it through the want of them which would be very improper or would cause a repetition of them there which would not be very proper Harmony and Explanation Vers. 18. And many other things he Preached c. WHosoever shall read the latter part of the former Section and this verse together as a continued Narration he will see how fitly and closely they joyn together and he is to take this as an Epiphonema to the whole story of Johns Ministery that besides those particular speeches of his mentioned by the Evangelists he preached many other things and used divers exhortations to the people whilest he was abroad and at liberty which he was not very long after that occurrence mentioned in the former Section Vers. 19. But Herod the Tetrarch being reproved for Herodias c. Because we are fallen upon a strange and most unlawful match in Herod the greats family will the reader have the patience before he come to look on this particular act of Herod the Tetrarch his marrying his brothers wife to take a view a little of old Herods whole family and divers strange marriages in it as they may be picked up in several places in Josephus and to acquaint himself in brief with the pedegree of that stock which may be some light for the understanding both of this and of some other places in the New Testament which relate to the story of that house We will begin with Antipater Herods Father the first of the Family that came to honour This Antipater being an Edomite had by his wife Cyprus an Arabian these four sons Phasaelus Herod Joseph Pheroras and one daughter named Salome Joseph Antiq. lib. 14. cap. 12. Herod the second son of Antipater commonly called Herod the Great the King of the Jews Luke 1. 5. the murderer of the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem Joseph Antiq. l. 14. cap. 17. Juchasin fol. 19. and murderer of the children at Bethlehem Matth. 2. and of his own children as we shall see anon had nine wives and by seven of them he had children Joseph de bell lib. 1. cap. 18. 1. He married Doris a woman of Jerusalem before he was King and by her he had a son called Antipater but this wife he put away after he came to the Kingdom that he might marry another Ibid. cap. 17. and this his first born son Antipater he caused to be slain but five days before his own death Id. Antiq. lib. 17. cap. 10. 2. His second wife was Mariam or Mary the beautiful the daughter of Alexander the son of Aristobulus and of Alexandra the daughter of Hyrcanus Antiq. 15. cap. 2. by her he had three sons Alexander and Aristobulus Antiq. 16. cap. 8. and Herod de bell 1. 18. which Herod died young at Rome whither he was set forth for his education And he had also by her two daughters Salampsio and Cyprus Antiq. lib. 18. cap. 7. His wife Mariam he slew upon the accusation of his sister Salome and some suspition and discontent Antiq. 15. cap. 11. Her two sons that lived he married thus Aristobulus to Bernice the daughter of Salome his own Sister by whom he had three sons Herod Agrippa he that is called Herod Act. 12. and Aristobulus and two daughters Herodias and Mariam this Herodias is she that we have here in hand Alexander he married to Glaphyra the daughter of Archelaus a forain King and by her he had two sons Tigranes and Alexander De bell 1. cap. 18. These two sons of Mariam Aristobulus and Alexander their Father caused to be slain as well as he had slain their Mother Antiq. 16. cap. 17. But his two daughters he married to their near kinsman Salampsio to Phasaelus her nephew and Cyprus to Antipater her cousen german the son of Salome Herods sister Antiq. lib. 18. cap. 7. 3. A third wife he had which was called Malthace a Samaritan and by her he had two sons Antipas and Archelaus and one daughter called Olympias De Bell. lib. 1. cap. 18. Archelaus is he of whom there is mention Matth. 2. Antipas is that Herod that we have in hand Archelaus married Glaphyra his brother Alexanders widow Ant. lib. 17. c. 15. Olympias was married to her Fathers own Nephew Joseph De bell lib. 1. cap. 18. 4. His fourth wife Cleopatra of Jerusalem bare him Herod and Philip. Ibid. Antiq. 17. cap. 1. this Philip was Herodias her husband till Herod his brother took her from him not this Herod born of the same mother but Antipas the son of Malthace who was also called Herod as was said before 5. He had another wife called Pallas by whom he had a son called Phasaelus Ibid. and this Phasaelus had a son of his own name to whom Salampsio was married mentioned before 6. A sixth wife Phaedra bare him a daughter called Roxana Ibid. 7. And a seventh called Helpis bare him a daughter named Salome Ibid. And two wives besides these he had which bare him no children whose names Josephus hath not mentioned but hath left this mark upon the matches that the one of those wives was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both his neeces or his very near kindred Ibid. And to look a little further into the stock Salampsio his daughter had by Phasaelus his Grandchild three sons and two daughters Antipater Herod Alexander Alexandra and Cyprus Alexandra married to a Cypriot but died childless Cyprus was married to Agrippa the son of Aristobulus the son of Mariam this was that Herod in Act. 12. by whom she had two sons Agrippa and Drusus and three daughters Bernice Mariam and Drusilla Act. 18. cap. 7. Such marriages as these were in old Herods family the father of this Herod that we have in discourse And now let us look upon the marriage that we have before us between Herod and Herodias 1. Herodias was neece both to Philip and Herod both to her former husband and her latter for she was daughter to their brother Aristobulus whom their father had slain as was said before Josephus must here be corrected by the Evangelist for he saith Herodias was the wife of Herod Herod the Tetrarchs brother but not by the same mother Antiq. lib. 18. cap. 7. There was indeed a Herod which was Philips brother of the same mother Cleopatra but this Herod the Tetrarch called also Antipas was the son of Malthace 2. He might not have married his brothers wife though he had been dead he having had seed by her for so is it very generally held that Herodias daughter that daunced off John Baptists head was the daughter of Philip. If brethren dwell together as heirs to one possession and one of them die and have no child then her husbands brother shall go in unto her c. Deut. 25. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But if her husband leave either son or daughter or sons son or sons daughter or daughters daughter behind him as R. Sol. explains it then might not he marry
danger themselves Here was a prize for the greedy appetite of Tiberius when so many of the best rank and purses were fallen into his lurch and their moneys lent fallen into forfeiture because of their unlawfull lending The guilty Senate obtain the Emperours pardon and eighteen moneths are allowed for bringing in of all mens accompts In which time the scarcity of mony did pinch the more when every ones debts did come to rifling and in the nick of that there followed a great disturbance about buying Lands which before was invented for a remedy against the former complaints But the Emperour was glad to salve up the matter by lending great sums of mony to the people gratis for three years § 3. Tiberius still cruel With this one dram of humanity he mingled many ounces of cruelty and blood-shed For Considius Proculus as he was celebrating his birth day without fear and with Festivity is haled out of his own house brought to the bar and condemned and his Sister Sancia interdicted fire and water Pompeia Maâ—rina banished and her Father and Brother condemned and slew themselves But this year there is no reckoning of the slaughtered by name for now their number grew numberless All that were imprisoned and accused for conspiracy with Sejanus he causeth to be slain every mothers son Now saith mine Author there lay an infinite massacre of all sexes ages conditions noble and ignoble either dispersed or together on heaps Nor was it permitted to friends or kindred to comfort bewail or behold them any more but a Guard fet which for the greater grief abused the putrified bodies till they were haled into Tiber and there left to sink or swim for none was suffered to touch or bury them So far was common humanity banished and pity denyed even after death revenge being unsatisfied when it had revenged and cruelty extended beyond it self Nor did the accusers speed better than the accused for he also caused them to be put to death as well as the other under that colour of justice and retaliation satisfying his cruelty both ways to the greater extent It were to be admired and with admiration never to be satisfied were it not that the avenging hand of God upon the bloody City is to be acknowledged in it that ever a people should be so universally bent one against another seeking the ruine and destruction one of another and furthering their own misery when they were most miserable already in him that sought the ruin of them all A fitter instrument could not the Tyrant have desired for such a purpose than themselves nor when he had them so pliable to their own mischief did he neglect the opportunity or let them be idle For as he saw accusations encrease so did he encrease his Laws to breed more insomuch that at the last it grew to be capital for a servant to have fallen before or near the image of Augustus or for any man to carry either coin or ring into the Stews or house of Office if it bare upon it the image of Tiberius §. 3. A wicked accusation Who can resolve whether it were more vexation to suffer upon such foolish accusations or upon others more solid but as false as these were foolish That was the fortune of Sextus Marius an intimate friend of the Emperours but as it proved not the Emperour so of his This was a man of great riches and honour and in this one action of a strange vain-glory and revenge Having taken a displeasure at one of his Neighbours he inviteth him to his house and there detained him feasting two days together And on the first day he pulleth his house down to the ground and on the next he buildeth it up far fairer and larger than before The honest man when he returned home found what was done admired at the speed of the work rejoyced at the change of his house but could not learn who had done the deed At the last Marius confessed that he was the agent and that he had done it with this intent to shew him that he had power to do him a displeasure or a pleasure as he should deserve it Ah blinded Marius and too indulgent to thine own humours seest thou not the same power of Tiberius over thee and thy fortunes pinned upon his pleasure as thy neighbours upon thine And so it came to pass that fortune read him the same lecture that his fancy had done another For having a young beautiful Daughter and such a one as on whom the Emperour had cast an eye and so plainly that the Father spyed it he removed her to another place and kept her there close and at distance lest she should have been violated by him who must have no denyal Tiberius imagined as the thing was indeed and when he seeth that he cannot enjoy his love and satisfie his lust he turneth it to hate and revenge And causeth Marius to be accused of incest with his daughter whom he kept so close and both Father and Daughter are condemned and suffer for it both together § 5. A miserable life and death In these so feareful and horrid times when nothing was safe nothing secure when silence and innocency were no protection nor to accuse no more safeguard than to be accused but when all things went at the Emperours will and that will always cruel what course could any man take not to be intangled and what way being intangled to extricate himself The Emperours frowns were death and his favours little better to be accused was condemnation and to accuse was often as much that now very many found no way to escape death but by dying nor to avoid the cruelty of others but by being cruel to themselves For though self-murder was always held for a Roman valour yet now was it become a meer necessity men choosing that miserable exigent to avoid a worse as they supposed and a present end to escape future evils So did Asinius Gallus at this time for the one and Nerva the other This Gallus about three years ago coming to Tiberius upon an Ambassy was fairly entertained and royally feasted by him but in the very interim he writeth letters to the Senate in his accusation Such was the Tyrants friendship and so sour sawce had poor Asinius to his dainty fare A thing both inhumane and unusual that a man the same day should eat drink and be merry with the Emperour and the same day be condemned in the Senate upon the Emperours accusation An Officer is sent to fetch him away a Prisoner from whence he had but lately gone Ambassadour The poor man being thus betrayed thought it vain to beg for life for that he was sure would be denyed him but he begged that he might presently be put to death and that was denyed also For the bloody Emperour delighted not in blood and death only but in any thing that would cause other mens misery though it were their life So having once committed one of
are girded with strength And so doth the Targum on the Canticles apply the seventh verse of the sixth Chapter of that Book to the same House As a piece of a Pomegranate are thy Temples The Kingdom saith it of the Asmonaean Family was full of Judgments as a Pomegranate c. Not to be inquisitive after the derivation of the word which we find in Psal. 68. 32. and which is generally interpreted by the Jews to signite great Dukes and Princes Mattathias not living long after his first appearing a Champion for his distressed Country he left the charge of that War and Expedition to his sons after him amongst whom 17. JUDAS surnamed Maccabaeus from these four Acrostick Letters in his Ensign Ioseph Antiq. l. 12. c. 9 10 c. 1 Mac. 3. 4 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which meant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exod. 15. 12. Lord who is like thee among the mighty undertook the quarrel of his People and of the Law Religion and Covenant and did very victoriously but at last was slain In these times when all things were in a combustion and confusion in the Land and in Ioseph ubi sup c. 15 16 17. 1 Mac. 7. 12. 13 14 c. 9. 1. 5 55. 1 Mac. 9. 10. 11. 2â— Iosep. Ant. â— 13. ad c. 11. Religion one ALCIMUS bare the name of High-priest being indeed of that Line but a man for mischief and impiety more like a Heathen than a High-priest of Israel doing much evil whilst he lived and coming at last to a most fearful end 18. JONATHAN succeedeth his brother Judas as chief Commander he was made High-priest by Alexander the son of Antiochus and confirmed therein by Antiochus the son of Alexander doth many valiant acts and at last is slain by Trypho 19. SIMON his brother succeedeth him valiant also and advantagious to his people 1 Mac. 14. 15. 16. Ioseph ubi sup c. 11 12 13. like his brethren but slain at last treacherously by his own son in Law 20. JOHN called also Hyrcanus or Hyrcanus Jannai He sacked Samaria destroyed Ioseph ubi sup cap. 18. Iuchasin â—ol 14 the Temple at Gerizim slew many of the wise men at Jerusalem was High-priest eighty years and turned Sadducee 21. ARISTOBULUS his son He first took upon him to be King Ioseph ib. c. 9. 22. ALEXANDER He bare also the name of King made many Wars and at Ibid. c. 22 23. last died of a Quartan Ague which had held him three years 23. HYRCANUS his son is made High-priest but his mother Alexandra by the Ibid. c. 24. support of the Pharisees sways the Kingdom 24. ARISTOBULUS younger brother to Hyrcanus after the death of their Lib. 14. c. 4 5 6. mother Alexandra maketh War upon his brother drives him from his Kingdom to a private life and takes both Kingdom and High-priesthood upon himself They both desire help and assistance from the Romans Scaurus and Pompey Aristobulus provoking Pompey by some dalliance causeth the sacking of Jerusalem and the subjecting of the Jews to the Roman yoke from under which they were never delivered Pompey restoreth the High-priesthood to Hyrcanus and carries Aristobulus and his son Antigonus prisoners to Rome and his two daughters 25. ALEXANDER the son of Aristobulus escaped the hands of Pompey when he Ibid. c. 10. captived his father and his brother to Rome and he in Judea raised divers stirs and tumults and affecting the Kingdom is twice suppressed by the Roman Gabinius 26. ANTIGONUS Aristobulus his other son escaping from Rome into Judea first Ib. c. 21. 25. by the help of the King of Tyrus and after by the help of the Parthians busleth for the High-priesthood and power out of the hands of Hyrcanus getteth Hyrcanus prisoner causeth his ear to be cut off and by that blemish or maim he maketh him uncapable of the Priesthood But as Hyrcanus lost his ears so at last Antigonus lost his head by the ax of Lib. 15. c. 1. Dion Cas. l. 49. Antony at Antioch having been first crucified and whipt 27. ANANELUS an inferiour Priest sent for out of Babylon is made High-priest Iosd 15. c. 2. by Herod Here Alexandra the daughter of Hyrcanus and wife of Alexander the son of Aristobulus took indignity and so did Mariam Herods wife who was Alexandra's daughter that an inferiour person should be preferred to the High-priesthood and Aristobulus Mariams brother and Alexandra's son be passed by These womens shifts and importunities Ibid. c. 2. obtain the High-priesthood for Aristobulus and the deposition of Ananelus 28. ARISTOBULUS a young man of a rare beauty is made High-priest being Ibid. c. 3. not much above fifteen years old after a years injoyment of it or little more he is drowned by Herods policy as he was swimming And then Ananelus becomes High-priest again 29. JESUS the son of Favens him Herod removed again Ibid c. 12. 30. SIMON the son of Boethus he was but a Priest before But Herod marrying Ibid. his daughter a woman of a rare beauty he made him High-priest 31. MATTHIAS the son of Theophilus Herod deposed his father in law Simon Lib. 17. c. 6. from the High-priesthood because he thought both he and his daughter Herods wife were privy to the counsels of his son Antipater 32. JOZARUS the son of Simon Herods brother in law Matthias being deposed Ibid. c. 8. by Herod 33. ELEAZAR made High-priest by King Archelaus Jozarus being deposed Ibid. c. 15. 34. JESUS the son of Sie shoulders Eleazar out Ibid. 35. JOZARUS again He was now in the place when Judea was taxed under Cyrenius Lib. 18. â— 1. Luke 2. at the birth of Christ and when the people were ready to rebel rather than be taxed he overcame them with perswasions 36. ANANUS upon the removal of Jozarus made High-priest by Cyrenius Ibid. c. 3. 37. ISMAEL promoted by Valerius Gratus upon Ananus his removal 38. ELEAZAR the son of Ananus promoted by the same Gratus upon Ismaels removal Ibid. he injoyed the High-priesthood but one year 39. SIMON the son of Kamith advanced by the same Gratus The Jerusalem Talmud calls him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and relates this story of him that on the Eve of the day of Expiation he went out to speak with the King and some spittle fell upon his garments and defiled him therefore Judah his brother went in on the day of Expiation and served in his stead and so their Mother Kamith saw two of her sons High-priests in one day She had seven sons and they all served in the High-priesthood hence came up this Proverb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All meal is meal but Kamiths meal is fine flower In Joma per. 1. 40. CAIAPHAS who was also called Joseph He was Gratus his creature too Ibid. and all these changes were made by Gratus in eleven years and now are
