel musters in arms as one man and solemnly vows and resolves to avenge her quarrel But in the Chapter before that Idolatry is publickly set up in the Tribe of Dan. And in the Chapter before that it is publickly enough set up in the Town of Micah and yet not one man that stands up or stirs in the quarrel of the Lord. Oh Israel that art thus zealous in the quarrel of a Whore and hast been no whit zealous in the cause of the Lord it is no wonder if thou fall and fall
whom the ends of the World are come Not the very best times of the World for the World hath lasted sixteen hundred years since Paul spake that and how long yet it may last who knoweth but the end of that old World of the Jewish State which then hasted on very fast In the same sense are the words of our Apostle in his first Epistle Chap. IV. 7. The end of all things is at hand Not the end the World but of that City Nation and oeconomy the like is that James V. 9. Behold the Judge standeth before the door and divers other of the like nature III. The vengance of Christ upon that people in that final destruction is set out and called his coming his coming in his Kingdom and in clouds and with power and great glory His coming Joh. XXI 22. In his Kingdom Matth. XVI ult In power and glory Matth. XXIV 30. Nor is this any figure for observe vers 34. This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled Accordingly the day of that vengeance is called The day of the Lord. IV. The state of the Church and Gospel after that dissolution of that old World is called sometimes the World to come Heb. II. 5. sometimes new Heavens and new Earth as in the Text sometimes all things new as II Cor. V. 17. Old things are past away behold all things are become new So that by this time you see plainly the meaning of our Apostle at this place In the verses before he speaks of the dissolution of the Jewish Church and State in such terms as the Scripture useth to express it by as if it were the dissolution of the whole World And in the words of the Text of the new face and state of the Church and World upon the dissolution when a new people and new oeconomy took place We according to his promise The promise is in Esa. LXV 17. For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth Where if you look into the context before you shall find the sense justified that I put upon the words and these new Heavens and new Earth created after the Jews casting off and destruction It is a strange opinion that would perswade you that the most glorious things that are foretold by the Prophets should come to pass when the Jews are called which calling is yet expected whereas those glorious things are plainly enough intimated to come to pass at the Jews casting off I might name many places I shall not expatiate upon that subject here this very Chapter speaks enough to justifie what I say In the second verse God complains I have spred out my hands all the day long to a rebellious people This the Apostle in the tenth of the Romans and the last applies unto that people But to Israel he saith All the day long have I stretched forth my hand to a disobedient and gainsaying people The Prophet along the Chapter telleth what shall become of that people At vers 6. I will not keep silence but will recompence even recompence into their basom Your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together saith the Lord which have burnt incense upon the mountains and blasphemed me upon the hills therefore c. At vers 12. I will number you to the sword and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter At vers 13. Behold my servants shall eat but ye shall be hungry c. At vers 15. You shall leave your name for a curse to my chosen And then follows the promise that is related to in the Text For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth Though you are gone yet all the World shall not be gone with you For though I destroy my old people the old Heavens and Earth of the old oeconomy yet I shall provide my self a new people of the Gentiles when the Jews shall be a people no more and when that old World is destroyed I will create new Heavens and a new Earth Such another passage is that of our Saviour Matth. XXIV 31. where when he had described the ruine of the Jewish Nation in the terms we have spoken of before and it might be questioned what then shall become of a Church and where shall it be The Son of man saith he shall send his Angels or Ministers with the sound of the trumpet of the Gospel and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of the Heaven to the other among all Nations Thus had Peter read this great promise in Esay the Evangelical Prophet thus had he heard it from the mouth of the great Prophet his sacred Master and therefore it is no wonder if when it is confirmed by the mouth of two such witnesses he undoubtedly look for new Heavens and a new Earth according to such a promise But what is meant by righteousness in this place 1. Not Gods primitive or distributive righteousness or justice for that was ever Gen. XVIII The Judge of all the World did right ever since the World was In the old World in all the World and the same for this yesterday and to day and for ever 2. Not that men were more righteous toward the latter end of the World than before as some dream of such glorious things yet to come for there is no such promise in all the Scripture True indeed that promise of such glorious things was in the last days of Jerusalem but where is any promise of any such things in the last days of the World 3. Nor doth it mean the glorified estate for where do you find righteousness applied