person the Crown was intaled euen by God himselfe neither was there any before him besides or with him that could be his competitor in that right though himselfe was no King but a poore Carpenter nor had hee any after him from his lovnes descended or of his kindred that could debarre Iesus to bee his heire The opinion therefore of one Iraeneus and others is not to be approued who suppose that Ioseph had children of his owne body begot and wil haue Iames and Ioses Iudah and Simon to bee the naturall brethren of Christ either by Father or Mother or both And Heluidius the Heretick with the Ebionites vrgeth that Iesus was not the onely sonne of Mary his Mother because saith hee his brethren and sisters are so particularly named in the Euangelists Others from the words of the Apostle Saint Paul who calleth S. Iames the Lords brother doe take Iames to bee the brother of Iesus indeed and doe iudge him to bee borne vnto Ioseph by a former wife Vnto which conceit Eusebius seemeth to leane and Cestrenfis alleageth but not alloweth for then had Iames the eldest son both by birth-right and parantage beene King of the Iewes and the title vsurped and impropper to Iesus who was but the Legall sonne of Ioseph by whom the claime came For the right resting in Abiud the eldest of Zorobabels sonnes must likewise descend to Iosephs eldest sonne otherwise the Law debarreth the claime and Christ was to accomplish euery iot of the law And how the law intaled it to his person alone let vs heare the Euangelists for his title speake where wee shall finde three Maries recorded to bee Mothers vnto Christ his Apostles which were Mary the Uirgin Mary surnamed Saloâ—…e and Mary Cleopas for other Maries not to this purpose of purpose we omit Mary the Virgin and Mother of Christ neither by Saint Mathew nor by Saint Luke hath her Parents expresly recorded For the Euange lists setting downe the Lineage of our Sauiour they doe not by the line of Mary from whom he tooke flesh but from Ioseph by whom hee was to deriue the Kingdome Therefore it is consequent that the Euangelists in that point did principally intend to set forth our Sauiours Kingly right That so Christ might bee accounted from the man and not from the woman according to the vsuall manner of the Scriptures for which cause Ioseph is called the sonne both of Iacob his begetter and of Eli her father by the mariage of her his daughter And that shee was the daughter of Eli the Rabbins themselues doe acknowledge and so tearme her and doe bring her from Dauid from Iudah and from the Towne Bethlehem as the Euangelists haue done Ioseph her husband neither haue wee Christians euer seene any contrary record and so it must be For Christ could not truely be the seed of Dauid vnlesse Mary whose seede he was immediatly were truely the seed of Dauid But Christ was truely the seed of Dauid therefore Mary whose seed he was immediatly was truly the seed of Dauid This Mary then the daughter and sole heire of Eli her father hath her fathers right in the title of Iudah for so saith the Law If a man haue no sonne his daughter shall inherit And by matching with Ioseph in whom the right lay from Abiud the eldest of Zorobabels sonnes after his decease is also his heire For shee being descended from Rhesa the younger brother and Abiuds house failing in Ioseph her husband Abiuds inheritance was to descend vnto Rhesa his line and Mary then of Rhesa was heire vnto Abiud for so doth the same law establish that if a man haue neither sonne nor daughter as Ioseph had not the neerest of his kindred shall inherit And Mary the neerest by any record though many descents passed betwixt must be the only heire of Ioseph her husband he dying issulesse as hee did and of Eli her Father he hauing no other child to in herit And none suruiunig either Ioseph or Mary in that royall line Christ Iesus who was knowne and reputed to bee the onely sonne of them both by that double right and most inst title is stiled and called King of the Iewes Mary surnamed Salome in Marke 15. 40. by 〈◊〉 Flinspachio in his draughts of the Scriptures Genealo gies is set to be the daughter of Iacob and the sister of Ioseph the Carpenter but without any proof for his so doing alledged or warrant of any before him And so to admit â—…er were to intitle both her selfe sons to be next heires vnto Iudahs Crowne For Iosephs title standing from Abiud and dying 〈◊〉 as he did had shee beene his sister and from the same stem shee then had beene inheretriâ—… vnto Ioseph her brother deceased and must haue inioyed his rights by the same law before alledged And so her sons Iames Iohn had stood in estate before Iesus and the Euangelists too farre ouerseene to annihilate them the next in bloud and â—…uer to intitle Iesus King of the Iewes But antiquity hath brought this Mary Salome from Anna the mother of the blessed virgin Mary and how from Anna let me here insert from Authors worthy of credit Saint Hierom and others besides him affirme that this Anna had three husbands and by each of them had a daughter and each of the daughters named Mary The first Mary say they was borne by Anna vnto Ioachim or Eâ—… her first husband who was of the Tribe of Iadah lineage of Dauid and this his daughter a wife and a virgin was made most blessed in bearing of Christ. Annaes second husband was Salome of whom or from whence is no where recorded that I haue seen Vnto him shee bare the second Mary for so in the vulgar translation shee is named but by the later is called onely Salome and is as it seemeth so called from Salome her father This Mary was the wife of Zebedee as is inferred by Saint Matthew chap. 27. 56. where shee is calâ—…ed the mother of Zebedees sonnes and those were Iohn and Iames the beloued Apostles of our Lord who for their zeale were called the sons of thunder and may well bee accounted the kins-men of Christ but â—…o wise interested vnto Dauids Crowne The third and last Mary is calâ—…ed Mary Cleopas being borne vnto Cleopas the third and last husband of Anna. But of this Maries surâ—…ame resteth some doubt for some â—…o call her from her father birth and some from her husband and mariage That shee had the surname Cleoâ—…as from her father Saint Hierom and many ancient manuscripts of the Scriptures Genealogies so affirme but the text in Iohn Chap. 19. 25. as it is translated doth call her the wife of Cleopas and so by consequence shee should from her husband beare that surname But
whether from father or husband most certen it is by the Euangelist Iohn shee was the sister of Mary the Virgin and that by the mother and not by the father And that shee had either beene or then was the wife of Alpheus S. Mathew doth inferre Chap. 10. 3. for Alpheus was the father and she the mother of Iames the lesse as also of Ioses Math. 27. 56. vnto whom Iudah was brother Luke 6. 16. and Simon is reckoned a brother among them Mat. 13. 55. But this Simon the sonne of this Mary and Bishop of Ierusalem saith Aegesippus was of the kindred lineage of Dauid for which and for his Christianity hee was accused vnto Traian the Emperour and patiently suffered death vnder Atticus the Consull as likewise many others of Iudahs Tribe for the same occasion of kindred vnder him and other Emperours did had done So as it may be obiected Iesus stood not sole heire vnto Dauids Crown but that this Simon and others also were interested therein But thereunto may be answered that albeit these and many others in those daies also were of Iudahs Tribe and Dauids kindred yet that prooueth not they were of the children either of Abiud or Rhesa the sons of Zorobabel from whō the right is deriued by both the Euangelists Nor were these men Zebedee and Alpheus the husbands of these Maries nor Cleopas whether husband or sonne knowne to bee of Dauids line or of Iudahs Tribe by any apparancy of text and therefore neither themselues nor sonnes could be heires vnto Dauids throne and Iudahs Kingdome But Christ being the sonne of the first borne Mary and himselfe the first borne of euery Creature is therefore before any of these Sons or parents in title to the Crowne the law hauing established the first borne to inherit For if in al things he was to haue the preheminēce then most especially in that of Iudahs Crowne it being reserued for him vnto whom it most rightfully belonged and hee the onely rightfull heire vnto Dauid as wee haue said Neither had Mary Cleopas the mother of Iames Ioses Iudah and Simon beene a former wife vnto Ioseph the Carpenter as consequently shee must had Ioseph been father to any of these her borne sons For it is euident that shee liued after the death of Ioseph the Carpenter for with Mary her sister she beheld Christ vpon the Crosse wherby is most manifest that with Mary her sister shee could not haue beene a wife vnto Ioseph nor Ioseph haue beene a iust man as Saint Mathew records him had hee enioyed two sisters at once but rather a transgressour of the law which saith Thou shalt not take a wife with her sister during her life to vex her And that Iames the lesse the son of this Mary was the sonne of Alpheus we haue shewed and how hee and the rest were called the brethren of Iesus wee may soone perceiue if wee consider that the vsuall custome of the Iewes was to call not onely any of their kindred brethren but them also of their Countrey and Tribe as Moses did the Striuers and as they of Israell were brethren to them of Iudah And in that sense did the Iewes call them the brethren of Iesus when seeing his person his wisedome and workes and knowing his parents kindred and education in the trade of a poore Carpenter with great admiration they obiected and said Whence hath hee this learning is not this the Carpenter Maries sonne the brother of Iames and Ioses and Iudah and Simon and are not his sisters here with vs And Iames the lesse being the son of Mary who was the sister of Mary the Virgin was then the Cosen-german as we speake vnto Iesus euen his Ants sonne and from that his neere consanguinity was called the Lords brother and not from Ioseph by a former wife as some haue imagined nor any similituder likenesse that he had vnto Iesus as Lyra saith he was of both in face and lineaments of body But much more propperly was Iesus euer taken and reputed to bee the sonne of Ioseph for that Ioseph was his bringer vp in the trade of a Carpenter and his maintainer of liuelihood the space of twenty nine yeeres And hauing no father vpon earth amonst men but Ioseph the Carpenter is therefore commonly called the sonne of Ioseph the Carpenter And Ioseph likewise for the foresaid causes is often reputed and called the father of Iesus and so doth Mary her selfe call him when finding Iesus among the Doctors in the Temple disputing shee said Sonne why hast thou thus dealt with vs behold thy Father and I haue sought thee sorrowing And vpon the same ground that Ioseph had no issue of himselfe begot is built the Perpetuitie of Maries Virginity who being blessed aboue women doubtlesse had not been subiect to the curse of barrennesse had Ioseph euer knowne her as his wife And the childe so begot and borne had beene heire to Iudahs Kingdome in the right of the Father Iesus being but sonne to the mother nor shee any wise interrested vnto Salomons Crown whilst Ioseph her husband liued or any childe from him But Ioseph being a iust man and beleeuing the Angell that told him his wiues conception was by the holy Ghost forbare to touch by mariage knowledge that her Virgins blessed wombe wherein the Sonne of righteousnesse had been incarnate For as the outward Eastgate of Ezekiels glorious Temple was commanded to stand shut and no more to bee opened and no man to enter in by it because the Lord God of Israell had entred in that way so that sanctified Virgins * blessed body remained vnknowne by man for euer because the Prince of Princes Christ Iesus her Sonne had entred the passage vnto his humanity through that holy gate of his Tabernacle Mary of all weomen the most blessed And as the Spices confection compounded in the f◅st Tabernacle was onely to bee imployed vpon and in the first Tabernacle where God did make his Couenant with Moses so the sweete composition of the eternall deity with the then assumed hamanity in the wo◅b of that Ros◅ or Lilly of Zion was no more to bee attempted in that sanctified Tabernacle wherein Gods couenant was performed in becomming the Immanuel for the saluation of man which wrought no doubt in Ioseph the husband a reuerend fo◅ bearance though the bed of mariage be holy and vndefiled These things being so as by the Scriptures we find them not otherwise Iesus his title stands firme for Iudahs Crowne for hee hauing neither brother nor sister vncle nor kinsman by any descent either from Abiud or from Rhesa any kindred at all is himselfe then the only immeate and next heire vnto them both both by Ioseph his father and by Mary his mother And by that do◅ble line
