as amongst all other nations and people because poverty bringeth basenesse along with it 5. But if we look to that which we ought by our Religion the morall precept of the Decalogue Thou shalt not steal it belongs in common to all Iewes towards all Gentiles As may be seen in Rab. Moses of Egypt Tract Geneba cap. 1. and Gazela cap. 1. It is a sinne saith he to rob any man though he be a Gentile Nor can that be alledged out of the sacred History concerning the jewells and houshold stuff of which the Israelites spoiled the Egyptians as I have heard it sometimes alledged by some to some men because that was a particular dispensation and a divine precept for that time So it is recorded in the Talmud in the Tract of the Sanhedrim cap. 11. that in the time of Alexander the great those of Alexandria accused the Iewes for being thieves and they demanded restitution of their goods But Guebia Ben Pesria answered them our Fathers went down into Egypt but seventy souls there they grew a numerous nation above 60000. and served them in base offices for the space of 210 yeares according to this pay us for our labour and make the accounts even and you shall see you are yet much in our debt The reason satisfied Alexander and he acquitted them 6. By consequence the Iewes are bound not to defraud nor abuse in their accounts negotiation or reckonings any man whatsoever as it may be seen expresly in R. Moses of Egypt and R. Moseth de Kosi in Samag 7. Yea they farther say that by restitutions there is a result to the praise of God and the sacred Law whence that holy and wise man R. Simeon Ben Satah having bought an asse of a Gentile the head stall whereof was a jewell of great value which the owner knew not of afterwards he found it and freely and for nothing he restored it to the seller that knew not of it saying I bought the asse but not the jewell Whence there did accrue honour to God and his Law and to the nation of the Iewes as Midras Raba reports in Parasot Hekel 8. After the same manner they command that the oath which they shall make to any other nation must be with truth and justice and must be kept in every particular And for proof thereof they quote the history of Zedekias whom God punished and deprived of his kingdome because he kept not his word and oath made to Nebuchadnezzar in the name of God though he were a Gentile as it is said 2 of Chronicles cap. 36.13 And he also rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar who made him swear by God 9. These are the laws and obligations which the Iewes hold So that the Law that forbids the Iewes to kill any Gentiles forbids them also to steal from them Yet every one must look to it for the world is full of fraud in all Nations I remember a pretty story of what passed in Morocco in the Court of the king of Mauritania There was a Iew that had a sort of false stones c. He making a truck with a Portugal Christian for some Verdigrease that he had which was much sofisticated as they are wont to do there being all falsified with Earth one of the Portugals friends laughed at him saying the Iew fitted thee well he answered If the Iew hath stoned me I have buried him And so they ordinarily mock one another This I can affirm that many of the Iewes because they would not break with other mens goods were very poor at Amsterdam lived very poorly and those that did break with other mens goods by necessity became so much the more miserable that they were forced to live on almes And whereas in the time of K. Edward 1. the Iewes were accused of clipping the Kings coin it appears that this accusation drew its originall mainly from the suspicion and hatred the Christians bare against the Iewes as appeares in the story as it is set forth by Mr. Prynne In his second part of a Short Demurrer to the Iewes c. p. 82. where quoting Claus 7. E. 1. n. 7. De fine recipiendo à Iudaeis brings in the King writing to his Judges in Latine in these words Rex dilectis fidelibus suis Stephano de Pentecester Waltero de Helyn Th. de Cobham Iusticiariis ad placita transgressionis monetae audienda salutem Quia omnes Judaei nuper rectati per certam suspicionem indictati de retonsura monetae nostrae inde convicti cum ultimo supplicio puniuntur quidam eorum eadem occasione omnia bona catalla sua satisfecerunt in prisona nostra liberabantur in eadem ad voluntatem nostram detinendi Et cum accepimus quod plures Christiani ob ODIVM Judaeorum propter discrepantiam fidei Christianae ritus Judaeorum diversa gratia minus per ipsos Judaeos Christianis hactenus illata postquam Judaeos nondum rectatos in indictatos de transgressione monetae per levas voluntarias accusationes accusare indictare de die in diem nituntur proponunt imponendas eis ad terrorem ipsorum quod de ejusmodi transgressione culpabiles existunt super ipsos Judaeos faciendae sic per minas hujusmodi accusationis ipsis Judaeos metu incutiant pecuniam extor queant ab eisdem Ita quod ipsi Judaei super hoc ad legem suam saepe ponuntur in vitae suae periculum manifestum Volumus quod omnes Judaei qui ante primum diem Maii proximo praeterit indictati velper certam suspicionem rectati non fuerunt de transgressione monetae predictae qui facere voluerint finem juxta discretionem Vestram ad opus nostrum facere pro sic quod non occasiorentur c. hujusmodi transgressionibus factis ante primum diem Maii propter novas accusationes Christianorum post eundem diem inde factas non molestentur sed pacem inde habeant in futurum Proviso quod Judaei indictati vel per certam suspicionem rectati de bujusmodi transgressione ante praedictum diem Maii Iudicium subeant coram vobis juxta form am prius inde ordinatam provisam Et ideo vobis maneamus quod fines hujusmodi capiatis praemissa fieri observari faciatis in forma praedicto Teste Rege apud Cantuar. 8. die Maii. THE SEVENTH SECTION ANd now by this time I presume most noble Sir I may have given abundant satisfaction so farre as the nature of an epistle will permit to all your objections without giving just ground of offence or scandall to any And forasmuch as you are further desirous to know somewhat concerning the state of this my expedition and negotiation at present I shall now onely say and that briefly that the communication and correspondence I have held for some yeares since with some eminent persons of England was the first originall of my undertaking this design For I alwayes found by them a
