had all theyr actiones as opened in a book before his judgement throne made a riddance of them by the day that he was to com into the world And joyneth vnto theyr vtter consumption his coming in the cloudes of heauen ascention vnto the Everlasting throne promised vnto Dauid There the Romanes begin theyr dealinges vvill rule over the King of heauen till they crucified the God of glory Wherfor they are pictured after the tenour of all Daniels fower in one The Lion the beare the fourheaded Leopard the fourth the ten-horned giue them armes to make one of them fower a beaste ten-horned colored like a Leopard footed as a bear and mouthed like a Lion Theyr tribute or taxe over the world fell out euen vvith the time that Christ the God of heauen came from the father into this vvorld And Daâ—el taught vpon Babels fall vvhen God vvold by his ovvne blood open an Eternall Kingdome to them that beleued in him and vvhen God in Christ wold enter into the vvorke of the tabernacle euen begining 30 yeres in the flesh So the faithfull savv vvhen the son wold dvvell in our tabernaâ—le of Abrahams sede whose familie knovven rightly of fevv perverted by â—evves vvith many questiones depending heron I open to all Christianes first shevv at the Entrance the reason of severall beginnigeâ— in the holy men that spell or speak vnto vs of God come in the flesh Of S. Mathews beginning from Abraham The full purpose of S. Mathew concerning the Kingdome of the Iewes I will handle at large in due place Now the reasons of Abraham made the beginnig may be touched only 1. Abraham vvas the first man to whom Christ was promised in plain termes that in his sede all the families of the earth should be blessed So a beginning from him is fit for Iewes and heathen 2. In that Eue had a promess that Christ should destroy the workes of Satan who destroyed the vorld Kild Adam to be dead in sin to leaue this world our Lord his justice and death resurrection ascension restoring Adams soule to justice the new world wherein justices dwelleth all these poinctes are closly taught But contemned by the blinded of Satan who delite to be vnwittj vvill not so much strain theyr care as to vnderstand vvhat God speaketh Novv to Abraham matters vvere shevved playner that the destroyer of Satans workes should come of him after death should be reuiued figured by Melchisedek as Abraham Sara dead from strength of generation yet by faith vvere quickened and iustified by faith So they should be vvho beleued in God that raiseth Christ from the dead For these causes the beginng of the Nevv T. is fitly taken from Abraham Of S. Marc. S. Marc dravveth his entrance from the last prophet vvâ—â—â— Iohn Babtist is foreshevved from Esays comfort vpon spech of the fall of Babel vvhich matter vvas plainly expounded foâ— time vvhen Cyrus destroyed Babel Marc his Gospell is of half a seauen to shevv Christ his teaching of the covenant for many And as God vvold haue S. Mark to fortify the Angels Chronicle for the time So he vvould haue the other thre Euangelistes to hasten to the same As S. Mathevv doth vvhen he told that our Lord dvvelt in Narazet as in the volume of the prophetes Es xj he is called Nazer in the Babylon Thalmud in Chelek Nazor is the name of the son of Dauid Presently after Thalmadique handling of that his name he cometh to the Angel Gabrieis half seauen so doth S. Luke S. Iohn hasten to the preaching of Malachj the sonne of Zacharj Wherby any might marveile hovv the Ievves could misse to receaue the King of glory coming to his ovvne hovvs And thus all the four evangelistes shevved care to fottifie that part And God vvold haue it famous turning it into a proverbe for afflictiones conformable to the afflictiones of Christ by allâ—sioâ— to that time That the afflictiones for Christ should be called the afflictiones of dayes 1260. or of a time tvvo times half a time monethes forty tvvo So by allusiones our Gracious Lord teacheth vs to mark the four evangelistes for the half seauen of our Lordes preaching specially S. Mark to go back with him to Daniel And our Lords ovvne tongue doth call vs to marke the time in the Parable of the fig tree fruteles hindering the Earth Which spech may be gathered to be six monthes before the cursed fig tree vvithered As Bucholkerus maketh a goodly comparison of that Parable of our Lordes half seauen So our Lord