labours our studies are inriched both with Arts and wisdome but rather with the Bee let vs worke the hony out of euery flower and according to the precept of the Apostle try the worke by the fier of Gods word The Romanist Iohn Lucidus deceiued by a forged Philo and Niâ—… cholas Lyra our Country-man corrupted by study of malitious Rabbins together with Annius Eusebius Africanus and many others haue in Glosses verie much intangled the truth of these pedegrees For Lucidus allowing that Vtopian Hebrician from him doth end the line of Salomon in Ochozias otherwise called Achaztah the seuenth King succeeding and vnto Ieconiah the last King of Iudah doth name al the Kings mentioned by Saint Mathew to bee the same men whom S Luke recordeth from Nathan whose words thus follow S. MATHEVV  S. LVKE Ioas otherwise Simeon Amasia Leui. Ozias Matthat Iotham Iorim Achas Eliezar Ezechias Iose. Manasses Er. Amon Elmodam Iosias Cosam Iehoahaz Addi Iehoiachim Melchi Ieconiah Neri The like fainings of double names he continueth from Zorobabel through the line of Rhesa vnto Eli the father of Mary though to little purpose and lesse explanation Eusebius likewise citing the Epistle of Africanus to Aristides as ancient as Origin in these descents of Christ his parents both by legall mariages and in double venters of sons so troubleth the truth with vnwarrantable inuentions as may dazell the eies of the best sighted searcher his words somewhat abridged I will here insert The kindred saith he of Salomon and of Nathan is so knit together by reuiuing of the deceased without issue by second mariages by raising of seede so that not without cause the same persons are posted ouer to diuers fathers whereof some were imagined and some others were their fathers indeed both the allegations being properly true though in Ioseph diuersly yet exactly by descent determined And that that which I go about to proue may plainely appeare I will declare the orderly succession of this Genealogie making a recitall from Dauid to Salomon The third from the end is Matthan found which begat Iacob the father of Ioseph but from Nathan the son of Dauid decending according to the Gospell of Luke the third from the ende is Melchi whose sonne is Hely the father of Ioseph For Ioseph is the son of Hely the sonne of Melchi Ioseph being the proposed marke to shoote at wee must shew how either is termed his father deriuing the pedegree of Iacob from Salomon of Heli from Nathan And first how Iacob and Heli being two brethren then their fathers Matthan and Melchi borne of diuers kindreds may be prooued grandfathers to Ioseph Matthan therefore and Melchi marrying the same wife begat brethren by the same mother the law not forbidding a Widow either dismissed from her Husband or after the death of her husband to be coupelled vnto another man First therefore Matthan descending from Salomon begat Iacob of Estha for that is said to be her name After the death of Matthan Melchi which is said to haue descended from Nathan beeing of the same Tribe but of another race hauing maried this widow to his wife begat Hely his sonne Thus doe wee finde Iacob and Heli of a different race but by the same mother to haue bin brethren Of the which Iacob taking to wife his sister the wife of Heli his brother beeing deceased without issue begat on her the third to wit Ioseph by nature and the order of generation vnto himselfe whereupon it is written Iacob begat Ioseph by the law vnto his brother Heli deceased whose sonne Ioseph was For Iacob being his brother raised seede vnto him wherefore neither that Genealogie which concerneth him is to be abolished the which Mathew the Auangelist reciting Iacob saith he begat Ioseph and Luke of the other side which was the sonne saith he as it was supposed adding this withall of Ioseph which was the sonne of Heli which was the sonne of Melchi And the word of begetting hee ouer skipped with silence vnto the end with such a recitall of sonnes making relation vnto Adam which was of God nor is this hard to proue or to small purpose proposed In this tedious speech of Eusebius you may see how Ioseph is forced to bee naturally from Salomon and adoptiuely from Nathan but by imagined fathers as himselfe confesseth and Mary whose parentage concerneth Christs humanity most not once spoken of in this Epistle how weake a reconciliation therefore is made of our holy Euangelists let the vnsatisfied Christian iudge and yet in these fainings he hath beene followed in the labours of those that otherwise haue done wel which their pedegrees to shew the present defect is here from them presented to thy sight In this intricate Labirinth who can but lament where neither Scripture is followed nor propagation allowed and how farre from truth Eusebius hath straied in this his pretended reconciliation is euidently seene namely in making Melchi to be the immediat father of Heli and the third from the end in S. Lukes catalogue when by the said Euangelist it is most apparant that he was the fifth from the end and not the father but the great grandfather of Heli for Melchi begat Leui and Leui begat Matthat and Matthat begat Heli whose sonne in law Ioseph was Then could not Melchi be the naturall and next immediate father of Heli two generations comming betwixt howsoeuer Eusebius vnderstandeth his ranke from the end Nor could the issues of double mariages so begot and borne bee brothers of one venter twines as Iacob and Heli are said to bee by the said Estha and by two seuerall men Matthan and Melchi a thing strange in nature and the like in Scripture neuer seene And though Lyra from Africanus and Hierome allow of the double mariages for the raysing of seed to the issulesse deceased yet he ioyneth Matthat and not Melchi vnto Estha for her second husband and maketh Heli her sonne by the same man But in following these Rabbins too neerely that bring Christ from Salomon Nicolas Lyra in his annotations both vpon the first booke of Chronicles and the Gospell of Saint Mathew ouerrunneth the truth into a most dangerous error For he would haue Nathan to bee but the adopted sonne of Dauid and the naturall sonne of Vriah the Hittite borne vnto him by Bathsheba his wife before Dauid tooke her for his For vpon Dauids sonnes borne in Ierusalem and 1 Chro. 3. 5. thus he commenteth Onely Salomon was Dauids naturall sonne the other three were Vriahs whom Dauid made his by adoption So our Lord should come and take flesh not of blessed Sem and beloued Dauid as by the Prophets was promised but of cursed Cham and irreligious Heth without all warrant of the sacred Text. But vnto these their assertions let vs assay further the answer to cleere our Euangelists from the least touch of disagreement First then though Lucidus bee greatly deceiued
19. g Heb. 11. 40. h Esa. 7. 14 i Efay 53. k Ier. 52. 5. l Ezek. 34. 23. m Dan. 2. 34. n Dan. 9. 24. o Hos. 3. 5 p Io. 2. 23. q Amos 9. 11. r Oba 1. 21. s Io. 1. 17. t Mi. 5. 2. u Nah. 1. 15. x Hab. 3. 3 13. y Zeph. 〈◊〉 11. Chap 3. 9. z Hag. 2. 8 10. a Zech. 9. 9 b chap. 11 12 13. c Mal. 4. 5 The Euangelists begin where Malachi leaueth d Luk. 1. 17 e Esay 40. 〈◊〉 Iohn Baptist the Elijah f Mat. 11. 14. g 1. King 17. 6. h Mat. 3. 4. i 2 Kings 18. k Mat. 1. 6 l 1. Kin. 18 m Mat. 14. 4. n 1. Kings 19. 8. o Math. 3. 16. p Iohn 1. 29. q Luk. 3. 16. r Ioh. 1. 1. Christ begaÌ„ his functioÌ„ at his Bap tisme The reconciliation of S. Matthew S. Luke s Esay 6. 13. t Dan. 7. 18. Of Zorobabelâ—… sons came both the father mother of Christ. u Exo. 25. 20. x Heb. 9. 5 y Apo. 5. 8 z Cant 3. 11. a 1. Tim. 3 16. b Psal. 〈◊〉 12. c Luke 7. 23. Psal. 45. 1 King 1. GeÌ„ 13. 14. GeÌ„ 17. 8. GeÌ„ 49. 10. Talm. Senad in cap Mâ—…lec De Ples in verit Chist Relig cap. 29 Deut. 32. 49. Ezek. 5. 5. Num. 32. 1 Dan. 7. Gen. 49. The 2. Obseruation a Ioh. 6. 14 b Luk. 19. 10. The expectation of the Iewes set vpon an earthly Kingdome c Act. 1. 6. d Luk. 24. 21. e Ioh. 4. f Iohn 3. * A prophecy of a potent king * Sueton. in vit Aug. The RomaÌ„s durst not place a King in Egypt g Ioh. 11. 49. Herod feared a temporall King h Math. 2. i Ioh 19. 19. k Mat. 21. 25. l Luk. 20. 42. The Saddu ces acknow ledged nei-Angell nor Spirit The Rabbins applications The 3. Obseruation Iesus his right to the kingdome Iesus his right to the Kingdome Jesus the next in succession â—…nto Salomon m Luk 2. 4 No competitor wâ—…th Iesâ—…ss * Eusebius l. 5. cap. 8. Ieraen lib. 3 cap. 25. n Mat. 13. 55. o Gal. 1. 19 * Euseb. eccle hist. l. 2. c. 1. * Polich l. 3. c. 44. Iames not the natural brother of Christ. p Deu. 21. 17. Three Maries are mothers q Mat. 1. 18 r Mar. 15. 40. s Iohn 19. 25. Why maries parents are not directly set down Ioseph is called both the son of Iacob and of Eli Rab Hacanas the son of Nehumia The Rabbins proue what wee desire t Num. 27 The Law maketh a woman capable of inheritance Abiuds house ended â—…n Ioseph Mary is heire vnto Eli her father and Ioseph her husband Iesus his right vnto Iudahs Crowne * In Arcano dei Tabula 18. Mary Salome is not the sister of Ioseph Mary Salome was not heire to vnto Ioseph Mary Salome from whom descended * S. HieroÌ„ vpon Saint Mathew Anâ—…a had three husbands and three daughters Mary the virgin daughter of Eli. Mary Salome the second daugh ter Mary Salome the wife of Zebedees * Mat. 4. 21. y Mark 3. 17. This Iohn writ the Apocalips Mary Cleopas the 3. Daughter Her surname doubfull z Ioh. 19. 25. Mary Cleopas was sister to Mary the virgine Mary Cleopas was the wife of Alpheus a Mar. 15 40 * Aegesippus Simon Bishop of Ierusalem saffred vnder Atticus Obiect Answ. Zebede Alpheus Cleopas vnknowne to be of Iudah b Col. i. 15 c Deut. 21 17. d Col. i. 18 e Ezek. 21 27. f Iohn 19. 25. Mary Cleopas could not be wife vnto Ioseph her sister being aliue g Le. 18. 18 Iames the lesse was not the naturall brother of Iesus h Act. 7. 26 i 1. King 12 24. k Mar. 6. 3. l Ioh 19. 25. Iesus and Iames were Cosen-germans * Lyr. annota vpon Gal. 1. 19. Iesus brought vp vnder Ioseph the space of twenty nine yeeres m Mat. 13. 55. Ioh. 6. 42. Ioseph is commonly called the father of Iesus n Luk. 2. 46. Maries perpetuall virginity confirmed â—…er virginity proued by consequence Why Ioseph forbare the bed of matrimony n Eze. 44. 2. See * S. Hierom and Lyra vpon Exeliel chap. 4. o Exo. 30. 37. Maâ—…ies wombe the holy Tabernacle p CaÌ„t. 2. 1. q He. 13. 4 Iesus solely heire vnto Dauids Crowne by his double line Iesus is twenty eight times stiled and called king of the Iews The 4. Obseruation The Gentiles first sought aâ—…ter Christ. r Luk. 2. 2. Avniuersal Peace wâ—…e Christ was borne * Virg. Aeneid sib 1. Christs coÌ„ming in the flesh obserued by the heathen * Eclog. 4. * In vit Aug. Sec. 94. The Scriptures confirmes what the heathen spake s Mich. 4. 3 4. t Esa. 9. 6. The attrubuites of Christ. u Dan. 2. 41. When the gouernmeÌ„ts fel of which Daniel spake Daniels prophecy written in Chaldea was the cause that the Chaldeans first sought after the king of Iewes Mat. 2. y Ioh. 19. 15. z Deu. 17. 15. a Ioh. 19. 14. Iesus acknowledged to bee king of the Iewes b Mar. 15. 9. 12. c Ioh. 19. 15. 22. Pilat forced to testifie the truth Pilat his resolution of what he had writ Christ acknowled ged himself a King d Ioh. 18. 37. Act. 17. 7. e Apo. 〈◊〉 8. f Rom. 11 36. Christ is heire of al. g 2. Cor. 1 20. Christ the substance in nothing inferior to his figures Abraham a King in power h Gen. 14. Abraham a Priest in sacrificing i Gen. 22. 11. Abraham was both King and Priest k Gen. 35. 22. l Gen. 34. 25. m 1. Chro. 23. 13. n Exo. 4. 14. Dauid in state both a King and a Priest o 〈◊〉 Chro. 14. SalomoÌ„ in state both of king and priest p 〈◊〉 King 8. 2. Ezekiah in state of a king and priest q 2. King 8. 4. r 〈◊〉 King 2â—… Iosiah in state of king and priest Christ was the subâ—…ce of these his figures s â—…e 33. 17 Christ Iesus the heire in all things vnto these his foregoers t Heb. 1. 2 Rom. 4. 13 Christ figured in Mel chizedeck u Heb. 7. 3 16. x Psa. 110. 1 y Mat. 12. 42. z Luk. 19. 45. a Mark 14 22. b Ioh. 1. 29 The end of Christs comming c Luk. 22. 29. d Mat. 19 28. Christs refusal of Ma gistracy no impediment to his authority Why Christ refused Magistracy e Mat. 13. 55. Christ Parents poore f Luk. 2. 24. g Leuit. 12. 8. Christs pouerty h Luk. 2. 7 i Mat. 8. 20. k Luk. 19. 42. Christs triumphs was teares Christ poore after death l Mat. 27. 60. m Isay. 53. Christs appearance according to the Prophets n Luk. 24. 27. Christ caled the son of man yet had no man to his father The ancestors of Christ kept from the crown which Christ came not to recouer o DaÌ„ 7. 17 p 2. Sam. 7. 16. Christ had the title of King of the Iewes in his death Christ body resuming life had the same faculties as before
