A Designe About Disposing the BIBLE INTO AN HARMONY OR AN ESSAY Concerning the transposing the order of Books and Chapters of the holy Scriptures for the reducing of all into a continued History The Benefits Difficultie Helpes By SAMUEL TORSHEL LONDON Printed by A. Miller for John Bellamy at the three Golden-Lyons near the Royall-Exchange M.DC.XLVII TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE The LORDS and COMMONS assembled in PARLIAMENT THis that I now humbly offer to your hands hath been long in my thoughts but much more since in my attendance on his Majesties Children I have under the incouragements and particular favours of the Right Honourable my Lord the Earl of Northumberland to whose care You have intrusted those Royall pledges read thorow the whole Bible in an expository way I have high thoughts of the sacred authority of Scripture I admire the wisedom of the whole and the admirable concent of all the parts of it and doe firmly believe that the majesty of it will triumph over the attempts of all Anti-Scripturists to the contrary till the time of our Lords coming again 'T is the glory of Christian States to maintain and advance it which was the meaning of those learned men who have lately enriched the world with that treasury of the King of France his Bible in 10. Volumes where in one Frontispiece they have represented a Table of the Portraicture of Cardinal Mazarine supported and mounted by Angels as being a great Patron of that renowned labour May your Names also be great unto posterity whilst you promote the glory of God and the saving knowledge of men by works of this nature The learned Licenser intimates the difficulty of this I also acknowledge it but withall I nothing doubt but under such an influence as yours it may grow to a full maturity Your Honours most humble and most devoted servant SAM TORSHEL A Designe TO HARMONIZE THE BIBLE The authority of the Canon of Scripture The liberty of Interpreting it A complaint against the abuse of it The Remedy IT is a received principle even among the Turkes themselves That Gods testimony sufficeth so the Alcoran speaketh cap. de Aranea Sufficit Dei testificatio and That God hath made known his will in Books The Alcoran gives witnesse to both the Testaments as we call them And Philip Guadagnoli the Arabick Professor at Rome in his Apologie for Christian Religion against Ahmed the Persian hath produced clear instances of some passages almost out of every particular Book in the whole Bible expresly quoted or manifestly alluded unto in many Chapters of the Alcoran Much more therefore in the entrance of this discourse or essay which I have now undertaken I will suppose it among Christians to be a principle that needs not proof and a thing constantly granted that the whole Scripture contained in the Canon or number of Books which we call Canonicall is the Word of God divinely inspired and left unto us to be the Rule of Faith and manners Under that Title or Right the Law and the Prophets were delivered over from the Jews the old and faithfull keepers of them to the Christians by whom both those and the Evangelicall or Apostolicall writings and declarations have been held in possession under the same Title in the severall ages since even down to these dayes There was never among the Ancients any publike quarrell about that Only which addes also to the weight and strength of the Scriptures Title there have been not a few quarrels about the sense The Arts that have been used by the Romanists for the setling and establishing the Right of Interpretation upon the Bishop of Rome have been well known whereby they have laboured to make him the Oracle to the world as the Turkish Mufti is by the relation of Busbequius in those parts finding it to be the most expedite way to gain the opinion of the publike and autorized Interpreter But upon the experience of his own and his fervants readinesse to make advantage of every thing that hath any likelihood to advance them and to wrest and abuse Scriptures to the maintenance of their usurpations therefore so long as there are at least reasonable men in the world it will alwayes prove a broken and entangled Title unto him Who then must be Judge There are many that would give it to the Fathers and that we must receive their Sense But that were to make them not Expounders but in a manner Law-givers I have spoken somewhat to this in my Exercitation upon Malachy and in my Historicall Preface before Mr Stocks Commentary upon that Prophet from whence I shall transcribe a little That we regard the Fathers highly but yeeld them not the Royaltie of a Mint as Morney speaks In the very Councel of Trent a saying of Cardinall Cajetan's That a new sense of Scripture is not to be rejected though it be against the old Doctors seeing power is left now also to interpret was by some much commended who thought it a Tyranny to forbid the faithfull the use of their own proper Ingenie Others indeed opposed that saying accounting License worse then Tyrannie Among others Richard of Mans a Franciscan Fryer went so farre as to say That the doctrine of Faith is now so cleared that we ought to learn it no more out of the Scriptures which were heretofore read in the Church for instruction but now only are read to pray by not to study There were not many that adhered to him the better part delivered themselves as Dominicke a Soto did That it was fit to keep every wit within limits for matters of faith and manners but else to leave them to their liberty for the sense Others of them yet more plainly That it was not fit to restrain the understanding