any good man believe that against his holy law a Iew in a strange countrey especially should make himself guilty of so execrable a fact 4. Admit that it were lawfull which God forbid why should they eat the bloud And supposing they should eat the bloud why should they eat it on the Passeover Here at this feast every confection ought to be so pure as not to admit of any leaven or any thing that may fermentate which certainly bloud doth 5. If the Iewes did repute and hold this action which is never to be named without an epethite of horrour necessary they would not expose themselves to so eminent a danger to so cruell and more deserved punishment unlesse they were moved to it by some divine precept or at least some constitution of their wise men Now we challenge all those men who entertain this dreadfull opinion of us as obliged in point of justice to cite the place of Scripture or of the Rabbins where any such precept or doctrine is delivered And untill they do so we will assume so much liberty as to conclude it to be no better then a malicious slander 6. If a man to save his life may break the Sabbath and transgresse many of the other commands of the law as hath been determined in the Talmud as also confirmed by R. Moses of Egypt in the fifth Chapter of his treatise of the fundamentalls of the law yet three are excepted which are idolatry murther and adultery life not being to be purchased at so dear a rate as the committing of these heinous sins an innocent death being infinitely to be preserred before it Wherefore if the killing of a Christian as they object were a divine precept and institution which far be it from me to conceive it were certainly to be null'd and rendred void since a man cannot perform it without indangering his own life and not onely so but the life of the whole congregation of an entire people and yet more since it is directly a violation of one of these thtee precepts Thou shalt do no murderâ— which is intended universally of all men as we have said before 7. The Lord blessed forever by his prophet Ieremiah Chap. 29.7 gives it in command to the captive Israelites that were dispersed among the heathens that they should continually pray for and endeavour the peace welfare and prosperity of the city wherein they dwelt and the inhabitants thereof This the Iewes have alwayes done and continue to this day in all their Synagogues with a particular blessing of the Prince or Magistrate under whose protection they live And this the Right Honourable my Lord St. Iohn can testifie who when he was Embassadour to the Lords the States of the united Provinces was pleased to honour our Synagogue at Amsterdam with his presence where our nation entertained him with musick and all expressions of joy and gladnesse and also pronounced a blessing not onely upon his honour then present but upon the whole Common-wealth of England for that they were a people in league and amity and because we conceived some hopes that they would manifest towards us what we ever bare towards them viz. all love and affection But to return again to our argument if we are bound to study endeavour and sollicite the good and flourishing estate of the city where we live and the inhabitants thereof how shall we then murder their children who are the greatest good and the most flourishing blessing that this life doth indulge to them 8. The children of Israel are naturally mercifull and full of compassion This was acknowledged by their enemies Kings 1.20 31. when Benhadad King of Assyria was discomfited in the battel and fled away he became a petitioner for his life to King Ahab who had conquered him for he understood that the Kings of the house of Israel were mercifull Kings and his own experience confirmed it when for a little affection that he pretended in a complement he obtained again his life and fortunes from which â—he event of the warre had disentitled him And when the Gibeonites made that cruell request to David that seven of Sauls sons who were innocent should be delivered unto them the proâ—het saies now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel Sam. â— 21 2. as if he had said in this cruelty the piety of the Israâ—lites is not so much set forth as the tyranny and implacable rage â—f the Gentiles the Gibeonites Which being so and experience withall declares it viz. the fidelity which our nation hath inviolably preserved towards their superiours then most certainly iâ— is wholly incompatible and inconsistent with the murdering oâ— their children 9. There are some Christians that use to insult against the Iewes as Christian homicides that will venter to give a reason of thesâ— pretended murtherous practises As if the accusation were theâ— most infallibly true if they can find any semblance of a reason why it might be so As they say that this is practised by them in hatred and detestation of Jesus of Nazareth And that therefore they steal Christian Children buffeting them in the same manneâ— that he was buffetted thereby to rub up and revive the memory of the aforesaid death And likewise they imagine that the Iewes secretly steal away crosses crucifixes and such like graven images which Papists privately and carefully retein in their houses and every day the Iewes mainly strike and buffet shamefully spitting on them with such like ceremonies of despight and alâ— this in hatred of Jesus But I admire what they really think when they object such things as these laying them to our charge Foâ— surely we cannot believe that a people otherwise of sufficient prudence and judgement can perswade themselves into an opinion that the Iewes should commit such practises unlesse they could conceive they did them in honour and obedience to the God whom they worship And what kind of obedience is this they perform to God blessed for ever when they directly sin against that speciall command Thou shalt not kill Besides this cannot be committed without the imminent and manifest perill oâ— their lives and fortunes and the necessary exposing themselves to a just revenge Moreover it is an Anathema to a Iew to have any graven images in his house or any thing of an idol which any oâ— the nations figuratively worship Deut. 7.26 10. Matthew Paris p. 532. writes how that in the year 1240 the Iewes circumcised a Christian child at Norwich and gave him the name Iurnin and reserved him to be crucified for which cause many of them were most cruelly put to death The truth of thiâ— story will evidently appear upon the consideration of its citcumstances He was first circumcised and this perfectly constituteâ— him a Iew. Now for a Iew to embrace a Christian in his armes and foster him in his bosome is a testimony of great love and affection But if it was intended that shortly after this child should be crucified to