falsifyings of their Text. Some Chapters in this second Edition are added vnto the first and the Chapters of the first somewhat inlarged with matters of like kind The purpose of all is to shew that God in Christ reconciled the world to himselfe And that Christ is the seed in whom the world shall be saued In former ages reuealed a farre off as in a glasse darkly and through the vale of Moses But in these last times is seene of vs Gentiles in his humanity face to face where the vaile of the old is withdrawne in the new The search of both in both is commanded for therein saith God standeth thy life and all must be meditated for therein saith Moses is not a vaine word And Christ giues the testimony that Heauen and earth shall passe but not a iot or tittle of the word perish It was Timothies commendations that he had been studious in the holy Scriptures of a child And the men of Berea are named noble for examining Pauls doctrine by the Scriptures Let not then a fore-staled opinion of their hardnesse diswade thee from reading nor a secured conceit that many things in them doe not concerne thee the brand of that Iron that searcheth the conscience for man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God And in their learning saith the Apostle thou shalt saue both thy selfe and them that ◅e are thee Of which learning the Primatiue Saints were so carefull as Saint Hierom recordeth that euen seely women contended which of them should learne most of the holy Scriptures without booke by heart And that * Taylors Smiths Weauers Semsters Deluers and Neatheards were so skilfull in the sacred Texts as Theodorat writeth that the most secret mysteries therein contained were familiarly knowne vnto them But not any so great as is the my◅rie that God became man nor more behoouefull to be knowne then is his Humanity in whose righteousnesse the Law is satisfied and in his fufferings the world reconciled Vnto him therefore the chiefe corner stone of this our building be as◅bed all s Praise glory wisedome honour and might for whose comming in power to make all perfit let vs with the wise Virgins attend to enter the chamber of our Bride-groome Christ in whom I rest euer thine IOHN SPEED The Summe of the Chapters contained in this Treatise Chap. 1. THat the holy Genealogies of the sacred Scriptures are of great vse and being penned by Gods holy Spirit ought of all to be knowne Chap. 2. That the names of the Fathers and Patriarks in the Scriptures Genealogies doe lead vnto Christ. Chap. 3. That the Scriptures Genealogies are the Scriptures staies for Chronologie Chap 4. That the Scriptures Genealogies doe limit Daniels seuens not to exceed 490 yeeres Chap. 5. Some difficult places of the Scriptures Genealogies explaned The difference of Saint Luke in the Greeke from Moses in the Hebrew And Saint Mathews omission of foure Kings in his Catalogue examined and resolued Chap 6. That God became man and from what men discended the Scriptures Genealogies doe euidently shew Chap. 7. That Christ Iesus descended onely of Iudah tooke no part of his Humanity from Leui neither by his Fathers nor Mothers Chap. 8. That Salomons house was rent and all his posterity vtterly extinct long before the comming of Christ in his flesh and that neither from Salomon nor any of his successours the Kings of Iudah Christ Iesus tooke any part of his Humanity Chap. 9. How the Euangelists Saint Mathew and Saint Luke doe agree in recording Christ Iesus to bee the Son of Salomon by Law and the Sonne of Nathan by Nature Chap. 10. That Christ Iesus by his naturall descent was the onely immediate and lawfull King of the Iewes and that none other had any claime or title thereunto Chap. 11. A touch of some Iewish and vaine Genealogies which hinder Truth against which Saint Paul warneth with an answere vnto Master Liuelies Iewish obiections Chap. 12. That according to the Scriptures of God Christ came at the fulnesse of time in his flesh And that in him all Genealogies of the sacred Scriptures are ended Errata Page 11. for doe reade did p. 18. f. proceated r. procreated p. 59 in the margin f. 830. yeares r. 83. yeeres p. 59. f. fasciulus r. fassiculus p. 59. f. achab r. Rachab p. 76. f. and r. nor p. 78. f. translater r. translators p. 124. f. faithfull r. faithlesse p. 2◅6 f. they doe r. they doe it not p. 230. f. speeches r. speaks p. 234. f. no other r another p. 250 f. the faire r. they faine 241. f. hath bin r. had bin A CLOVD OF WITNESSES CHAP. I. That the holy Genealogies of the sacred Scriptures are of great vse and being penned by Gods holy Spirit ought of all to be knowne THat this subiect of the Scriptures sacred Genealogies may appeare to bee both holy and vsefull before we enter into the particulars let vs view the frame of the whole how that frō the seed of the woman in Paradice where the first promise was made of our saluation they leade vs to the Sonne of a Virgine in Bethlehem where the first appearance ◅n our flesh was of him that wrought our saluation Betwixt which persons and times God himselfe was the Recorder and with that finger that first writ the Law led the hand of Moses to name from father to sonne the persons produced euen from Adam that fell from a pleasurable Garden of rest vnto Ioshuah that led and set the people in a pleasurable land of rest being thirtie generations in a direct line besides their collaterals In all which the promises of God appeared that was made to man in his Christ In Noah the comfort that the world in him should enioy In Abraham the Promise that the world in him should be blessed And in Dauid the sonne and King that should raigne euerlastingly All which things the Genealogies doe testifie and we know that their testimonie is true and how carefully their pedegrees haue been kept wee see still recorded by the holy Ghosts writ In Moses all of them euen vnto himselfe and where Moses left the Writer of Ruth doth continue thē vnto Dauid And Dauids sonnes likewise both Kings and collaterals are most exactly registred and for the most part with their matches and mothers out of seuerall Tribes named whilest that stem of kings bare any branches And the care of preseruing the holy Genealogies the holy Ghosts pen hath well shewed in the first booke of the Chronicles where the first nine Chapters doth affoord in a manner no other matter besides the rehearsall of the generations from Adam to those times As the like is done for the present by the books of the Chronicles of Kings and the Prophets vntill the Captiuitie of Babylon cut off their Kings and the glory
mention of Iacim at all Concerning then the persons omitted wee see they were foure Kings of Iudahs Throne Three of them in a direct line of succession and the fourth nine discents following which were Ahaziah Ioash and Amaziah and the last Iacim the son of Iosiah For whereas Saint Mathew saith that Ioram the sonne of Iehoshaphat begat Ozias it is most manifest by the Bookes of the Kings and of the Chronicles that Ioram begat Ahaziah and not Uzziah and Ahaziah begat Ioash and Ioash begat Amaziah and Amaziah Vzziah 68 yeeres after the death of King Ioram But why these foure particular persons aboue the rest should be omitted is questionable some thinking that it was the mistaking of St Mathew in writing Ozias for Uz. ziah and by obliuion left that line of Ioram vnto his third descent which in no case may be admitted For God forbid that the first writer of the new Testament should be ignorant of that which the olde wrote whose pen though his and he a man yet was the Inditer the Spirit of Truth and farre from all imperfections of men Some likewise alleage that for the Iewes weaknesse Christ would not haue his holy publican Mathew to name the wicked Ahaziah the Cain-Ioash the foolish Amaziah nor the Atheist Iehoiakim in that catalogue vnto which himselfe was the onely heire but as the scumme of the World vnworthy of remembrance leaues them vnnamed as though they had neuer beene And some again iudge these foure to be omitted for their many impieties both in their liues and raignes and for their euill ruling to be left out of that holy Text as worthlesse of names or remembrance Whereunto we answere that the Iewes were not weake in the Texts of their stories we see by their many Comments though in the applications many times they missed but especially in the line of their Kings were most ready from whom they expected their potent Messiah And had they beene ignorant yet Christ the truth would not haue smothered the truth in regard of their follies Neither doth their silence for bad life and euill ruling onely satisfie for many other Kings as wicked or more are notwithstanding by the Euangelist recorded as Ioram that compelled Iudah vnto Idolatry for which his guts by peece-meale daily fell out and his life so loathed as it is said of him He liued not being desired Ahaz that shut vp the doores of the Lords House and made him Altars in euery corner of Ierusalem and high places in euery City of Iudah to burne incense vnto other gods and to sacrifice vnto the gods of Aram. The periured Zedekiah whose eyes were pluckt out himself bound in chaines and carried to Babel where hee died a naughty figge as Ieremiah calles him And Ieconiah so naught that hee is called a despised Idol a vessell wherein was no pleasure and the Signet pluckt off from Gods right hand Saint Augustine in his questions why of seuenteene Kings three are left out answereth It may be thought saith he that the Euangelist followed the meaning in◅oram ◅oram so continued in Ochozios and the rest so that none of these either for any respect due to themselues or for any good desert of their fathers ought to be accounted in the number of the Kings To this may be answered as Ezekiel doth the prouerbe The Fathers haue eaten sower grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge As I liue saith the Lord all soules are mine both the soule of the father and the soule of the sonne and that soule that sinneth that soule shall die the sinner for his owne sinnes and not for his fathers And the Gospell preaching saluation in Christ regardeth the sinnes neither of Father nor sonne though neuer so many but beginneth with the saluation of sinners in such of the Mothers as were most tainted with sinne And if the goodnesse of the Father be regarded in the Son why was not wicked Iehoiakim the sonne recorded for his fathers sake good Iosiahs And therefore we may think some other cause moued the Euangelist to omit their names Saint Ierome likewise from the letter of the Law doth gather the reason of the thre◅ first omissiōs namely from the threats therein contained against Idolatrous posterities where it is said The Lord is a iealous God visiting the iniquity of the Fathers vpon the children vnto the third and fourth generation And these saith he being the seede of most wicked Parents vnto the fourth generation are omitted by the holy Pen of Grace For Ioram King of Iudah had to wife Athaliah the daughter of Ahab King of Israel and of Idolatrous Iezebel the Zidonian worshipper of Baal And of Athaliah was borne Ahaziah who begat Ioash and hee Amaziah the fourth in descent from that wicked bed of marriage To this collection of Ierome I could well assent if it did likewise include the fourth man Iehoiakim But hee being the twelfth in descent of the bloud of Iezebel is notwithstanding omitted whereas nine betwixt them and Iechoniah after him are in Saint Mathewes Catalogue recorded and therefore this his obseruation fitteth not well for the same cause that moued their omissions moued his but that did not therefore that was not the cause Neuerthelesse wee know Ahabs seed by Iezebel had a manifest curse of vtter destruction that his house should be swept from the earth as dung from the dung-hill as were the Houses of Ieroboam and of Baasha till all were gone If then these exceptions may be iustly taken against these diuers expositions by diuers men alleaged let vs yet heare further what may be saide was the cause though not vrging consent without further examination It is most apparant that the Euangelist Saint Mathew to answere this demand of the Wise-men Where is hee that is borne King of the Iewes sheweth the babe Iesus of Iudah Dauid Bethlehem to be the said King confirming his assertion by his tribe parents and place of birth from the Prophets that spake it and the most lawfull right hee had vnto Iudahs Kingdome from those lawful Kings that without debarre of title or exceptions of the people had sate vpon Indahs throne And that the affections of the people is to ioyne with his title at a Kings inauguration the most learned King of all the Worlds Kings our Soueraigne Lord King Iames hath set it for a speciall obseruation in his Maiesties Booke so intituled for saith he though Monarchies or hereditary kingdomes cannot iustly be denied to the lawfull successor whatsoeuer the affections of the people be yet it is a great signe of the blessing of God when he enters in it with the willing applause of his subiects and raignes by the loue and acknowledgement of his people But it seemeth so had not Ahaziah Ioash Amaziah nor Iehoiakim done but had exceptions against either in their owne titles or in