to that estate It is commonly applied to the state of believers here 4. Therefore it means justification of sinners or that righteousness by which they are justified The righteousness of God which is witnessed by the Law and the Prophets Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe as the Apostle most divinely doth expound it This is the righteousness that is so gloriously spoken of throughout all the Scriptures Dan. IX 24. To bring in everlasting righteousness Esa. LVI 1. My righteousness is near to be revealed to which that is agreeable Rom. I. 17. In the Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith Why Was not the righteousness of God revealed in all times before Was not his justice revealed in the Law Yea his condemning justice but his justifying justice in the Gospel This the meaning of the Apostle here That as God had promised to Create new Heavens and a new Earth a new Church and People and oeconomy among the Gentiles when the old Judaick one should be destroyed so in this new created World justifying righteousness should dwell most evidently and appear most glorious when such abominable ones as the Gentiles had been should be justified Justifying righteousness had shewed it self in the World in all generations from Adam and righteous Abel
will become of you when you die When as you have been taught from your child-hood He that forsaketh his Judaism shall have no part in the World to come You forsook to follow a certain Jesus have forsaken the Religion of your Fathers and what will you do in the latter end when ye come to die Why saith the Apostle Doubt not but as many as sleep in Jesus Jesus will bring with him and raise them even as God raised Jesus Now this might trouble the minds of the Apostles They had forsaken their Judaism and turned their backs upon the Religion they had been trained up in from their cradle to follow the new doctrine and precepts of their Master and now their Master is going from them and what have they to comfort themselves against that dagger-doctrine He that forsakes his Judaism c. why Let not your hearts be troubled ye believe in God be not affraid to believe also in me on the terms that I have told you even to the forsaking of your Judaism and to the embracing of my new way of administration For in my Fathers house are many mansions Mansions for you that believe in me as well as for them that under Judaism believe in the Father mansions for them under the Gospel administration under which I have brought you as well as for them that are under Legal administrations which you have left If it were not so I would have told you and will not deceive you III. It was a common and received doctrine and opinion of the Nation that Messias should have a pompous Kingdom that he should give splendid entertainment to his followers upon earth feasting banqueting great state and bravery And the Apostles themselves were not yet cleared of that opinion as appears by the request of Zebedees sons that one of them might sit on his right hand and the other on his left in his Kingdom and by that question of the Disciples Act. I. 6. c. Lord wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel c. Now these poor men took Jesus indeed for the Messias but as yet they have seen no such entertainment at all They poor and their Master poor too He so far from giving any such treatment that he had not where himself to lay his own head and they so far from finding any such entertainment that they had met with nothing but poverty danger contempt and obloquy And now their Master is going from them and what is become now of their expectation of that bravery and Kingdom Why Let not your hearts be troubled I have noble entertainment for you but that is not to be here but in my Fathers house and thither I am going to prepare it and a place for you and I will come again and take you to my self to treat you there So that reading the words with the foil and set off of those two opinions which help to illustrate the sence by reflexion you may observe in them these Two things I. That Christs entertainment of his people is in Heaven II. That there they all meet in that blessed entertainment though here they were under various and different administrations Many mansions in the Text speaks not several and divided places in Heaven as the several Cabbins in Noahs Ark but it reflects upon the many administrations they were severally under upon earth though under various and different and almost contrary administrations on earth yet all meet in his Fathers house for there are many mansions and there is the place of his entertaining them I shall not need to prove that by his Fathers house he meaneth Heaven the very words following I go to prepare c. make that plain enough But I shall speak to both the Propositions before us as it were twistedly together in the method in which Christ acteth as to the things spoken of And first this I. Christ saw it good to bring his Church through various administrations of the matters of Religion and of the way of Salvation I say not through various Religions and ways of Salvations but through various administrations of the matters of Religion and of the way of Salvation before the Law under the Law and under the Gospel I shall not need to clear this in particulars it is so conspicuous and so well known to all that it were but expence of time to insist upon the proof of it Only let me say this upon it that God used these various administrations to his Church according to the diversity of the age of that mystical body Child-hood nonage and consistency And this the Apostle speaks plainly