what end was he first circumcised If it shall be said it was out of hatred to the Christians it appears rather to the contrary that it proceeded from detestation of the Iewes or of them who had newly become proselytes to embrace the Iewes religion Surely this supposed pranck storied to be done in popish times looks more like a piece of the reall scene of the Popish Spaniards piety who first baptiz'd the poor Indians and afterwards out of cruel pity to their souls inhumanely butchered them then of strict-law-observing Iewes who dare not make a sport of one of the seales of their covenant 11. Our captivity under the Mahumetans is farre more burdensome and grievous then under the Christians and so our ancients have said it is better to inhabit under Edom then Ismael for they are a people more civill and rationall and of a better policie as our nation have found experimentally For excepting the nobler and better sort of Iewes such as live in the Court of Constantinople the vulgar people of the Iewes that are dispersed in other countries of the Mahumetan Empire in Asia and Africa are treated with abundance of contempt and scorn It would therefore follow that if this sacrificing of children be the product and result of hatred that they should execute and disgorge it much more upon the Mahumetans who have reduced them to so great calamity and misery So that if it be necessary to the celebration of the Passeover why do they not as well kill a Mahumetan But although the Iewes are scattered and dispersed throughout all those vast territories notwithstanding all their despite against us they never yet to this day forged such a calumnious accusation Wherefore it appeares plainly that it is nothing else but a slander and such a one that considering how the scene is laid I cannot easily determine whether it speak more of malice or of folly certainly Sultan Selim made himself very merry with it when the story was related him by Moses Amon his chief Physicyan 12. If all that which hath been said is not of sufficient force to wipe off this accusation because the matter on our part is purely negative and so cannot be cleared by evidence of witnesses I am constrained to use another way of argument which the Lord blessed for ever hath prescribed Exod. 22. which is an oath wherefore I swear without any deceit or fraud by the most high God the creatour of heaven and earth who promulged his law to the people of Israel upon mount Sinai that I never yet to this day saw any such custome among the people of Israel and that they doe not hold any such thing by divine precept of the law or any ordinance or institution of their wise men and that they never committed or endeavoured such wickednesse that I know or have credibly heard or read in any Jewish Authours and if I lie in this matter then let all the curses mentioned in Leviticus and Deuteronomy come upon me let me never see the blessings and consolations of Zion nor attain to the resurrection of the dead By this I hope I may have proved what I did intend and certainly this may suffice all the friends of truth and all faithfull Christians to give credit to what I have here averred And indeed our adversaries who have been a little more learned and consequently a little more civill then the vulgar have made a halt at this imputation Iohn Hoornbeek in that book which he lately writ against our nation wherein he hath objected against us right or wrong all that he could any wayes scrape together was notwithstanding ashamed to lay this at our door in his Prolegomena pag. 26. where he sayes An autem verum sit quod vulg ò in historiis legatur c. i.e. whether that be true which is commonly read in histories to aggravate the Iewes hatred against the Christians or rather the Christians against the Iewes that they should annually upon the preparation of the Passeover after a cruell manner sacrifice a Christian child privily stollen in disgrace and contempt of Christ whose passion and crucifixion the Christians celebrate I will not assert for truth as well knowing how easy it was for those times wherein these things are mentioned to have happen'd especially after the Inquisition was set up in the Popedome to forge and fain and how the histories of those ages according to the affection of the writers were too too much addicted and given unto fables and figments Indeed I have never yet seen any of all those relations that hath by any certain experiment proved this fact for they are all founded either upon the uncertain report of the vulgar or else upon the secret accusation of the Monks belonging to the inquisition not to mention the avarice of the informers wickedly hanquering after the Iewes wealth and so with ease forging any wickednesse For in the first book of the Sicilian constitutions tit 7. we see the Emperour Frederick saying Si vero Iudaeus vel Saracenus sit in quibus prout certò perpendimus Christiano cum persecutio minus abundat ad praesens but if he be a Iew or a Saracen against whom as we have weighed the persecution of the Christians do much abound c. thus taxing the violence of certain Christians against the Iewes Or if perhaps it hath sometimes happened that a Christian was kill'd by a Iew we must not therefore say that in all places where they inhabit they annually kill a Christian Child And for that which Thomas Cantipratensis lib. 2. cap. 23. affirms viz. that it is certainly known that the Iewes every year in every province cast lots what city or town shall afford Christian bloud to the other cities I can give it no more credit then his other fictions and lies wherewith he hath stuffed his book Thus farre Iohn Hoornbeek 13. Notwithstanding all this there are not wanting some histories that relate these and the like calumnies against an afflicted people For which cause the Lord saith He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of my eye Zach. 2.6 I shall cursolarily mention some passages that have occurred in my time whereof I say not that I was an eye witnesse but onely that they were of generall report and credence without the least contradiction I have faithfully noted both the names of the persons the places where and the time when they happened in my continuation of Flavius Josephus I shall be the lesse curious therefore in reciting them here In Vienna the Metropolis of Austria Frederick being Emperour there was a pond frozen according to the cold of those parts wherein three boyes as it too frequently happens were drowned when they were missed the imputation is cast upon the Jewes and they are incontinently indicted for murthering of them to celebrate their Passeover And being imprisoned after infinite prayers and supplications made to no effect three hundred of them were burnt when the pond thawd these