calleth vs from Elias Baptist vnto Elias the Thisbite hovv in his time heauen vvas shut three yeres six monethes vvarning that synce the heauens vvere opened at his baptisme vntil his soule should returne from the cross to heauen yeres should be three six monethes Novv the gathering of Elias times in the first of the Kinges vvold require long labour But vve may be sure it vvas vvell knovven amonge the Thalmudignes as S. Iames speaking to the Thalmudique maner sayth that Elias prayâ—â— stayd raine three yeres six monethes Thus the time of our Lords preaching is svvetely compared vvith other Scriptures vve may be sure that our Lord spake the truth seing ouâ— Lord told in Daniel ch 7. 12. That Antiochus should croâ—â— the lavves offring a time tvvo â—imes an half He vvold haue his time for sanctifying the temple to be as vvell Knovven as vvell measured seing the allusion Ap. 12. of a time tvvo times half a time is taken from his preaching In what moneth S. Marke beginneth his story the rest the opening of the heauens by the second Elias Because our Lord was baptized even beginnig thirty to open the Kingdome by teaching the covenant to many three yeres six moneth Seing his soules passage from the crosse to the fathes is certen in the fiftenth of Nisan So his birth Baptisme should be in the seauenth moneth Aethanim Which vvas the first moneth after the creation of the world Of the moneth Ethanim or September It may somwhat help to mark old story of Aethanim from 1. Kinges â— 2. All Israel assembled to the King Salomon in the moneth Aethanim in the feast that is the seauenth moneth And the sacrificers brought the Ark of the covenant of the Eternal vnto his place vnto the Dabyr vnto the holy of holy the Cherubim spred theyr vvinges over the place oâ— the ark This so Solemne should haue antitypon awnswearable in high matter And what thing els can be but that the most holy was manifest in his temple the army of Angels spredâ— theyr winges to haue him honored at his coming then into the world The explication story of the moneth Aethanim The most Lerned Chaldy paraphast IonathaÌ„ speaketh thus of Aethanim It is the moneth of the
ancient they called it the first moneth of festiuity But now it is the seauen moneth Thus Dauid Kimchj doth expound him Aethanim or strength is the month wherin they gathered the fructs encrease of the earth to theyr houses For that cause it is called the feast of gathering frutes So Aethanim meaneth strength fructes entrease of the earth be the life of a man And some of our doctoures expound Aethanim the moneth in which the fathers were borne The stay Aethanim of the world as the spech Mich. 7. 2. Heare ye mountaâ—ies ye strong foundationes of the earth Others call it Aethaâ—im from the strength of the lawes that are geuen for this moneth â—â—th feastes lawes So Ralbag sayth I think it called the moneth Athanim for the feastes the strong teaching iustice which â—re in this moneth This for Ralbag The first day had the trumpets the tenth expiation the fiftenth the feast of tabernacles for eight dayes And Ionathans wordes cited of me afore be thus expounded of Camchj Before the time that Israel came from Aegypt Tisri or Aethanim was the first moneth For in Tisri the world was made And by reason that the Children of Israel came from Aegypt in Nisan it became the head of monethes Tisri became the seauenth For so the blessed God sayd vnto them This moneth shal be vnto you the first of monethes To you by reason that to the rest of the world it is not first For Tisri is the first And this much for the moneth So Iohn Baptist well might begin the first day assemble vnto him much People fourtene dayes And our I ord come to him the fiftenth day when they had lerned of the stronger then the Baptist who wold baptize with the holy Ghost with fyer So the four Evangelistâ—s Celebrating the Baptisme celebrat the birth which was the same day 29. full yeres So as the first Adam the other to Noah came to the world that moneth Christ should come that time was fittest for Caesar to bid men resort to theyr cities most likely that shepheardes wold yet be abroad with theyr ship fittest for men to go into a riuer naked to be Baptized And by Daniels half seauen Iohn brought in Baptisme for heathen as Dauid Salomon only Baptized proselytes Maimony in Asure Bia tract 12 13. And yf his warrant