the affections of the people or both and therefore Saint Mathew spareth to record them among the Catalogue of Salomons other successors that so the title of Iesus to the Kingdome might stand firme without any debarre or exceptions howsoeuer First then of Ahaziah the first it is said that he was the youngest sonne of his father for the Philistines and Arabians that were neighbours to the Ethiopians had carried away King Iorams wiues and his other sonnes so that there was not a sonne left him sauing Ahaziah the youngest 2 Chro. 21. 17. And albeit in the next Chapter it be said that the Philistines with the Arabians had slayne all the eldest sonnes yet before their slaughter which was in Ethiopia for thither they were brought the Inhabitants of Ierusalem had made Ahaziah the youngest sonne King contrary to the Law ordained in Deuteronomy which giueth the royalty alwayes to the eldest And Ahaziah himselfe being as wicked as any walked in the wayes of the house of Ahab for his mother Athalia counselled him to doe wickedly for which and his other defects hee was lastly slaine by Iehu King of Israel when hee executed Gods threats vpon the House of Ahab Ioash the second in Saint Mathews omission after the slaughter of Ahaziah his father and of other his kinsmen the Princes of Iudah of himselfe was vnable saith the Text to retaine the Kingdome and for six yeers space was neither acknowledged King nor vulgarly knowne to be aliue For in the rage and vsurpation of Athaliah he was hid in the Temple by his Aunt Iehoshabeath and lastly preferred to the Throne by Iehoiada her Husband which kindnesse he requited with the slaughter of Zechariah their sonne slaine at his commandement in the Court of the Lords house for which and for the bloud he had spilt his seruants conspired against him in his house at Millo and slew him his body not permitted to haue the honour of buriall in the Sepulchers of the Kings and therefore vnworthy of name or of future remembrance Amaziah the third was not a preseruer of the Commonwealths state as Kings ought to be but rather the destroyer of state Kingdome as by his raigne is seene For besides his Idolatry to the Idols of Edom and the prouoking thereby of Gods wrath in his head-strong rashnesse hee prouoked Ioash King of Israel to fight against Iudah wherein himselfe was taken the treasures of the Temple and of the Kings house carried away and the wall of Ierusalem broken downe in length foure hundred cubits and afterwards he liued in dislike without loue in so much as his people pursued him from Ierusalem vnto Lachish there slew him his death not reuenged but his murtherers escaping all condigne punishments And after his death for the hatred the people bare him his Crowne for an eleuen yeeres space was helde from Vzziah his sonne and an interregnum in Iudah betwixt the death of the father and the raigne of the sonne so long for by the parerellizing raignes of the Kings of Iudah and Israel Amaziahs death fell in the fifteenth of Ieroboam King of Israel and Uzziah beganne not to raigne til the twenty seuen yeere of the same King These things considered might wel moue an omission of his name by Saint Mathew And in Iehoiakim the last some disliked defects were knowne for that the people of the Land reiected him for their King and annointed Iehoahaz his yonger brother by two yeeres in his stead contrary to the vsuall custome of succession And Iehoiakim himselfe being made King by Necho King of Egypt his title standeth litigious for the Law commanded by Moses thus speaketh From among thy brethren shalt thou make a King ouer thee thou shalt not set a stranger ouer thee which is not thy brother If then a stranger must not be permitted a King to raigne ouer Gods people then by the same Law a stranger could not impose his substitute ouer them as Iehoiakim was And Iehoiakims title it selfe seemeth to stand in a double defect The one is that he did assume the title and authority of King his brother aliue annoynted and established whereas Dauid though chosen of God and annoynted by Samuel acknowledged Saul for his Soueraigne neither seeking to shorten his life nor disquiet his raigne And the other is the vnlawfull meanes hee had to the Crowne which was by the strong hand of Necho of the cursed Egyptians the ancient enemies to Israel Gods people And Iehoiakims life as wicked as any in cutting of Ieremiahs Role was cut off by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel and his carkasse cast out of the gate of Ierusalem to the heate of the day and frost of the night was lastly vnlamented buried as an Asse is buried so contemptible was his life death and buriall These I assume were the causes of these foure Kings omissions that is to say the first and last not lawfully succeeding in the Throne were omitted and the other the one of them not able to attaine the Crown for the space of sixe yeeres after his fathers death did not raigne King and the sonne of the other for the space of eleuen yeeres after his fathers death was not admitted to be King so vnwilling were the people that his issue should raigne It is Augustines obseruation that Salomon was reckoned for Dauid his fathers sake and that Rehoboam was recorded for Assa his sonnes sake If so in them such respect was had for the goodnesse of the father and the son then in these such contempt was had for the badnesse both of father and sonne as they are omitted and vnnamed and themselues slaine by their seruants and subiects doth confirme the cause of their omissions more strongly And albeit that bad Ammon and good Iosiah were likewise slaine the one by his seruants and the other by Necho King of Egypt and that Zedekiah by Nebuchadnezzar a stranger was likewise made King and all of them notwithstanding recorded by Saint Mathew yet are not their estates alike For Ammons death was reuenged by the people of the Land and Iosiahs death lamented both by the people and the Prophet neither of which the other were And Nebuchadnezzar made the great Monarch of the World euen by God himselfe had thereby a lawfull power both to set vp and to depose Kings which Necho had not and therefore Zedekiah his title is not to be called in question as Iehoiakims is Whereupon wee conclude that the Euangelist Saint Mathew to shew the right that Iesus had vnto Iudahs Crowne recordeth his title onely from those Kings that were without all exceptions estated vnto Iudahs Throne and omitteth those against whom any exceptions are found that so Christ who came to fulfill all Lawes might haue a lawfull succession vnto that Kingdome whereunto he was borne for other materiall reason of omission we find none And
omission of the three former in the former diuision of three Kings in a direct line and all to shew as is said the lawfull succession that Iesus had vnto Iudahs Crown This last collection I see not how to be excepted against it hauing so sure a warrant by the holy Scripture it selfe for heauen and earth shall passe ere the word perish Salathiel his Sonne Pedaiah and the sonne of Pedaiah Zorobabel But why Pedaiah is not recorded for a naturall father of Christ in the Catalogue of his naturall fathers by the Euangelist Saint Luke where all vnto Adam are nominated is hid from me and therefore with Nazianzen will I say Where I vnderstand I will thankefully praise thee and where I vnderstand not I will fall downe and admire thee And with Dauid pray that thy word may be a lanterne vnto our feete And with Paul that our darknes may be made light in Christ. Another meditation ariseth in other families of Iudahs tribe so deep and doubtfull that Hugo de Saint Victor thinketh it a question vndissoluable and without further search so leaueth it which is how Caleb of Hezron at forty yeeres old could be either great Grand-father vnto Bezaleel the skilfull workmen in the Tabernacle or the searcher of the Land at the same yeere and time He being the fifth in an equall equipage pararellising Bezaleel and both of them borne in Aegypt from Hezron of Iudah and actiue men together in the wildernesse the one in ordering the curious workes from the patterne shewed by God himselfe vnto Moses and the other a Captaine that descried the riches of Canaan by his owne trauaile whose dissents for more plainnesse I haue here set downe to sight The Descents of Caleb and Bezaleel How Caleb and Bezaleel were actiue men together though differing in their descents The Sercher of the Land of Canaan Both actiue men in one age The skilful workman in the Tabernacle In this descent then whether the first Caleb the sonne of Hezron and great Grand-father vnto Bezaleel or the last Caleb paralelising Bezaleel through so many degrees were the Lands-searcher both of them come from the same Hezron and actiue men together at one time in the wildernesse hath been much controuersed and many opinions maintained with variable iudgements That the Lands-searcher was the great Grandfather vnto Bezaleel Rabbi Salom a great Doctor of the Iews bringeth a strange vnexemplified descent vnto Bezaleel for saith hee Caleb at eight yeres old married his first wife Azuba who died the first yere of her mariage in his ninth he took Ephrath otherwise called Miriam the sister of Moses for his second wife of whom in his tenth yeere was borne Hur and Hur in the tenth yeere of his owne life begot Vri when Caleb was twenty one yeeres old and Vri in his ninth begat Bezaleel Caleb then being thirty and Bezaleelten when hee began to frame the Tabernacle at which time Caleb was forty yeeres old But how many ouersights are in these his sayings is soone perceiued first that Caleb should haue not a child but children as hee is said to haue by Azuba 1. Chron. 2. 18. he being but eight yeeres old is vncredible secondly that Azuba should be a mother of children she dying the first yeere of her marriage vnlesse they were twinnes which is not apparant is vnpossible thirdly that Caleb aged but nine should take to wife Miriam the sister of Moses she being about nintie is not agreeable for shee was elder then Moses and of discretion to call her mother for his nurse when the daughter of Pharaoh found him in the Arke of Bull-rushes since when we know fourescore and one yeeres to bee fully expired To make her then a mother at ninty and to beare a Sonne in that age of her life is so vnlikely that Iosephus will haue her not to be the mother of Hur but the wife of Hur and mother vnto Vri his son which is far more probable their yeres agreeable fit for marriage For Hur was in the same degree from Hezron of Iudah who went with Iacob into Egypt as Miriam was from Kohath of Leui one of the seuenty that descended also for Kohath begot Amram and Amram Miriam so Hezron begot Caleb and Caleb Hur. Fourthly that Hur and Vri should bee either of them Fathers at tenne yeeres of age is vnexemplified in Scripture though Genebrard allow that Haran might bee father vnto Sara at eight And lastly that Bezaleel should haue the aduantage of Christ by two yeeres to be as skilfull at ten in the worke of the Tabernacle as Christ was at twelue to build the true Temple when with admiration hee opposed the Doctors and expounded the Law These impossibilities therefore our ancient Lyra well perceiued but in seeking to redresse them hee fell into as great an error himselfe in saying that these men Hur Vri and Bezaleel mentioned in the first of Chronicles chap. 2. 20. were not the same that were spoken of in Exod. chap. 31. but were other men of the same name of the same tribe But so to expound the text is dangerous lest a liking liberty loose thereby the ioynts of the holy scriptures frame and to giue the water that passage the breach will bee great Vatablus in his annotations and Cumanus Flinspach in his Arca Dei doe take Hezron to be Iephunneh so consequently the first Caleb the sonne of Hezron to be the same Caleb the sonne of Iephunneh and the great Grand-father vnto Bezaleel But therein then must bee followed all Rabbi Solomoh his errours for Calebs forty yeres age wil inforce it so But that Hezron could bee either Iephunneh or the Father of Caleb the Lands-surueyour is by the text manifestly contradicted for Hezron was borne vnto Phares before that Iacob went downe into Egypt and in Egypt Hezron begot his sonne the first Caleb when he was threescore yeers of age as 1. Chron. 2. 21. by which account that Caleb must needes haue been an hundred fiftie fiue yeeres old in the first yeere of the wildernesse for in Egypt the abode was two hundred and fifteene as before we haue shewed But Caleb the sonne of Iephunneh the lands-searcher was then but forty yeeres old wherby it is euident these Calebs could not be one and the same but two seuerall men Now as it is impossible for the first Caleb the great Grand-father vnto Bezaleel to be the lands-searcher so the last Caleb being the seuenth in descent from him and the fifth in degree after Bezaleel ministreth matter of much seeming difficultie for that both of them at one time were imployed in most serious affaires As touching Calebs successors I know there are many doubts made some making but two Calebs some three and some foure and the first and last hauing either of them a daughter called Aâ—…hsah doth no whit lessen the doubt Again whether Ezer mentioned in