Kings and Princes And this is especially done in the Synagogue by the Iewes Priests thrice a day I pray let such as love the truth see the Talmud in the quoted place and they shall find nothing of that which is objected onely there is recited in the said fourth Chapter the daily prayer which speaks of Minim that is Hereticks ordained in Tabne that is a town not farre from Ierusalem between Gath and Gazim c. the Talmud hath no more Hence Sixtus Senensis by distillation draws forth the foresaid calumnie when as what the Talmud rehearseth briefly to be made onely by the wise men in the said Town he saith was a constitution in the Talmud long after Now let us see what was done by those wise men in the said Town and let us examine whether that may justly offend the Christians There is in the daily prayers a certain Chapter where it is thus written la-Mumarim c. that is For Apostates let there be no hope let all Hereticks be destroyed and all thine enemies and all that hate thee let them perish And thou shalt root out the kingdome of pride forthwith weaken and put it out and in our dayes This whole Chapter speaketh nothing of Christians originally but of the Iewes who fell in those times to the Zaduces and Epicureans and to the Gentiles as Moses of Egypt saith Tract Tephila cap. 2. For by Apostates and Hereticks are not to be understood all men that are of a diverse religion or heathens or Gentiles but those renegado Iewes who did abrogate the whole Law of Moses or any Articles received thence and such are properly by us called Hereticks For according to the Law of Christians he is not properly an Apostate or Heritick who is originally bred a scholler and a candid follower from his youth of a diverse law and so continueth otherwise native Iewes and Hagarens and other Nations that are no Christians nor ever were should be be properly called Apostates and Hereticks in respect of Christians which is absurd as it is absurd for the Iewes to call the Christians Apostates or Hereticks Wherefore it speaketh nothing of Christians but of the fugitive Iewes that is such as have deserted the standard or the sacred Law 2. Lastly neither the kingdomes nor kings that are Christians or Hagarens or followers of other Sects are cursed here but namely the kingdome of Pride Certain it is that in that time wherein our wise men added to the daily Prayers the foresaid Chapter there was no kingdome of Christians what therefore that kingdome of pride was should any man ask who can plainly shew it So much as we can conjecture by it it is the kingdome of the Romans which then flourished which did rule over all Nations tyrannically and proudly especially over the Iewes For after that Vespasian with his son Titus had dissipated all Iudea And though som Roman Emperours after that became Christians or had a good opinion of Christianity yet the kingdome of the Romans was heathenish and without distinction was proud and tyrannicall And however the Iewes repeated the same words of the prayer when the Prince was very good and they lived under a just government that they did onely of an ancient custome without any malice to the present government And now truly in all their books printed again the foresaid words are wanting lest they should now be unjustly objected against the Iewes and so for Apostates and Hereticks they say secret accusers or betrayers of the Iewes And for the kingdome of pride they substitute all Zedim that is proud men 3. After this manner to avoid scandall did the 72 Interpreters who coming in Leviticus to unclean beasts in the place of Arnebeth which signifies the Hare they put 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is rough foot leaving the Name and keeping the sense They would not retein the Hebrew word Arnebeth as they have done in some other appellatives lest the wife of Ptolomy whose name was Arnebet should think that the Iewes had mocked her if they should have placed her name amongst the unclean beasts Neither would they render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lagoon or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lagon which in the Greek language signifies a Hare lest Ptolomy himself who was the son and nephew of the Lagi should be offended to see the name of his family registred among the creatures that were unclean Besides Plutarch records how that it was deeply resented as a very high affront and contempt when one asked Ptolomy who was Lagus his father as if it scoffingly reflected upon his obscure extraction and descent 4. The very like calumnie fell out concerning the very same Chapter of our Prayer when Mulet Zidan reigned in Morocco A certain fugive Iew to shew himself constant in the Mahumetan Religion and an enemy to his own Nation accused the Iewes before this king saying that they prayed to God for his destruction when they mention in their prayers all Zedim as though they would have all the Family of Zidan destroyed They excused themselves with the truth and affirmed in praying against Zedim that they prayed onely against proud men as that word in their Hebrew language properly signifieth and not against his Majesty The King admitted of their excuse but said unto them that because of the equivocation of the word they should change it for another 5. For certain the Iewes give no occasion that any Prince or Magistrate should be offended with them but contrariwise as it seems to me they are bound to love them to defend and protect them For by their Law and Talmud and the inviolable custome of the dispersed Iewes every where upon every Sabbath day and in all yearly solemnities they have prayers for Kings and Princes under whose Government the Iewes live be they Christians or of other Religions I say by their Law as Ieremiah ch 29. commandeth viz. Seek ye the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives and pray for them unto the Lord c. By the Talmud ord 4. Tract 4. Abodazara cap. 1. there is a prayer for the peace of the Kingdome from custome never intermitted of the Iewes Wheresoever they are on the Sabbath day and their annuall solemnities the Minister of the Synagogue before he blesseth the people of the Iewes doth with a loud voice blesse the Prince of the country under whom they live that all the Iewes may hear it and they say Amen You have seen the Form of the prayer in the book entitled The humble Addresses 6. In like manner the ancients observe that whereas God commands in Numbers 29.13 that seventy bullocks should be sacrificed upon the seven dayes of the feast of tabernacles that this was in respect of the seventy nations who shall one day come up to Ierusalem year after year to keep this feast of tabernacles Zechar. 14.16 for whose conservation they also sacrificed For they say that all the nations of the earth