morrow when I come into the Consistory do thou come forth and question me about this matter The Disciple stood forth and askt Rabban Gamaliel then President of the Sanhedrin of what kind is Evening Prayer He answers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is a thing of duty But behold saith the other R. Joshua saith it is a thing at pleasure Saith Gamaliel to Joshua dost thou affirm it to be a thing at pleasure He saith unto him No. Stand upon thy feet saith the other that they may witness against thee Rabban Gamaliel was then sitting and expounding Probably this very Article R. Joshua stood on his feet till all the people cryed out to him They say to R. Hotspith the Interpreter Dismiss the people They say to R. Zenon the Chazan say Begin ye and they said begin thou So all the people rose up and stood on their feet They said unto him Who is it thy wickedness hath not toucht they went out streight way and made R. Eleazar ben Azariah President of the Council 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How many seats were there R. Jacob ben Susi saith fourscore seats for the disciples of the wise beside those who stood behind the bars R Jose cen Bon saith thirty beside those that stood behind the bars We have the same i i i i i i In Bab. Beracoth fol. 27. 2. Story This we transcribed the larglier not only for proof of what we said of the Disciples asking the Doctors Questions in the Court but that the Reader might have a little sight of the manner of that Court and how there were many not only of the Disciples of the wise but others too that flockt thither II. We may further add k k k k k k Mâ—iâ—… Sanhedr cap. 1. In a City where there are not two great wise men one fit to teach and instruct in the whole Law the other whoknows how to hear and ask and answer they do not constitute a Sanhedrin although there were a thousand Israelites there c. l l l l l l Sanhedr fol. 17. 2. In a City where there are not two that may speak and one that may hear they do not constitute a Sanhedrin In Bitter there were three In Jabneh four viz. R. Eliezer R. Joshua R. Akibah and Simeon the Temanite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He judged before them sitting on the ground By him who hears they mean one skillful in the Traditions that can propound questions and answer every question propounded Such an one was Simeon the Temanite who though he was a man of that learning yet not being promoted to become one of the Elders he sate upon the ground that is not on any of the benches of the Fathers of the Sanhedrin but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on one of the seats that were near the ground for they speak these things as done in the times after the death of Gamaliel There is nothing absurd therefore in it if we should suppose Christ gotten into the very Sanhedrin it self Thither Joseph and his Mother might come and seeking him might find him on the benches of the Fathers of the Council for that time they having found him so capable both to propound questions and answer them For it is plain they did admit of others for other reasons to sit sometimes in their seats m m m m m m Sanhedr fol. 40. 1. And it is less wonder if they suffer him to sit amongst them being but twelve years of age whenas they promoted R. Eleazar ben Azariah to the Presidency it self when he was but sixteen n n n n n n Hierosol ubi supr But if it was in a lower Court it is still less wonder if he sate amongst them But that which might be chiefly enquired is whether Christ sate amongst them as one of their disciples this indeed is hardly credible CHAP. III. VERS II. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Annas and Caiphas being High-Priests 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a a a a a a Hierosal Sanhedr fol. 29. 1. They do constitute two High-Priests at one time True indeed but they promoted a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sagan together with an High-Priest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b b b b b b Juchasin fol. 57. 1. out of Rambam The Sagan as to his degree was the same to the High-Priest as he that was next or second to the King They substituted indeed on the Vespers of the day of expiation another Priest to the High-Priest that should be in readiness to perform the office for the day if any uncleanness should by chance have befallen the High-Priest c c c c c c Joma caâ— 1 d d d d d d Hieros Hâ—raioth fol. 47. 4. It is storied of Ben Elam of Zipporim that when a Gonorrhea had seized the High-Priest on the day of expiation he went in and performed the Office for that day And another story of Simeon ben Kamith that as he was walking with the King on the Vespers of the day of expiation his Garments were toucht with another's spittle so that Judah his Brother went in and ministred On that day the Mother of them saw her two Sons High-Priests It is not without reason controverted whether the Sagan were the same with this deputed Priest the Jews themselves dispute it I would be on the negative part for the Sagan was not so much the Vice-High-Priest as if I may so speak one set over the Priests The same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the ruler of the Temple of whom we have such frequent mention amongst the Doctors upon him chiefly did the care and charge of the Service of the Temple lye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 e e e e e e Joma capâ— hal 1. The ruler of the Temple saith to them go out and see if it be time to slay the Sacrifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Ruler saith come and cast your lots who shall slay the f Tamid cap. 3. hal 1. Sacrifice who shall sprinkle the blood c. The gloss is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Ruler is the Sagan He is commonly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Sagan of the Priests Which argues his supremacy amongst the Priests rather than his Vicegerency under the High-Priest g g g g g g Sanhedr fol. 19. 2. When the High-Priest stands in the circle of those that are to comfort the mourners 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Sagan and he that is anointed for the battle stand on his right hand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the head of the Fathers house those that mourn and all the people stand on his left hand Mark here the order of the Sagan He is below the High-Priest but above the Heads of all the Courses 2 Kings XXIII 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Priests of the second order Targum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Sagan of the Priests And Chap. XXV 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
172 Ismael 86 Isaac 72 Iacob 12 their proper time it is most usual in Scripture thus Abrah 173 Ismael 87 Isaac 73 Iacob 13 to do in reckoning up mens ages as Genesis 5. and Abrah 174 Ismael 88 Isaac 74 Iacob 14 11. c. ABRAHAM dieth here read Gen. 25. vers 7 8 9 10. Isaac is of the very same age when Abraham dieth that Abraham was when the Promise came to him viz. seventy five years old The Promise now is come upon Isaac EBER dieth read Gen. 11. 17. He was the longest liver born since the Flood the father of the Hebrews and denominator of the Hebrew Tongue Religion staid in his family when all the world lost it beside and he liveth to see it gloriously setled in the families of Abraham and Isaac CHAP. XXVI THE time that Esau sold his birth-right and that Isaac went Ismael 98 Isaac 84 Iacob 24 to Gerar are both undated but it seemeth by Ismael 99 Isaac 85 Iacob 25 the Text that they were near together and that the famine Ismael 100 Isaac 86 Iacob 26 that caused Esau to part with his birth-right caused Isaac Ismael 101 Isaac 87 Iacob 27 to depart out of his own residence to go elsewhere to seek Ismael 102 Isaac 88 Iacob 28 for sustenance It appeareth that there was great scarcity of Ismael 103 Isaac 89 Iacob 29 victuals when Jacob is brought to his lentil pottage and Ismael 104 Isaac 90 Iacob 30 when Esau if he got not some of these pottage is like to Ismael 105 Isaac 91 Iacob 31 famish Many precious things were wrapped up in the Ismael 106 Isaac 92 Iacob 32 birth-right as the Priority the Promise the Priest-hood Ismael 107 Isaac 93 Iacob 33 and excellent priviledges and Esau for a mess of pottage Ismael 108 Isaac 94 Iacob 34 despiseth them all Compare this with Adams losing his Ismael 109 Isaac 95 Iacob 35 own and his posterities happiness for a morsel of meat Ismael 110 Isaac 96 Iacob 36 Isaac as his father had done denyeth his wife A Philistim Ismael 111 Isaac 97 Iacob 37 King sheweth here more conscience then he he prospereth Ismael 112 Isaac 98 Iacob 38 exceedingly in the land of the Philistims to the envy of the Ismael 113 Isaac 99 Iacob 39 inhabitants there World 2208 Ismael 114 Isaac 100 Iacob 40 ESAU marrieth Canaanitish wives a vexation to his Ismael 115 Isaac 101 Iacob 41 holy parents for this his impious Polygamy he is called a fornicator Ismael 116 Isaac 102 Iacob 42 Heb. 12. 16. for Polygamy is called fornication Ismael 117 Isaac 103 Iacob 43 or whoredom Hos. 4. 11. and upon this it seemeth that the Holy Ismael 118 Isaac 104 Iacob 44 Ghost giveth one of his wives the name of Adah the wife Ismael 119 Isaac 105 Iacob 45 of the first Polygamist in the world see Gen. 36. 2. and Gen. Ismael 120 Isaac 106 Iacob 46 4. 19. Esau here lay under a double offence namely for Polygamy Ismael 121 Isaac 107 Iacob 47 and for marrying in the stock of cursed Canaan Ismael 122 Isaac 108 Iacob 48 Polygamy in the men of the holy generation as Jacob David Ismael 123 Isaac 109 Iacob 49 and Solomon c. was of a more tolerable nature and Ismael 124 Isaac 110 Iacob 50 of more dispensableness because they sought to multiply Ismael 125 Isaac 111 Iacob 51 the holy seed which Esau was out of capacity to do Ismael 126 Isaac 112 Iacob 52 Was not Esau Jacobs brother saith the Lord Yet I loved Ismael 127 Isaac 113 Iacob 53 Jacob and hated Esau Mal. 1. ver 2 3. What shall we say then Ismael 128 Isaac 114 Iacob 54 Is there unrighteousness with God God forbid For he saith Ismael 129 Isaac 115 Iacob 55 to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I Ismael 130 Isaac 116 Iacob 56 will have compassion on whom I will have compassion Rom. 9. Ismael 131 Isaac 117 Iacob 57 14 15. Both the Prophet and the Apostle do rather take Ismael 132 Isaac 118 Iacob 58 their example for election and reprobation in Jacob and Ismael 133 Isaac 119 Iacob 59 Esau then in Cain and Abel at the beginning of the old Ismael 134 Isaac 120 Iacob 60 world or in Sem and Ham in the beginning of the new Ismael 135 Isaac 121 Iacob 61 partly because the free acting and disposing of God is the Ismael 136 Isaac 122 Iacob 62 better shewed in the contrary disposal of these two that were known to be born at one birth and partly because in Jacob there began to be a distinguished people from all the world and the foundation of a distinct visible Church laid and partly since both were born of parents under the Promise that the spiritual and temporal vertue of the Promise might be differenced ISMAEL dieth 137 years old here read Gen. 25. from verse 12. to verse 19. and 1 Chron. 1. verse 28 29 30 31. There may be some argument that he was saved though once he persecuted World 2231 Ismael 137 Isaac 123 Iacob 63 and mocked and was expelled Abrahams house as Abrahams Isaac 124 Iacob 64 prayer for him and Gods promise towards him Gen. 17. 18 20. Isaac 125 Iacob 65 the reckoning of his age and using the very same expression of his Isaac 126 Iacob 66 death as are used of Abrahams Esau going to marry in his stock Isaac 127 Iacob 67 when his Canaanitish matches displeased his parents c. But howsoever Isaac 128 Iacob 68 it was with Ismael himself in matter of piety it is certain his Isaac 129 Iacob 69 posterity grew impious and were constant enemies to Israel they Isaac 130 Iacob 70 and the rest of the seed of Abraham by Keturah lived together in Isaac 131 Iacob 71 Arabiah and were brethren in evil The Turks are held by some to Isaac 132 Iacob 72 be of the seed of Ismael and their using Circumcision is used as an Isaac 133 Iacob 73 argument to confirm it but that may speak them as well if not rather Isaac 134 Iacob 74 the off-spring of the Jews captivated into the Northern parts Isaac 135 Iacob 75 of the world by Assyria and Babylon and now increased into these Isaac 136 Iacob 76 vast multitudes and poured out toward the western parts CHAP. XXVII XXVIII XXIX XXX World 2245 Isaac 137 Iacob 77 ISAAC is now come to that age at which his brother Ismael died 14 years ago namely 137 and it is not improbable that the thought of his death at that age puts Isaac in mind of his own end and he accordingly disposeth towards it by conveying of the blessing and setling it upon one of his sons his sending Esau to hunt for venision that he might eat of his savoury meat and his soul might bless him was not because meat or drink would conduce for that spiritual purpose but he puts him to this that he might know whether he should bless him or no for his missing of venison
Joseph was sold and some after the story of the thirty ninth Chapter that Judah requital for his sale for he had the chief hand in it might be shewed assoon as his selling of him is related Judah was married before Joseph was sold and Er and Onan were also born before as was observed erewhile therefore the first words of the Chapter At that time are not to be referred to the next words going before in the preceding Chapter concerning Josephs sale to Potiphar but are of a more large extent as that Phrase and the Phrase In those days are oft in Scripture It linketh Josephs selling and Judahs miscarriages very well together that it might be shewed how he was punished in his children that had been so unnatural to a brother and Josephs not sinning with his Mistress and Judahs sinning with his daughter-in-law do help to set off one another towards such an observation The four eldest sons of Jacob fell under foul guilt and so repentance and mercy are taught and shewed in their conversion CHAP. XL. World 2287 Isaac 179 Iacob Ioseph 28 JOSEPH expoundeth his two fellow prisoners dreams and like the two theeves with Christ the one is saved and the other condemned One of these when Joseph said to him Remember me when it shall be well with thee forgat him but one of those when he said to Christ Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom was not forgotten Thus as the telling of two dreams had brought Joseph into misery so this expounding of two dreams will prove in time a forwarder of his delivery as yet the Butler fills and drinks wine in bowles but is not grieved for the affliction of Joseph as Am. 6. 6. World 2288 Isaac 180 Iacob 120 Ioseph 29 ISAAC dieth and Jacob and Esau are friends and bury him read Chap. 35. ver 28 29. and ruminate upon how Esau is changed from what he said Chap. 27. 41. CHAP. XLI Iacob 121 Ioseph 30 JOSEPH expoundeth Pharaohs dream compare Dan. 2. Seven Iacob 122 Ioseph 31 Iacob 123 Ioseph 32 years famine begin Joseph treasureth up corn hath Manasseh Iacob 124 Ioseph 33 and Ephraim born to him within these years of an Egyptian Lady Iacob 125 Ioseph 34 Iacob 126 Ioseph 35 How looks his wretched Mistress upon him now if she be alive Towards Iacob 127 Ioseph 36 the latter end of the seven years famine or thereabout Pharez Iacob 128 Ioseph 37 hath HEZRON born to him CHAP. XLII World 2289 Iacob 129 Ioseph 38 THE first year of famine Josephs brethren bow to him for corn as their sheaves of corn had done to him in his dream CHAP. XLIII XLIV XLV XLVI XLVII to Vers. 13. World 2290 Iacob 130 Ioseph 39 THE second year of famine Benjamin is brought by his brethren World 2291 into Egypt he is now the father of ten children The feasting of Josephs brethren was the better to pretend the stealing of a silver bowle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chap. 44. 5. for which Joseph would make a very narrow search 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for such a man as he that was in so high a place could make a very strict inquiry ver 15. Jacob goeth down into Egypt with seventy souls himself and Joseph and his two sons being counted in the number The Septuagint have added five more viz. Machir Gilead Shutelah Tahan Eden from 1 Chron. 7. 14 20. c. Followed by Saint Luke Acts 7. 14. Jacob and Joseph after thirteen years distance met Jacob presented before Pharaoh and the King asks no other question then about his age It was news in Egypt to see so old a man Jacob is now 130 years old and now just the half of the 430 between the Promise and delivery out of Egypt are passed see Exod. 12. 40. Gal. 3. 17. They had been taken up in these parcels five and twenty years after Abrahams coming into the land before the birth of Isaac sixty years of Isaacs age until the birth of Jacob and now Jacob is an hundred and thirty the sum of all 215. And now to the coming out of Egypt we must count 215 more and that count must lead us on thither CHAP. XLVII from ver 13. to the end and CHAP. XLVIII World 2299 Iacob 131 Ioseph 40 Years of the Promise 216 THE third year of famine Iacob 132 Ioseph 41 Years of the Promise 217 The fourth year of famine Iacob 133 Ioseph 42 Years of the Promise 218 The fifth year of famine Iacob 134 Ioseph 43 Years of the Promise 219 The sixth year of famine Iacob 135 Ioseph 44 Years of the Promise 220 The seventh year of famine Joseph buyeth all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh He feedeth Ioseph 67 Years of the Promise 243 his father and family seventeen years before Iacob 136 Ioseph 45 Years of the Promise 221 his fathers death Iacob 137 Ioseph 46 Years of the Promise 222 as his father had nourished him seventeen years before his sale The Iacob 138 Ioseph 47 Years of the Promise 223 children of Israel grow numerous and into multitudes even before Iacob 139 Ioseph 48 Years of the Promise 224 Jacobs death he adopted Josephs two sons for tribes he bestoweth Iacob 140 Ioseph 49 Years of the Promise 225 the portion of land upon Joseph that he had first bought of the Shechemites Iacob 141 Ioseph 50 Years of the Promise 226 Chap. 33. and was after put to recover it out of the hand Iacob 142 Ioseph 51 Years of the Promise 227 of the Amorite with his sword and bow who had usurped it and Iacob 143 Ioseph 52 Years of the Promise 228 seized upon it in his absence after his departure thence to Bethel and Iacob 144 Ioseph 53 Years of the Promise 229 Hebron He sweareth Joseph to bury him in the land of Canaan Iacob 145 Ioseph 54 Years of the Promise 230 with his fathers Abraham and Isaac Thus is the birth-right clearly Iacob 146 Ioseph 55 Years of the Promise 231 passed upon Joseph when his two sons are taken by Jacob as Simeon and Levi and when the land is bestowed on him for inheritance CHAP. XLIX L. World 2315 Iacob 147 Ioseph 56 Years of the Promise 232 JACOB dieth having first blessed all his sons even every one Ioseph 57 Years of the Promise 233 of them A blessing is to be found in his passages to Reuben Ioseph 58 Years of the Promise 234 Simeon and Levi of whom he speaketh the bitterest things His Ioseph 59 Years of the Promise 235 words throughout concern the future events and occurrences of the Ioseph 60 Years of the Promise 236 tribes most especially for he professeth to tell them what shall befall Ioseph 61 Years of the Promise 237 them in the last days Ioseph 62 Years of the Promise 238 That Reuben should have Jether seeth vejether gnaz a remnant of Ioseph 63 Years of the Promise 239 dignity and a remnant of strength for he was to lead the field in the wars of Ioseph 64 Years of the
314 other lived longest of all the twelve The children of Israel after the Years of the Promise 315 Years of the Promise 316 death of the twelve Patriarchs do by degrees fall into all manner of Years of the Promise 317 abomination They commit Idolatry Josh. 24. 14. Ezek. 20. 8. They forget Years of the Promise 318 and forgo Circumcision the Covenant of their God and this was Years of the Promise 319 Years of the Promise 320 the reproach of Egypt Josh. 5. 9. c. They joyned in marriage with the Years of the Promise 321 Egyptians Lev. 24. 10. Exod. 12. 38. and walked according to such Years of the Promise 322 wretched principles as these therefore the Lord casteth them into a furnace Years of the Promise 323 Years of the Promise 324 of affliction and now as in Abrahams vision Gen. 15. 12. when Years of the Promise 325 the Sun of Religion is gone down among them an horrid darkness of Years of the Promise 326 Years of the Promise 327 impiety and misery comes upon them Yet doth the strength of the Years of the Promise 328 Promise shew it self wonderful in both the sexes in the men that they Years of the Promise 329 Years of the Promise 330 are strong to beget children though overpressed with intolerable labour Years of the Promise 331 and in the women that they bare their children with less pain and tediousness Years of the Promise 332 Years of the Promise 333 of travel then other women did being lively and quick in their Years of the Promise 334 delivery and were delivered before the midwives came at them Pharaoh Years of the Promise 335 when over-labouring of the men will not prevent their increasing Years of the Promise 336 in children giveth charge to the midwives for the destroying of the children when they should be born but Shiphrah and Puah two of the midwives observing Gods wonderful hand in the womens delivery disobeyed the Kings command and by a glorious confession of Gods hand which they saw will rather venture the Kings displeasure then fight against God for Years of the Promise 337 Years of the Promise 338 which their piety God marrieth them to Israelites for they were Egyptian Years of the Promise 339 women and builded up Israelitish families by them ver 25. Because the Years of the Promise 340 midwives feared God he made them houses PSAL. LXXXVIII LXXIX IN these times of bitterness and misery lived the two sons of Zerah or the Ezrahites Heman and Ethan 1 Chron. 2. 