of the Scriptures to the Fathers only whose expositions were most part allegoricall seldome literall and those fitted to their own times Seeing then the more learned and sober party even among the Romanists themselves have been tender of taking away the liberty of the faithfull to judge of what is written farre be it from us to be worse then they or to erect a tyranny by putting the key of knowledge into the hands of any particular order of men But what way may be taken to prevent that this liberty prove not a mischief Of late we have had too sad an experience of the boldnesse of such as pretend to the knowledge of Scriptures Besides what we hear of delivered here and there in corners there is too much witnesse in those weak senselesse and triobolarie Pamphlets which have wasted so much paper and have unmannerly intruded upon the leisures yea the necessary businesse of all sorts of men of late years in which what childish and impertinent allegations of texts have we found what raw and indigested collections from them what bandying up and down of incoherent Scripture-words and sentences many thorow a proud forwardnesse venture unripe and unexperienced upon the expounding of the Scriptures
that as Eckius said he chose the points of predestination that upon them he might exercere juveniles calores make triall of his youthly heat so these take the sacred Oracles of God upon which to make their raw and imperfect essayes And ordinarily as the most learned men are scepticall and but little positive so the weakest men are most magisteriall and cry out like the Mathematician at Athens I have found I have found it when they light upon a notion which seems new to them but it may be might be had in twenty Authors which they know not But the most of those that are unlearned and unstable doe wrest the Scripture as the Apostle speaks thinking they finde that in it which is not it They bring an opinion with them and with that they reade the Bible all along imagining that they see it every where before them like the man of whom the Philosopher spake who thought he saw his own shape before his eyes at every step he took A strong imagination or fancie will perswade very much and beguile both the eye and the ear As for instance Some when they look up to the racke or moving clouds imagine them to have the form of Men of Armies of Castles Forrests Landskips Lyons Bears c. where none else can see such things nor is there any true resemblance of such shapes And for the ear when a man hath somewhat that roules and tumbles in his thoughts he will think that the ringing of bells the beating of hammers the report that is made by great gunnes or any other measured or intermitted noise doth articulately sound and speak the same which is in his thoughts In this same manner many perswade themselves that the Scripture represents to them such and such formed opinions while they patch and lay things together without any reason like children looking upon a wall will fancie an armed man or some other thing such a spot to be the bulk of the body such another spot to be the head some other scratches or flawes to be the legs or armes with weapons whiles another perhaps at the same time imagines the same spots to resemble a Dragon and a third that they resemble a Ship or what else may indeed be most unlike a man We could not have thought what vanity there is in the imagination of men if somewhat had not been testified to us of old by the Apostle who tells us of the Gentiles How their foolish hearts were darkned Rom. 1. ver 21. and by the Ancients Augustine Philastrius and others who have recorded the strange and senselesse dotages of many hereticks and of late in the ridiculous papers that have flown about and bring Scripture with them but no sense fancying the holy word of God to strike to ring or chime to their tunes The Apostles Peter and Jude speak of dreamers sure there are many such now A man that is awake we know may think of a golden house the way to which paved with rubies and Saphires the wall plaistred with pearl and the gate one entire Diamond but his externall senses not being hindred with other witnesse and information his internall sense gives judgement aright but when the outward senses are locked up by sleep then those vainest fancies are entertained without controul Such danger is there when to use the Apostles phrase Heb. 5.14 men have not their senses exercised to discerne both good and evil But yet a greater mischief ariseth out of a corrupt and depraved minde and affection according to that of St Paul 1 Tim. 6.5 perverse disputings of men of corrupt mindes When the Appetite or affection is eager and stayes not the leisure of deliberation but outruns it so as not to be recalled then the minde is drawn to be of the same opinion with the appetite and takes up what is fancied as true and what is affected as warrantable that at length the beguiled man believes himself He that looks upon an unlovely thing with the eye of love thinks it lovely so that that is false seems true to him that strongly affects it He that is extreamly athirst drinks down that with pleasure which if he were not so distemperd would offend his tast and very much nauseate his stomack I might instance in many the like deceits and inconveniences growing partly from depravednesse of minde partly from ignorance partly from instability suddennesse and haste when men take a snatch and run away with that which looks like the sense of Scripture as if they had gotten somewhat that made much for them and weary themselves about them like the Apes in the story who finding