sacrifices for nations confedederate with us and how all Emperours desired this Yea and we offered sacrifices not onely for particular princes but for all mankind in generall How since sacrifices ceased with the temple we at this day do the same in our prayers and how we beseech God for their salvation without giving any scandall or offence in respect of religion and how we think our selves obliged to perform all this by the sacred Scripture By all which layed together I hope I have sufficiently evidenced the truth of that I have asserted THE FOURTH SECTION BY consequence the accusation of Buxtorphius in his Bibliotheca Rabbinorum can have no appearance of truth concerning that which he puts upon us viz. that we are blasphemers I will set down the Prayer it self We are bound to praise the Lord of all things to magnifie him who made the world for that he hath not made us as the Nations of the earth nor hath he placed us as the families of the earth nor hath he made our condition like unto theirs nor our lot according to all their multitude For they humble themselves to things of no worth and vanity and make their prayers to gods that cannot save them but we worship before the King of kings that is holy and blessed that stretched forth the Heavens and framed the Earth the seat of his glory is in heaven above and his divine strength in the highest of the Heavens He is our God and there is no other He is truly our King and besides him there is no other as it is writen in the Law And know this day and return into thine own heart because the Lord is God in Heaven above and upon the Earth beneath there is no other Truly in my opinion it is a very short and most excellent prayer and worthy of commendation The Sultan Selim that famous conquerour and Emperour of the Mahumetans made so much account of it that he commanded his Doctor Moses Amon who translated the Pentateuch into the Arabian and Persian languages that he should translate our prayers And when he had delivered them to him in the Turkish Tongue he said to him what need is there of so long prayers truly this one might suffice he did so highly esteem and value it This is like an other prayer which was made at that time viz. Blessed be our God who created us for his honour and separated us from those that are in errours and gave unto us a Law of truth and planted amongst us eternall life Let him open our hearts in his law and put his love in our hearts and his fear to do his will and to serve him with a perfect heart that we may not labour in vain nor beget children of perdition Let it be thy will O Lord our God and God of our Fathers that we may keep thy statutes and thy laws in this world and may deserve and live and inherit well and that we may attain the blessing of the world to come that so we may sing to thy honour without ceasing O Lord my God I will praise thee for ever But neither the one nor the other is a blasphemy or malediction against any other Gods for these reasons following 1. It is not the manner of the Iewes by their law to curse other gods by name though they be of the Gentiles So in Exod. cap. 22.27 Thou shalt not revile the Gods Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Gods or God as Philo Iudaeus in libro de Monarchiâ doth interpret and not Judges as Onkelus and Ionathan translate in their Chald. Paraphr Where Philo addes this reason which is lest they hearing their own Gods blasphemed should in a revengefull way of retaliation blaspheme the true God of Israel And we have examples enough how the idolatrous heathen used to revile and defame each others Gods both in Cicero and Iuvenal And in that sense Flavius Josephus in his book written against Apion saith these words As it is our practise to observe our own and not to accuse or revile others so neither may we deride or blaspeeme those which others account to be Gods Our Law-giver plainly forbad us that by reason of that compellation Gods According to this by our own religion we dare not do that which Buxtorfius chargeth us with And upon this account the Talmudists tell us that we ought to honour and reverence not onely the Kings of Israel but all kings princes and governours in generall forasmuch as the holy Scripture gives them the stile of gods in respect of the dignity of their office 2. The time wherein these as also the other prayers were composed and ordered was in the dayes of Ezras who with 120 men amongst whom were three Prophets Haggai Zechary Malachy composed them as we have it in the Talmud Wherefore he cannot say that there is any thing intended against honour or reverence of Christ who was not born till many yeares after Moreover the Iewes since that calumny was first raised thouh that was spoken of the Gentiles and their vain gods humbling themselves to things of no worth and vanity because they desire to decline and avoid the least occasion of scandall and offence have left off to print that line and do not in some books print any part thereof As John Hoornbeek also witnesses in his fore-mentioned Prolegomena and William Dorstius in his observations upon R. David Gawz p. 269. and Buxtorf in his book of Abbreviatures And perhaps it will be worthy our observation that all these three witnesses say that it was first made known to them by one Antonius Margarita who was a Iew converted to the Christian saith That this part of the prayer was intended Contra idola Papatus against the Popish idols which they therefore as by a necessary consequence interpret as against Christ but how justly let the unprejudiced and unbiased reader judge 3. If this be so how can it be thought that in their Synagogues they name him with scornfull spitting farre be it from us The Nation of the Iewes is wise and ingenius So said the Lord Deut. cap. 4.6 The Nations shall say surely this is a wise and an understanding people Therefore how can it be supposed that they should be so bruitish in a strange land when their Religion dependeth not upon it Certainly it is much contrary to the precept we spake of to shew any resemblance of scorn There was never any such thing done as it is well known in Italy and Holland where ordinarily the Synagogues are full of Christians which with great attention stand considering and weighing all their actions and motions And truly they should have found great occasion to find fault withall if that were so But never was any man heard thus to calumniate us where ever we dwell and inhabite which is a reason sufficiently valid to clear us Wherefore I suppose that I have sufficiently informed you concerning our prayers in which we purpose