had not bene sure plain from Daniel none might haue com to him for Baptisme So our Lord begining a new yere of his age then shewed the same time of moneth to haue geven vs his coming into the world And the Rabbines in Middras Rabba conclude that Messias shal be borne in Aethanim or Tisrj full of feastes to teach of him And God appointed no feastes for the winter because of the vnseasonablenes of the weather Chrysostome mistaking Iohns fathers story thinking that he ministred not in june but in September began to disgrace the state of the Gospell Hence Turk Iew scoph that we place the byrth where the conception should be and can yeld no reason of our Gospels narrationes which we make most vnlikely to be true And Arias Montanus helpes Chrysostom that Zacharie should be high sacrificer Wheras all Iewes know that the Candelstick Table altar of incense were without dayly gone to by the ordinarie sacrificers Elias four times made the begining of Daniels half seauen might haue taught the Iewes a sure note what Elias Malachj spake off Now the end of all the Evangelistes is in the first moneth towardes leauing the Aegypt of this world at the Pascha And at Pentecost after the law vvas giuen to Moses when the fyerj lavv of the spirit vvas by Iesus geuen So the conception of Iohn vvher men placed his birth falleth to Midsomer birth to the spring Aequinoctial and likevvise the conception of Mary fell most fitly to mydvvinter our Lordes coming into the vvorld to the first moneth after the creation his redemption to the first moneth for redemption from Egypt These matters agree vvith Scripture plain reason But novv the altering of the date vvold to much troble the vvorld It may pass amongest vs as fit for considering a time vvhen vvinter feastes leasure to heare the lavv read hindereth none vvorkes according to the conception very many Lerned men haue cleared the truth of late all are to blame that will folow an old errour here that disturbeth law Gospell Iewes Turkes look on the iust iudge who hath eyes pure that they cannot behold euell will kepe from his heauenly city all that practise lying Of S. Lukes begining S. Luke joyneth the end of the old testament to the begining of the New A most heauenly worke And here note the very names Zacharj Malachj end the spech of God in the old Testament Zacharj Malachj are in the first spech of the Angel Gabriel in the New The Angel Gabriel who did tell of Antiochus Epiphanes for dayes 2300. Generally of Gods hand vpon the Graecianes he tels of the second Elias or Malachj vnto Zacharj an holy man of the birth of Christ whom he him self named Christ Daniel 9. here the time must be considered Euen when the Grecianes were rooted out from vnder the cope of heauen had not the governement of one city in the world but at Romanes taxe in Daniel were vtterly consumed as the former all the Graecianes before they vvere parted the Medes with Persianes the Chaldeanes when the last of all these were consumed then the Angel Gabriel cometh twise to tell the joy of the Kingdome of heauen for Iohn Elias for Christ the most holy Thus so heuenly a ioyning of the old Testament to the New should be celebrated of all that will kepe the commaundement of praising God with vnderstanding And all teachers be wicked that wil be spending time to theyr hearers them selues in matters of this world wher the hearers be so wise as they and not study first the truth of these matters so gracious full of salvation after teach them vnto the world Bishops that wold teach with dexteritie to make all in the the Kingdomes able yf they wold to teach all the world should never be envyed for theyr 200000 lib. per annum But they should be counted most reverend right reverend fathers such Papae as Athanasuis the like in Grecia But ours must alter much before all the lerned nobility vvill think them so referend so learned as some nobles be lower gentry that never came in Pulpit Of S. Iohn begining the Gospel S. Iohn the last beginneth froÌ„ before the begining from the Eternall called the word of Thalmudiques infinitely through Moyses as Onkelos nere S. Iohn foloweth them sayng for Iehova sayd the word of Iehova sayd S. Paul sayth they tempted Christ vvher they tempted Iehovah This vvas the main combat vvith