for me Gal. IV. at the beginning where he tells us that as the heir in nonage differs nothing from a Servant but is under Tutors and Governors and subjection so we when we were Children that is while Christs body was under age were in bonduge under the rudiments of the World till the fulness of time come Before the Law the Church was in its child-hood small and little confined within the compass of one or few families and then God brought it up upon his own knees documenting it as a mother does her child beford she send it to School with his own lively Voice in Visions Revelations or his own Words spoken from Heaven When it grew bigger and so very numerous in Egypt God then set it forth to School under the written Law a School-Master as the Apostle calls it and a sharp one too and it was no more than needed that it should be put under the lash and ferule of so severe a discipline For now the youth began to wax wanton and to forsake God that had so tenderly brought it up and to betake it self to the Idols of Egypt as Ezekiel tells you in his twentieth Chapter Therefore to School child to School under the lash of a seveer Law to keep under that youthfulness that was so ready to grow exorbitant And in this School the Church yet under age was under a twofold administration viz. under the Law with Prophets and Revelations under the first Temple and under the Law without Prophets and Revelations under the second At last comes in the Gospel and the Church is taken from School and put to the University and how it comes up to perfect manliness the Gentiles are called in and that makes up the compleat body It might be an Inquiry why the Church was to grow up towards consistency three thousand nine hundred twenty eight years viz. ere Christ came That is the perfect man and the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ which the Apostle speaks of Ephes. IV. 13. which some conceive to mean the stature of the bodies of the Saints when they shall rise from the dead just proportionated to the stature of Christs body when he died which is as far from the meaning of the Apostle as it is from hence to the Resurrection but he means the perfect growth and full
Will so to do And that it is his Will so to do he hath given assurance in that he hath appointed a day wherein to judge the world in righteousness by the man that he hath ordained And of that appointment and ordaining he hath given assurance in that he raised him from the dead And so we are come to the second part of our task or the second thing that I named to be spoken viz. the assurance that God hath given of the Judgment to come and more particularly of that whereby he hath assured that Christ shall be Judge viz. in that he raised from dead The assurance God hath given of the Judgment to come we may distinguish into verbal and real Assurance that he hath given in his Word and in his Providential dispensation I need not to insist upon his verbal assurances of the certainness that he hath given of such a thing in Word for he that runs may read them Such as these Eccles. XI 9. XII ult II Cor. V. 10. and multitudes of passages to the same purpose So that the Apostle reckons Eternal Judgment for one of the fundamental Articles of our Christian Faith and that it is so clearly asserted that he finds he needs not to insist much upon the proving of it Heb. VI. 2. And as the verbal assurances that God hath given of this in Scripture are so very many so the real ones that he hath given in his dispensations are not few I shall but mention some and pitch only upon this mentioned in the Text Christs Resurrection I. Was not the Judgment of all the World by Water in the days of Noah a prognostication and assurance of the Judgment to come at the end of the World Certainly they must need conclude so that thinks that Peter speaks of the last Judgment in II Epistle III. 6 7. where he hath these words The World that then was being overflowed with water perished But the Heaven and Earth that now are are kept in store reserved unto fire II. Was not the Judgment and sad conflagration of Jerusalem and destruction of the Jewish Church and Nation an assurance of the Judgment to come when the expressions whereby it is described are such as you think they meant nothing else but that final Judgment As Christs coming coming in clouds in his glory in his Kingdom The day of the Lord the great and terrible day of the Lord The end of the World the end of all things The Sun darkned the Moon not giving light The Stars falling from Heaven and the powers of Heaven shaken The sign of the Son of man appearing in Heaven Heaven departing as a scroll rolled together and every mountain and hill removed out of its place c. You would think they meant nothing but the last and universal Judgment whereas their meaning indeed is Christs coming in Judgment and vengeance against the Jewish City and Nation but a fore signification also of the last Judgment III. I might speak of particular fearful judgments upon persons and places Are not they assurances of the Judgment to come I am sure the Apostle Peter raiseth them to such a signification in his second Epistle and second Chapter where when he had mentioned the Judgment of the Angels that fell of the Judgment of the old World by water and of Sodom by fire he makes this conclusion vers 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the ungodly to the day of Judgment to be punished IV. Are not the Tribunals and Judicatures that God hath set up on Earth assurances that he hath given of a final Judgment to come Upon which we may take up the stile of the Psalmist in Psal. XCIV 