6. who had the spirit of the Lord upon them in the midst of all this affliction and they penned the eighty eight and eighty ninth Psalms the former sadly mourning for the present distress and the latter cheerfully singing the mercies of God in the midst of this distress and prophecying of deliverance And here is the proper place and order of these Psalms The Book of JOB IN these times when it went thus sadly with Israel in Egypt there shone forth the glorious piety and patience of Job in the land of Uz and here in order of time doth his book and story come in It is not possible to fix the time of his great trial and affliction to its proper date but there are two or three considerations which do argue that it was about these bitter times of Israels sinfulness and misery As 1. to consider how suitable it is to the providence of God and agreeable to his dispensation at other times as in the matter of Elias and the widow of Sarepta for one instance that when Religion was utterly lost and gone in the Church of Israel where it should have been to find it in the family of Job in a place where it might have been little supposed to have been found 2. How Job is preferred for his piety before any man alive and that before his patience had given it such a lustre 3. If Eliphaz be called a Temanite as being the immediate son of Teman it helpeth to scantling the time exceeding much for then was he the fourth from Esau as Amram was from Jacob and so their times might very well be coincident The Book of Job seemeth to have been penned by Elihu one of the speakers in it as may appear by these two things 1. Because in Chap. 2. when Jobs friends that came to lament with him and to comfort him are reckoned and mentioned by name Elihu is not named in the number arguing as it may well be conceived these two things 1. That he came not to Job from a place far distant as the other three did but neighboured upon him And 2. that he himself was the Historian and Pen-man that made the relation and therefore he named not himself when he named others 2. Because in Chap. 32. he speaketh of himself as of the Historian ver 15 16 17. They were amazed they answer no more they left off speaking When I had waited for they spake not but stood still and answered no more I said I will answer also I also will shew my opinion Job was a son of Nahor Abrahams brother descended from him by his son Uz Gen. 22. 21. and so Elihu and he came to live so near together the one being of Uz the eldest son of Nahor and the other of Bus the second The order of the Book is facile and direct the Penman in the two first Chapters sheweth how Job fell into his misery who before was one of the richest and most prosperous men in those parts On a Sabbath day when the sons of God presented themselves before the Lord that is when the professors of the true Religion were met together in the publike assembly Satan was invisibly there among them but the Lord seeth him and upon some conference about Job the Lord letteth Satan loose upon him in reference to his estate and another Sabbath upon the like occasion and conference he letteth him loose upon him in reference to his body so Satan destroyeth all that he hath and all his children Read ver 5. of Chap. 1. not when the days of their feasting were gone about but as the days of their feasting went about â— and smiteth him with an intolerable itch that his nails will not serve his turn to scratch but he is glad to get a potsheard to scrub himself Then come his three friends to him from a far distance and Elihu his cousen that lived near to him and these in several speeches to him do but aggravate his misery and prove miserable comforters The dialogues or disputation between him and his three friends do hold this course that he answereth and they reply upon him in the course of their age and seniority Their greatest drift is to prove him extraordinary sinful because he was extraordinarily punished which incharitable errour when he cannot convince them of because of their prejudice he stoppeth all their mouths by a confident imprecation or execration upon himself if he be so faulty
hath 600 men with him a Guard to himself and an help to Achish against Saul David dwelleth at Ziklag and invades the Countries thereabouts c. I CHRON. XII from beginning to Verse 8. World 2959 Sam. Saul 40 THither divers of Sauls own Tribe and kinred resort unto him and these are named in this Chapter before the men of Gad that had fallen to him before because these mens coming to him was most remarkable as being of Sauls own kinred CHAP. XXVIII SAULS end is now approaching He consulteth a witch He had neither Priest nor Prophet to inquire after he had despised and persecuted both He seeth a Devil in Samuels likeness and heareth of his own ruine CHAP. XXIX THE Philistims dare not trust David in battel And thus the Lord provideth for him that he might neither prove perfidious to Achish nor fight against his own people I CHRON. XII Vers. 19 20 21 22. AS he went forth with the Philistims towards the battel and as he came back again from them divers fell to him of Manasseh CHAP. XXX XXXI I CHRON. X. DAVID returning home findeth no home at all Ziklag fired A Band of Amalekites slain and as it were sacrificed to Sauls Funeral Saul himself slain by his own hand and by an Amalekite He had never prospered since he had spared that Generation The second Book of SAMUEL CHAP. I. DAVID heareth of the death of Saul and lamenteth him And chargeth the young men of Judah to learn the use of the Bow that they might match the Philistims in Archery and so be avenged on them for Sauls death for by Archery they had slain him The Story of the Amalekite to David was not a lye to curry favour or to obtain a reward but it was a very and a real truth Saul had fallen upon his own sword indeed as was related in the preceding Chapter but his Coat of mail had hindred that he had not given himself a wound so speedily deadly but that the Philistims might come and catch him alive and abuse him and so he stands bleeding at that and at his other wounds leaning on his Spear till this Amalekite came by His Armour Bearer was dead already and these words When his Armour Bearer saw that Saul was dead he fell on his sword and died also are to be understood in this sense That when he saw Saul had given himself so deadly a wound he did the like and died indeed But Sauls wound was not so quick of dispatch therefore he desireth the Amalekite to kill him out For says he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My Coat of Mail hath withheld me so that my life is all this while in me And thus Saul that had been so cruel to David is now cruel to himself and he that had spared the Amalekites is now slain by one of that Nation CHAP. II. World 2950 David 1 DAVID anointed King of Judah in Hebron being 30 years old Compair David 2 Gen. 41. 46. Numb 4. 3. Luke 3. 23. In Hebran Abraham had had his David 3 first Land and much residence Here lay the Patriarks Abraham Isaac and Jacob David 4 and their wives buried and here was John Baptist born and our Saviour David 5 conceived There is long busling between the House of David and the house of David 6 Saul Abner still striving to make a party strong enough to settle one of Sauls David 7 Sons in the Kingdom Thereupon is Ishbosheth anointed in Sauls stead He is called Ishbaal 1 Chron. 8. 33. for Baal was commonly called Bosheth or Shame as Jerubbaal is called Jerubbosheth 2 Sam. 11. 21. and Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 9. 12. called Meribaal 1 Chron. 8. 34. see also Jer. 11. 13. Abners vapouring causeth a desperate duell of twelve and twelve men and so layeth the foundation of a continual War in an equal bloodshed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vers 27. If thou hadst not said saith Joab what thou didst say in the morning let the young men rise and play before us surely the people had gone away every man from his brother even in the morning and there had been never a blow struck but thou didst provoke it CHAP. III. DAVIDS six Sons born to him in Hebron in his seven years and six Months reign there are here reckoned together that that Story and matter may be dispatcht at once Abner upon discontent at Ishbosheth turneth to David and confesseth that Kingdom which hitherto he had willingly and wittingly opposed But God will not suffer such a man and upon such grounds to be a promoter of Davids throne he is slain by Joab even in a place of Judicature and with a wound parallel to that that he had given Asahel CHAP. IV. ISHBOSHETH slain by two Benjamites brethren in evil They came into the midst of the house as if they would setch wheat vers 6. that is with a sack in their hands to put his head in c. Instantly before the Text falls upon the Story of Ishbosheth it relateth the Story of Mephibosheth because he was now all the stock left of Sauls house but only Rizpahs children a Concubine and Morahs a daughter CHAP. V. from beginning to Ver. 11. And I CHRON. XI all World 2957 David 8 DAVID anointed King over all Israel at Hebron and from thence brought by all Israel to Jerusalem to settle him there and to make that the Royal City He reigned in all 40 years in Hebron seven years and an half and at Jerusalem 32 years and an half And this latter was exactly the time of our Saviours life upon earth Joab after Davids curse upon him for Abners murder is yet made Commander in chief for his taking of Jerusalem The prosperity of David at Jerusalem and his building of it is presently set down after the Story of the taking of the City as beginning from that time and continuing and going along with the times of the following Stories and so to be carried in mind Then doth the Book of Chronicles give account of Davids Worthies Which Catalogue is also mentioned by this Book of Samuel but with this difference of place that in the Chronicles it is set in the beginning of Davids Reign and in Samuel in the latter end And both very properly and much like to the placing of our Saviours Genealogy in Matthew and Luke the one giving it at his Birth and the other at his Baptism and both upon singular reason And so here the Book of Chronicles reckons up these men as those that helped David to his settlement in the Kingdom and therefore it mentions them in the beginning of his reign and the Book of Samuel reckons them up at the latter end of his reign as those that had stuck to him all the time of his reign and helped to keep him in that settlement In both the Books there is first reckoned a Triumvirate or three gallant men that were of a rank by themselves and none were equal with them or like
Shepherds and Pastours that had helped Solomons house forward unto ruine 2 KING XXIV from vers 10. to vers 17. 2 CHRON. XXXVI vers 10. JEHOIACHIN or Jeconiah or Coniah captived and Jerusalem with him 18000 men of might 10000 from Jerusalem and 8000 out of the Country and all the treasures of the Temand Kings house 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the mighty of the land but written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The fools Mordecay was carried away in this captivity Esther 2. 6. And so was Ezekiel also and therefore he dateth his times from this date Ezek. 1. 2. and calleth it Our captivity Chap. 40. 1. 2 KING XXIV vers 17 18 19 20. And JEREMY LII ver 1 2 3. 2 CHRON. XXXVI vers 11. World 3410 Division 381 Years of Captivity 9 Zedekiah 1 ZEDEKIAH made King by the King of Babel he was Jehoiachins Uncle 1 Kings 24. 17. but called his brother that is his Kinsman 2 Chron. 36. 10. and his son because he succeeded him in the throne 1 Chron. 3. 16. JEREMY XXIV all Division 382 Years of Captivity 10 Zedekiah 2 JEREMY seeth comfortable things concerning those that were Division 383 Years of Captivity 11 Zedekiah 3 captived into Babylon with Jeconiah that they are as good figs that may be eaten and that in time they shall return JEREMY XXVII from vers 12. to the end World 3413 Division 384 Years of Captivity 12 Zedekiah 4 JEREMY had been commanded thirteen years ago to make yokes and bands and to put them upon his own neck in token of Judahs subjection to Nebuchad-nezzar which in the very next year after namely in the third year of Jehoiachin came to pass and he is also then commanded by way of prediction that when such and such Kings Embassadors should come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah he should send the yokes away by those Messengers to their Kings That cometh to pass in this fourth year of Zedekiah as the first verse of Chapter 28. doth plainly date it JEREMY XXVIII all HANANIAH at Jerusalem foretelling falsely the restoring of the captivity within two years is himself struck with death within two months for teaching rebellion against the Lord. JEREMY XXIX XXX XXXI XLIX from vers 34. to end And LI. all THIS fourth year of his reign Zedekiah either went himself or sent Messengers to Babel or both for so is that vers 59. of Chap. 51. diversly read when Seraiah went with Zedekiah or when he went for or in behalf of Zedekiah into Babylon Now by the men that went thither either with him or for him Jeremy sendeth Letters to the children of the captivity one to perswade them to frame their hearts and to compose themselves for seventy years captivity This two Prophets in Babel such others as Hananiah at Jerusalem gain-say and would perswade the people to the contrary And a third writes to Jerusalem to have Jeremy punished therefore he threatneth bitter judgments against all three This in Chap. 29. And being upon a Prophesie of the captivities return in that Chapter vers 10 11 c. he falleth in Chap. 30. 31. largely to foretel the calling home of the two Tribes and of the ten Tribes to Christ. Now though it be doubtful whither he sent the Prophesie of these two Chapters to Babel yet is it doubtless that their order is very proper in this place where he is foretelling of the peoples return He also sendeth another Letter to Babylon concerning the ruine and destruction of Babylon it self in Chap. 50. 51. which Chapters are laid as the period of his Prophesie that then conclusion of them all might be the foretelling of the ruine of Babel And under the same date may we also take the last part of Chap. 49. from vers 34. to end a Prophesie against Elam that joyned with Babel against Judea Isa. 22. 6. and is joyned here with Babel in threatnings The beginning of the reign of Zedekiah in verse 34. may be taken as it is Chap. 28. 1. for his fourth year EZEKIEL I II III IV V VI VII World 3414 Division 385 Years of Captivity 13 Zedekiah 5 IN the fifth year from Jehoiachins captivity the Lord raiseth up Ezekiel for a Prophet to the people in Babylon as Jeremy was in Jerusalem He dateth his Prophesie from the 30 year of the finding of Moses his Copy in the 18 of Josias as is commonly conceived but as it may very well be supposed from the 30 year of his own age he being a Priest and that being the time at which the Priests entred their function Num. 4. 3. at that time the spirit of Prophesie came upon him and by a river in Babylon he seeth the Heavens opened as Christ at the same age had the Heavens opened to him by a river in Judea Luke 3. 21 22 23. Now that the people of Israel the Church are to be planted in another Country for a long time the Lord sheweth a glory in the midst of them as he had done at their first constituting into a Church in the Wilderness and out of a cloud and fire as he had done there he sheweth himself and from between living creatures as from between the Cherubims he giveth his Oracles to the Prophet He causeth him to eat a roll to lay a visionary siege to a pictured Jerusalem to lye on his side three hundred and ninety days suitable to the time of the peoples rebellion from Jeroboams revolt to the Cities destruction and forty days more in answer to the forty years transgression of Judah under the ministry of Jeremy as was said before To eat the bread of affliction and pollution to shew the want of victuals at Jerusalem and the peoples eating of polluted things in Babel To shave off his hair and to part it into several fatal significations c. And now that the destruction of the City is near at hand but five or six years off he foretelleth it in sad expressions and bemoaneth it with doleful lamentations 2 CHRON. XXXVI vers 11 12 13 14. 15 16. BEcause the fourth year of Zedekiah is called the beginning of his raign Jer. 28. 1. which sheweth his condition yet unchanged as we observed before And because Ezekiel in the next year speaketh of his revolt from his oath made to the King of Babel Ezek. 17. 15. Therefore may we conclude that he rebelled against Babel in this fifth year of his raign EZEKIEL VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX World 3415 Division 386 Years of Captivity 14 Zedekiah 6 ALL these Chapters fall in in the sixth year after Jeconiahs captivity or in the sixth of Zedekiah as appeareth by the date of the eighth Chapter vers 1. and by the date of the twentieth Chapter vers 1. compared together In Chapter eight the Lord sheweth a just cause why he is about to remove his glory from the Temple viz. because it was defiled with all manner of Idolatry 1. There was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An
captive saith in his seventh year they were three thousand and twenty three Jews and in his eighteenth three thousand and thirty two from Jerusalem in which if the Reader ruminate well upon the matter he will find a great deal of difficulty For 1. He never mentioneth in this reckoning either the Captivity in the fourth of Jehoiakim which was the first Captivity not the Captivity of Jechoniah in which the most people were carried away And. 2. There is no mention else-where of Nebuchad-nezzars carrying away into captivity from Jerusalem either in his seventh year or in his eighteenth but of his doing so in his eighth there is mention 2 King 24. 12. and in his nineteenth Jer. 25. 12. Now for answer 1. To the First The Prophet doth not here speak simply of the persons that were captived but of persons that were captived and put to death for that was the very tenour of his speech in the verse immediately before And for the confirming of this it is observable that in these two verses he mentioneth only the Captives that were caused by an open Rebellion Jehoiakims and Zedekiahs and upon those followed slaughter upon cold blood but in the fourth of Jehoiakim when Daniel and his fellows were captived and when Jechoniah was captived with 18000 more there was no such slaughter because there was no such rebellion And by this very consideration we may learn what was the end of Jehoiakim against whom Jeremy threatned the burial of an Ass although the Scripture hath not clearly expressed it else-where To the second we have given some piece of an answer before more fully now Nebuchad-nezzars first year was properly in Jehoiakims third for then is the first news you hear of him Dan. 1. 1. but withal his first year is counted with Jehoiakims fourth in which the seventy years Captivity began for then he had captived Jerusalem and according to these two reckonings the Scripture reckons sometime by the first as Nebuchad-nezzars first year properly some-time by the second as being his first year over Israel and of the seventy of Captivity after which matter the Scripture looketh with special notice Now Jehoiakims Captivity was in Nebuchad-nezzars eighth according to the first date but it is said to be in his seventh according to the second and the rather because Jechoniah was captived the same year and so the one is distinguished from the other And so Zedeliahs captivity was in Nebuchadnezzars nineteenth according to the first date and propriety but said here to be in the eighteenth according to the second and the rather to include in the number of the captived and slain those whom Nebuchad-nezzar caught of the Jews when he marched away from the siege of Jerusalem the year before when the King of Egypt raised it for then it is not imaginable but he caught some and how he would deal with them they being in open rebellion we may well suppose JEREMY XL. from vers 7. to the end And XLI all 2 KING XXV vers 22 23 24 25. THE dispersed Captains and Companies that had fled for their safety up and down for fear of the Chaldean Army do ralley and come together to Gedaliah the Governour for protection Jeremy amongst these reckoneth Jonathan and the Sons of Ephai the Netophathite which the Book of Kings omitteth either for that these were slain with Gedaliah by Ismael as Jer. 41. 3. and never came to Egypt whither the Book of Kings and Jeremy bringeth those rallied Captives and People after Gedaliahs death Or that Jonathan came as an inferiour to Johanan his brother and that these sons of Ephai the Netophathite came under the colours of Seraiah the Netophathite and so the Book of Kings reckons only the Colonels or chief Commanders In the seventh Month Ismael some younger brother of the Royal blood and ten Nobles of the Court envying Gedaliahs promotion do traiterously murder him This was a very solemn month in it self for the Feast of Trumpets expiation and Tabernacles that should have been in it and in this month of old had Salomon kept the dedication of the Temple and sent the people home with joyful hearts afterwards but how is the matter altered now Ismael also killeth seventy Samaritan Proselites such as were coming to the Feast of Tabernacles and casteth them into a trench that Asa had made to be a stop betwixt the Samaritans and himself then made to keep off Samaritans enemies to their Religion now filled with Samaritans friends to it The little dealing that the Jews had with the Samaritans and the flying about of the Chaldean Troopers had made such interception of intelligence that these poor men knew not of the firing of the Temple though it were in the fifth month till they be upon the way towards it and then understanding of it they rent their clothes c. JEREMY XLII XLIII And 2 KING XXV vers 26. THE Captains and people upon the death of Gedaliah go into Egypt though they had promised to be ruled by the voice of the Lord and though the Lord had flatly forbidden them to go thither and so had done of old that they should never return to Egypt Poor Jeremy is carried along with them and when he comes there he prophesieth both against Egypt and them World 3421 Captivity 20 The Jews are now setled in Egypt and in time they fall to a common and open Idolatry for which Jeremy reproveth them and threatneth them very sore In vers 9. he seemeth to give a close touch upon the Idolatry of Salomons wives the first original of Idolatry to the Kings of Judah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The wickednesses of the Kings of Judah and the wickednesses of his wives which indeed may be well construed of every one of their wives But the quaintness of the phrase seemeth to hint some such a particular thing and it may the rather be so understood because he is here taxing the present Idolatry of the Jews wives in Egypt and ripping up the sore to the very head which indeed was first those wives of Solomon Observe in vers 25. how the Hebrew Syntax seemeth to twit these mens base uxoriousness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 using the Verb in the feminine Gender though he speak to the men Now in the 45 Chap. of this Book of Jeremy vers 1. It is said that Baruch had written these words in a Book at the mouth of Jeremy in the fourth year of Jehoiakim what these very last words mentioned before But this is very unlikely for these last speeches appear to be uttered upon emergency the meaning of it therefore is that Jeremy in the fourth of Jehoiakim had uttered Prophesies to this purpose that Jerusalem should be destroyed and the Land left desolate and the people captived and mischief and misery following them which is cleered to be accomplished in the story of these Chapters and therefore this 45 Chapter is laid here though the story