the Thalmudiques Cerinthianes other heretiques And matter required that myndes longe occupied in easier matter should at the last be called to consyder the Eternity of the heyre of all vvhich made the vvorld And S. Luke sone after mention of Elias Iohn baptist handleth the humanitie of Iesus Corist vp to Adam vvhom Satan overraught to bring darkenes vpon him self before the sun euer left him in darkenes then ioyneth a nevv combat to the old serpent thence vvill I shevv the familie of our Lord cmment vpon it S. Mathevv shall folovv touching succession to the Kingdom other dependantes all for instruction of Ievves such as vvold not lay a trap to Ievves theyr ovvne destruction THVS THE TEXT SPEAKETH Luke 3. from v. 23 ANd Iesus himself euen began to be of The noblest story of all that are for yeres 3927 The piller of all the Bible to which Heathen be servantes thirty yeres being Sonne of Ioseph as meÌ„ thought of Eli of Matthat of Leui of Melchi of Ianna of Ioseph of Mattathias of Amos of Naum of Esli of Nagge of Maath of Matathias of Semei of Ioseph of Iuda of Ioanna of Rhesa of Zorobabel of Salathiel of Neri of Melchi of Abdi of Cosam of Elmodam of Er of Iose of Eliezer of Iorim of Matthat of Leui of Symeon of Iuda of Ioseph of Ionan of Eliacim of Melea of Mainan of Mattatha of Nathan of Dauid of Iesse of Obed of Booz of Salmon of Naasson of Aminadab of Aram of Esrom of Phares of Iuda of Iacob of Isaac of Abraham of Thara of Nachor of Saruch of Ragau of Phalec of Eber of Sala of Cainan of Arphaxad of Sem of Noe of Lamech of Mathusala of Enoch of Iared of Malaleel of CainaÌ„ of Enos of Seth of AdaÌ„ of God 1 Here Children should begin first to rede to compare the sorowfull combat of Adam killed on his first day from life of soule made dead in sin with the glorious combat of our Lord resisting the old serpent driving him to flight Luke ch 4. 2 Mary the mother of our Lord is in name left out but in matter conteyned For the terme Sonne through all these hath relation to Iesus as in the Last Sonne of God They vse small judgment that hould Adam called the S. of God S. Luke in Satans spech ch 4. sayeth that Iesus was meant by him Son of God 3. Iosephs father who begate him was named Iacob Math. 1. But as all maried men haue tvvo fathers so Ioseph Dauid had Iessai Saul Ioseph had Iacob natural Ely in Lavv. yet by argument only Ioseph is Elyes S. not expresly 4. Ievves Gentiles that cam not to the story of the resurrection shevving Christ to be the son of God by the might that raised him vvold haue made a scoff to see the mother layd dovvne in the Genealogie And so the holy Gh. piâ—ying maâ—â— vveakenes leaueth Mary for name out but in by argument sure collection as thus Iesus Mary Ely c. 5. The vvhole number is disposed in order fit for memoriâ— Ten to the flod ending the old vvorld ten to Abraham heyrâ— of the nevv vvorld repeating him tvvise seauen of most Godly fathers are to Dauid Then his S. NATHAN 1. Chr. 6. Beginneth a tvventy vvho Liued priuate obscure men vnder the Kinges of Salomons house vntil the captiuity of Babylon Tvvo Liued in the captiuity Salathiel Zorobobel He vvas governour vvhen the Ievves vvere sent home by Cyrus vpon the Angel Gabriel his Message for redemption ending of Moses at 490 yeres Rhesa beginneth out Lord endeth a nevv tvventy Heathen in Eusebius making a Chronicle by ages vvold make but 400 yeres of 20. The Olympiq folovvers that vvold make 590 yeres to disturbe Daniels light to all the Bible our Lordes house shevved smal iudgement The tvventy from Rhesa to our L. vvill be heauenly Championes for salvation joyning vvith Daniel in their nuÌ„ber to kepe men from feining moo yeres then God reckoned 7. When Ievves refuse the auctority of S. Luke all the Nevve Testament they should be told that for ciuil recordes all nations vvold blame them So for the 15 of Tiberius vvhen Pilate vvas governour of Iudea Herod Tetrarch of Galily Philip his brother Tetrarch of â—turea Trachonis Lysanias Tetrarch of Abylene vvhen Annas Caiphas vvere high Sacrificers for all those civil recordes stand knovven to many nationes one mans auctority is not considered in them So for the familie of a King Nationes nere Knevv it Theophilus vvold examine the matter yf doubt had bene Scribes S. Lukes foes had confuted him yf fault had bene But none did as none could So vvhen S. Mathevv maketh Rachab wife to Salmon he speaketh according to Iewes ciuil recordes vvell knovven