9. He that planted the car shall he not hear So he that hath erected Judicatures shall not he Judge V. Is not the Judicature that he hath set up in every mans soul an undoubted assurance of the Judgment coming Where the Conscience as one very well defines it is Praejudicum judicii A foretaste a Preface to the Judgment to come VI. And lastly The very prospering of the wicked in this World and the affliction of the righteous is an undoubted assurance that the day is coming when both the one and other is to be judged according to their works and receives a reward according to their works And with this very Argument Will. Tyrius in his bello sacro relates that he satisfied Amalrich King of Jerusalem when he desired him to give him some proof of this very point So that that very prosperity in this World that deâ—â—ives Atheistical men to think there shall be no Judgment is continually a growing argument that there shall Upon all these things I might have spoken very largely but I hasten to that assurance that is in the Text viz. The Resurrection of Christ may give assurance to all the World of his coming to Judgment It is worth your observing these two things about the Jews asking a sign from our Saviour 1. That he ever denies to give them a sign Matth. XII 39. He wrought signs and wonders among them above number but he would never work that that should be a mere sign His healing diseases c. were not mere signs but were benefits by miracle wrought for the People as the Plagues on Egypt were not mere signs but punishments wrought by miracle 2. That he still when they asked a sign referred them to his Resurrection Joh. II. when he whips the buyers and sellers out of the Temple and they ask him what sign shewest thou seeing thou doest these things He refers them thither vers 19. Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up speaking of the Temple of my body So Matth. XII 39. when the Scribes and Pharisees are at it Master we would see a sign from thee he still refers to his Resurrection No sign shall be given but the sign of the Prophet Jonas As Jonah was three days and three night buried in the Whales belly but rose again and was cast alive on shore so shall the Son of man be buried and rise again And why thus refer them still to his Resurrection Because that was the great sign and demonstration that he was the Missias the Son of God Rom. I. 4. Declared to be the Son of God with power by his Resurrection from the dead And Observe that allegation of the Apostle Act. XIII 33. God hath raised up Jesus as it is also written in the second Psalm Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Was this Resurrection day the day of the Lords begetting him was that the first day that he was the Son of God It was the day that he was first declared in full power and that it was manifest that he was the Son of God It was the day of his Victory and putting on his Kindom the day of his Trophea and Triumph and the sign that he was the Son of
and all destroyed before Christ came in the flesh as is apparently to be observed there They were the Babylonian Mede-Persian Grecian and Syro-Grecian and after them rose the fift this of the Roman And which is observable and which may be observed out of Roman Records It began most properly to be a Monarchy that very year that our Saviour was born as might be shewed out of Dion c. if material and so Christ and this Roman Beast born and brought forth at the very same time Well the Devil gave his Seat and Power to this Beast this City If you look for any thing but Devilishness and mischief from it you look for Grapes of Thorns and Figs of Thistles True there was in the beginning of the Gospel a flock of Christ there holy and their Faith famous Rom. I. 8. but poor men they were underlings and of no power We speak of Rome in its pomp and power acting in its authority and dominion as it ruled over all the World and as it was invested in the Authority and Seat of the Dragon himself And why did the Devil give his Seat and Power and great Authority to it You may easily guess for what viz. that it should be an enemy to that and them to whom he himself was chiefly an Enemy Christ and his Gospel and his People We cannot say that Rome conquered Nations and subdued Kingdoms by the power of the Dragon so properly as that Rome fought against Christ and his Gospel and People by the power of the Dragon And this was the very end why the Dragon gave him his Seat and Power And that City hath done that work for her Lord and Master the Dragon as faithfully zealously constantly as the Dragon himself could have done For indeed the spirit of the Dragon hath all along acted her and been in her The first cast of her office for her Master and which shews what she would do all along for him was that she murthered Christ himself the Lord of life I said before that it is not said of the Monarchies before that the Dragon gave his power and his seat and great authority to them nor indeed could it so properly be said of them as of Rome For the Dragon had something for Rome to do which they did not could not viz. to murther the Saviour of the World the Lord of Glory In Rev. XI 8. where mention is made of the witnesses Prophesying and being martyred it is said Their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great City which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified When you hear of the City where our Lord was crucified you will think of Jerusalem but when you hear of the great City this Apostle teaches us to look at Rome And who can but observe that which our Saviour himself saith concerning himself Luke