of Israell to be the God of Heauen aboue and of the Earth beneath Ruth as Abraham forsooke kindred and Countrey protest◅ng that Israels people should bee her people and Is raels God her God And that penne which wrote the last of the Prouerbs makes Bathsheba a mirrour of weomen and a worthy Counsellor to Salomon the wise Thus through these bright Clouds we see the Son of righteousnes shine vnto the world frō this holy stem the Branch of Dauid to grow in beauty as the Oliue tree in smell like vnto Lebanon spices of Salomō set vs Lord vnder the shadow these sweet leaues and let vs eate of this tree of life in the Garden Paradise of God Now seeing that this beautifull Rod of Iesse as Isaiah cals him tooke no sappe from the bitter roots of Iudahs Kings wee must bring the growth thereof from another Stem vnto Dauid euen from the branch Nathan as our Euangelist Luke hath recorded But vpon this Stone the Iewes haue stumbled and haue made it the rocke of offence the ginne and snare to both the houses of Israel as their Isaiah hath prophecied and our Peter hath spoken For they seely men in reading the old Testament haue their mindes blinded and the vale of Moses vntaken away from before their hearts euen vnto this day dreaming of a pompous kingdome which they thinke to possesse and of a potent Messiah that should triumph and make subiect vnto them the Gentiles on euery side and promise to themselues as much voluptuous pleasure vnder that earthly Monarch as the Turkes doe after death in dalliances with Virgins and great eyed weomen in Paradise and that this their daily expected Messiah should come of Salomon they hold it for a principall article of their faith and accurse them that affirme the contrary for thus standeth the twelth Article of their Creede A man must beleeue that Christ the King shall haue excellency and dignity and glory aboue all the Kings that euer haue beene as of him is prophecied of all the Prophets from Moses who so doubteth of him or holdeth his honour small denieth the law for so it testifieth of him in the meaning of Balaams prophecy and in the meaning of this section You stand all here this day before the Lord your God Deut. 29. 10. and cap. 30. And this is a rule of foundation that Israell shall haue no King but of the house of Dauid and of the seede of Salomon and who so maketh a schisme touching that family denieth God euen the blessed God and the words of his Prophets And vpon this opinion of rule and gouernment Christians also haue been ouermuch affectionated when they bring Christ naturally from those Kings that gouerned of Salomons line and make Rhesa the younger sonne of Zorobabell and his successors to gouerne when al gouernment was taken from those Holy High Saints the space of two hundred ninety sixe yeeres and this no doubt wrought deeply in Lyra to speake as he did of Dauids sonnes For hee being by nation a Iewe though by birth English and baptised stood much vpon the outward letter for the glory of his nation And Nathan obscure in comparison of Salomon he makes more obscure to come from Vriah as his note hath thus gone vpon the 1. Chroni◅ 3. 5. Only Salomon was Dauids naturall Son the other three were the sonnes of ◅riah whom Dauid made his by adoption His reason is taken from the fourth of the Prouerbs where Salomon saith I was my Fathers sonne tender and only beloued in the sight of my Mother which thing I take was rather spoken of Salomons election to the kingdome whom God had chosen and Dauid to Bersheba had sworne that Salomon her Sonne should succeed him in the Lyra thus infected with malitious Iewes studies and partly following Christians that brought Christ from Salomon held the Iewish Article touching the Crowne but otherwise in most of his paines spent in commenting vpon al the bookes of both Testaments he was an excellent Organe sounding alowd the verity of Christian Religion against the erring opinions of the Rabbins in whose Schooles hee had so profited by the testimony of Tritemeus as that he had the Hebrew language ad vnguem But that Christ should come from Dauid by Nathan and his obscure successors whereof neuer any bare rule but onely Zerubbabel and he no longer then the Temple was in building he could not conceiue neither that Ieconiah should beget Salathiel but for his successor seeing he is called his sonne indeed he could not easily yeeld vnto the Rabbines so expounding it and their Creed so inforcing it and being a frier Minor and liuing in none of the cleerest daies of the Gospell the man is the more to bee borne with whose paines were spent as Bale hath it in his Centuria when the vnfortunate our second Edward ware the English Crown Ano. 1327. And now the assertions of Africanus cited by Eusebius which are that Ioseph the husband of Mary was naturally descended from Salomon and by intricate mariages made the legall sonne of Nathan remaineth to be answered I cal them intricate for that Iacob and Eli are made brethren and twinnes of one venter by Estha wife vnto Matthan of Salomon and vnto Melchi of Nathan and those halfe brethren likewise marying one woman Iacob by her is said to raise vp seede vnto Eli deceased whereby Ioseph was sonne vnto both A strang inuention truly to bring Ioseph from Ieconiah and Salomon who with lesse paines and more truth might haue beene found from Zerubbabel Neri and Nathan and stranger it seemeth that such search should be made to shew how Christ by nature is the sonne of Dauid and yet neuer to make knowne his naturall Parents from Dauid neither can I perceiue what necessity constraineth Ioseph to bee the proposed marke of that aime seeing he is but the supposed father of Christ vnto whom excepting his title to the kingdome his humanity no whit appertaineth Either to bring Iosephs naturall decent from Salomon and his legal from Nathan seeing he enioyed no possessions appertaining to Salomons Crowne nor Mary his wife an inheritrix of any patrimony in Iudea For which end only that law of marying the brothers wife was ordained and at this aimed that no family should be extinguished in Israell It was the case of the Daughters of Zelophehad and the debar of mariage and not the death of the daughter of Iphtah was the cause of the yeerely lamentations of the Virgins of Israell that a family was to faile by her in the Tribe of Manasses But for brethren by the Mothers side onely no such law was either ordained or practised for the son by the man and not by the woman euer succeeded in the inheritance and in the name of the family excepting such as
inherited by the line of the mother as Iair did twenty two cities in Gilead and therefore Iacobs sonne by that law could not be the sonne of Eli. Howsoeuer then Eusebius fauoureth that reconciliation and wisheth others to preferre the same for the agreement of our Euangelists yet seeing it standeth vpon no firmer ground than that himselfe hath built vpon we may without preiudice mistrust the foundation For saith he Herod the sonne of Antipater pricked in mind for the basenesse of his birth burned the ancient Records of the Iewes Genealogies supposing thereby to deriue himselfe of noble parentage But certaine men of the affinitie and kindred of our Sauiour trauelling from Nazarites and Cochoba castles of the Iewes into other Regions expounded the foresaid Genealogies out of books of Chronicles as farre as they extended But who those trauellers and expounders were or what authentike warrant those bookes bare he nameth not and therefore such testimonies suffice not Where to manifest Iosephs sonneship vnto Eli let vs insert the sayings of Rabbi Haccanas the son of Neâ—…umiah a Doctor of great esteeme among the Iewes There was a Maide saith hee in Bethlem of Iuda whose name was Mary the daughter of Heli of the kinred of Zerubbabel the sonne of Salathiel of the tribe of Iuda who was betrothed to Ioseph of the same kinred and tribe Where by him we see that the virgin Mary was the daughter of Eli and by her Ioseph is his sonne and not by a second marriage or seede raised to the deceased but rather by the law of matrimony as Moses of Leui was the sonne of Iethro the Madianite and Dauid of Iudah was sonne to Saul of Beniamin And the same law that made Ioseph to be the sonne of Eli made Iesus likewise to be the sonne of Ioseph and that he was so reputed and taken let the testimonie of the latter Iewes witnesse whereof Suidas reporteth in a conference happening betwixt Theodosius an eminent Iew and one Philip a Christian Merchant in the dayes of Iustinian the Emperour whose words to this effect are thus In the Temple of Ierusalem quoth the Iew therewere two and twenty ordinarie Priests and as soone as any of them died the residue chose another in his place Now it hapned that IESVS for his singular godlinesse and doctrine was chosen by them and to the intent they might know the name of his father and mother and inregister it according to the custome they sent for them and Mary came thither alone because her husband Ioseph was then dead And shee being asked the name of the father of Iesus answered vpon her oath that she had conceiued him by the holy Ghost and reported to them the words of the Angell Moreouer shee told them the names of the women that came to her labour vnlooked for and vpon due inquisition thereof when all things were found to fall out true they registred his name in the Register of the Priests in these words IESVS THE SONNE OF THE LIVING GOD AND OF THE VIRGINE MARIE Which Register was saued at the sacking of Ierusalem and was afterwards kept in the Citie Tiberias and I being one of the chiefe among the Iewes saith Theodosius haue there seene it so that it is not ignorance that holdeth mee in the Iewish Religion but the honour I haue among my Countrimen By which and others their owne testimonies is euident how Ioseph was the sonne of Eli by the mariage of his daughter and how Iesus was the sonne of Ioseph by the marriage of his mother both which were according to the law and not by any naturall descent CHAP. VII That Christ Iesus descended only of Iudah and tooke no part of his humanitie from Lâ—…i neither by his fathers nor by his mothers THat Christ tooke any of his bloud or humane nature either by father or mother from Leui is more then the Scriptures doe warrant God so distinctly seperating the Genealogies of Iudah and Leui for the Crowne and the Miter that not any could claime both by any due descent Yet some without proofe haue imagined that Anna the mother of the virgin Marie was the daughter of a Leuite wherby CHRIST IESVS as they affirme was both King and Priest in a lineal descent from either Tribe In which opinion Suidas is so confident that he saith Christ in the right of Leui was chosen a Priest into the seruice of the Temple and that he by that authoritie in the Sinagogue at Nazareth expounded the Prophecie of Isaiah and at Ierusalem taught daily in the Temple Therein following those that thinke Marie by the mothers side of Leui because Elizabet the wife of Zacharie was of the daughters of Aaron and by the Angels testimonie cosin vnto Marie But that Marie therefore should be of Leui it prooueth hot For albeit that daughters which were inheriters were to bestow themselues vpon men of the same Tribes lest their possessions should be transferred or in the yeere of Iubile reuerted vnto the inheritance of others yet in others and especially those of the Kings and Priests line we find the practise contrary and that vertuous women without breach of this law did marrie into other tribes For so did Elisheba of Iudah match with Aaron of Leui and Miriam of Leui with Hur of Iudah Hezron of Iudah matched in the tribe of Manasses and Dauid tooke Michal the daughter of Saul to wife The mother of Hiram a daughter of Dan married her second husband out of the tribe of Naphtali and Iehoiada the high Priest of Leui married â—…ehoshabeah the daughter of King Iehoram oâ—… Iudah which thing haâ—… it been vnlawfull these godly persons would neuer haue done it And the oath had been needlesse which the Israelites made in Mixpah that none of them should giue their daughters to marry with the Beniaminnites if the law of God had debarred tribes from mixtures before Vpon this warrant therefore Elisabet must be held a branch from Iudah and not the blessed Marie to bee a bud from Leui whose parents were all of them knowne to be from Zâ—…rubbabel Dauid and Iudah by the Rabbins owne testimonies And albeit that Tribes matched into Tribes and Iudahs many times into that of Leuies yet so distinctly hath the holy Ghost separated Iudah from Leui in the catalogue of Christ that of those mothers whereof hee came and tooke flesh none are recorded to come from Leui nor indeed from any other tribe knowne of then from Iudahs Excepting Thamar Rahab and Ruth who were of Canaan and Moab And they by diuine prouidence into Iudahs Tribe were conioyned that so by them the Gentiles might haue interest with the Iewes in the Humanity of Christ who is the spirituall Temple as they had been interested in the materiall Temple whose foundation was laid in the threshing floore of Ornan the Iebusite a Canaanite The Scepter and Censer