And so vvhen S. Paul Sayth he vvas an Ebrevv continually by fathers mothers he knevv that other of Gamaliels scholers could examin that So vvhen he calleth Andronicus Iunias Herodion his consins his Kinsemen that vvere yet Pharisces had reproved him yf he had lyed So vvhen S. Luke Sodenly calleth Saul Paul he had felt reprofe yf the matter had not bene vvel Knovven As vvhen he telleth King Agrippa Festus hovv he vvas spoken to by Iesus our Lord Saul Saul vvhy dost thou persecute me Festus vvold not haue sayd to him thou are mad Paul too much lerning maketh thee mad yf he had not knovven that he had tvvo names So vvhen Iohaiada the father of Zacharie the martyr is called Bâ—rachias by the like notation S. Mathevv knevv him self vvarranted Iâ—â— Zach one man in 2. names Math. 27. by many like examples and vvhen Zacharie the auctour of the prophecie of Christ his exaltation of the King â—iding vpon an asse sold for 30 sicles is called of him Ieremie the exalter of God he had vvarrantes enough from old ages so to do And for Genealogies knovven to heathen Moses in Edoms story for the Kinges of Seir that reigned sucessours before he vvas King in Israel vvas an ancient vvarrant to S. Luke So vvhen S. Mathew maketh King Iechonias that died without issue father in place of Kingdome to one of Salomons brother Nathan in very far descent he knew that other Ievves foes to the Gospel vvho knevv the Kinges familie vvold herein mainteine him So Hercules familie SpartaÌ„e Kinges Macedonian Cyrus the Persian his cosyns Kinges of Pontus Seleucidae Lagidae are famous in sundry Graecians none vvill deny any vvithout bringing better record So Ievves should be required to bring other families of Zorobabel yf they despise our Euangelistes and vve should not suffer them to deny that vvhich a Turk or any heathen vvold be ashamed to deny 8. The names of our Lordes Line are evident to be sagely geuen in more vvise sort then ever any feigner could think vpon Many are from the Patriarkes Ioseph cometh oftnest to
could not be true that Abraham and Moyses so familier vvith God in hovvses of klay should not haue grerter familiaritie after their soules vvere freed from the corrupt bodie This errour of Chrysostomes upon Heb. XI the Ievves uexed Euer since Chrysostome uexed them for Dan. 12 and limited times for affliction under Antiochus and limited for yeres 400. Gen. 15 and yeres 70 under Babel and so 490 Dan. 9. under Heathen So that God had limited time of hope Ben Arama cited an old vvork named Siphry vvho uexeth us novv a thousand yeres whence Machmad might feyn righter keyes of Paradise and strenghten Arrianisme as Arius in Athanasius that yf Christ vvent to Haides He had not the highest joy And thus Ievves help Machmad by mistakers of S. Paul the 2 occasion To this day the Ievves continue the slaunder by the Crede ill translated through all nationes and badly expounded to disturbance of all Faith To aunsvver them vve must shevv that by the Nevv Testament our Lord and all just vvent hence to Paradise as the Church did alvvayes expound the scripture the Crede the Church of Englands faith First England shal be cleared vvhich allovveth and commaÌ„deth the R. R. F. Th. Bilsom Bishop for his sermon wher he handleth scripture Fathers proveth by both that our L. went hence to the high joy D. Bilsons profe by scripture from his sermon fol 219 We haue no warrant in the vvord of God to fasten Christs soule to Hel for the time of his death that he vvent not hence to Paradise to the unspeakeable joy of the Faithfull Thus the R. R. F. coÌ„mended for one of the best of England shevveth that all auctoritie vvil that all faithfull vveÌ„t hence to Paradise And yf anie Ievv say EnglaÌ„d holdeth faith vvithout scripture Nabal is his name and Nabâ—la his fame for folly haunts him for a foole vve vvill taunt him An other vnuincible profe brought on from Luc 16 for the terme Haides which in Abrahams Eleazars ioy is a feasting Thus from D. Bilsons vvordes a full syllogisme may be framed of truth unvincible Yf our Gospel place Abraham in Haides in joy as thâ— vvicked in torment Haides must conteine Paradise for Abraham as Gehenna for the vvicked Novv as Iosephus so S. Luke makes Abraham bosoâ— in Haides the place of torment on high both aâ— all Ievves confession in Cether Malcuth fol. XI Therefore D. Bilson proueth Ben Arama to