XVIII 32 33. The Son of man shall be delivered to the Gentiles and shall be mocked and spitefully entreated and spitted on And they shall scourge him and put him to death Who was it that so spitefully entreated and put to death the Son of God The Gentiles And who those Gentiles The Evangelists tells you who Pilate the Roman Governor and the Roman Souldiers and that by the Authority and Tyranny of Rome and in the cause of Rome that would have no King but Cesar. There were two Nations that had a hand in the conspiracy of Christs murther the Jew and the Roman and whether of them deeper in the murther The Evangelists tell and the Jews themselves tell that the Roman must do it or it could not be done Joh. XVIII 31. Pilate said unto them Take ye him and judge him according to your Law the Jews therefore said unto him It is not lawful for us to put any man to death Therefore thou must do it or it will not be done And he did it And now as Hannibals father brought him to an Altar and engaged him in an oath to be an enemy to Rome so let me bring your thoughts to Christs cross and engage your hearts in such another enmity Christian it was Rome that murthered thy Saviour and need I to say any more As oft as you read repeat the History of our Saviours bitter passion remember Rome for it was Rome that caused him so to suffer and Pontius Pilate brought him to it by the Authority of Rome And the very frame of the Article in the Creed Suffered under Pontius Pilate hints you to observe and remember such a thing For if it had meant to intimate Christs sufferings only it had been enough to have said He suffered without saying any more but when he saith He suffered under Pontius Pilate it calls you to think of that Power and Tyranny by which he suffered viz. the Power and Tyranny of Rome which Pontius Pilate the Roman Governor acted and exercised And here let us argue with a Romanist according to the cue of his own Logick He saith Peter was at Rome c. Ergo. We argue likewise Pilate was at Jerusalem c. Ergo. Here was a sad beginning and that which speaks plainly why it was that the Devil made Rome his Deputy and invested it in his Seat and Power viz. that it might murther his great enemy the Lord Christ. And this was but too plain a prognostick what it would do to the members of Christ in succeeding generations which how it did there are so many thousand stories written in blood that I need not to mention them I might begin with the Ten Persecutions raised by the Heathen Emperors against the Professors of Christ and his Gospel wherein so many thousand poor Christians were destroyed with the most exquisite torments that could be invented and whereby that City and Empire shewed how zealously it wrought for its Master and would not spare the dry tree when it had cut down the green would not spare Christ in his members who had so little spared him himself in his own person But a Papist will say True indeed Heathen Rome was even as you say but Papal Rome is of another kind of temper It is the Church of Christ the Mother Church the chief of Churches It was Babylon and Sodom and Egypt in the Heathen Emperors time and the seat of the Devil but under the Popes it is Jerusalem Sion and the City of God I should ask him that pleads thus one question and ere ever I should turn Romanist I I. would be resolved of but I doubt the infallible chair it self is not able to resolve it and that is this Whence it is that since the Jew that had a hand in murthering Christ hath laid under a curse ever since and hath been utterly cast off of God for it and is like to be to the end how comes it to pass that the Roman that had a hand as deep in that horrid act if not deeper should be so blessed as to be the only people and
other standers by reviled him with If he be Christ let him come down from the Cross And let God deliver him if he will have him And so it doth magnifie Divine grace the more if it checkt him in his very reviling and made that tongue that reproached Christ in the very next instant to confess and adore him So Saul was happily checked even while he was breathing rage and revenge against the Church and he brought to be a most special member and minister in it The cause of this mans Conversion we must all ascribe to Gods infinite grace and goodness But the means that that grace and goodness used for his conversion I cannot but ascribe to these two things a Doctrine and a Miracle as in those times Doctrines and Miracles went very commonly together I. I cannot but suppose that the darkness that then began to be over all the Land wrought something with this man to bring him to some consideration with himself of the present case which he had not before His fellow Thief it seems was not moved with it at all but I cannot but believe that This was so deeply affected with it that it proved a means of his Conversion They both of them knew very well that Jesus suffered meerly because he professed himself to be the Christ. That is plain by their saying to him If thou be the Christ save thy self and us And now this man seeing so strange an occurence as had been not seen or heard of at any mans Execution before begins to be convinced that he was the Christ indeed for whom such a wondrous miracle was wrought and manifested And then II. It may very probably be conceived that he remembred those passages of the Prophet Esay describing his Passion and suffering Chap. LIII and particularly that vers 12. He was numbred with the transgressors A clause which the Jewish Expositors wrest some one way some another because they cannot abide to hear of Messias sufferings But which we may