such a thing as I believe never any Iew did so yet this were great cruelty to punish a whole nation for one mans wickednesse 21. But why should I use more words about this matter seeing all that is come upon us was foretold by all the prophets Moses Deut. 28.61 Moreover every sicknesse and every plague which is not written in the book of this law them will the Lord bring upon thee c. because thou hast not hearkned to the voice of the Lord thy God David in the 44. Psalm makes a dolefull complaint of those evils and ignominious reproaches wherewith we are invironed round about in this captivity as if we were the proper center of misery saying For thy sake are we killed all the day long we are counted as sheep for the slaughter The same he speaks Psalm 74. and in other Psalms Ezekiel more particularly mentions this calumnie God bles-for ever promising Chap. 36.13 that in time to come the devouring of men or the eating of mans bloud shall be no more imputed to them according to the true and proper exposition of the learned Don Isaac Abarbanel The blessed God according to the multitude of his mercies will have compassion upon his people and will take away the reproach of Israel from off the earth that it may be no more heard as is prophesied by Isaiah and let this suffice to have spoken as to this point THE SECOND SECTION YOur worship desired joyntly to know what ceremony or humiliation the Iewes use in their Synagogues toward the book of the Law for which they are by some ignorantly reputed to be idolaters I shall answer it in Order First the Iewes hold themselves bound to stand up when the book of the Law written upon parchment is taken out of the desk utill it is opened on the pulpit to shew it to the people and afterwards to be read We see that observed in Nehemias cap. 8.6 where it is said And when he had opened it all the people stood up and this they do in reverence to the word of God and that sacred Book For the same cause when it passeth from the desk toward the pulpit all that it passeth by bow down their heads a little with reverence which can be no idolatry for these following reasons First it is one thing adorare viz. to adore and another venerari viz. to worship For Adoration is forbidden to any creature whether Angelicall or Earthly but Worship may be given to either of them as to men of a higher rank commonly stiled worshipfull And so Abraham who in his time rooted out vain idolatry humbled himself and also prostrated himself before those three guests which then he entertained for Men. As also Iosuah the holy Captain of the people did prostrate himself to another Angel which with a sword in his hand made him afraid at the gates of Iericho Wherefore if those were just men and if we are obliged to follow their example and they were not reprehended for it it is clear that to worship the Law in this manner as we do can be no idolatry Secondly The Iewes are very scrupulous in such things and and fear in the least to appear to give any honour or reverence to images And so it is to be seen in the Talmud and in R. Moses of Egypt in his Treatise of idolatry That if by chance any Israelite should passe by a Church that had images on the out side and at that time a thorn should run into his foot he may not stoop to pull it out because he that should see him might suspect he bowed to such an image Therefore according to this strictnesse if that were any appearance of idolatry to bow to the Law the Iewes would utterly abhorre it and since they do it it is an evident sign that it is none Thirdly to kisse images is the principall worship of idolatry as God saith in the 1 of Kings 19.19 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel all the knees that have not bowed unto Baal and every mouth that hath not kissed him But if that were so it would follow that all men who kisse the Testament after they are sworn should be idolaters But because that is not so since that act is but a simple worship by the same reason it will follow that to bow the head cannot be reputed for idolatry Fourthly Experience sheweth that in all Nations the ceremonies that men use mutually one towards another is to bow the head And also there are degrees thereof according to the quality of the person with whom they speak which shew that in the opinion of all nations it is no idolatry and therefore much lesse to reverence the Law with bowing of the body Fifthly In Asia and it is the same almost in all the world the people receiving a decree or order of the king they take it and kisse it and set it upon the head We owe much more to Gods word and to his divine Commandments Sixthly Ptolomeus Philadelphus receiving the 72 Interpreters with the book of the Law into his presence he rose from his seat and prostrating himself seven times worshipped it as Aristaeus assures us If a Gentile did this to a law which he thought did not oblige him much more do we owe reverence to that Law which was particularly given unto us Seventhly The Israelites hold for the Articles of their Faith that there is a God who is one in most simple unity eternall incorporeall who gave the written Law unto his people Israel by the hand of Moses the Prince and chief of all the Prophets whose Providence takes care for the world which he created who takes notice of all mens works and rewardeth or punisheth them Lastly that one day Messias shall come to gather together the scattered Israelites and shortly after shall be the resurrection of the dead These are their Doctrines which I believe contain not any idolatry nor yet in the opinion of those that are of other judgements For as a most learned Christian of our time hath written in a French book which he calleth the Rappel of the Iewes in which he makes the King of France to be their leader when they shall return to their country the Iewes saith he shall be saved for yet we expect a second coming of the same Messias and the Iewes believe that that coming is the first and not the second and by that faith they shall be saved for the difference consists onely in the circumstance of the time THE THIRD SECTION SIr I hope I have given satisfaction to your worship touching those points I shall yet further inform you with the same sincerity concerning the rest Sixtus Senensis in his Bibliothaeca lib. 2. Titulo contra Talmud and others as Biatensis Ordine 1. Tract 1. Titulo Perachot averre out of the Talmud cap. 4. that every Iew thrice a day curseth all Christians and prayeth to God to confound and root them out with their