a glo-worm in a cold night took it for a spark of fire and heaped sticks upon it to warm themselves So doe they lose their labour who are busie about sounds of words and incoherent-Scripture-sentences But I have not spoken all this with a minde to defraud the faithfull of their Right even their Right to Judge of what is written The sentence of the great Apostle resolves and directs me in this who applying himself to the Community of Believers at Corinth saith even to all I speak as to wise men judge ye what I say 1 Cor. 10.15 And in after times the Christians held themselves in possession of it Theodoret in the 4th book of his History cap. 19. gives us a notable testimony When Euzoius the Governour of Alexandria had thrust out Peter the orthodox successor of Athanasius and had placed Lucius an Arrian in that Church the people having been brought up under Athanasius doctrine perceiving contrary food provided for them they would not hear but forsook the ecclesiasticall meetings That that God hath given to the people let none presume to take from them Let us rather renew the earnestnesse of Chrysostome and others of the Antients to perswade and encourage them more to the reading and examining of the Scriptures Take not away the book only spread it more open The ministery ecclesiasticall was appointed to this end and to this end were gifts given unto men To this purpose many have profitably laboured The Ancients framed their Commentaries Enarrations Scholies Glosses Metaphrases Paraphrases Homilies In the severall ages there have been some or other as I have particularly mentioned in my forenamed Historicall Preface to Malachy that have applied themselves to this work but more abundantly in these later times Only whereas the difficulty and obscurity of Scripture is in great part because of the Anticipations Transpositions and Dislocations of whole books or some parcels of the sacred Canon we are yet wanting to our selves and to our clear understanding of the whole Scripture that the whole hath not been digested into one continued History according to the order of times which would make the work of Commenting and Interpreting much more easie and the whole Context altogether more clear This therefore is it which I have humbly to offer 1. To propose and open the Designe about the Harmonizing
we shall not know where to finde any thing That may be easily helpt by marginall Columnes all along throughout with the Context and a Table or Index at the end of the whole In most places there will need but two Columnes for a great part none at all where the History or Book runs along without dislocation or insertion and in no place above four as in the Evangelists unlesse haply a fifth Columne somewhere there if it be judged fit to insert Judes Epistle into the History of the Evangelists concerning which for the present I Quaerie At the end may be an Index of two Columns In the first the Books Chapters and verses in the order as they lye now in the Bible And in the other the Books and Chapters of the Harmony it being divided into so many Books and Chapters as may be most for ease Whereby may presently be found in what part of the Harmony any Chapter Verse or Sentence of the whole Bible lies As for example Genesis Harmony ch ver lib. ch 1. 1. to 27. 1. 1. The Harmony being thus framed throughout there may be some marginall directions where they are necessary to give the reasons of the Transitions Insertions Transpositions and of the whole order The Benefits THe benefit of such an Harmony will be greater then we can fully comprehend till we have the use of it It will help much toward the making up an exacter Scripture-Chronologie It will serve abundantly to the clearing of the genuine and historicall meaning of the Text every where As for instance The Sermons of the Prophets though as they were laid up and preserved by the Sanhedrim are delivered unto us in a body as the learned Elders digested them yet they were applied at severall times in the severall emergencies of affairs of the two Kingdoms of Judah and Israel and upon severall occasions which being found out will make us as it were present auditours of those Prophets and in the quality of those to whom they were directed So the Psalms were written by severall men at severall times and those of David not all at once We shall know the temper of their spirits upon what motives upon what rejoycings upon what fears or distresses or accidents they were composed Take one example Psal 90.10 The anthour of that Psalm passionately complains of the shortnesse and misery of mans years The dayes of our years are threescore years and ten c. But it concerns not all men and times Only Moses who seems to have been the authour of that Psalm complains upon an occasion peculiar to that time and that people whom he governed It was the word of the Lord concerning that generation when they provoked him in the wildernesse that none of them should enter into his rest nor see the good land but that all their carcasses should fall in the desert that occasioned this complaint A strange and and unusuall thing that of 600000. souls men of able constitutions and lying under no epidemicall disease none except two persons Caleb and Iosuah should out-live threescore and ten years or at utmost but fourscore that were twenty years of age at their coming forth of Egypt We may take another example Psal 27.13 I had fainted unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living What was that land of the living that David speaks of When he made this Psalm he was forced from Ierusalem where he was wont