very well think that as Divine grace brought his Soul to the acknowledgment of Christ so it brought also that prediction of Christs sufferings and with such company to his remembrance as a means to work him to that acknowledgment For how might he argue This Jesus after all the great miracles that he hath done agreeable to the working of Messiah hath asserted and maintained that he is Messiah to the very death this strange and wondrous darkness that is begun over all the Land cannot but bear witness to such a thing And when it is so plainly prophesied by the Prophet Esay that he should suffer and be numbred with such Malefactors as I and my fellow are I am past all doubting that this Jesus is the promised Messiah Therefore He said unto Jesus Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom A great faith that can see the Sun under so thick a Cloud that can discover a Christ a Saviour under such a poor scorned despised crucified Jesus and call him Lord. A great Faith that when he sees Jesus struggling for his own life and no deliverer come to him yet sees reason to cast himself upon him for his Eternal state and Everlasting condition and pray to him Lord remember me A great Faith that could see Christs Kingdom through his cross and grave and death and where there was so little sign of a Kingdom and pray to be remembred in that Kingdom I doubt the Apostles reached not to such a Faith in all particulars They acknowledged Jesus indeed to be Christ while he lived but when he is dead they are at it We trusted that it had been he that should have redeemed Israel Luk. XXIV 21. But now they could not tell what to make of it But this man when he is dying doth so stoutly own him They looked for a Kingdom that Christ should have indeed but they little looked that Christ should suffer and so enter into his kingdom as it is intimated in the same Chapter vers 26. But this man looks for it through and after his sufferings That it is no wonder if he sped at the hands of Christ when he brings so strong a Faith with him and that when he pours out his Prayer Lord remember me c. in such strength of believing it is no wonder if he hear from him in whom he so believes Verily I say unto thee To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise And could such a Faith be without a parallel and sutable measure of Repentance Our Saviour very well saw that it was not And the Evangelist gives some intimation that it was not For he tells that he confessed his own fault which is one sign of his Repentance We are here justly and receive the due reward of our doings And that he reproveth his fellow and would fain have reduced him which is another Fearest thou not God seeing thou art in the same condemnation And that he pleadeth for the innocency of Christ which is a third This man hath done nothing amiss And in what words and meditations he spent the three or four hours more that he hung alive upon the Cross it is easie to conjecture though the Evangelist hath spoken nothing of it The great sum and tenor of the Gospel is Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved And as Christ himself did seal the truth of the Gospel with his own death so was he pleased that that main truth of the Gospel should be proved and confirmed by this noble and notable example even whilst he was dying And accordingly it hath pleased the Spirit of God to give a demonstration of this mans believing in the Lord Jesus Christ more copiously and apparently than of his repantence though he hath given very fair demonstration of that also That as all posterity was to read that great Doctrine of Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ for Salvation so they might have this illustrious and lively Commentary of the truth and proof of it in this mans believing and in his Salvation And now having seen this great monument of Faith and Repentance and Pardon What say we to it As the Evangelists tell us that they that had seen the passages at Christs death returned from the Cross striking upon their breasts and no doubt very full of cogitations So what are the thoughts of our hearts upon this passage which was not the least remarkable among them A great matter that the light of the Suu should be so darkned and not a small that such a dark soul should be so enlightned A great matter that the Earth should quake the Rocks rent and the Vail of the Temple be torn from top to bottom and not a small matter that such a stupid soul should be moved that such a strong heart should be dissolved broken and brought to softness The spactators then present considered of those things Our present work is to consider of these and what do we think of them I
move not the question without reason because many men assume vain hopes from such demonstrations of mercy as these without any ground Therefore instead of looking what use may be made of this passage let us consider that we make not an abuse of it And the Apostle Peter gives the proper reason of it Because they wrest the scripture to their own destruction 2 Pet. III. 16. Here are things recorded indeed that may justly be admired for their excellency by Men and Angels the wondrous power of grace in converting such a sinner the wondrous readiness of Christ in pardoning such a sinner and the infinite mercy of God in saving such a sinner And yet even Manna it self the bread of Angels proves worms and rottenness and stink to those that use it not aright as well as it proves wholesome and pleasant food to those that do It is but too common with the rotten heart of Man to misconstrue such demonstrations of mercy to the more boldness in sinning