doth confirm the order JOHN from Machaerus Castle where he lay Prisoner sendeth two of his Disciples to Christ to enquire of him Whether he were he that should come Not that John was ignorant who he was having had so many demonstrations of him as he had had and having given so ample testimony of him as he had done Joh. 1. 34 36. 3. 29 30. Nor that Johns Disciples were so wilfully ignorant of him as not to be perswaded by their Master that he was he but his message to him seems to this purpose John and his Disciples had heard of the great and many miracles that Christ had done healing the sick and raising the dead c. and it may be they thought it strange that Christ amongst all his miraculous workings would not work Johns liberty out of thraldom who lay a prisoner for him and for the Gospel he preached before him And this may be was the bottom of their question Art thou he that shall come or look we for another As expecting somewhat more from the Messias then they had yet obtained They received a full answer to their question by the miracles they saw wrought which abundantly proved that he was he that was to come But as to their expectation of his miraculous enlargement of John his answer was that his work was to preach the Gospel and that it was a blessed thing not to take any offence at him but to yield and submit to his wise dispensations And accordingly when the messengers of John were returned he giveth a glorious testimony concerning him to the people but yet sheweth how far one truly and fully acquainted and stated in the Kingdom of Heaven went beyond him in judging of it who looked for temporal redemption by it The Method of Matthew is somewhat difficult here but he seemeth purposely to have joyned the mission of Christs Disciples and Johns Disciples together I suppose Christ was at Jerusalem when Johns messengers came to him and if it were at the feast of Pentecost John had then been seven or eight months in prison SECTION XXXII MATTH Chap. XI from Ver. 20. to the end of the Chapter Chorazin and Bethsaida upbraided BEsides Matthews continuing this portion to that that went before the upbraiding of these Cities is so answerable to the matter contained in the end of the former Section that it easily shews it to be spoken at the same time See Ver. 17 18 19. of this Chapter When Christ saith that if the things done in these Cities had been done in Tyre and Sidon and Sodom and Gomorrha they would have repented and would have remained till now he understandeth not saving grace and saving repentance in them but such an external humiliation as would have preserved them from ruine As the case was with Nineveh they repented and were delivered from the threatned destruction their repentance was not to salvation of the persons but to the preservation of their City as Ahabs humbling prevented the present judgment and not his final condemnation SECTION XXXIII LUKE Chap. VII from Ver. 36. to the end of the Chapter Mary Magdalen weepeth at Christs feet and washeth them with tears c. THE continuation of this portion in Luke to that in Sect. 31. will plead for its order and the reader will easily observe that the interposition of the preceding Section in Matthew is so far from interrupting the story that it is necessarily to be taken in there and is an illustration of it The actings of the two several parties in this Section the Pharisee that invited Christ to eat with him and the woman sinner that comes and weeps at his feet for mercy may seem to have had some rise from or some occasional reference to the speech of Christ in the two Sections next preceding In the former he had said The son of man came eating and drinking and this possibly might induce the Pharisee to his invitation and in the latter he had said Come unto me â—e that are weary and heavy laden and that might invite the woman to her address This woman was Mary the sister of Lazarus who was also called Mary Magdalen of whom there is mention in the very beginning of the next Chapter That she was Mary the sister of Lazarus John giveth us ground to assert John 11. 2. as we shall shew when we come there where we shall evidence that these words It was that Mary which annointed the Lord with oyntment and wiped his feet with her hair can properly be referred to no story but this before us And that Mary the sister of Lazarus was called Mary Magdalen we shall prove in the next Section Christ in the story in Sect. 31. when Johns disciples came to him we supposed to be at Jerusalem and answerably it may be conceived that this passage occurred at Bethany where Simon the Pharisee may not improbably be held to be the same with Simon the Leper Matth. 26. 6. where this very woman again annointed him SECTION XXXIV LUKE Chap. VIII Ver. 1 2 3. Certain women that followed Christ. LUKE again is the warrant for the order In the former story he had spoken of one woman that had found healing and mercy with Christ and he speaks here of divers and among them Mary Magdalen Now that she was Mary the sister of Lazarus let but these two arguments be weighed not to insist upon more The first is this If Mary Magdalen were not Mary the sister of Lararus then Mary the sister of Lazarus gave no attendance at Christs death nor had any thing to do about his buriall or at least is not mentioned as an agent at either which is a thing so incredible to conceive that it needs not much discourse to set forth the incredibility of it There is mention of Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of James and Salom Mark 15. 40. and Joanna Luk. 24. 10. but not a word of Mary the sister of Lazarus She had twice annointed Christ in the compass of that very week she had ever been as neer and as zealous a woman disciple as any that followed him and her residence was at Bethany hard by Jerusalem and what is now become of her in these two great occasions of attending upon Christs death and imbalming Had she left Christ and neglected her attendance on him at this time above all others or have the Evangelists whilst they mention the other that attended left her out It is so unreasonable to believe either of these that even necessity inforceth us to conclude that when they name Mary Magdalen they mean Mary the sister of Lazarus And Secondly take this Argument of Baronius which hath more weight in it then at first sight it doth seem to have who in his Annals ad Annum Christi 32 goes about to prove this thing that we assert and he shews how it also was the opinion of the Fathers and those in former times His words are these We say upon the
enough of him when he speaks but this Antonius Felix per omnem saevitiam ac libidinem jus regium servili ingenio exercuit Histor. lib. 5. cap. 2. Upon which Josephus will give you a large comment of his intolerable covetousness polling cruelty sacriledge murdering and all manner of wickedness His injuriousness to Paul in the story before us and the very naming of his wife Drusilla may be brand enough upon him for her by inticements and magical tricks he allured to himself from her Husband and married her And him he kept prisoner two years wrongfully because he would not bribe him In his pleading before him he makes him tremble but it is but a qualm and away CHRIST LVII NERO. III PAUL is a prisoner this year at Caesarea under Felix A great City of Jews and Greeks mixtly the place where the first spark of Jews Wars kindled afterward A famous University of Jews in time if so be it was not so at this time CHRIST LVIII NERO. IV ACTS Chap. XXIV Ver. 27. PAUL still a prisoner at Cesarea under Felix for the first part of this year Then cometh Festus into the Government and Felix packeth to Rome to answer for his misdemeanours ACTS Chap. XXV XXVI PAUL answereth for himself first before Festus alone then before Agrippa and his Sister Bernice this Agrippa was his Son whose death is related Acts 12. he by the favour of Claudius the Emperour succeeded his brother in Law-Uncle Herod for such relations did that Incestuous family find out in the Kingdom of Chalcis For Bernice his Sister had married Herod King of Chalcis her Uncle and his who was now dead and this Agrippa succeeded him in his Kingdom being also King of Judea Of this Agrippa as it is most probable there is frequent mention among the Hebrew Writers as particularly this that King Agrippa reading the Law in the latter end of the year of release as it was injoyned and coming to those words Deut. 17. 15. Thou shalt not set astranger King over thee which is not of thy brethren the tears ran down his cheeks for he was not of the seed of Israel which the Congregation observing cried out Be of good comfort O King Agrippa thou art our brother He was of their Religion though not of their blood and well versed in all the Laws and Customs as Paul speaks Chap. 26. 3. Berenice his Sister now a Widdow lived with him and that in more familiarity then was for their credit afterwards she fell into the like familiarity with Titus the Son of Vespasian when he came up to the Jews Wars There is mention in Jerus in Taanith fol. 66. col 1. and again in Megillah fol. 70. col 3. of the Scribes or learned Jews of Chalcis against whom the people rose and tumultuated In the one place it is written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It may be they were of this Agrippa's planting there As Paul pleads for himself Festus takes him to be beside himself but Agrippa better acquainted with those kind of things that he spake of was much moved and concludes that had he not appealed to Caesar he might have been quit What he did in this appeal was not a small thing and it is very questionable whether ever Jew had appealed from their own Sanhedrin to the Heathen Tribunal before But for this he had a Divine Warrant ACTS Chap. XXVII PAUL shipped for Rome and Luke with him and Aristarchus a Thessalonian Paul calls him his fellow-prisoner Coloss. 4. 10. whether now or not till he came to Rome is a question Trophimus an Ephesian is also now with him Acts 21. 29. whom he leaves sick at Miletum as he passeth by those coasts of Asia Acts 27. 2. 2 Tim. 4. 20. and there likewise he leaves Timothy Who else of those that went with him to Jerusalem Acts 20. 4. were now with him is uncertain It was now far in the year and Winter entring for the feast of expiation was over so that they met with a tempestuous journey and at last suffer shipwrack and swim for their lives and do all escape The Reader by the time of the writing of the second Epistle to the Corinthians which he hath passed will easily see that what he speaks there A day and a night have I been in the deep 2 Cor. 11. 25. cannot be understood of his shipwrack now but refers to some time a good while ago CHRIST LIX NERO. V ACTS CHAP. XXVIII from the beginning to Ver. 30. PAUL and his company are the three winter months in Malta where he doth some miracles And when winter was now drawing over they put to sea again in an Alexandrian bottom whose badge was Castor and Pollux or the Picture of two young men on white horses with either of them a javelin in his hand and by him half an egge and a star whom Heathenish folly and superstition conceited to have been twins begotten by Jupiter and Deities favourable to those that sailed on the sea And this seemeth to have been the reason why Luke doth mention this circumstance because he would intimate the mens superstition as expecting better sailing under this badge then they had had From Melita they sail to Syracuse in Sicilie and there abide three daies Form thence to Rhegium in Italy and from thence to Puteoli there they find Christians and stay with them seven daies and then set away for Rome At Appii Forum about Fifty miles from the City some of the Roman Christians hearing of their coming come to meet them and at the Tres Tabernae Thirty three from the City they met with more and so they injoy the society of one another some space together as they travel along which was no small refreshing to Paul who had desired so much and so long to see them SECTION XXVIII Ver. 30. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his hired house and received all that came to him 31. Preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Iesus Christ with all confidence no man forbidding him JULIUS the Centurion that had brought him and the rest of the Prisoners from Judea had been his friend and favourer from their first setting out Chap. 27. 3. and so continued even to the time of his setling in Rome obtaining him this liberty that he might take lodgings of his own and there he was kept under a restraintless restraint After three daies he sends for the Chief of the Jews and laies open his case before them and upon a day appointed he asserteth and expoundeth the truth and doctrine of the Gospel whereupon some believe but others do the rather become his enemies His accusers that were come from Judea to lay in his charge against him for we can hardly suppose otherwise but that some such were come would be urgent to get their business dispatched that they might be returning to their own homes again and so would bring him
stile of the continuance of the house of Omri into which Family his Father had married and was become so prophane as to worship their Idols The Son of the two and forty years was Ahaziah when he began to reign That is of the last of the two and forty of the house of Omri in which it fell and Ahaziah with it Ver. 11. Josias begat Jechonias So readeth the Syrian Arabrick and the most and best Greek Copies And so the Evangelist himself requireth that it be read to make fourteen generations from David to the Captivity into Babel And so readeth D. Kimchi on 1 Chron. 3. 15. Josias indeed begat Joachim and Joachim begat Jechonias but he that was neither fit to be lamented nor to be buried like one of the Kings of Judah Jerem. 22. 18 19. was much more unfit to come into the Line of the Kings of Judah that leadeth to Christ. Ver. 12. Jechonias begat Salathiel Jechonias was Father to Salathiel as Baasha was to Ahab 1 King 20. 34. not by generation but by predecession For Jechonias in very deed was childless Jer. 22. 30. and the natural Father of Salathiel was Neri Luke 3. 27. yet he is said to beget him because he declared and owned him for his next heir and Successor As God is said to beget Christ on the day of his Resurrection Psal. 2. 7. Act. 13. 33. that is declared him thereby to be his Son Rom. 1. 4. The Scripture affecteth to speak short in relating of Stories that are well known before as to spare more you may find an example far harsher than this in 1 Chron. 1. 36. where Timna the Concubine of Eliphaz is named as Eliphaz his Son And in 1 Chron. 3. 16. Zedechia the Uncle of Jechoniah is called his Son because he succeeded him in the Roialty The Jews in their Talmud give this rule for a fundamental point That there is no King to be for Irael but of the house of David and of the seed of Solomon only And he that separateth against this Family denyeth the Name of the blessed God and the words of his Prophets that are spoken in truth Sanhedr Perek 10. R. Samuel in Ner. Mitsvah fol. 153. With which opinion although Matthew seem to comply at the first appearance in that he deriveth our Saviour from Solomon because of the Hebrews for whom he wrote which looked for him from thence yet the carnal sense of it which aimeth only at the earthly Kingdom of the Messias and at the exact descent from Solomon he closely confuteth to the eyes of the intelligent Reader by these two things First in that he bringeth the Line along to Jechonias in whom the seed of Solomon and the regal dignity also with it failed Secondly in that he deriveth the interest of Christ in that dignity if it were any only by Joseph which according to the flesh had no relation at all to him save the marriage of his Mother The Jews to disgrace the Gospel of S. Luke do hold that Jechonias was the natural Father of Salathiel and that upon his repentance in Babel God gave him Children as Assir and Salathiel D. Kimchi on 1 Chron. 3. But God had sworn Jer. 22. 28. and he will not repent Psal. 110. 4. that he should die childless to the Throne and his repentance could no more repeal this Oath of God then the prayer of Moses did the decree of his not entring into the Land And Salathiel begat Zerobabel Salathiel begat Pedaiah and Pedaiah begat Zorobabel 1 Chron. 3. 18. 19. But because when the masculine Line of Solomons house failed in Jechonias the dignity turning over to the Line of Nathan first setled upon Salathiel but first shewed it self eminent in Zorobabel therefore constantly when mention is made of Zorobabel he is not called the Son of Pedaiah a man of no action but obscure but the Son of Salathiel in whom the honour of that Family began For Jechonias was a signet plucked off Jer. 22. 24. and Zorobabel was set on again in his stead Hag. 2. 23. Ver. 13. And Zorobabel begat Abiud Among the children of Zorobabel mentioneth 1 Chron. 3. 19 20. there is no memorial either of Abiud his Son named here or of Rhesa his Son named by St. Luke But as in Scripture it is ordinary for one man to have several names so is it to be understood of these The eldest Son then of Zorobabel to whom the honour lately faln upon that house was to descend was called Mesullam Either in memorial of Solomon the glory of whose house was transferred to him and so he also calleth a daughter of his Shelomith the name by which the wife of Solomon is called Cant. 6. 13. as being but the feminine of Shelomoh Or from the significancy of the word which importeth requited For whereas Jeconias was also called Shallum that is finished because the race and line of Solomon did end in him when a recompence of the failing of that is made by the succession of Salathiel in its stead well might Zorobabel in whom it first shewed call his Son Meshullam or requited Or from their peaceable building and inhabiting Jerusalem after their return from Babel The Son Meshullam was called also Abiud in remembrance of his Fathers glory And his second brother Hannaniah was also called Rhesa that is The chief or principal because of Christs descending from him These things we have now but by conjecture but that we may take the bolder because the Text in the place alledged in the Chronicles hath set these two Sons of Zorobabel apart and distinct from the rest of their brethren as if for some special thing more remarkable then they But there is no doubt but the Evangelists in naming them by these names had warranty from known and common Records to justifie them in it Ver. 17. Fourteen generations In every one of these several fourteens they were under a several and distinct manner of Government and the end of each fourteen produced some alteration in their state In the first they were under Prophets in the second under Kings and in the third under Hasmonean Priests The first fourteen brought their state to glory in the Kingdom of David The second to misery in the Captivity of Babylon and the third to glory again in the Kingdom of Christ. The first begins with Abraham that recived the promise and ends in David that received it again with greater clearness The second begins with the building of the Temple and ends in the destruction of it The third begins with their peeping out of misery in Babel and ends in the accomplished delivery by Christ. The second that terminateth in the peoples captiving into Babel fixeth not no Jehoiakim in whom the captivity began nor in Zedekiah in whom it was consummate but in Jechonias who was in the middle space between And from the same date doth Ezekiel count and reckon the captivity through all his book as Chap. 8. 1. 20. 1.