for thou hast shed much blood and hast made great warres But when thy dayes shall be fulfilled and thou shalt sleepe with thy fathers I will set vp thy seed after thee which shall proceed out of thy Bowels Hee shall build an house for my name and I will establish the throne of his Kingdome for euer I will be his father and hee shall be my sonne if hee sinne I will chasten him with the rodde of men and with the stripes of the children of men but my mercy shall not depart away from him as I tooke it from Saul whom I put away before thee And albeit this house and Kingdome in their spirituall meaning were built and established in and by Christ yet litterally they were performed in Salomon whose works were so glorious and peace so famous as they were figures of the true substances following But that Salomon sinned is manifested by his story for his wiues turned away his heart after other gods when hee suffered the worshipping of Ashteroth the Goddesse of the Zidonians Milcom the abomination of the Amorites Chemoâ—…h the Idoll of Moab and Molech the Diuel of the children of Ammon For which cause God did chastise him by the rebellions of Hadad the Edomite of Rezon King of Damascus and of his seruant Ieroboam that rent his Kingdome after him and carried away ten Tribes These in part were the Rods in Gods hand that corrected his offences but his mercy hee tooke not from him as he had promised whose saluation notwithstanding these his great sinnes is confirmed by these many and more testimonies of Scriptures He loued the Lord 1 King 3 3 and is likewise called the Lords beloued Nehe. 13. 26. His Iedidiah 2 Sam. 12. 25. He pleased the Lord 1 Kings 〈◊〉 10. was a true Prophet 1 Kings 8. 48. a figure of Christ Luke 11. 31. and a repentant King as his Booke Ecclesiastes sufficiently sheweth His sonnes after him for the most part were extreamely wicked for of nineteene Kings of Iudahs throne from his loynes descended twelue are noted to bee extreamely impious who often prouoked and lastly procured the vtter subuersion of that glorious Kingdome which whilst it stood was the glory of the earth and a figure of the Celestiall that is to come The want of issue then which failed in Ieconiah was the Rod of Salomons line wherewith God scourged him and his Kingdome and how that fell out let vs see the seuerall rents that therein were made The first rent of Salomons Kingdome may bee said to beginne in his owne life time when Ahijah the Shilonite rent the new garment that Ieroboam wore into twelue peeces retaining onely two and deliuered him tenne by which was signified the tenne Tribes that God would take from Salomons Throne and Son and giue them vnto this Ephrathite the Sonne of Nebat Who no sooner was made King but that he set vp two golden Calues the one at Dan and the other at Bethel for his people to worship lest in returning to Ierusalem their harts should returne to the Lord and their subiection vnto Rehoboam With this his sinne all the Kings of Israel were polluted onely Shallum and Hosheah excepted for with that sinne they are not charged though otherwise they were as wicked as the rest And this was the cause that moued the Prophet Hosheah to say Thy Calfe O Samaria hath cast thee off Another rent was threatned to Salomons issue and Kingdome when his house ioyned with Omâ—…ies in Ioram the sonne of Iehoshaphat King of Iudah and in Athalia the daughter of Ahab King of Israel For Ahabs whole house that is both male and female must vtterly perish according to the threats of the Lord by Elijah the Prophet Behold saith he I will bring euill vpon thee and will take away thy posterity and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall as well him that is shut vp as him that is left in Israel And I will make thy house like the house of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahiiah for the prouocations wherewith thou hast prouoked and made Israel to sinne The dogges shall eate him of Ahabs stocke that dieth in the City and hee that dieth in the fields shall the Fowles of the ayre eate And that the whole houses of Ieroboam and of Baasha were both of them extinct and their remnant swept away as dung from the dung-hill and all gone is most apparant by the holy Text and so must the whole house of Ahab be hauing the like threats of destructioÌ„ from the same Spirit that did not repent which presently beganne in Ahab and Iezebel themselues Hee wounded to death at Ramath Gilead by the King of Syria and shee throwne out of her window was dashed to death in Iezreel by her Eunuchs Ahaziah their first sonne was brused to death by a fall through his lettice window in Samariah And Ioram their second with all his brethren the sons of Ahab and his Kinsmen were all slaine in Iezreel by Iehu vntill hee left none remaining saith the Text of the whole House of Ahab And as Gods wrath followed Ahab in his sonnes vnto destruction so did it in his daughter Athalia the mother of most of the Kings of Iudah and most of them following her sinnes were also swept away till they were all gone For the three first Kings that succeeded of her descent were all of them slaine in battell and in conspiracy And Vzziah the fourth put from the peoples presence died a leaper Bad Ahaz distressed by Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel made himselfe seruant to Tiglah Pileser King of Ashur who carried his treasures away vnto Damascus And good Hezektah was told that his substance and seed foreshewing his treasures should be carried captiue vnto Babel The blood shed by Manasseh called as Abels for Babylons punishments and Amon for seruing strange gods was slaine by his seruants The godly Iosiah was told of captiuity curse and destruction of people and place which yet was deferred all his owne life because his heart melted at the words of the then found Booke of the Law but his sonnes succeeding soone pulled those plagues by his life kept back vpon themselues and Iudahs estate For Iehoahaz the first inthroned was captiuated by Necho carried to Aegypt and there died and Iehoiakim his successor made subiect to Nebuchadnezzar was for his rebellion slaine and his carkasse left vnburied to the heate of the day and the frost of the night Zedekiah was made blinde chained and carried to Babel where he died the City Ierusalem sacked the Temple t burned the Priests u slaine the people pillars and holy vessels transported to Babylon and all of them polluted and subiected to the Chaldeans that bitter furious and terrible Nation
〈◊〉 maketh reconciliation for all things for though it be written Write Ieconiah childlesse yet was it afterwards written the sonne of Ieconiah was Salathiel and his sonne Zerubbabel a Signet vpon Gods finger Rambam also in his Treatise of Repentance bringeth in Ieconiah for an example who saith he was a Signet pluckt off and in Zerubbabell was a Signet placed againe And Kimchi the Spanish Iew is so farre from hauing him die childlesse that hee will haue the word Assir in 1. Chro. 3. 17. to be the propper name of a man that man Ieconiahs sonne But let vs see how Ephraim herein fighteth against Manasses and Manasses against Ephraim for this was a principall point held of the ancient Rabbins that repentance could not put back a decree made with an oath And the Babylonian Thalmud in Sanedrim expoundeth Assir for an adiectiue bound vp or hard kept restraint or prisoner and not for the proper name of a man Moreouer their Sedar olam zuta affirmeth that it was but the Rabbins report that Salathiel was the naturall sonne of Ieconiah And Kimchi with Salomoh Iarchi vpon the twelfth of Zacharie confesse that Nathan there named was the sonne of Dauid who should not haue been mentioned as a principal man to Zerubbabel vnlesse he were of his family But as touching that it could not put backe a decree made by oath Did that of Zedekiah and them that were carried away with him make them the bad figges that could not bee eaten any better Could that of Moses notwithstanding his earnest prayer preuaile for his entrance into Canaan or the Israelites whereof no doubt many were repentants to enter the Rest when God had sworne the contrary Nay if Noah Daniel and Iob should not be heard against Gods decree of famine pestilence and sword shall wee thinke that Ieconiah whose repentance is not read of and whose captiuitie remained thirty seuen yeeres in Babylon euen all his life long could alter Gods oath as touching posteritie And yet these miserable men seeke to continue a succession from this childlesse man For Aben Ezra in his preface to Salomons Song calleth the Messiah Salomon because saith he hee should be the sonne of Salomon as from Dauid he is called Dauid the Prince euerlasting But had that Rabin considered that no such promises were spoken concerning Salomons sonnes nor that Prince Dauid there named was named before that Salomons House failed in Ieconiah hee might haue knowne how Christ had been Salomons sonne His sonne he was indeed as a King and Successor but not as a man as his heire to his crowne but not of his loynes And I could haue wished that Christians also had not been so forward in following the Rabbins herein and in vrging the text of Saint Matthew in Ieconiahs begetting of Salathiel somewhat too naturally as Lyra Lucidus 〈◊〉 Messeus and many others haue done who leane so waightily vpon the outward phrase of begetting that the maine prop of Diuinitie is thereby ouerburdened For they by Saint Matthew and the first booke of Chronicles would make a line all and naturall succession from Ieconiah to Salathiel as the Rabbins haue done and would continue Salomons line vnto Ioseph the husband of the virgin Marie without breach of succession The words of either texts are these in the Chronicles thus And the sonnes of Ieconiah Assir Salathiel hâ—… sonne 1. Chron. 3. 17. And in Saint Matthew thus And after they were brought into Babylon Ieconiah begat Salathiel Matth. 1. 12. But if speeches here spoken must be taken in a procreating sense then was Zedekiah as well as Salathiel sonne vnto Ieconiah for in the first of Chronicles chap. 3. vers 16. thus it it standeth And the sonnes of â—…oakim Ieconiah his sonne Zedekiah his sonne Which Zedekiah in the verse immediately before is said as truth is to be the sonne of Iosiah But in the seconâ—… of Chronicles hee is called the brother of Ieconiah Chap. â—…6 10. And yet in the second of the booke of Kings he is said to be the brother of Ieconiah his father 2. Kings 24. 17. So that by these places hâ—… is both vncle brother and sonne to Ieconiah and yet all of them tâ—…ue either in nature inheritance or succession And if these seeme not strange in him nor that line why should Salathiels sonneship bee so naturally vrged in Matthew whom Saint Luke cleareth to be the Sonne of Neri and so doth Zachariah in naming Nathan for a chiefe family of Dauid And that Saint Matthew meant no otherwise of begetting then of heires to Salomons Crowne appeareth by himselfe who in recording his successors followeth neither a naturall succession nor an exact descent For he maketh Ioram to beget Ozias whereas the Chronicles tels vs that Ozias was the immediat sonne of Amaziah and was foure descents after Ioram his great Grandfather who died 69. yeeres before Ozias was borne So likewise he saith that Iosias begat Ieconias who notwithstanding was his Grand-child and sonne vnto Iehoiakim the second sonne of Iosiah Whereby we see no naturall succession vrged by the Euangelist but rather such as makes a Successor a sonne to the childlesse or an heire of what consanguinitie soeuer to bee a sonne to the issulesse possessor So Moses was meant the sonne of Pharaohs daughter So Iair of Iudah was the sonne of Manasseh And so Baasha was father vnto Ahab though sauing the Throne he was no kin vnto him for Baashas house ended in his sonne Elah So that another intent moued Saint Matthew to continue a continuall succession from Ieconiah vnto Salathiel And that the Euangelist spake of the heires of the Crowne and not of the kindreds in bloud it further appeareth in that he ascendeth by the legall line through Ioseph Abiud Ieconiah and Salomon no higher then vnto Abraham who first of the Fathers had promise either of King or Kingdome whereas Saint Luke our other Fuangelist in the naturall line by Marie Eli Rhesa and Nathan ascendeth vp vnto Adam the first man to whom the promise was made of Christ his humanitie And how from Adam to omit the other collaterals that in another kind leade vnto Christ let vs here insert that so the whole generations of his Manhood may fully appeare so carefully recorded in all former ages by the holy Ghost himselfe and in the later time continued by the same Spirit of truth in his Instrument Saint Luke our holy Euangelist vnto his Mother the Virgin Marie her selfe The first Table endeth at Dauid as the Writer of Ruth doth And the other from Dauid by Salomon to Ieconiah are recorded by the books of the Chronicles where they end are againe continued by the same spirit vnto Ioseph the Husband of Marie by the Euangelist Saint Matthew Both which their descents from Dauid downeward that the eiemay witnesse what the purpose of the holy Ghosts pen was in the hands of these Scribes