and to make most base conclusions from most noble premises Here is a great and notorious sinner pardoned he is pardoned upon his first begging of pardon he begged not pardon till he was just in dying and yet was pardoned And therefore thinks the carnal heart I hope I shall as easily obtain pardon and though I put off my seeking of pardon still and still yet I hope I shall find it as well as he when I seek it And Men that put off repentance and seeking pardon and salvation from day to day and from year to year do but speak too plain that they are of the same thoughts though their tongue do not confess and it may be their hearts take no notice of it neither The Thief 's Petition we may the better understand if we consider some Doctrines of II. the Jewish Nation in which he was trained in his Religion if he had any at all which laid against his present thoughts will make his Petition appear the more pious I. It was the common Doctrine in their Schools and Pulpits That a condemned Malefactor when he was to go to Execution if he made but confession of his sins that that and his death did expiate for his sins To that Doctrine about Death expiating for sin which was their Doctrine in that case and all others do those words of our Saviour relate when he saith The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven neither in this life nor in that which is to come Which words Papists abuse to maintain forgiveness of sins by Purgatory in the world to come whereas our Saviours meaning is that it shall never be forgiven either before death nor by death it self as the Jews held it might Now it is very likely this Man had been at his Confession and by his Confession had been encouraged to expect expiation of his sin by that and by his death But now that serveth not his turn his mind is not satisfied with that but he finds something else is needful viz. To trust in the Messias and to be saved by him And therefore being satisfied now that Christ is He he addresseth himself to him in that Petition That he would remember him and that through him he might find and obtain Salvation For to that tenor does his request run Lord remember me c. II. It was the common Doctrine of the Nation that they needed nothing from Messias for redemption but only that he would deliver them from their dispersion and from under the yoke of the Heathen They speak this out in plain terms in their Writings For as for justification and salvation they thought they could do that by their own works And as for teaching and instruction they concluded that they had as much as they needed or as could possibly be contributed to them by their Traditions which they dreamed God delivered to Moses at Mount Sinai But this man you see looks upon the deliverance by the Messias with another kind of eye He values it at its proper rate viz. That his Redemption is the Redemption of Souls that it is as the Apostle most truly calls it Eternal redemption and thereupon he bequeaths his departing soul to his goodness for its eternal welfare III. The Scriptures had taught that Messias should have a Kingdom and their Schools had taught That this Kingdom must be an earthly pompous flourishing Kingdom that he should restore the Kingdom to Israel as the Apostles phancy Act. I. 6. And that Israel should enjoy that Kingdom in all worldly prosperity and earthly flourishing But this man you see looks upon his Kingdom under another notion he looks for his reigning in Heaven rather than upon Earth and his Saints reigning there eternally with him And accordingly he begs that he may obtain that like felicity from him and that he may have interest in that blessedness Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom Who taught him this wisdom we need not to ask if we but consider who or what it was that brought him to his conversion Divine grace must have the honour of all attributed to it and so no doubt did he attribute it with all his soul and ascribed it to his Divine goodness Whose further goodness he still begs that he would consummate that grace in glory and compleat what he had begun in his Everlasting Kingdom And now look upon the Man thus converted thus inlightned and thus praying and we may say of him as our Saviour of the Syro-Phenician Woman the title of the sex only changed O Man great is thy Faith In our Saviours Answer we may observe his ready granting the Thief 's Petition and his II. assuring the Man that it was granted His granting of it Thou shalt be with me in Paradise His readiness of granting it that it should be accomplished that very day This day shalt thou be with me And his giving him assurance of it Verily I say unto thee What is meant by Paradise hath been some dispute Some not thinking it means the compleat state of blessedness in Heaven but something short of it but how much short of it it is not worth the examining I believe the blessed Apostle that was rapt into the third Heaven or into Paradise and he makes them one and the same thing would determine the question after another manner and assure us that where he heard those unutterable things that he heard was in the highest Heavens where is the throne of God and the habitation of the blessed When I think of mens wresting such passages of mercy as these to their own destruction I remember that cross conclusion that the Chief Priests and Scribes make upon very good premises Act. IV. 19. That indeed a notable miracle is done by these men is manifest to all them that dwell at Jerusalem and we cannot deny it What then Therefore let us take care that this doctrine spread no further Whereas the direct contrary had been the