signifie a man second or third to the King §. And his brother Philip being Tetrarch c. Herod made Antipas whom he had intended for King but changing his mind he changed his last will Tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea And the Kingdom he bestowed on Archelaus And Gaulonitis and Trachonitus and Batanaea and Paneas he bestowed on Philip who was his own son and own brother to Archelaus to be a Tetrarchy Josep Ant. l. 17. c. 10. §. Of Iturea This Country seemeth to have taken its denomination from Itur one of the sons of Ismael Gen. 25. 15. and it lay * * * * * * Stra. lib. 1◠edging upon Arabia but ‖ ‖ ‖ ‖ ‖ ‖ Plin. lib. 5. cap. 23. reckoned to Syria and upon that reference mentioned by the Evangelist here For he speaketh of these Countries and Tetrarchies because Syria and Judea were but one Province and under one Proconsul And therefore as he nameth the government of Canaan in the two Countries of Judea and Galilee so doth he also the government of Syria under three Ituria Trachonitis and Abilene And this is agreeable to what he had done in Chap. 2. 1. when he spake of the time of our Saviours birth for as he there dateth the Tax that then was by the time of a governor of Syria so doth he now the beginning of the Gospel by the time of the Rulers there as well as in Judea And this was also most sutable to the Roman Records where seeing that Syria and Judea were joyned together into one Province it is not to be doubted but their Governors were named together as members of one body §. And the Region of Trachonitis The name of this Country as it seemeth by Strabo was taken from two mountains or Strab. ubi suprae Plin. l. 5. c. 18. Rocks called Trachones and they very probably so called from the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth wearisomness in regard of the irksom and tedious difficulty of passing over them as Strabo instantly after them speaketh of other mountains towards Arabia and Iturea which he titleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hills hard to travel over Josephus supposeth Uz the eldest son of Aram to have been the first Inhabiter of this Country Antiq lib. 1. cap. 7. but whether it were that son of his or no it is not so material to inquire as it is to observe that it was reputed a Country belonging to Aram or within the compass of Syria very theevish in the time of Herod and the Inhabitants living upon the robbery of the Damascens that lay near unto them Joseph Antiq. lib. 15. cap. 13. §. Lysanias He was not a son of Herod as is supposed by some nor an immediate son of Ptolomy Mennaeus neither as is held by others For though Josephus Antiq. lib. 14. cap. 23. and de Bel. lib. cap. 11. telleth that Lysanias succeeded his father Ptolomy Mennaeus yet it cannot be the same man possibly that St. Luke here speaketh of for that Lysanias was slain by the means of Cleopatra a good space of time before our Saviour was born Jos. Antiq. lib. 15. cap. 4. But the Lysanias here mentioned might be the great Grandchild of Mennaeus or some one of that house that bare the same name with Mennaeus his immediate son and successor §. Abilene This Country was so named from the City Abila which Ptolomy lib. 5. cap. 15. hath reckoned for a City of Caelosyria or as some Copies have it of Decapolis and with this title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abila surnamed from Lysanias see also Pliny lib. 5. cap. 18. This word soundeth so near to the word Havilah Gen. 2. 11. 10. 7. that it may very well be supposed to have descended from it and the name of the place from that son of Chush that planted with his brethren mentioned with him in Arabia and thereabouts Vers. 2. Annas and Caiaphas being the High Priest There could be but one High Priest properly so called at one time and that Caiaphas was he at this time it is most clear both out of Josephus and out of the Scripture Now Annas is said to be High Priest with him because he was the Nasi or head of the Sanhedrin and so represented Moses as Caiaphas did Aaron and he was of the seed of the Priests as well as Caiaphas was An evidence of his being the head of the great Councel is in that when our Saviour was apprehended he was first led to Annas Joh. 18. 13. and by him bound and sent to Caiaphas ver 24. and that Annas is first placed in the Councel Act. 4. 6. We shall have more punctual occasion hereafter to look after this man and then will we see what we can find spoken of him by Josephus §. The Word of the Lord came to John Such was the commission of the Prophets as Jer. 1. 2. Ezek. 6. 1 c. And this proclaimeth John a Prophet as well as they And here had he his warrant for his Ministry and this was the institution of the Sacrament of Baptism Now whether the word of the Lord that came to John and to the Prophets be to be understood of his personal and substantial word as Joh. 1. 1. or of the word of Prophesie suggested to them by the Holy Ghost and whether John had this word imparted to him by vision or dream or rapture or what other way it is not so material to inquire as it is difficult to resolve only this is not impertinent to observe That whereas the race of the Prophets that were sent to teach and to preach to the people by the word of the Lord was expired and extinguished long ago in the death of Malachy the last of that race there is now another race of such preachers to be raised again viz. John and the great Prophet and the Apostles and this is the entrance or beginning to that glorious generation For we are to distinguish betwixt having the gift and spirit of Prophesie and betwixt being sent by that spirit for a constant Preacher to the people Deborah and Barak and Huldab and Hannah and divers others both men and women had the spirit of Prophesie upon them but never had warrant to go and preach and to be constant ministers to the Church But Esay and Jeremy and Ezekiel and the rest of that form under the Old Testament and John and the Apostles under the New had not only the spirit of Prophesie upon them to foretel things to come but they had also the word of the Lord came unto them which gave them commission to be continual preachers and entred them into the function of a constant Ministry As see how the Baptist himself explaineth what is meant by this word of the Lord coming to him Joh. 1. 33. He sent me to baptize §. To John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness The children of the Priests when they came to age were to be installed
Galilee the upper And so ran the distinction there was Galilee and Galilee of the Gentiles that is indeed Galilee the lower and the upper Vers. 16. The people sat in darkness c. In the Hebrew of Esay it is The people which walked in darkness and so it is uttered also by the Septuagint but our Evangelist hath expressed it The people which sat according to the sense of the Prophet though not according to his syllables To sit or To walk in Scripture when they are used in a borrowed sense do indifferently signifie To be or To continue as Gen. 15. 2. I walk childless Lam. 1. 1. The City sitteth solitary c. And in such a sense are the words of the Prophet and the Evangelists to be taken The people that have been and continued in darkness c. The people here spoken of may generally mean all the dark people and places of the world whither the Gospel should come but more especially it is to be understood of the people of those places that are mentioned immediately before And so the next verse in the Prophet may be interpreted according to that restriction to those places and people Thou hast increased the Nation in restoring those places to be peopled again but thou hast not increased their joy in that they sit still in darkness of ignorance and error yet the time shall come when they shall rejoyce before thee as the joy in harvest c. Or if this verse in hand be construed largely of all Nations seeing light by the Gospel then that verse may be understood thus that the Nation of Israel was increased when the Gentiles came in as Hos. 1. 11. but the joy of the Jews was not increased by it for the calling of the Gentiles was their vexation God angring them by a foolish Nation But in the Hebrew there is a double reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not in the Text and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To him or it in the margin which latter is followed by the Chaldee which if it be imbraced the words carry no difficulty with them applied to the joy that the increase of the Church and light of the Gospel should bring to every true Israelite SECTION XIX St. LUKE Chap. V. NOW it came to pass as the people pressed on him to hear the Word of God he stood by the lake of Gennesareth 2. And saw two ships standing by the lake but the fisher-men were gone out of them and were washing their nets 3. And he entred into one of the ships which was Simons and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land and he sat down and taught the people out of the ship 4. Now when he had left speaking he said unto Simon Lanch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draught 5. And Simon answering said unto him Master we have toiled all the night and taken nothing nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net 6. And when they had done this they inclosed a great multitude of fishes and their net brake 7. And they beckned unto their partners which were in the other ship that they should come and help them And they came and filled both the ships so that they began to sink 8. When Simon Peter saw it he fell down at Iesus knees saying Depart from me for I am a sinful man O Lord. 9. For he was astonished and all that were with him at the draught of the fishes which they had taken 10. And so was also Iames and Iohn the sons of Zebedee which were partners with Simon And Iesus said unto Simon Fear not for from henceforth thou shalt catch men 11. And when they had brought their ships to land they forsook all and followed him St. MATTH Chap. IV. Vers. 17. FROM that time Iesus began to preach and to say Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand 18. And Iesus walking by the Sea of Galilee saw two brethren Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother casting a net into the Sea for they were fishers 19. And he saith unto them Follow me and I will make you fisher of men 20. And they straightway left their nets and followed him 21. And going on from thence he saw other two brethren Iames the son of Zebedee and Iohn his brother in a ship with Zebedee their father mending their nets and he called them 22. And they immediately left the ship and their Father and followed him St. MARK Chap. I. Vers. 14. JESUS came into Galilee preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God 15. And saying The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand repent â—e and believe the Gospel 16. Now as he walked by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the Sea for they were fishers 17. And Iesus said unto them Come ye after me and I will make you to become fishers of men 18. And straightway they forsook their nets and followed him 19. And when he had gone a little further thence he saw Iames the son of Zebedee and Iohn his brother who also were in the ship mending their nets 20. And straightway he called them and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants and went after him Reason of the Order THERE is not so much doubtfulness of the subsequence of this Section or at the least of some of it to the Section preceding for the transition in Matthew doth make it clear as there is of something contained within the Section it self Luke had related Christs unkind usage and danger by his Townsmen of Nazareth and that thereupon he slipt away from them and went to Capernaum There Matthew takes at him and tells how divinely that Prophesie of Esay came now to be fulfilled by his dwelling in those parts The land of Zabulon and the land of Nephthali c. And then he comes on with a special note of conjuction of the stories From that time Jesus began to preach c. And how Mark doth joyn with him in bringing on this story before us in the present Section though he doth it very briefly not mentioning any of his actions in Galilee till this in hand yet is it so apparent and conspicuous that there needeth nothing to be said of it But in the body of the Section now under hand lie these two queries Quest. 1. Whether is this story in Luke about Peter and Zebedees sons the same with that in Matthew and Mark For some particular circumstances do seem to difference them as whereas Matthew and Mark say Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee and saw Peter and Andrew casting a net into the Sea and called them Luke relates how he was in Peters ship and spake to him to cast his net into the Sea c. Again Matthew and Mark say when he had gone a little further he saw James and John mending their nets c. but Luke relateth
taking on him to be Esau when he was Jacob He serveth in hardship in his marriage week and bringeth festivity to others but labour to himself Joseph Zebulun and Asher were in their mothers wombs at the same time but Joseph born last Dinah was not born in these seven years unless she were a twin with Zebulun Reuben about â—ive years old following the reapers findeth Mandrakes and bringeth the Apples thereof to his mother for which poor rate Jacob is in manner sold for a time by Rahel CHAP. XXXI Rahel stealeth Labans Teraphim for a civil use to preserve the memory of some of her ancestors whereof they were the pictures and which Laban had impiously Idolized CHAP. XXXII Jacob for distrust in the Promise so far upon Esaus approach that he sendeth him above a thousand cattel of all sorts of which he had vowed the Tithes to the Lord and before he paid them is met by the way by the Lord and in danger to be killed by him but by prayer and supplication he prevaileth with the Lord and escapeth only with a lame leg This lameness of Jacob was not reputed to him for a maim but like the honourable scars of a valiant Captain for a special dignity For at Bethel he exerciseth the part and office of a Priest which if his halting had been reputed for a maiâ— he had been disabled to do and his posterity in all succeeding ages reserve the honorable memory of this his lameness in not eating the sinew that shrank That was the first Ceremony that distinguished Israel for a peculiar people because with this his lameness Jacob is first dignified with the name of Israel Circumcision differenced them not from the other seed of Abraham by Hagar and Keturah but this curiosity in meats first beginneth Judaism They refrained not to eat the joint where the sinew was as a leg of Mutton or of Beef for the legs of the Passover were to be eaten Exod. 1â— 10. but they spared the sinew And that not in abomination or abhorring of it but in honour and special respect because it bare the memorial of their first naming Israel The portion of meat that Elkanah gave to his beloved Hannah Manah Ahhath Appaiina the portion of representation may not unfitly be understood of this joint and the same piece of the meat did Samuel reserve for Saul in honour The Cook took up the leg 1 Sam. 9. 24. CHAP. 33 34. Shechem an Hivite by original chap. 34. 2. is an Amorite by habitation chap. 48. 22. So Anah the Hivite by descent chap. 36. 2. Beeri the Hittite by habitation in one place chap. 26. 36. and an Horite by habitation in another chap. 36. 30 24. Judah was not at the murder at Shechem but at Chezib upon the borders of the Philistims married and resident there many miles distant CHAP. XXXV The Proselytes of Shechem admitted to Jacobs family by Baptism for circumcision to the Shechemites was become deadly Benjamin born by the strength of the promise vers 11. for Jacob was now past the natural vigour of generating and therefore he justly calleth his name Benjamin the son of the right hand CHAP. 36. Strange alteration of names in this Chapter from what they are in others Judith Chap. 26. 34. called Aholibamah because of her Idolatry Anah her father Chap. 36. 2. an Hivite by original is Beeri an Hittite Chap. 26. 34. because he dwelt among them about Beer-la-hai-roi Bashemath Chap. 26. 34. is Adah here to shew Gods dislike against Esaus matches Mahalath is Pashemath to shew the Canaanitish qualities of a daughter of Ismael Compare this genealogy in this Chapter with the same in 1 Chron. 1. and Timna which is here a woman and a mans concubine is there made that mans son for the Scripture useth to speak short in known stories CHAP. 37. When the Text hath dispatched with Esau the hater of his brother that lost his birth-right by his own fault it falleth upon Joseph the hated of his brethren that obtained the birth-right by the fault of another He feeding the flocks with his brethren joyneth in company with the sons of the handmaids for Leahs children cared little either for them or him Among them where he thought to have respect he found hardship for they made him as their slave or servant Vehu nagnar and he was a servant with the sons of Bilhah and Zilphah vers 2. This evil report of his brethrens usage of him he told his father whereupon he made him a coat of divers colours as a badge of the birth-right which his father intended to confer upon him that his brethren for this should respect him the more But this procureth their greater hatred Reuben only excepted who sought his good though he had gotten his birth-right which sheweth that the incestuous man was now become a penitent and holy CHAP. 38. Judah punished in his children and his own shame for the sale of his righteous brother He was married about eight years before Joseph was sold being then not above twelve years of age if he were so much Therefore the words in the beginning of the Chapter At that time have not so much any reference to the exact time of Judahs marriage as to the miscarriage of Er and Onan which befel not long after Joseph was sold and so teach of his requital in his children for the sale of his righteous brother CHAP. XXXIX XL XLI Joseph made a slave his Blackmoor mistress lusteth after his beauty and whiteness By the interpretation of other mens dreams he is promoted as by the relating of his own he was sold into misery Pharaoh giveth him a new name after their Oracular God Baal Zephon Zophnath Paanea CHAP. XLII Josephs words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vers 15 16. not an oath by the Creature but an apprecation and prayer for Pharaohs life So let Pharaoh live as ye are spies as Lev. 25. 36. helpeth to explain the verb. CHAP. XLVII Pharaoh having never seen so old a man as Jacob nor so grave a head nor so gray a beard in all his life in admiration asketh him no other question but concerning his age CHAP. XLVIII The birth-right which Jacob intended for Joseph before his sale is conferred and confirmed upon him when Ephraim and Manasseh are taken by him for his sons as Reuben and Simeon and hence came Ephraim to be first born among the Tribes and therefore Moses chooseth Joshua one of that Tribe for their conductor into Canaan CHAP. XLIX Jacob blesseth every one of the Tribes vers 28. therefore in his words to Reuben Simeon and Levi which are the most bitter we must find a blessing or we lose his sence His words also concern the future events of the Tribes as much or more than the twelve Patriarks that stood before him vers 1. These ground-works being then thus laid for the understanding of these his last words as necessarily they must let it be tolerated to touch upon some of