to live in society with men and now shifted up and down among grott's and caves and solitary holes as if his dwelling had been among the Sepulchers of the dead The occasion then enlightens the Psalm if we insert it into that part of Davids story The literall historicall sense of Scripture we must first build upon else in mysteries and Allegories we may sooner be fine and witty then sound Hierome confesseth his own youthly vanity in interpreting Obadiah's Prophecie When I was young saith he I interpreted the Prophet allegorically because I was ignorant of the History I thought then I could read a sealed book No man can write so ill but some will like it Such an one praised it but I blush't I now freely professe that was the work of my childish wit this of my mature age Many undertake Scripture as if they could reade a sealed book and perhaps many praise them for lofty and raised notions but where is their Authority when they lose the genuine and litterall meaning of the holy Pen-man Isidore Pelusiota hath observed That wheras the Manichees thought that no part of the old Testament spake of Christ some in his time went to the other extream thinking all to be spoken of him and so brought a discredit upon the true testimonies when wrong ones were wrested Weaknesse of proof brings the greatest prejudice against the truth Divines have given out some observations for the understanding how Scripture is fulfilled either 1. When the thing is done or comes to passe which was meant by the Prophet in his litterall and proper sense Or 2. When that comes to passe which was fore-shadowed by the proper and immediate subject of the Prophets speech Or 3. When the thing that happens was not litterally and properly pointed at nor fore-shadowed but aptly and handsomely applied to and compared with somewhat like it Or 4. When that which was fore-told or fore-shadowed though it have been already done in part or have been begun to be done is afterwards done more fully or else more constantly It being possible that the same Scripture may be fulfilled often yea in the same litterall sense Now an Harmonious historizing of the Psalms and the Prophets and the like will lead us more clearly to know the immediate subject of what was spoken give us hints to discern what was higher and further meant yea possibly more then what themselves understood in the words that themselves spake For the Scriptures being given for the instruction and use of all succeeding ages It may be that the Prophets knew not all that they delivered and which the sense of their words might be afterwards improved unto Daniel was a man full of the Spirit of God and much travelled in Revelations yet he knew not the then approaching time of the Jews liberty till that in the first of Darius he learned more then was immediately inspired unto him by Books that had been written by Prophets before him Dan. 9.2 In the first year of Darius raign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the Prophet No doubt he diligently satisfied himself unto what year of Jeremies publique Ministery those predictions Chap. 25.11 12. and chap. 29.10 were made Some Prophets knew more and some lesse They saw for after times but often themselves saw but what concerned the present times places and affairs It was said to Daniel himself Chap. 12.4 O Daniel shut up the words and seal the
faculty But the very litterall sense of much in Scripture which is the Divines Canon cannot be rightly understood without variety of reading and learning in other faculties and sciences And to the collating of Scriptures and reducing parcels to the order of History there will need both much sagacity and industry and a competent knowledge in the Rites and customs civil of all the neighbour Nations together with humane histories of those and the succeeding times as likewise an acquaintance with the Iewish Laws and haply the time of some of the Prophets will be known only by the Characterismes of language peculiar to such and such different ages The Helps THe helps towards this work must be from such as have diligently written the ecclesiasticall Chronology such as are versed in Rabbinicall and Talmudique learning Among others Plantavitius his Florilegium Rabbinicum especially the third Tome where we have the Bibliotheca Rabbinica Such as have studied the Iewish laws and Rites L'Empereur so far as he hath gone De legibus Hebraeorum Forensibus Corn. Bertram de Politcia Iudaica Car. Sigonius de Republica Hebraeorum M. Selden in many of his learned books will be of much use And haply such as have confined themselves to particular arguments tending to the clearing of some Scripture Antiquities may be of service Peter Faber his Agonisticon about sports and Olympick games Nicolaus Caussin of Hieroglyphicks and Aenigma's Brissonius and Roa for the customs of marriage c. Ianus Cornarus of things belonging to Vines according to the Scripture Georg. Longus of Milain concerning signatory Rings Such as have writ of stones and minerals of weights and measures of Treaties and Covenants of the Iewish Kalendar and of the Iubiles and many such other arguments according to the Scripture Theodoret Melanthon and Moller have done somewhat by way of cenjecture about the occasion of divers of the Psalms Petrus Aureolus in his Compendium Bibliorum Georg. Ederus Councellour to the Emperours Ferdinand the first and Maximilian the second in his Oeconomia Bibliorum The Tigurine Divines in the Preface to their Version Solomon Glassius in his Tract de methodo S. Scr. And Eusebius Nierembergius de origine S. Scrip. especially in his 9th 10th