sacrifices and incense offered for them in Gods name 9. And let the reader be pleased further to observe that the Iewes were accustomed not onely to offer up sacrifices and prayers to God for the Emperours their friends confederates and allyes but also generally for the whole world It is the custome saith Agrippa to Caius according to Philo p. 1035. for the High-priest at the day of attonement to make a prayer unto God for all mankind beseeching him to adde unto them another year with blessing and peace The same Philo Iudaeus in his second book of Monarchy saith The priests of other nations pray unto God onely for the welfare of their own particular nations but our High-priest prayes for the happinesse and prosperity of the whole world And in his book of sacrifices p. 836. he saith Some sacrifices are offered up for our nation and some for all mankind For the daily sacrifices twice a day viz. at morning and evening are for the obtaining of those good things which God the chief good grants unto them at those two times of the day And in like manner Iosephus in his second book against Apion saith We sacrifice and pray unto the Lord in the first place for the whole world for their prosperity and peace and afterwards more particularly for our selves forasmuch as we conceive that prayer which is first extended universally and is afterwards put up more particularly is very much acceptable unto God Which words are also related by Eusebius Caesareensis in his Praeparatio Evangelica lib. 8. cap. 2. 10. 'T is true that no outward materiall glories are perpetuall and so the temple had its period and with the paschall lamb all other sacrifices ceased But in their stead we have at this day prayer and as Hoseah speaks Cap. 14.2 For bullocks we render the calves of our lips And three times every day this is our humble supplication and request to God Fill the whole world O Lord with thy blessings for all creatures are the works of thy hands as it is written the Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are ever all his works Psal 145.9 11. Yea further we pray for the conversion of the nations and so we say in these most excellent prayers upon Ros a sana and the day of attonement Our God and the God of our Fathers reign thou over the whole world in thy glory and be thou exalted over all the earth in thine excellency cause thy influence to descend upon all the inhabitants of the world in the glorious majesty of thy strength and let every creature know that thou hast created him and let every thing that is formed understand that thou hast formed it and let all that have breath in their nostrills say the Lord God of Israel reighneth and his kingdome is over all dominions And again Let all the inhabitants of the earth know and see that unto thee every knee shall bow and every tongue swear before thee O Lord our God let them bow and prostrate themselves let them give honour to the honour of thy name and let them aell take upon them the yoak of thy kingdome c. And again Put thy fear O Lord our God upon all thy works and thy dread upon all that thou hast created let all thy works fear thee and let all creatures bow down before thee and let them all make themselves one handfull that is with joynt consent to do thy will with a perfect heart c. A most worthy imitation of the wise King Solomon who after he had finished the building of the Temple in that long prayer King 1.8 was not unmindfull of the Gentiles but v. 41. he saith Moreover concerning a stranger that is not of thy people of Israel but cometh out of a farre country for thy names sake for they shall hear of thy great name and of thy strong hand and of thy stretched-out arm when he shall come and pray towards this house hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for that all people of the earth may know thy name to fear thee as do the people of Israel and that they may know that thy name is called upon this house which I have builded Where it may be observed that when the Israelite comes to pray he saith 29. and give every man hccsrding to his wayes but upon the prayer of a stranger he saith and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for And this distinction is made to this end that by the evident and apparent return and answer of their prayers all Gentiles might effectually be brought in to the truth and knowledge and fear of God as well as the Israelites 12. Moreover since the holy prophets made prayers and supplications for all men as well for the nations as the Israelites how should not we do the same for the nations among whom we inhabit as ingaged by a more especiall obligation for that we live under their favour and protection In Deuteronomy 23.7 God commands Thou shalt not abhorre an Egyptian notwithstanding the heavy burthens they afflicted us with onely because thou wast a stranger in his land because that at the first they entertained and received us into their country As on the other side Ezek. 23.11 he saith As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live We ought therefore to imitate his actions and not to hate any man upon the mere account of religion but onely to pray to the Lord for his conversion and this also without giving offence or any kind of molestation To detest or abhorre those to whom we owe that prosperity which we enjoy or who endeavour their own salvation is a thing very unworthy and ill becoming but to abhorre their vices and sins is not so It was a very excellent observation of a most wise and vertuous Lady Beruria who as it is recorded in the Talmud Berachot cap. 1. when her husband R. Meir was about to pray to God to destroy some of his perverse and froward neighbours that had no lesse grievously then maliciously vexed and molested him gave him this seasonable admonition that such a thing ought not to be done in Israel but that he should rather make his prayer that they might return and break off their sinnes by repentance ' alledging that text Psal 104.35 Let ssn be consumed out of the earth it is not said sinners but sinnes and then the wicked shall be no more 13. We have now in this Section shewn that it is a mere calumnie to imagine that we Iewes should pray to God so as to give an offence to the Christians or cause scandall by any thing in our prayers unlesse it be that we are not Christians we have declared to the contrary how we daily pray for them As also that during the temple we offered up