be a slaÌ„derer and himself a R R F. A second syllogisme often printed breaking all Europe a work of Iohn Cant. Th. Winton The place vvhich receaued our L soule vvas Haides of the Crede Ioh Cant and all Grekes Paradise receaved our L soule Th winton Lavv Gospell the old Grekes late reformed Churches Therfore blasphemous Ievves may see they slaunder us vve conclude plainlie the sound in Divinitie tongues as the BB. Nobles of England BB. in their place by the scripture tongue vve conclude that Paradise is the Haides of the crede Ben Arama slaundereth teaching that the Christian church ever beleved our Lord vvent to GeheÌ„na Never vvent he saith the Church so beleved vve that he neuer vvent but vvent to Paradise And thus our R. R. FF hau made a syllogisme of high esteeme that moved all Christendom to yeld vnto them The rarest in Fraunce novv ten full yeres since L W made Paules tremble at his syllogisme honour and celebrate this conclusion That the barbarous translation to descend to Hell meaneth in learned spech fitted unto the most eloquent Greke of the Crede plain to all Grek countreis a going vp to heaven The rarest in Holland the floure of Leyden folovv our Ecclesiasticall Bishops Other in policy Bishops of good calling The best of Frisia Westphalia Steinford and floure of straungers in Marpurge and the vvhole Churches in Francfurd and the learned of Hanavv and the rarest in Eidelberg vvhose letters be at Hanavv yeld vnto our Ecclesiasticall and Politicall Bishops teaching or allovving this conclusion And the Senatours in Geneva spake to the penner of this syllogisme vpon demaund vvhat our Bishops thought of their D Beza and such vpon avvsvver sayd Deus benedicat tuis studiis Damus tibi licentiam imprimendi quicquid voles Also Nicol Serarius a principal Iesuite being thrise demaunded vvhat should be aunsvvered for Pope to Ievv thrise vvrote the Pope never beleued that our Lord ever vvent to vvorse lodging then the Patriarkes had vvher Athan. Basil Cyrillus Theod place them who in all their vvise thoughtes place them in the highest joy for men upon Davids Psalmes Basil vpon Psal 15 in his â—olume The other in fragmentes printed by Commelin and so say the best Diuines in Theophyl upon Luc 23. of Athanasius seming to differ Because Athanasius saith of our Lords Resurrection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some thought that Porters of Hell vvere here meant but they are deceaved For the vvordes being of the lxx Iob 38. can meane no more then doth the Ebrevv there meane And thus goeth the Ebrevv in the vvordes of God to Iob. cha 38 16 Haue the gates of death bene reuealed unto thee Or hast thou seene the gates of the shadovv of death The teâ— hath no more nor lesse then this And this later is Greked as I cited The levv vvhich translated Iob vvas excelent in Poetry by veres might be Prophets scholer to Aggay and Zachary knovv that Christ might tell Iob thus Thou hast not seene the state of the dead but in manhood I vvill breake these barres by a resurrection that shall neuer again see death as shaking the postes of that hovvse So Athanas amazeth none lerned And thus Athanasius striueth not vvith the syllogisme of the R. R. F. vvhen judgement in Ebrevv Greke is used Othervvise a Ievv or one bent to help Machmad for nevv keieâ— of Paradise might find a trap to himself and to as vvise as him self But none that can call the Greke Father to the lxx the lxx unto the Ebrevv vvilbe anie vvhit moued And if anie Alexandrean Ievv or Machmadist toke offence at Athanasius to brede nevv keies of Paradise in despit of our Gospel he hath felt judgement Athanasius saing that our Lord vvent to Haides neuer meaneth that part of Haides vvhich is Hell but that part vvhich the faithfull held vvhom he placed in high joy Whither yf he had not gone our soules should never come to their bodies And so all the Greke Fathers aunsvver Arrianes objecting as a basenes the going to Haides vvher yet the faithfull soules be as the most lerned Photius speaketh in Oecumenius upon 1 Cor. 15. One D. ignorant of that spared a truth to the K. of three Kingdomes for vvant of surveyng Hell as aright But yet he joined to the making of a good syllogisme the best vvork that euer vvas made by our Bishops the best to stop vvicked slaunders of Ievves for Machmad against the Gospell And all expositiones of the