would he have the month September to be called by his name placing him in the Calendar next Augustus His Grandmother Antonia he also dignified and deified equally with Livia and that by the consent and decree of the Senate His Uncle Claudius he honoured with partnership with him in the Consulship and his Brother and partner Tiberius with adoption to put him in future hopes now he had lost his present ones and he titled him The Prince of the Youth to stop his mouth belike when he had put him beside his being the Prince of Men. But as for his Sisters the sequel shewed that it was more doting and lust than pure brotherly affection that caused him to shew these expressions that in all oaths that were administred to any this must be one clause to which they must swear That they neither accounted themselves nor their children dearer than Caius and his Sisters and this in all the Records of the Consuls Which he for the happiness of Caius and his Sisters c. The like popularity used he likewise to the people releasing the condemned and recalling the banished condemning on the contrary all enormities in Judicature and banishing all incentives to evil manners Forgiving his own private grievances and satisfying for injuries done by his Predecessors that it was no marvail if the whole State were sick in the sickness of such a Prince §. 9. Caius beginning to shew himself in his own colours Not to insist longer upon the vizor of this dissembler but to take him as he was and not as he seemed his nature began more evidently to shew it self after his recovery of his sickness mentioned and then the State began by degrees to be sick indeed His beginnings were in lightness sports and lavishing of money but his proceedings were in bestiality cruelty and effusion of blood His Banquets Plays Sword-fights Fighting of Beasts as 400 Bears and as many other African wild Beasts at one time his Musick Shews strictness that none should be absent from them and expensiveness in all insomuch that he spent above twenty millions in such vanities in less than three years may be thought as vertues in him in comparison of that that followed and of the mischiefs that he mingled between §. 10. Caius cruel The recovery of the Emperor Caius from that disease under which we left him ere while proved the sickness of the whole State and the death of divers For now he began to shew himself in his own colour and to lay open the inside of his barbarous nature which hitherto he had hid under strange dissimulation P. Asranius Petitus a Plebeian and Atanius Secundus a Knight had bound themselves by oath in the Emperors sickness partly in flattery partly in hope of reward the one that he would die on condition the Prince might recover and the other that he would venture his life in combate on the same condition Caius understanding of this obligation and pretending that he would have neither of them perjured seeing he was now well again constrained them both to perform their vows and brought them to repent their flattery with repentance too late and vain and to a reward clean contrary to their expectation Nor was his cruelty any whit less though for very shame it must be better dissembled to his Father in Law the noble Silanus A man hated of him for the two main things that in humane society are the tyes of love vertue and alliance and so indignly used him that he found no way to regain his love nor any better to avoid his hate than to murder himself with his own hands Claudia the daughter of Silanus was his wife but he divorced her from him and took Cornelia Orestilla from her husband Calpurnius Piso on their very wedding day where he was present at the solemnization and he kept her not two months but sent her to her Piso again §. 11. Young Tiberius brought to a miseriable end These entries being made for the fleshing as it were the Tyrant in bloodiness and cruelty he is now made ready and fit to execute a more horrible design upon his poor Brother partner and son by adoption the young and innocent Tiberius He poor Prince having been thrust by him out of his right and patrimony by the nullifying of old Tiberius his will must now also be deprived of life This was it that the old Testator did presage and yet would leave him for a prey to his inhumanity The pretences against this young Prince were that either he had been a means to cause his sickness or at least had rejoyced in it and desired his death A sleight accusation to bring such a Person to death yet might he only have died it might have seemed more tolerable but the manner of it made the cruelty double He is commanded to die by his own hand though Tribunes Centurions and men of war fitter far to have done such an execution stood by and would have done it He desired but this mercy that he might have been slain by some of them but that was denied him upon a point of Honor and Justice forsooth because it was not fit that such a Prince should die by inferior hands The poor Prince offered his neck to every one that stood near but they durst not strike for fear of their own The only favour that he could obtain was this that they might teach him where to wound himself for his soonest dispatch and so he did And thus is the Tyrant delivered as he thinketh from all fear and danger of compartnership and corrivality in the Empire next will he take a course with those that any way may cross him in or advise him against his headlong humors and of them we shall hear in their course The last six months of this year he had taken the Consulship upon himself and had chosen his Uncle Claudius for his colleague but we have reserved the names of the old till now to avoid confusion THE ROMAN AND JEWISH Story For the Year of CHRIST XXXIX The second Year also of CAIUS CALIGULA Being the Year of the WORLD 3966. And of the City of ROME 791. Consuls M. Aquila Iulianus P. Nonius Asprenas PART I. The ROMAN Story §. 1. Cruelties at Rome THIS year began at Rome with a fatal Omen For on the first of January Machaon a Servant went up to the shrine of Jupiter Capitolinus and there having presaged and prophecied many fearful and terrible things first he slew a whelp that he had with him and then he slew himself These beginnings had answerable sequels for Caius addicted himself wholly to bloodiness sometimes for his sports sometimes in cruel earnest He commanded sword-plays to be made in which he set not man to man but multitudes to multitudes to slaughter each other He slew in the same manner six and twenty Roman Knights with great contentment taken by him in the effusion of their blood He set also another Knight to the same
they sought it not and how much more shall they that we are now to bring upon the scene that sought and wooed it with their utmost pains §. 1. The rebellion of some Jews There were in Neardaa the residence and University of the Jews in Babylonia two brethren named Asinaeus and Anilaeus or in their proper language Chasinai and Chanilai These two their Mother their Father being dead had put to a trade and to a Master for the making of sails or other tackle for ships The sturdy youths having one day given their Master some offence and he them some blows did take the matter in such high scorn and disdain that they resolve not only to overrun their Master but indeed to run over all Mastership whatsoever They therefore getting away all the Arms their Masters house would afford betake themselves to a strong place in an Island of Euphrates and there publish and proclaim their rebellious resolution Young men flock in to them apace men of the same desperate minds and fortunes and after building some Castles in the air of future expectations they begin to build a Fort in the Isle for their present security and rendevouz They then command the neighbour Towns to pay them Tribute which the numerousness and resolution of the Commanders made them that they durst not disobey The Governor of Babylonia thinking to quel this growing evil before it should be too strong cometh secretly upon them on the Sabbath day thinking to involve them in their own superstition into the trap that he had prepared for them But the furious youths were not so over-religious as to be kild in devotion nor did they prize the Sabbath above their own lives but for all it was that day they are resolved to fight and they fight resolvedly and kill and rout and soil the forces that made no other account but of victory Artabanus King of Parthia hearing of the power of this newborn Army and the resolution of those upstart Captains and considering how advantageous it might be for his own affairs to have them sure and firm unto himself he sendeth for the two Brethren with assurance of their safety whereupon they come to him and are Royally and bravely intertained by him and when Abdagasis the General of his Army would have slain Asinaeus treacherously the King forbad him sent Asinaeus home with rich gifts and the Government of Babylonia committed to him There he grew greater and greater in power and honour and stood in high repute both with the Babylonians and the Parthians and had all Mesopotamia at his command And thus continued these Brethren in pomp and height for fifteen years together till a miscarriage of Anilaeus began to cloud and eclipse their prosperity For Anilaeus having slain a Parthian Peer that he might enjoy his Lady and she when she was now his wife using her ancient Idolatry as in her first husbands days this became a double offence to his chiefest friends namely for that he had married an Heathen and for that she continued still in her Idolatry They seriously admonish Anilaeus of the matter but he slew one of the chiefest of them for his home-reproof and admonition Therefore the rest address themselves to Asinaeus and demand the vindication of their native Laws and Religion he rebuketh his Brother Anilaeus and is therefore poisoned by the Parthian Lady because that her husband might be from under rebuke and might be commander of all He being now so indeed first invadeth the Country of Mithridates son in Law to Artabanus and forrageth that and by a surprizal getteth Mithridates prisoner yet sendeth him home again to his own possessions having hardly delivered him from his Souldiers fury that they did not kill him Mithridates sensible of the disgrace of his usage for they had set him naked upon an Ass and instigated by the haughty and revengeful spirit of his wife raiseth what force he can get and giveth Anilaeus battel and routeth him But Anilaeus himself escaping and recruiting an Army of dissolute and resolute fellows again he beginneth to spoil some Towns of the Babylonians but the Babylonians finding a fit opportunity fall upon Anilaeus and his troop and slew many of them and Anilaeus himself among the rest This bridle and curb of the Jews which had lain so long and so heavy upon the Babylonians being now taken off they begin now to rise up and to curb and oppress the Jews who for their safety flee to Seleucia and there they reside quietly for the space of five years but in the sixth year a hot Plague driving the rest of them that had staied behind at Babylon into Seleucia also providence did as it were bring them all thither together to execution for a quarrel being first between the Greeks and Syrians that dwelt in that City and the Syrians getting the better through the help of the Jews at last Greeks and Syrians joyn both together against the Jews and destroy fifty thousand of them And this was a second notable vengeance that hath ovetaken that Nation since the murder of the Lord of Life THE CHRISTIAN HISTORY THE Jewish and the Roman Of the Year of CHRIST XLIII And of the Emperor CLAUDIUS II. Being the Year of the WORLD 3970. And of the City of ROME 795. Consuls Claudius II. C. Largus ACTS CHAP. IX Vers. 28. Great dearth throughout all the World which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. THAT this famine was in the second of Claudius we have shewed before not only out of Dion the Roman Historian but even by necessary collection from other things Now whether it proceeded from want of Rain or from what other cause it is not determinable it appeareth by Suetonius that it came to this height through a continued sterility of the ground which it seemeth had been some years together This year was Helena the Queen of the Adiabeni present at Jerusalem and her presence there was a happiness to the City for from Cyprus and Alexandria she sent for Provisions and distributed them among the people when divers had perished of famine before Vers. 30. Sent it to the Elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul §. Pauls rapture into the third Heaven Although it be not mentioned in this Chapter that Paul went up to Jerusalem but was sent only with provisions to the poor brethren in Judea yet have we also proved before that at this journey he had his trance in the Temple Acts 22. 17. and in that trance he was rapt up into the third Heaven The story of which he himself relateth 2 Cor. 12. 2. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago whether in the body I cannot tell c. And there he relateth also the story of the messenger of Satan buffeting him and himself praying and God giving him a gracious answer all which we shall explain by Gods permission in another place In this trance God bids him get out of Jerusalem and gives him
10. Shallum begat Hilkiah 1 Chr. 16. 13 this Hilkiah found the Manuscript of Moses in the days of Josiah 2 Chr. 34. 14. Hilkiah begat Azariah 1 Chr. 6. 13 9. 11. Ezra 7. 1. Azariah begat Serajah 1 Chr. 6. 14. this Serajah begat Jozedek and Ezra Ezra 7. 1. he was slain by Nebuchadnezar at the destruction of Jerusalem 2 King 25. 18. Jozedek the eldest son of Serajah was captived into Babel 1 Chr. 6. 15. and thence he never returned and thus have we the High-priests till the Captivity And now if we look back upon these times that we have observed it is no hard thing to conclude that that Azariah which is said to have executed the Priests office in Solomons Temple 1 Chr. 6. 10. did do it presently after the Temple was built either at the very first service of it or at the restoring of the service upon Solomons Repentance after his Apostasie SECT III. The High-priests under the second Temple IT may not be amiss for the entrance into this discourse concerning the High-priests after the return out of the Captivity till the ruine of the Temple to produce a passage out of the Jerusalem Talmud which speaketh something unto that occasion In the first Talm. Ierus per. 1. Ioma Temple saith the Gemara in Joma the High-priests served the son still succeeding the Father and they were eighteen in number But in the second Temple they got the High-priesthood for money and some say they destroyed one another by witchcraft so that some say that there were fourscore High-priests in that spacâ—e some fourâ—â—â—re and one some fourscore and two some fourscore and three some fourscore and four and some fourscore and five Not to insist upon examination of their number of eighteen before the Captivity which falls something in with what was said before though R. Solomon think it is to be read eight â— Sol. in 1 Câ—r 6. it may be as a piece of Apology before hand if we cannot exactly reckon up the persons after the Captivity seeing the number by their own confession is so very various and uncertain as some to say thus differently one thing and some another 1. JOSHUA the son of Jozedek called also Jeshua after the Syrian pronunciation Ezra 2. 2. Hag. 2. 2. returned out of Captivity where his father had died with Zerubbabel and began and forwarded the building of the second Temple and the settlement of the People He was High-priest all the time of Cyrus and Ahasuerus and some part of the time of Darius The High-priesthood that was now grown poor and low is restored and beautified to him in a Vision Zechar. 3. who as he bare the name so he was a figure of the Lord Hag. 1. 1. c. Jesus 2. JOAKIM Neh. 12. 10. 3. ELIASHIB Neh. 12. 10. Ioseph Antiq. lib. 11. cap. 5. 4. JOJADA Neh. 12. 10. Josephus calls him Juda. Antiq. l. 11. c. 7. 5. JONATHAN or JOHANAN Neh. 12. 11. 22. Josephus calleth him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or John and relateth how he slew his own brother Jesus in the Temple whom Bagoses the chief Commander for Artaxerxes the younger would have made High-priest for which foul fact Bagoses broke into the Temple and laid a Tax of forty Drachmes upon every Ioseph Antiq. b. 11. c. 7. Lamb that was sacrificed in the daily sacrifice 6. JADDUA Neh. 12. 11. 12. He had a brother called Manasses which married Sanballats daughter and for that was driven from the Priesthood and went and occasioned the building of the Temple on mount Gerizim This Jaddua met Alexander in the Id. ib. c. 8. High-priests Garments when he marched in fury against Jerusalem and the very sight of him appeased him 7. ONIAS the son of Jaddua Id lb. propâ— sinem lib. 12. c. 2. Idem ibid. 8. SIMON or SIMEON the just There is exceeding famous mention of this man among the Hebrew Writers and of him they speak many eminent things As that he was the three and twentieth receiver of their Traditions that he burnt two red Cows to Iuchasin fol. 1. fol. 13. make purifying ashes that he was the last of the 120 of Ezra's great Synagogue that he took but one Nazarites offering all his time that every day of Expiation an Angel went in with him into the most holy place and came out with him only the last time he went in the Angel went in with him but came not out whereupon he knew he should dye that year and that when he died the fire on the Altar slacked much c. and that he left behind him Shimei and Onias he would have had Onias to have been High-priest but his brother Shimei put him to flee to Alexandria where he built that famous Temple c. Some think this Simeon the just to have been the same with Jaddua and to have been the son of Joshua or Jesus whom his brother Jonathan slew but this matter we will not dispute here 9. ELEAZAR he was Simeons Brother This Eleazar was he that sent the Lxx. Elders Ioseph Antiq. lib. 12. c. 2. to Ptolomy Philadelphus to translate the Law into Greek 10. MANASSES Eleazars Uncle Id. ib. c. 3. 2. Id. ib. ad finem 11. ONIAS the son of Simeon the just a covetous Wretch and that brought the displeasure of Ptolomy Euergetes against him by his covetize 12. SIMON the son of Onias Id. ib. c. 4. ad fin 13. ONIAS the son of Simon 14. JESUS the brother of Onias for Onias left a son behind him but very young this Id. ib. c. 6. Jesus called himself Jason 15. ONIAS the brother of Jason or Jesus he called himself Menelaus This Wretch quarrelling with his brother Jason calleth in Antiochus Epiphanes and himself forsaketh his Countrys Laws and Religion And Antiochus coming in destroyed all Laws and Religion Ioseph Antiq. l. 12. cap. 7. Id. ib. c. 8. 1 Mac. 2. 1. and brought in such trouble as Israel never had since they were a Nation until that time Dan. 12. 1. of which read Dan. 11. 30. 31. 1 Mac. 1. 44 45 c. 16. The desolation that Antiochus had brought upon Religion and the Temple causeth Mattathias a Priest of the course of Jojarib which was the first course of the four and twenty he being now old to stand up for the maintenance of Religion and for the deliverance of his Country The Chaldec Paraphrast calls him the High-priest Cant. 6. 6. Here began the Name and Renown of the Asmonaean Family of which there is so frequent and famous mention in all Authors The Chaldec Paraphrast applies that speech of Hannah to this Family in 1 Sam. 2. 4. They that stumbled are girded with strength Hannah saith he prophesied of the Greeks Kingdom when she saith The bow of the mighty are broken and of the Asmonaean Family which was weak and for which signs and wonders were done when she saith They that stumbled
we come up to the time of our Saviours death and to a wretch that had not a small hand in it Annas or Ananus who had been High-priest four changes before him is said to be High-priest with him Luke 2. 41. JONATHAN the son of Ananus made High-priest by Vitellius in the room of Ibid. c. 6. Cajaphas whom he removed 42. THEOPHILUS the brother of Jonathan upon the removal of Jonathan by Ibid. c. 7. the same Vitellius is made High-priest 43. SIMON called also Kantheras made High-priest by Herod Agrippa Theophilus Lib. 19. c. 5. being removed this was he whose daughter Herod married and who was removed from the High-priesthood so many changes ago 44. JONATHAN the son of Ananus restored by Agrippa again but he desires Ibid. c. 6. that his brother Matthias might be put in the place as a fitter man than himself which was a wonder in the great ambition for the High-priesthood which commonly was afoot 45. MATTHIAS put in the room of Jonathan 46. ALIONEUS or Elioenai placed by Agrippa in the room of removed Matthias Ib. cap. 7. 47. JOSEPHUS the son of Kanei promoted by Herod King of Chalcis Lib. 20. cap. 1 48. JONATHAN slain by an Assassin by the contrival of the Governour Felix Ibid. c. 6. 49. ISMAEL the son of Fabi. Ibid. 50. JOSEPH the son of Simon Ibid. 51. ANANUS the son of Ananus mentioned before This man was a Sadducee Ibid. c. 8. He put to death James the brother of our Lord he is called Ananias a whited wall one whom Paul will not own for High-priest Act. 23. 3 5. 52. JESUS put in by Agrippa King of Chalcis in the room of Ananus this Jesus was Ibid. the son of one Gamaliel 53. MATTHIAS the son of Theophilus And here began the Wars of the Jews Ibid. which at last were their destruction In which time the confusion of the times did breed such confusion and jumbling about the High-priesthood in choosing and counterchoosing and putting in and out according to the pleasure of this or that faction that prevailed that it would be but confused work to go about to give a Catalogue or account of them therefore having led the row of the High-priests thus far as till all order both in Church and State were perished and the dignity and respect of that Order was utterly lost we will supersede with this number that hath been related and pass on to the other ranks of Priests that are before us CHAP. V. The Sagan Katholikin Immarcalin and Gizbarin SECT I. SAGAN THE word Sagan is rare in the Scripture but both the name and the dignity is very commonly known and used in the Hebrew writers It is undoubted that he was next to the High-priest or Vicegerent to him but under what notion he came into this deputation is disputable and a a a Iuchasin fol. 57. Abraham Zaccuth doth purposely dispute it One conjecture about this matter is from that Tradition mentioned in Joma That against the day of expiation when the High-priest was to go into the most Holy place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b b b Ioma per. 1. ab initi◠They appointed another Priest in his stead who might supply the solemn work of that day if any uncleanness did befal the High-priest himself And R. Judah also saith they appointed him another wife lest his own wife should have died because he was enjoyned to atone for himself and for his house that is for his wife Now it is conceived by some that this Priest that was appointed as a reserve if any thing had befallen the High-priest to make him unfit for that work was called the Sagan c c c Ioseph Ant. lib. 17. cap. 8. Josephus giveth one example when the work of the day of Expiation was carried on by such a substitute but this opinion maketh the Sagan useful but for one week in the year whereas it appeareth by the Jewish records that he was in a continual office all the year thorough Some therefore again conjecture that the Sagan was to be he that was to be the next High-priest and in his Sagan-ship was as a Candidate for that Office d d d R. Sol. in Num. 19. So R. Solomon calleth Eleazar the son of Aaron the Sagan And e e e Aruch in Sagan Iuchas ubi sup the Jerusalem Talmud observes that none was High-priest unless he had been Sagan first but there are two arguments that oppose this opinion the first is because the High-priests after the time of Herod especially were so made at the arbitrary disposal of the Governor that it is not imaginable that they ever regarded whether he had been Sagan before or no. And another is because in all the Old Testament where the succession of the High-priesthood was fair and legal and it was still known who should be High-priest next yet there is never mention of the word or of the thing Sagan but only in 2 King 25. 18. and Jer. 52. 24. where is mention of Zephaniah the second Priest and the Chaldee Paraphrast calls him Sagan Now unless he were son to Serajah which I know not who ever held he was in no possibility of the High-priesthood had the Temple scaped the Babylonian fire and desolation For the discovering therefore what the Sagan was and under what notion he came into his Office it is observable that he is most commonly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Sagan of the Priests So the Chaldee in the two places cited titleth Zephaniah So the Talmud in two places in the Treatise Shekalim speaketh of f f f Shekalim per. 3. per. 6. Ananias the Sagan of the Priests and in divers places both in the Talmud and in other Hebrew writers the phrase is used in this conjuncture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Sagan of the Priests By the which it seemeth his Office had relation as much if not more to Priests below him as to the High-priest above him and I know not what fitter conception to have of him than this that he was as the High-priests Substitute in his absence to oversee or in his presence to assist in the oversight of the affairs of the Temple and the service of the Priests For although it is true that in some particulars his attendance did especially respect the High-priests person as in three reckoned by g g g Talm. Ierus Ioma per. 3. the Talmud of Jerusalem yet did his Office also relate to the Priests below him and so saith Maymonides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 h h h Maym. in Kele Mik per. 4. That all the Priests were under the disposal or command of the Sagan For the High-priest having the chief charge and care of the holy things and that burden and incumbency being of so great a weight he was forced to get an assistance to help him to bear the burden nay sometime the silliness and