is here in this ensuing Table expressed to sight so plaine and for truth so strong that a man running may reade and imbrace it with faith A generall Table of the Ancesters of Christ. ADAM Seth. Enos Cainan Mahalaleel Iared Enoch Methuselah Lamech Noah Sem. Arphaxad Salah Eber. Peleg Reu. Serug Nahor Terah Abram Isaac Iacob Iudah Pharez Hezron Aram. Aminadab Naasson Salmon Booz Obed. Iesse Iesus Christ by law is heire vnto these DAVID Salomon Roboam Abia. Asa. Josaphat Ioram These with Joakim are omitted by S. Matthew Achaziah Joash Amaziah Ozias Ioatham Achaz Ezechias Manasseh Auion Josiaâ—… Ioakim Jeconiah dying child Jesse his sonne is Salathiel Pedaiah Zerobabel Iesu Christ supposed and by law is son vnto these The Saints of the most High Dan. 7 Abiud Eliakim Azor. Sadoc Achim Elihud Eliazar Matthan Iacob Ioseph the husband of Mary JESVS CHRIST Iesus Christ by nature came of these DAVID Nathan Matthathi Menan Melea. Eliahim Ionan Joseph Iuda Simeon Leui. Matthat Jorim Eliezer Jose Er. Elmodan Cosam Addi Melchi Neri Salathiel Pedaiah Zerobabel Iesus Christ by nature is Son vnto these The holy Seed the Substance Esa. 6 Rhesa Ioanna Iuda Joseph Semel Matthathias Maath Nagge Essi Naum. Amos. Matthathias Joseph Ianna Melchi Leui. Matthat Heli. Ioseph the husband of Mary JESVS CHRIST CHAP. IX How the Euangelists Saint Matthew and Saint Luke doe agree in recording Christ Iesus to bee the sonne of Salomon by Law and the sonne of Nathan by Nature SAlomons House ending in Ieconiah according to the Prophets and Zerobbabel of Nathans familie made Prince of Iudah the right that Christ had to Dauids Throne is diuersly from them by our holy Euangelists inserted for Saint Matthew from Salomon Ieconiah Abiud and Ioseph legally interesteth Iesus vnto Dauids Crowne but Saint Luke naturally from Marie Eli Rhesa and Nathan asâ—…ndeth to the first man Adam to shew him the Immanuel according to the promise of God in Paradise both of them breathing from one and the same spirit that Christ is Dauids sonne and Iudahs King And with the former Prophets agreeing that in his person alone met al the promises that Goâ—… had made for his sonne Christ and so carrie themselues in making him heire of all as no discord is heard in their heauenly sounds But that the spirits of the Prophets may be subiect to the Prophets and the text not forced to a prâ—…uate interpretation let vs see how Salathiel is brought to be a sonne to Ieconiah by law and by Saint Matthew whom Saint Luke makâ—…th to be by nature the sonne of Neri vpon which seeming disagreement rests the supposed difference betwixt our Euangelists The affirmation of Saint Matthew is taking his record out of thâ—… first booke of the Chronicles that Iâ—…coniah begat Salathiel with this addition annexed After they were brought into Babylon In which place as Ieremie tels vs Ieconiah liuing Assâ—…r a captiue the space of thiâ—…tie seuen yeeres euen to the last of Nebucadnezzar was in the first of Euilmerodach King of Babel taken out of prison placed amongst his Princes and maintained in Kingly estate to the day of hâ—… death When hauing no issue of his owne body begot Salathiel his neerest kinsman must needs be his heire as the law required for thus by Moses it standeth written If a man dâ—…e and haue no sonne then yee shall turne his inheritance vnto his daughter and if he haue no daughter â—…ee shall giue his inhâ—…ritance vnto his brethren and if hee haue no brethren ye shall giue hâ—… inheritance vnto his fathers brethren and if his father haue no brethren â—…e shall giuâ—… his inheritance vnto hâ—…s kinsman that is next to him of his family and this shall be vnto the children of â—…srael a statuâ—…e of iâ—…dgement In this state then stooâ—… Ieconiah without son without daughter without brother without vncle or fathers brother 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 was pro claimed a childles man When according to the prescript of the law Salathiel his neerest kinsman was declared successor and in that sense is hee called his sonne who was by nature the sonne of Neri as Saint Luke in recording the naturall line hath laid downe Salathiel thus made a sonne in succession his owne successor likewise is said to be his sonne which was Zerubbabel his grand-child the sonne of Pedaiah as 1. Chron. 3. 19. But the said Pedaiah dying in Babylon before his fathers adoption and Zerubbabel made Prince ouer the people returned hee is therefore called the sonne of Salathiel and in the bookes of Ezra Nehemiah and Haggai where the gouernment is touched Pedaiah is euer omitted and with the like silence for that cause is ouerpassed by both the Euangelists Lyra vpon Matthew iudgeth that his mention was smothered with the roles of Genealogies which Herod consumed when he burnt all the princely pedegrees of the Kings of Iudah intending thereby to deriue himselfe of some great parentage as saith he by the same combustions the old Testament is silent from Abiud to Ioseph either for names or actions onely the bookes of the Macchabees are some stay for stories of those times This silence then ouershadowing Abiud and Rhesa by those names vnknowne in the old Testaments record are notwithstanding by the learned iudged to be Meshullam Hananiah the sons of Zerubabel therin mentioned whose Genealogies as now they stand in our Euangelists escaping the flames of Herods destruction were preserued they thinke by some faithfull Iew or else were receiued from God by holy reuelation as many other things were at the comming of Christ. Which later opinion liketh some well who make a symptome betwixt the first age and this last thus As the first Fathers were reuealed by Gods owne oracle vnto Moses without president of writ so the last Fathers by the same Spirit were reuealed vnto the Euangelists without any prescrit of record which notwithstanding seemeth rather a shadow then any shew of truth But by what warrant soeuer they wâ—…ot this is most certen that their Records were neuer contradicted by any Pharise Scribe or Priest then liuing who daily waited occasions to impugne their Doctrines which thing in that age then yeelded vnto by the most malicious Iewes may not now with out offence be called in question among vs the beleeuing Christians And that the sonnes of Zerubbabell continued a race of posterities the Rabbins themselues doe auerre who in their Commentaries as some haue obserued auouch that Dauid in case of succession ordained if Salomons issue failed then the posterity of Nathan his other son by Bersheba should succeed which in Salathiel it did and those great Doctors daily expecting their King that should come with such power vndoubtedly kept the Genealogies as carefully for the times following as they had been diligent obseruers of the families before But to the purposes of the Euangelists Saint Mathew recording the heires of
the wombe of the Virgine the Rabbins themselues confesse and the successe sheweth because at the comming of this Shiloh or birth of Christ Iesus the gouernment of Iudah was taken cleane from them and their Crowne worne by Herod an Idumean stranger Vntill which time the line of the lawfull Kings of the Tribe of Iudah had beene exactly and distinctly recorded and kept But in one generation following were so confounded scattered and shufled together among other Tribes and the Tribes each amongst others so mixed as to this day there is not a Iew knowne in the world that can distinctly shew of what tribe he is descended And their faire Dominions with such desolations ouerrunne that all hope is lost of any recouery and for the obedience prophecied vnto him the preaching of the Gospell hath gotten that through the world It was the faire land that Moses from mount Nebo did behold that Ioshuah from mount Hermon to mount Hor did conquer At first diuided among the twelue Tribes and after established a kingdome vnder Saul of whom the spirituall could not be intended neither was it in him figured And that kingdome possessed and crowne worne by him was taken from Beniamin and giuen to Iudah and in Dauid setled with promise that a sonne out of his loynes should sit vpon the throne thereof and should raigne King for euer and euer which none euer did or could doe but onely his Sonne Iesus the Prince Messiah to whom be praise for euer and euer and that he alone is the heire vnto that right is witnessed by the sacred Texts and shall be our paines heere to declare First then this terrestriall Kingdome was seated as saith the Prophet in the midst of nations did containe the Prouinces of Iury Samaria and Gallely the Land of Gilead also without Iordan was a portion of the twelue Tribes The whole so rich in earthly blessings as it is often in Scriptures called A Land flowing with milke and hony and so pleasant for situation as of some it is held to haue been Adams Paradise And as the Kingdome was glorious so were many of her Kings such were Dauid Salomon Asa Iohoshaphat and others godly that ruled well their owne and ouer-ruled others till their successors became godlesse and prouoked the ruine of both as when Nebuchadnezzer King of Babell captiuated the Land and led away Ieconias prisoner who was the last man that wore that glorious Crown After whom the Persians with-held it from Zorobabel the most lawful heire thereof And the Grecians and Syra-Grecians from Abiud and his successors vnto Ioseph the husband of Mary These being as foure beasts tooke this earthly Kingdom for the heauenly they could not from those the high Saints of God that should possesse a Kingdome for euer and euer with such desolation of that goodly Land till lastly the Romans made conquest of all and placed the Idumean Herod vpon Iudahs throne where Iacobs prophecy had the full euent And thus we see no temporall Crowne worne of any of Iudah from the captiuity of Babylon till Christ Iesus with thornes was crowned shewed and acknowledged King of the Iewes the abhomination of desolation set in the holy place and the place neuer called holy after Christs death And thus much of the earthly Kingdome promised to Abraham and the first point the second followeth That the expectation of the Iewes was set vpon an earthly Kingdome and powerfull King wee may see by the practise of the common multitude who hauing fedde vpon the fiue barley Loues and two small fishes acknowledged Iesus to bee the Prophet expected but withall presently assaied to haue him their King Againe when he told them that the sonne of man was come to seeke and to saue that which was lost their apprehension was of a temporall restauration of their down-cast estate And vpon that opinion the Apostles themselues as it seemeth were set when they demanded whether at that time Christ would restore the Kingdom of Israel And againe we trusted that it had been he that should haue deliuered Israell And to the same purpose were the answeres of the ignorant women of Samaria touching the Messias and the learned Nicodemus of Gallile touching mans new birth both of them aiming as we see only at outward things And indeed so generall was the opinion of an earthly and powerful Monarchie as that euen the common people expected it and had a prophecy touching the same among them which was That a King out of Iury should rule the whole world Which so terrified the Romans included in that prophecy as that they denied aide to their supplicant Ptolomie King of Egypt and so troubled the assembly of the elders in Ierusalem that their high Priest Caiaphas gaue counsell to kill Iesus lest the Romans should come and take away their Kingdome which was none otherwise meant then of the temporall And a temporall King and terrestriall kingdom it was that Herod so feared and sought to retaine when Christ was sought after by the stile of King of the Iewes And of that earthly kingdome likewise Pilat gaue Iesus the title though to the preiudice of Caesar his Emperour Neither meant the Scribes and Pharisees more then of the temporall when themselues expounded Moses without all spirituall vse the cheife Priests so ignorant that they knew not whether the Baptisme of Iohn was from Heauen or of men nor none of them how Dauids sonne could be Dauids Lord And the Sadduces taught that there was no Resurrection of the body neither Angell nor spirit so farre were they from that which is eternall Finally all of them apply euery Text in the Prophets touching the calling of the Gentiles of Christ and his Kingdome to be meant of a powerfull terrestriall Monarch Monarchie and promise themselues conquests attendance pleasures as in another earthly Paradise all Nations yeelding them seruice and obedience And now wee come to speake of Christ his title vnto Iudahs Crowne the third point Iesus legally descending from Iechoniah and lineally from Zorobabel by his ancestor Salathiel who was made a sonne to a childlesse man is borne the next in bloud and succession to sit vpon Dauids throne and by that right is often called by each of the Euangelists King of the Iewes For the right of Zorobabel resting in Ioseph the husband of Mary and he dying issulesse in Mary her selfe Christ Iesus their Sonne then must bee heire vnto both and by Father and Mother haue the iust title to Iudahs Crowne That Ioseph then in his dayes was the next successour to Salomons Throne is apparant by Saint Matthew in whose Catalogue without any colaterall he is brought downe from Salomon among his successors And by Saint Luke is recorded to be of Iudah of Bethlehem of the house and lineage of Dauid vnto which Tribe and