books and divers authours of that kinde have somewhat concerning the Pen-men of holy writ and their times But whereas no man hath yet thought of the main designe much lesse attempted any thing in direct tendency to it it must be expected that the way will be rough and uneven full of bracks and thickets and in which the undertakers must be pardoned if haply they may sometimes lose their way The Recommendation BUt some helps there are and if the State may please to look upon it with favour and encouragement somewhat may be done to the great service of the Churches of Christ not only for the ease of the Ministery which O siander saith was the reason why he set upon the Harmony of the Evangelists but for the abundant encrease of saving knowledge of all Christians who will finde the benefit of it being done which I doubt I am not so happy in my expressions as to make it plain enough in the Designe And the very labour and search will yeeld comfort all along to such as may be employed in it as George Wyrth professeth that in his old age when he had served as a Physitian in Brussels and in King Philip the seconds Court many years he applied himself to the difficult collating of the Evangelists being then turned Protestant for his last refreshments Let the State only please to make it their care after the example of some Kings and Republicks that have done such like works of generall use for the advance of learning and divine knowledge and they will finde some men very learned of their own order besides many in the profession of Divinity and others of private quality that will contribute much assistance to it Perhaps it may be thought a daring and bold designe I humbly submit it to the judgement of men learned and godly wise who will pardon an errour if it be any of earnest affection to the advance of holy-Scripture-knowledge which is the greatest Treasury of heavenly wisdome and science that the whole earth hath in keeping and of which we cannot put too high a value Let me by way of Conclusion adde some just Characters of the whole Bible and the particular Books some of which I have gathered from the Ancients and others but many of them holding out their own evidence The whole Bible The souls food so Athanasius The common shop of soul physick so Basil The invariable rule of truth so Iraeneus The Divines balance so Augustin 1. In respect of the dictating of it It is The Library of the holy Ghost Christs Aphorismes The Acts and Statutes of the highest Parliament Gods Mint-house The Signet of Gods right-hand The Epistle of God to the world The Court-roll of Gods Fines and Amercements 2. In respect of it's worth It is A stately Palace A fruitfull field The true Hesperides The inestimable Pearl 3. In respect of it's use It is The Touch-stone of errour The Key of the Sheep-fold The Glasse of Life The Weather-glasse The Christians Magazine The Armory Genesis The Cabinet of greatest Antiquities Exodus The sacred Rule of Law and Justice Leviticus The holy Ephemerides Numbers Gods Arithmetick Deuteronomy The faithfull Monitor Joshuah The holy Warre Judges The Mirrour of Magistrates and Tyrants Ruth The Picture of a pious Widow Samuel Sacred Politicks Kings Sacred Politicks Chronicles The holy Annals Ezra An Idea of Church and State Reformation Nehemiah An Idea of Church and State Reformation Hester The great example of Gods providence Job The School of Patience Psalms The Souls Soliloquies Psalms The little Bible Psalms The Anatomy of Conscience Psalms The Rose-garden Psalms The Pearl-Island Proverbs Divine Ethicks Politicks Oeconomicks Ecclesiastes Experience of the Creatures Vanity Canticles The mysticall Bride-song Isaiah The Evangelicall Prophet Jeremiah The Patheticall Mourner Lamentations The voice of the Turtle Ezekiel Urim and Thummim in Babylon Daniel The Apocalyps of the old Testament Hoseah Sermons of Faith and Repentance Joel The Thunderer Amos. The plain dealing Reprover Obadiah Edoms whip Jonah The Propheticall Apostle of the Gentiles Micah The Wise-mens Starre Nahum The Scourge of Assur Habakkuk The Comforter of Captives Zephaniah Preparation for sad times Hagge Zeal for Gods house Zachariah Prophetick Hieroglyphicks Malachy The Bound-stone of the two Testaments Matthew The four Trumpeters proclaiming the title of the great King Mark The four Trumpeters proclaiming the title of the great King Luke The four Trumpeters proclaiming the title of the great King John The four Trumpeters proclaiming the title of the great King Acts. The Treasury of Ecclesiasticall Story Romans The Principles of Christian Faith The Catholique Catechisme 1. Corinthians Apostolicall Reformation 2. Corinthians A patern of just Apologies Galatians The Epistle to the Romans epitomized Ephesians The opening of the great mystery of salvation Philippians An Apostolicall Paraenesis Colossians A briefe Rule of Faith and Manners 1. Thessalonians Practick Theology 2. Thessalonians Polemick Theology 1. Timothy The sacred Pastorall 2. Timothie The Title of the Scripture pleaded Titus Agenda or Church-orders Philemon The Rule of Relations Hebrews A Commentary upon Leviticus James The golden Alphabet of a Christian 1. Peter A Theologicall summary 2. Peter The Encouragement of a spirituall warrier 1. John The Glasse of Charity 2. John The patern of a pious Matron 3. Iohn The Mirrour of Hospitality Iude. A picture of false Prophets Revelation Daniel Redivivus The opening of the Treasure of future events FINIS THis Essay I conceive is very well worthy the publishing that if the difficulties may be overcome the whole design may be undertaken Charles Herle