and seeing Darius its last King and probably his last times Nehem. XII 12. Nay Ezra who was born either before or in the first year of the Babylonion Monarchy yet liveth near the expiration of the Persian by which it is easie to conclude how far the Heathen Histories are out who reckon fourteen Kings successively in the Persian Throne and two hundred years of their rule before its fall In the first year of Cyrus the returned Captives out of Babel only built an Altar and sacrificed thereon for seven months together having yet no Temple but in this second year the second month of that year they lay the foundation of the House Ezra 3 8 c. the progress of which work is soon opposed and indeavoured to be made frustrate by the Samaritans all the time of Cyrus Ezra IV. 5. but in his time they prevailed not In his third year Artaxerxes cometh to the Kingdom who is also called Ahashuerosh Ezra IV. 6 7. he is perswaded by evil Counsellors to interdict and prohibit the Temple building and so it lay intermitted all his time Dan. X. 1 2 3. Ezra IV. 23 24. Darius succeeded him called also Artaxerxes Ezra VI. 1. VII 1. c. In his second year the building goes on again and is finished in his sixth Hag. I. Ezra VI. 14. And thus had the Temple lien waste and desolate just seventy years from the nineteenth of Nebuchadnezzar in which year it was fired to the second of Darius when it began to be wrought upon so as that it came to perfection Zech. I. 12. IV. 3 5. In the seventh year of this Darius which was the year after the Temple was finished Ezra cometh up Ezra VII 8. and thirteen years after namely in the twentieth year of this Darius called also Artaxerxes Nehemiah cometh up to Jerusalem Neh. I. 1. and both help to repair settle and rectifie Temple City and People as their Story is at large in their own Books In the two and thirtieth year of this Darius Nehemiah having finished what he had to do about the building beautifying and settling of City Temple and People he returneth again unto the King Neh. XIII 6. and here ends Daniels first parcel of his seventy weeks namely seven weeks in which Street and Wall should be built and that in troublous times Dan. IX 25. By seven weeks he meaneth seven times seven years which amounts to nine and forty and so there were hitherto namely three of Cyrus fourteen of Ahashuerosh and thirty two of Darius After Darius there reigned Artaxerxes commonly known in Heathen Stories by the name of Xerxes the invader of Greece with his huge Army c. He was a favourer of the Jews at the least for a while as it appeareth by that passage in Ezra VI. 14. They builded and finished according to the Commandment of the Lord and according to the Commandment of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes where this Artaxerxes is set in parallel equipage with Cyrus and Darius for favouring the Temple It is true indeed the work was finished in the time of Darius as to the very building of the House yet were the buildings about it still coming on and encreasing and this Xerxes did favour the work as well as those Princes had done before him Yet did there an unhappy occurrence befal in this Kings time in the Temple it self which if it did not alienate and change his affection from well-willing to it yet did it prejudice the Temple in the affection of him that was chief Commander under this King in those parts whose name was Bagoses The occasion was this a a a Ioseph Ant. lib. 11. cap. 7 Jochanan who was then High Priest upon some displeasure against his own Brother Jesus did fall upon him and slay him in the very Temple Bagoses favoured this Jesus and intended to have made him High Priest and it is like that Jochanan smelt the design and out of jealousie of such a thing thought to prevent it by his Brothers dispatch whatsoever was the cause of this his murder the fruit of it was this that Bagoses violently presseth into the Temple which he might not have done and layeth a mulct upon the People namely forty Drachmes upon every Lamb that was to be Sacrificed Ezra and Nehemiah were both now alive and do but imagine how their piety would digest a thing so impious The next in the Throne after this Artaxerxes mentioned in Scripture was Darius Nehem. XII 22. the Man with whom the Empire fell under the victorious Sword of Alexander the Great In his time another occasion from another Brother of an High Priest occurreth which accrewed not a little to the prejudice of the Temple and Nation and that was this b b b Ibid. cap. 8. Neh. XIII 28. Manasseh one of the sons of Joiada the son of Eliashib the High Priest had married Nicasso the Daughter of Sanballat for which being driven from the Altar and Priesthood he betaketh himself to his Father-in-law to Samaria and they betwixt them obtain a Commission from Danius and get it confirmed also by Alexander the Great to build a Temple upon Mount Gerizim John IV. 20. which being built in affront to the Temple of Jerusalem it proved no small disadvantage to it and the Service there for it not only caused a faction and defection in the Nation but also it became the common refuge and shelter of all lawless and irregular despisers of discipline and Government In this Darius was the end of the Persian State and Kingdom having continued for the succession of these Kings but whether any more and how many precise years is not easily determinable what times went over the Temple in their Reigns besides what is mentioned here may be observed in the Books of Nehemiah Ezra Haggai Zechary and Malachi SECT II. The occurrences of the Temple under Alexander a a a Ios. Ant. sup ALEXANDER the Great the Conqueror of Darius and overthrower of the Persian Kingdom did in his own Person visit Jerusalem and the Temple coming towards it like a Lion but he came into it like a Lamb. He had taken indignation at Jaddua the High Priest Nehem. XII 22. because he denyed him assistance at the Siege of Tyrus for Jaddua had sworn fealty to Darius Hereupon he cometh up towards Jerusalem breathing fire and fury against it till he came within the sight of the City There he was met by Jaddua in the High Priests garments and by all the Priests in their vestments and the People in white whom when he came near in stead of offering them violence he shewed reverence to the High Priest and courteously saluted all the People When his Commanders wondred at such a change he told them that in a dream in Macedon he saw one in the very same Attire that the High Priest was in who encouraged him to invade the Persian Empire and promised to lead his Army and to make him
m R. Sol. in â—sâ—y XIX We learn in Sedar Olam that after the fall of Sennacherib Ezekiah stood up and let go all the multitudes that he had brought with him from Egypt and Cush and they took upon them the Kingdom of Heaven and they returned to their own place as it is said In that day there shall be five Cities in the Land of Egypt c. They went and built an Altar to the Lord in the Land of Egypt and offered upon it an offering to God to fulfill what was spoken In that day there shall be an Altar to the Lord in the Land of Egypt c. But some of our Doctors in the Treatise Menacoth do understand it of the Altar of the Temple of Onias the Son of Simeon the Just who fled to Egypt and built there an Altar In the last Chapter of the Treatise Menacoth the tract which our Rabbin citeth the Talmudists have speech concerning this Temple of Oniâ—s and particularly these passages n n n Menachoth per. 13. A man saith Behold I undertake to offer a burnt-offering he must offer it at the Sanctuary and if he offer it at the Temple of Onias he is not discharged If he say I undertake for an offering in the Temple of Onias he is to offer it at the Sanctuary but if he offer it at the Temple of Onias he is discharged If he say I undertake to be a Nazarite he is to poll his Head at the Sanctuary and if he poll it at the Temple of Onias he is not discharged But if he say I will poll at the Temple of Onias let him poll at the Sanctuary yet if he do poll at the Temple of Onias he is quit The Priests that serve at the Temple of Onias shall not serve at the Sanctuary at Jerusalem So that it appeareth that there were Sacrifices offered and other Temple-rites used in this Temple in Egypt as were in the Temple at Jerusalem o o o Iuchas ubi supra and it so stood in great glory two hundred years according to the opinion of Rambam But it seems they are the words of Juchasin that it stood all the time of the Sanctuary for Joshuah the son of Perahiah fled thither and so in the time of Hillel and they were obedient to the wise Men of Jerusalem and brought offerings and so they brought their Wives espousal writings to Hillel for they said they were bastards and he allowed them And there was there a great Congregation double to the number that came out of Egypt till after the destruction of the second Temple when Adrian the Emperor came up against them and slew them all at the time of the destruction of Bitter Think of this great plantation of Jews in Egypt when ye read Matth. II. 13 14. But let us return from this Temple in Egypt to the Temple at Jerusalem where our business lies Alcimus the High Priest whose illegal induction to that Office had occasioned this Act of Onias as he was the Creature of the Antiochian family so was he serviceable to it to his utmost even to the mischief of that Religion and People in and among which he took on him the High Priesthood He assists Demetrius though he had slain Antiochus who had so favoured him in the invasion of Judea and attempteth to p 1 Mac. IX Jos. Ant. lib. 12 cap. 17. pull down the Wall of the inner Court of the Sanctuary but is suddainly struck with a Divine stroke from Heaven and so dieth Nicanor a Commander of this Demetrius forced Judas Maccabeus to betake himself to a Garrison in Jerusalem and he himself going up into the Temple and there intertained fawningly by the Priests who clawed him by shewing him the Sacrifices which they said they offered for his Lord the King he taunted them and threatned mischief to the place if Judas were not delivered to him but ere long the proud boaster and threatner was overthrown and slain Jonathan the Brother and Successor of Judas Maccabeus in his command proved to be so in favour with Alexander the Successor of Demetrius and Demetrius again the Successor of Alexander and Antiochus that succeeded him that though there were now and then some stirrings among them yet the Temple which is our scene that we are upon did suffer little alteration or prejudice all his time no more did it in the times of Simon his Brother and Successor nay he in his first year obtains the peoples liberties dismantles the Antiochian Garrison in Jerusalem purifies the place and appoints that day for a yearly rejoycing and restores the Land to intire peace and prosperity Hyrcanus the Son and Successor of Simon being straitly besieged in Jerusalem by Antiochus at the Feast of Tabernacles desires a cessation for the time and solemnity of the Feast which he not only obtaineth but many and costly Sacrifices also from Antiochus which nobleness causeth Hyrcanus to seek for an agreement and so the Siege is raised He is reported to have heard a voice in the Temple whilest he was offering Incense there which told of the victory of his Sons who were then in battel with Antiochus Cyzicenus and when he came out he told so much to the people Josephus sticks not to style him a King Priest and Prophet or at least he speaketh but little short of so much when he saith q q q Id. ib. lib. 13 cap. 18. that God vouchsafed him the three greatest honours the rule of the Nation the honour of the High Priesthood and Prophesie He cast off the Syrian yoke and homage Alexander his Son proves an unhappy scourge to his own Nation so much scorned and despised by them that at the Feast of Tabernacles they pelted him with their Pomecitrons whereupon he slays six thousand of them and troubles the Land with a six years civil War He railed in the Court of the Priests that none but the Priests might come in there for fear of the peoples disturbance Aristobulus and Hyrcanus the Sons of this Alexander quarrel about the rule and call in forrain aid as first Aretas King of Arabia who besiegeth Aristobulus in the Temple and then Pompey who cometh in taketh the City and Temple bringeth the Nation under the Roman yoke from under which it never delivered its neck till City and Temple by that power was raked up in ashes SECT IV. The state of the Temple under the Romans SO sad were the beginnings of the Temple under the Roman Power that an Omen might have been taken from them what would become of it ere this Nation had done with it Pompey coming up to Jerusalem had the Gates shut against him so that he presently begirt it with a Siege a a a Dion Cass. lib. 36. But the taking of the City cost him not much labour saith Dion Cassius for he was let in by the party of Hyrcanus But the Temple which Aristobulus party had possessed cost him some
the Jewish Doctors or some of their Sayings or Determinations but really was either a lye or some of their Magical Tricks p. 253 372. They affirm it supplied the place of Urim and Thummim 485 486 Bathuseans differed from other Hereticks among the Jews yet harmonized with them to oppose the Gospel and Christianity 373 Basilides an Heretick sprung from among the Jews 372 373 Basons What they were and of what use in the Temple 2048 * Bath what sort of measure 545 546 Battlements were to be made on the tops of the Jewish Houses and why 1069 * Beasts at Ephesus what 299 Beating was one sort of Jewish penalty inflicted upon Malefactors 901 902 Beds Men used to ly on them to feast and dine c. 539 Marg. Beelzebub or Belzebub or Belzebul a term taken from the Jewish Writers and what the thing 228 229 105 106 Believers this Title sometimes includes children p. 277 294. A title given to the first Professors of the Gospel 871 Believing gave admission for a whole Houshold unto Baptism the Head thereof being converted p. 294. Believing in Christ is excellently illustrated by being healed and by looking on the brazen Serpent 579 Believing the Gospel how it was above what John the baptist did propose p. 630. Why believing or faith is set after Repentance 630 Ben Cozba Ben Coziba A Pseudo Messias owned by almost all the Jews but destroyed by Titus with all his followers as also the Temple and City of Jerusalem 362 366 367 Ben Saida a blasphemous Name given to our Saviour by the Jewish Writers 228 229 Berenice Niece and Wife to Herod and after his death more familiar with her Brother Agrippa and Titus Vespasian's Son than was for her credit 321 Bethabara supposed to be the place of Israels passage over Jordan but it was rather over against Galilee than Jericho 528 529 Beth Din or The consistory of Priests transacting business in the Temple being the Counsellors thereof 914 Bethany put for the Coast of Bethany it 's not usually understood 252 Bethesday what p. 661 667. Pool of Bethesday whence it received its waters whence it had its excellent vertues 667 668 Beth Midrash or the Jewish Divinity School where their Doctors disputed of the more high and difficult matters of the Law 299 Bethsaida made a City whence it had its name 533 Binding and loosing a phrase most familiar among the Jewish Writers by which they understand their Doctors or Learned Mens teaching what was lawful and permitted or unlawful and prohibited p. 238. In this sence Christ useth it viz. doctrinally to shew what was lawful and unlawful p. 238. And so Peter practised shewing it belonged to Things and not to Persons 847 848 Birthright had many precious things wrapped up in it 15 Bishops one of the Titles of the Gospel Ministers p. 223. Not successors to the Apostles as the Popish Writers hold 787 789 Blasphemy dreadful in Simon Magus 787 Blemishes of the Priests did not exclude them from the Services of the Temple for there were several things they might do there 1093 * Bloud the not eating it expounded by the Jews 293 Bloudy Issue what 232 Bones of all the Patriarchs as well as Joseph's brought out of Egypt and buried at Sichem 781 782 Book of the wars of the Lord what 36 392 Books of Jasir of Gad of Iddo of the wars of the Lord are cited by the Old Testament as not disapproved nor approved above humane 392 Born again what 561 567 570 571 Bowing low at the going out of the Temple what 950 Boyling places within the Temple what and where placed 1092 1093 * Breaking of Bread denotes both ordinary meals and receiving the Sacrament 755 Breast-plate of the High-Priest what 724 905 Breeches of the High Priest what 905 Brethren was a Title given to the first Professors of the Gospel 871 Bridegrooms friend what 585 586 Britain or England Some remarkable things referring to its ancient state p. 328. The Language of it near a thousand years ago what 1017 * Brother offending how to be dealt with 241 Buildings in the Court Wall on the East and South side of the Temple what 1104 * Burning one sort of capital punishment among the Jews how performed 2006 * Burnt Offering or Sacrifice the matter and manner thereof in all its actions as Bringing into the Court Laying on of Hands upon the Head killing of it Fleaing it Sprinkling of the Bloud Lamb to be slain The salting the Parts of the Sacrifice before it was offered How it was laid on the fire 926 to 929 Burnt Offering The Altar of it what p. 1029. * The description of it in Scripture is very concise p. 2029. * How so many Burnt Offerings could be offered on this one Altar in so small a time p. 2029 2030. * Burying Place of Golgotha what 267 C. CABBALAH of the Jews was their unwritten Traditions c. Page 457 458 652 Cabbalists what 998 Cain and Abel were Twins born at the sametime 693 Calf Golden Calf Israels punishment for it 715 Calling of the Gentiles was a thing highly disgusted by the Jews 621 Candlestick Golden Candlestick over the Temple door described with its use p. 1078. * There was also a Golden Candlestick in the room of the holy Place its Magnitude shape and signification 1081 1082. * Called to be called a thing in Scripture is to be the thing so called 399. Marg. Calling of the Jews how p. 375. Not so Universal as some suppose 375 376 377 Calling of the Gentiles p. 314. It was a matter the Jews could never hear of with patience 621 Cana two of the Name where 541 Candlestick of Gold 720 721 Capernaum what Here Christ inhabited p. 530. whence derived and how otherwise called 439. Marg. Captain of the Temple that is of the Garrison which was there what he was 759 1060. * Castor and Pollux 322 Caesar the common Name of the Roman Emperor as Abimelech of the Philistine Kings and Pharaoh of the Egyptians 423. Marg. Cephas Peter's Name given him by Christ which was after of common use whether the same with Cepha what it signifies p. 531. The reason of Christs giving him this Name 532 Cesarea a famous place was also famous for Learned Men. p. 285. There was the Seat of the Roman Court p. 285 286. It was a City of the Jews and Greeks and an University of the Jews 321 Ceremonial Law what and how Christ fulfilled it p. 475 476. How it differs very much from the Grace and Truth of the Gospel p. 500. How far it obliged the Jews as particular Men and as Members of the Congregation of Israel p. 548 549 Chains of Peter in which he lay in Prison are supposed by the Papists to have the vertue to work Miracles to diffuse Grace to provoke to Holiness to heal Diseases to affright the Devil and to defend Christians 886 Chasing-dishes what they were and of what use in the Temple 2049 * Chaldeans took their