nothing but to praise God and to ask spirituall and temporall blessings and by our service and worship implore the divine benevolence protection and defence THE FIFTH SECTION BUt forrasmuch as it is reported that we draw and seduce others to our religion c. 1. Never unto this day in any part hath this been suspected where the Iewes are dispersëd nor can it find place here Truly I have held friendship with many great men and the wisest and most eminent of all Europe and also they came to see me from many places at my house and I had many friendly discourses with them yet did not this give occasion to make us suspected of any such things Yea Gaspar Barleus the Virgill of our time and many others have written many verses in my commendations which I mention not for vain glory farre be it but for vindication of my innocent repute 2. By our rituall books we are clear of this seducing For if any man offer to become a Iew of what Nation soever he be before we receive him and admit him as a member of our Synagogue we are bound to consider whether he be moved by necessity to do it or if it be not for that he is in love with some of our nation or for any other worldly respect And when we find no reason to suspect him we have yet another obligation upon us which is to let him know the penalties he subjects himself unto if he breaketh the Sabbath or eateth bloud or fat which is forbidden Levit. 3.17 or disannulleth any precept of the Law as may be seen in the Targum upon Ruth And if he shew himself constant and zealous then is he admitted and protected Wherefore we do not seduce any one but contrarily avoid disputing with men concerning religion not for want of charity but that we may as farre as it is possible avoid scandall and hate and for this cause we refuse to circumcise them that come to us because we will give no offence Yea I have known some that for this cause have circumcised themselves And if Ferdinand and Isabella King and Queen of Castile did make an order to expell the Iewes because they seduced many Christians and some of the Nobility to become Iewes this was but a pretence and colour for their tyranny and onely as it is well known having no other thing to object against us Truly I do much commend that opinion not onely of Osorius de rebus Immanuelis but of our Flavius Iosephus the most famous of all Historians which he relates in his history of his own Life At that time saith he there came unto me two Noble men of the Trachomites subjects of the king bringing with them horsemen with arms and money These when the Iewes would compell to be circumcised if they would live amongst them I would not suffer them to trouble them maintaining that every man ought to serve God of his own free will and not be forced thereto by others For should we do this thing saith he it might make them repent that ever they fled unto us And so perswading the multitude I did abundantly afford unto these men their food according to their diet Truly this was an action worthy or a noble and wise man and worthy of imitation for defending common liberty leaving the judgement and determination to God alone The Spanish Inquisitions with all their torments and cruelties cannot make any Iew that falls into their power become a Christian For unreasonable beasts are taught by blowes but men are taught by reason Nor are men perswaded to other opinions by torments but rather on the contrary they become more firm and constant in their Tenet THE SIXTH SECTION HAving thus discussed the main exceptions I will now proceed to smaller matters though lesse pertaining to my faculty that is to businesse of Merchandise Some say that if the Iewes come to dwell here they will draw unto themselves the whole Negotiation to the great damage of the naturall Inhabitants I answer that it hath been my opinion alwayes with submission to better judgements that it can be no prejudice at all to the English Nation because principally in transporting their goods they would gain much by reason of the publick payments of customes excise c. Moreover they would alwayes bring profit to the people of the land as well in buying of commodities which they would transport to other places as in those they would trade in here And if by accident any particular person should lose by it by bringing down the price of such a commodity being dispersed into many hands yet by that means the Commonwealth would gain in buying cheaper and procuring it at a lesser rate Yea great emolument would grow to the naturall Inhabitants as well in the sale of all provision as in all things else that concern the ornaments of the body Yea and the native Mechanicks also would gain by it there being rarely found among us any man that useth any such art 2. Adde to this that as our nation hath sailed into almost all parts of the world so they are alwayes herein profitable to a nation in a readinesse to give their opinions in favour of the people amongst whom they live Beside that all strangers do bring in new merchandises together with the knowledge of those forreign Countries wherein they were born And this is so farre from damnifying the natives that it conduces much to their advantage because they bring from their countryes new commodities with new knowledge For the great Work-Master and Creatour of all things to the end to make commerce in the earth gave not to every place all things but hath parted his benefits amongst them by which way he hath made them all wanting the help of others This may be seen in England which being one of the most plentifull countries that are in the world yet wanteth divers things for shipping as also wine oyl figs almonds raisins and and all the drougs of India things so necessary for the life of man And besides they want many other commodities which are abundant in other countries with more knowledge of them though it be true that in my opinion there is not in the world a more understanding people for most Navigations and more capable of all Negotiation then the English Nation are 3. Farther there may be companies made of the natives and strangers where they are more acquainted or else Factors All which if I be not deceived will amount to the profit of the natives For which many reasons may be brought though I cannot comprehend them having alwayes lived a sedentary life applying my self to my studies which are farre remote from things of that nature 4. Nor can it be justly objected against our Nation that they are deceivers because the generality cannot in any rationall way be condemned for some particulars I cannot excuse them all nor do I think but there may be some deceivers amongst them as well