is by Saint Mathew and Saiâ—…t Luke deriued from Abraham Iudah and Dauid and by the foure Euangelists in that his double right is 〈◊〉 times foure times recordded stiled and called King of the Iewes Anâ—… thus much of the third point Now remaineth the last in the acknowledgment of that title to rest onely in the person of Iesus the expected sonne of Dauid whose raign doth continue for euer The first acknowledgment then of this promised King was obserued by the Gentiles when by his Starre they were led vnto the new-borne Babe King of the Iewes which was in the forty two yeere of Augustus Caesar when Cereâ—…ius was Gouernour of Syria and when in token of a vniuersall peace the Temple of Ianus stood shut in Roome Which peace was so famous as the mostfamous among the heathen Writers found matter enough to enlarge their wits vpon as Virgil in his Aeneidos and speech of Iupiter doth make him a Prophet to foreshew the peace that should be enioyed when as Mars his Temple should bee neglected and his hands bound in chaines of brasse And in his Eclog speeches of an vnspotted Maide a blessed Babe and of golden daies And Marcus Tullius Cicero as himselfe reporteth saw in his dreame A Childe of an engenius and beautifull countenance let downe from Heauen by a golden chaine And Suetonius after him from Iulius Marathus obserued that euen then Nature was about to bring forth a King that should raigne ouer the whole World And albeit these men in their flatteries did appropriate these their speeches either to the Emprour Augustus himselfe or vnto some of his fauourites yet Micah tels vs that in these daies the weapons of Warre should be made the instruments of Peace for saith he in the last daies Swords shall bee broken into mattockes and speares into Sithes and that euery one should sit vnder his owne Vine and vnder his Fig-tree and none should make them affraid And Isaiah speaking to the same purpose particularly applieth it vnto Christ for saith he Vnto vs a Childe is borne vnto vs a Sonne is giuen the gouernment is vpon his shoulder and his Name is wonderfull Counseller the mighty God the euerlasting Father the Prince of Peace Which Peace was declared to the world by the Angels from Heauen in this last age of the Iewes common wealth when the Stone cut without hands fell vpon Daniels Image that then stood but vpon his toe of Clay Euen then and at that time the wisemen of the East comming from Chaldea in whose language Daniels vision was writ followed his Star into Iury and in Ierusalem inquired for him that was borne x King of the Iewes Which title was acknowledged without any contradiction confirmed by the Priests and Scribes themselues both in affirming the place of his birth in acknowledging his office to be a Ruler in Israel And the malicious Iewes to hinder his right to that kingdome could name none but Caesar a stranger and that contrary to their own law enioyned by Moses which said Thou shalt not set a straÌ„ger which is not thy brother to be King ouer thee And that Iesus was the acknowledged King of the Iewes these speeches and demands of Pilat the Gouernour doth manifestly shew Behold your King Will yee that I release vnto you the King of the Iewes What shall I doe vnto him whom yee call King of the Iewes Shall I crucifie your King and the like Yea and the holy Ghost enforced his own wicked hand to subscribe his most iust title thus IESVS OF NAZARETH KING OF THE IEVVES which he wrote in Hebrew Greeke and Latine that all might reade and fixed it ouer his head vpon the Crosse and that all might see as himselfe had said behold your King And being admonished by the Iewes States-men to alter the in scription as too much derogatory vnto Caesars title and no lesse then a matter of high treason in himself answered What I haue written I haue written euen to the danger of his owne life And Christ himselfe that needeth no testimony of men answered Pilat to his question Art thou a King thou sayest that I am a King To this end was I borne and for this cause came I into the World that I should beare witnesse vnto the truth and euery one that is of the truth heareth my voyce And the same opinion of his kingly title after his resurrection it seemeth the Iewes in Thessalonica had when they accused Iason before the Rulers that against the decree of Caesar hee subborned them that taught there was no other King euen one Iesus Thus then we conclude that this Iesus the Sonne of the Virgin was the expected King of the terrestriall Kingdome the reall King without any Competitor to that Crowne And the acknowledged King of the Iews both by the Gentiles and by the Iewes themselues But because in Dauid and in the rest there was a figure of a Priestly or spirituall King and Kingdome aswell as of a reall and earthly Some haue thought the figured only and not the real did belong vnto Christ for that himselfe disclaimed all regall authority vpon earth But if we well consider that he alone is the Alpha and Omega through whom and for whom all that is writ was writ in whom all the promises of God are vea and Amen wee must then include as much vnto him the substance as was propper vnto Abraham and his other figures else was not Christ the heire of all and the first among Brethren Therefore as we began in Abraham for the Terrestriall let vs likewise begin in him for the Celestial who in his daies was both a King and a Priest and in them both a true figure of him his seede that was to come That Abraham was a King his kingly authority in his leagues ofensiue and defensiue made with the Kings of the Canaanites doth sufficiently shew For as a King he bare himselfe among those his conâ—…ederates both in the victory and deuision of the spoiles gotten and taken at Sodom in the recouery of his brother Lot And a Priest likewise he was for he built Altars and sacrificed vnto the Lord and would haue done his owne sonne Isaac had not his hand beene stayed by an Angell from heauen so that in both hee was really a King of that earthly Canaan and personally a Priest in his ministeriall Sacrificings and in them both was tipically a true figure of Christ. To both these functions Isaac was his heire Iacob his and Iudah his for the three brethren Ruben Simeon and Leui were disinerited both of kingly Priesthood and Lay Kingdome vpon their trespasses against Iacobs bed and in Shâ—…chems slaughter But the ministeriall setled vpon Leui Iudah possessed not for these were seperated when Moses waâ—… the messenger
though shee was elder then his afflictions by an hundred and seuenty yeeres And more obsurdly they marrie her to Simeon her brother naming her the Canaanit mother of Saul Iacob they faine to haue had a twin daughter borne with euery of his sons as Adam by them is fained to haue had And good Thamar that got Iudah vnto her bed they make to be the daughter of Melchisedeck king of Salem who died ninty seauen yeeres before Iudah was borne So likewise Ruth the Moabite hauing no father named in Scripture nor Eglon king of Moab any daughter Rabbi Iarchi and others faine Ruth therefore to bee daughter to King Eglon. Keturah likewise the second wife of Abraham the Rabbins will haue to be the same Hagar that had bâ—… him Ishmael lest incontinency should be imputed vnto him for marrying another woman hauing knowne Hagar before And from the sonnes of the said Keturah they bring both Balaam the Gentile Prophet and Queene Sheba that came to heare the wisedome of Salomon As also doubtlesse from the Rabbins the Christians Origen and Chrysostom from the said Balaam doe bring the wise men that from the East followed the Starre vnto Christ and so Dorotheus and Epiphanius make Ionas the Prophet to bee the widowes sonne of Sarepta whom Elias raised from death In like sort when some great personages are but once named in the Scriptures they make them to be some other famous men by other names So Ethan the Ezrathite the Author of the 89. Psalme Kimchi Iarchi affirme to be Abraham because that Psalme goeth before the Psalme of Moses the man of God and because Ezrathite may be translated Orientall So Chalcol and Darda whose wisedome Salomon is commended to exceede they feine to be Moses and Aaron Elihu the Buzite to bee Balaam Ibsan to bee Boos and Putiel to be Iethro So likewise the forenamed Rabbins Kimchi and Iarchi make Uriah mentioned in Esay to be the same man that Iehoiakim slew though there were an hundred twenty yeers betwixt And Zechariah mentioned in the same Prophet to be the same Zechariah that with Haggai prophecied after the returne from Babylon betwixt whom were aboue two hundred yeeres But the writer of the Booke Tobit falleth into farre greater sinnes in making an Angell to bee of the seede of man as hee affirmeth Raphael to acknowledge his kinred from Azarias and Ananias men well knowne vnto Tobit contrary to the Doctrin of the whole Scriptures which teach that Christ Iesus the great Archangel tooke onely mans nature vpon him and that the Angels haue neither flesh nor bones but are ministring Spirits to attend his Elect. Which blasphemie the blasphemous Rabbins further teach in affirming that there should come two Christs the one of Dauid and the other of Ioseph vpon which ground they build who say that Hee whom the Iewes crucified was not the same man that had beene borne of the virgin Mary but another in his similitude and likenesse In the contrary extreamity I would to God Christians had not offended in denying Christ to bee the Messiah mentioned in Daniel the ninth a text most pregnant shewing his office of Redemption in abolishing Sinne and the effecacie of his Death in ending Sacrifice and oblation in the place once holy For whereas the Angell Gabriel in the first yeere of Cyrus and last of Babels seuentie was sent vnto Daniel to declare the present liberty for his people decreed and to assure a future and fuller by the death of the Messiah determined after the expiration of seuentie times seuen yeeres they deny the words to bee meant of Iesus the sonne of Mary and â—…abbinically apply the text to other purposes and persons whereby a stumbling blocke is laid before the blinde Iewes and an vnchristianlike testimony left of Christian Iudaâ—…sme For more to shew conteÌ„tion â—…hen truth or Religion in a booke of that kind thus it stands written Of all the places in the old Testament touching the comming of Christ whereof there is great store that verse 〈◊〉 Daniel meaning the 24. of the ninth Chapter is most excellent and â—…leere yet withall I deny saith the Author that by the Name of Messiah in the verses following Christ our Sauiour is vnderstood for neither the true account of yeeres will suffer it nor the text of holy Scriptures beare it Two strong supporters verily if the foundation be sure but seeing hee setteth the one vpon the vncertaine Olympicks and the other vpon a priuate and vnchristian interpretation wee may safely deny what he doth affirme Concerning the first then or credit of the Olympiads to the disabling of other Chronologies the iudgment of Marcus Varro the learned Roman is brought who will haue all vncerten before the first Olympiad for from the beginning of men to the first flood for the ignorance of things therein happening he calleth obcure or vnknown From the first flood to the first Olympiad for the vaine tales contained therein hee calleth false or fabulous But from the first Olympiad to his owne age for the truth and certenty of things therein recorded he calleth Historicall prouided alwaies by master Liuely that yee seeke them no higher then Iphitus their restorer And these Olympicks doth that holy tongues reader make the onely computators of the Suns course in incirculating the earth for the space of 530. yeeres and by them doth order that time which is of most moment in the Scriptures of God For by them hee will haue the Angels speech for the death of Christ accounted by them the raignes and yeeres of the Persian Kings from Cyrus to Alexander numbred and by them the time from the rebuilding of Ierusalem by â—…he returned to the finall destruction thereof by Titus the Romane calâ—…ulated Affirming them to bee of a sure Bulwark for Chronologie warranâ—…ed by the mouth of Heauen it self â—…y the Astronomicall eclipses therâ—… happening and the only Key to â—…nlocke the shut and hid meaning â—…f Daniels oracles without which â—…y Scriptures alone saith hee can â—…euer be opened whereunto wee â—…nswere That Varro was a heathen and â—…ad not read Moses who seeth not whose writings notwithstanding were extant of things done from the first Creation vnto the entrance into Canaan nor the sacred Histories from his death by others continued vnto Nebuchadnezzar the great King else would hee not haue made these times obscure that are most plaine nor that the plainest which is most obscure And if wee shall throughly examine those his so highly commended Olimpicks either of beginning continuance restoration or agreements wee shall finde them to be but a Babel of confusions anâ—… the truth of time by them as harâ—… to be trased as is the way of a Shâ—… in the waues of the Sea or the flight 〈◊〉 an Eagle in the ayre the tract of