we have produced is plain and without any difficulty as if he should say It is an old Tradition which hath obtained for many ages VERS XXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I say unto you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I say the words of one that refutes or determines a question very frequently to be met with in the Hebrew Writers To this you may lay that of Esaiah Chap. II. vers 3 And he will teach us of his ways c. When Kimchi writes thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Teacher is King Messias And that of Zacharias Chap. XI vers 8. Where this great shepherd destroys three evil shepherds namely the Pharisee and the Saduâ—ee and the Essene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause c. First let us treat of the Words and then of the Sentences With his Brother The Jewish Schools do thus distinguish between a Brother and a Neighbour that a Brother signifies an Israelite by nation and blood a Neighbour an Israelite in religion and worship that is a Proselyte The Author of Aruch in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Son of the Covenant writes thus The Sons of the Covenant these are Israel And when the Scripture saith If any ones Ox gore the Ox of his Neighbour it excludes all the Heathen in that it saith of his Neighbour Maimonides writes thus t t t t t t in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ch. 2. It is all one to kill an Israelite and a Canaanite Servant for both the punishment is death But an Israelite who shall kill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A stranger inhabitant shall not be punished with death because it is said Whosoever shall proudly rise up against his Neighbour to kill him Ex. XXI 14. And it is needless to say he shall not be punished with death for killing a Heathen Where this is to be noted that Heathens and stranger Inhabitants who were not admitted to perfect and compleat Proselytism were not qualified with the title of Neighbour nor with any privileges But under the Gospel where there is no distinction of Nations or Tribes Brother is taken in the same latitude as among the Jewes both Brother and Neighbour was that is for all professing the Gospel and is contradistinguished to the Heathen 1 Cor. V. 11. If any one who is called a Brother And Mat. XVIII 15. If thy Brother sin against thee c. ver 17. If he hear not the Church let him be a Heathen But Neighbour is extended to all even such as are strangers to our religion Luk. X. 29 30 c. He shall be guilty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 words signifying guilt or debt to be met with a thousand times in the Talmudists Es. XXIV v. 23. They shall be gathered together as Captives are gathered into prison Where R. Solomon speaks thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Guilty of Hell unto Hell which agrees with the last clause of this verse Of the Councel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Sanhedrin that is of the Judgment or Tribunal of the Magistrate For that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Judgment in the clause before is to be referred to the Judgment of God will appear by what follows Raka 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A word used by one that despiseth another in the highest scorn very usual in the Hebrew Writers and very common in the mouth of the Nation u u u u u u Tanchum fol. 5. col 2. One returned to repentance his wife said to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Raka if it be appoynted you to repent the very girdle wherewith you gird your self shall not be your own x x x x x x Id. fol. 18. col 4. A Heathen said to an Israelite Very sutable food is made ready for you at my house What is it saith the other To whom he replied swines-flesh Raka saith the Jew I must not eat of clean beasts with you y y y y y y Midras Tillin upon Psal. CXXXVII A Kings daughter was married to a certain durty fellow He commands her to stand by him as a mean Servant and to be his Butler To whom she said Raka I am a Kings daughter z z z z z z Id. fol. 38 col 4. One of the Scholars of R. Jochanan made sport with the teaching of his Master but returning at last to a sober mind Teach thou saith he O Master for thou art worthy to teach for I have found and seen that which thou hast taught To whom he replied 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Raka thou hadst not believed unless thou hadst seen a a a a a a Bab. Berac fol. 32. 2. A certain Captain saluted a religious man praying in the way but he saluted him not again He waited till he had done his prayer and saith to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Raka It is written in your Law c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Into Hell fire The Jews do very usually express Hell or the place of the damned by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gehinnom which might be shewn in infinite examples The manner of speech being taken from the vally of Hinnom a place infamous for foul Idolatry committed there for the howlings of Infants roasted to Molech filth carried out thither and for a fire that always was burning and so most fit to represent the horror of Hell b b b b b b Bab. Erubhin fol. 19. 1. There are three doors of Gehenna one in the Wilderness as it is written They went down and all that belonged to them alive into Hell Num. XVI 33. Another in the Sea as it is written Out of the belly of Hell have I called thou hast heard my voice Jon. II. 2. The Third in Jerusalem as it is written Thus saith the Lord whose fire is in Sion and his furnace in Jerusalem Esai XXXI 9. The Tradition of the School of R. Ismael Whose fire is in Sion this is the Gate of Gehenna The Chaldee Paraphrast upon Esai ch XXXIII ver 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gehenna eternal fire c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Gehenna of eternal fire We come now to the sentences and sense of the Verse A threefoid punishment is adjudged to a threefold wickedness Judgment to him that is angry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is without cause Judgment also and that by the Sanhedrin that calls Raka Judgment of Hell to him that calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fool. That which is here produced of the threefold Sanhedrin among the Jewes pleases me not because passing over other reasons mention of the Sanhedrin is made only in the middle clause How the Judgment in the first clause is to be distinguished from the Judgment of the Sanhedrin in the second will very easily appear from this Gloss and Commentary of the Talmudists Of not killing c c c c c
truth as to the thing it self for from the Resurrection of Christ the glorious Epoch of the Kingdom of God took its beginning as we said before which he himself also signifieth in those words Mat. XXVI 29. and when he arose not a few others arose with him What they thought of the Resurrection that was to be in the days of Messias besides those things which we have already mentioned you may see and smile at in this one example y y y y y y Jerus Cheâ—ubboth fol. 35 â— R. Jeremiah commanded when you bury me put shoes on my feet and give me a staff in my hand and lay me on one side that when the Messias comes I may be ready VERS LIV. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Truly this was the Son of God THAT is This was indeed the Messias Howsoever the Jews deny the Son of God in that sense in which we own it that is as the second person in the holy Trinity yet they acknowledged the Messiah for the Son of God not indeed by nature but by adoption and deputation see Mat. XXVI 63. from those places I Chron. XVII 13. Psal. II. 12. LXXXIX 26 27. and such like The Centurion had learnt this from the people by conversing among them and seeing the Miracles which accompanied the death of Christ acknowledged him to be the Messias of whom he had heard so many and great things spoken by the Jews In Luke we have these words spoken by him z z z z z z Chap. XXIII 47. Certainly this was a righteous man Which I suppose were not the same with these words before us but that both they and these were spoken by him Certainly this was a righteous man Truly this was the Messias the Son of God Such are those words of Nathaniel Joh. I. 49. Thou art the Son of God thou art the King of Israel Peter when he declared that Christ was the Son of the living God Mat. XVI 16. spoke this in a more sublime sense than the Jews either owned or knew as we have said at that place VERS LVI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mary Magdalen THAT Magdalen was the same with Mary the sister of Lazarus Baronius proves at large a a a a a a Annal. ad An. Christ. 32. pag. 147 148 c. whom see It is confirmed enough from this very place for if Mary Magdalene was not the same with Mary the sister of Lazarus then either Mary the sister of Lazarus was not present at the Crucifixion of Christ and at his burial or else she is past over in silence by the Evangelists both which are improbable whence she was called Magdalene doth not so plainly appear whether from Magdala a Town on the Lake of Genesareth or from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a playting or curling of the hair a thing usual with harlots Let us see what is spoken by the Talmudists concerning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mary Magdala who they say was Mother of Ben Satda b b b b b b Bab. Sanhedr fol. 67. 1. They stoned the Son of Satda in Lydda and they hanged him up on the evening of the Passover Now this Son of Satda was Son of Pandira Indeed Rabh Chasda said the husband of his mother was Satda her husband was Pandira her husband was Papus the Son of Juda but yet I say his mother was Satda 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 namely Mary the plaiter of women's hair as they say in Pombeditha 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she departed from her husband These words are also repeated in Schabbath c c c c c c Fol. 104. 2. c Chagigah fol. 4. 2. Rabh Bibai at a time when the Angel of death was with him said to his Officer Go 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bring me Mary the plaiter of womens hairs He went and brought to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mary the plaiter of young mens hair c. The Gloss The Angel of death reckoned up to him what he had done before for this story of Mary the Plaiter of women's hair was under the second Temple for she was the mother of N. as it is said in Schabbath See the Gloss there at the place before quoted d d d d d d Gittin fol. 90. 1. There are some who find a fly in their cup and take it out and will not drink such was Papus ben Judas who lockt the door upon his wife and went out Where the Glossers say thus Papus ben Juda was the husband 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Mary the Plaiter of womens hair and when he went out of his house into the street he lockt his door upon his wife that she might not speak with any body which indeed he ought not to have done and hence sprang a difference between them and she broke out into adulteries See Alphesius on Gittim e e e e e e Fol. 605. I pronounce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ben Satda not that I am ignorant that it is called Ben Stada by very learned men The reason of our thus pronouncing it we fetch from hence that we find he was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ben Sutdah by the Jerusalem Talmudists f f f f f f Sanhedr fol. 25. 4. to which the word Satda more agrees than Stada By the like agreement of sounds they call the same Town both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Magdala and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mugdala as we have observed elswhere As they contumeliously reflect upon the Lord Jesus under the name of Ben Satda so there is a shrewd suspition that under the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mary Magdala they also cast reproach upon Mary Magdalen The title which they gave their Mary is so like this of ours that you may with good reason doubt whether she was called Magdalene from the Town Magdala or from that word of the Talmudists 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Plaiter of hair We leave it to the learned to decide VERS LVI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Josi A very usual name in the Talmudists g g g g g g Jerus â—â—vamâ—tâ— fol. 2. 2. five were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be R. Josi Ismael Lazar Menahem Chelpatha Abdimus Also h h h h h h Ibid. fol. 4. 3. R. Jose ben R. Chaninah c. g g g g g g See Jathasiâ— fol. 61. 62. One may well enquire why this Mary is called the mother of James and Joses and not also of Judas and Simon as Mark VI. 3. VERS LVIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Begged the body of Iesus IT was not lawful to suffer a man to hang all night upon a tree Deut. XXI 23. Nay nor to lye all night unburied 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whosoever suffers a dead body to lye all night unburied violates a negative precept but they that were put to death
name of him that is deceased for instance if one dies without a Son and his name be Joseph or Johanan whether the Son that is born to this man's Brother taking his Brother's Widow to Wife should not have the name after him that first had her and be called Joseph or Johanan Otherwise indeed it was very seldom that the Son bore the name of the Father as is evident both in the Holy Scriptures and the Rabinical Writers It cannot be denied but that sometimes this was done but so very rarely that we may easily believe the reason why the Friends of Zachary would have given the Child his own name was meerly either because they could by no means learn what he himself designed to call him or else in honour to him however he lay under that divine stroke at present as to be both deaf and dumb VERS LXXVIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The day-spring from on high I Would readily have rendred it the branch from on high but for what follows to give light c. I. It is known and observed by all that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is by the Seventy rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jerem. XXIII 5. Zech. III. 8. VI. 12. Now every one knows that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a branch And as to the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 II. There is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ezek. XVI 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As the bud or spring of the the field Ibid. cap. XVII 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It shall wither in the clod where it grows And well may Christ indeed in this sense be said to be the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the branch or spring from on high in opposition to that branch from below by which mankind was undone viz. the forbidden Tree in Paradise VERS LXXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the desarts WHether John was an Eremite in the sense as it is now commonly taken we may enquire and judge by these two things I. Whether there was ever any Eremite in this sense among the Jews II. Whe he absented himself from the Synagogues from the Feasts at Jerusalem and to this may be added whether he retired and withdrew himself from the society of mankind If he absented from the Synagogues he must have been accounted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a wicked neighbour a a a a a a Maimon Tâ—phâ—l cap. 8. If from the Feasts he transgressed the command Exod. XXIII 17. If from the society of mankind what agreeableness was there in this It seems very incongruous that he that was born for this end to turn the disobedient c. should withdraw himself from all society and converse with them Nothing would perswade me sooner that John was indeed an anchoret than that which he himself saith that he did not know Jesus Joh. 1. 31. whereas he was so very near akin to him One might think surely he must have layen hid in some Den or Cave of the Earth when for the space of almost thirty years wherein he had lived he had had no society with Jesus so near a kinsman of his nay not so much as in the least to know him But if this were so how came he to know and so humbly refuse him when he offered himself to be baptized by him Matth. III. 14. And this before he was instructed who he was by the descent of the Holy Ghost upon him Joh. I. 33. From this question may arise two more I. Whether John appeared or acted under the notion of a Prophet before his entrance into the thirteenth year of his age I am apt to think he did not and hence I suppose it is said concerning him that he was in the desarts that is he was amongst the Rusticks and common rank of Men as a Man of no note or quality himself till he made himself publick under the notion and authority of a Prophet II. Whether he might not well know his Kinsman Jesus in all this time and admire his incomparable sanctity and yet be ignorant that he was the Messiah Yea and when he modestly repulsed him from his Baptism was it that he acknowledged him for the Messiah which agrees not with Joh. I. 33. or not rather that by reason of his admirable holiness he saw that he was above him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Till the day of his shewing unto Israel John was unquestionably 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Priest by birth and being arrived at the thirtieth year of his age according to the custom of that Nation he was after examination of the great Council to have been admitted into the Priestly Office but that God had commissioned him another way b b b b b b Middoth cap. 5. hal 4. In the room Gazith the great Council of Israel sate and judged concerning the Priesthood The Priest in whom any blemish was found being cloathed and veiled in black went out and was dismist but if he had no blemish he was cloathed and veiled in white and going in ministred and gave his attendance with the rest of the Priests his Brethren And they made a gawdy day when there were no blemish found in the Seed of Aaron the Priest CHAP. II. VERS I. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 From Caesar Augustus THE New Testament mentions nothing of the Roman Government but as now reduced under a Monarchical form When that head which had been mortally wounded in the expulsion of the Tarquins was healed and restored again in the Cesars Rev. XIII 3. All the world wondered saith St. John and well they might to see Monarchy that had for so many hundred years been antiquated and quite dead should now flourish again more vigorously and splendidly than ever But whence the Epocha or beginning of this Government should take its date is something difficult to determine The foundations of it as they were laid by Julius Cesar so did they seem overturned and erased again in the death he met with in the Senate-house It was again restored and indeed perfected by Augustus but to what year of Augustus should we reckon it I would lay it in his one and thirtieth the very year wherein our Saviour was born Of this year Dion Cassius lib. 55. speaks thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The third decennium or term of ten years having now run out and a fourth beginning he being forced to it undertook the Government Observe the force of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then was Augustus constrained or compelled to take the Empire upon him The Senate the people and as it should seem the whole Republick with one consent submitting themselves entirely to a Monarchical form of Government did even constrain the Emperour Augustus who for some time stiffly refused it to take the reins into his hands I am not ignorant that the computation of Augustus his Reign might reasonably enough commence from his Battel and victory at Actium nor do the Gemarists
Mary whom he had espoused had owned Jesus for his Son from his first birth he had redeemed him as his first-born he had cherisht him in his childhood educated him in his youth and therefore no wonder if Joseph be called his Father and he was supposed to be his Son II. Let us consider what might have been the judgment of the Sanhedrin in this case only from this story s s s s s s Kiddushin fol. 80. 1. There came a certain Woman to Jerusalem with a child brought thither upon shoulders She brought this child up and he afterward had the carnal knowledge of her They are brought before the Sanhedrin and the Sanhedrin judged them to be stoned to death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not because he was undoubtedly her Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but because he had wholly adhered to her Now suppose we that the blessed Jesus had come to the Sanhedrin upon the decease of Joseph requiring his Stock and Goods as his heir Had he not in all equity obtained them as his Son Not that he was beyond all doubt and question his Son but that he had adhered to him wholly from his cradle was brought up by him as his Son and always so acknowledged III. The Doctors speak of one Joseph a Carpenter t t t t t t Sect. 13. of the same Treatise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 u u u u u u Shemoth rabba fol. 128. 4. Abnimus Gardieus askt the Rabbins of blessed memory whence the earth was first created they answer him there is no one skilled in these matters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but go thou to Joseph the Architect He went and found him standing upon the rafters It is equally obscure who this Joseph the Carpenter and who this Abnimus was although as to this last he is very frequently mentioned in those Authors They say w w w w w w Beresh rabba fol. 73. 4. That Abnimus and Balaam were two the greatest Philosophers in the whole world Only this we read of him x x x x x x Midr. Ruth fol. 43. 2. That there was a very great familiarity betwixt him and R. Meir 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which was the Son of Heli. I. There is neither need nor reason nor indeed any foundation at all for us to frame I know not what marriages and the taking of Brothers Wives to remove a scruple in this place wherein there is really no scruple in the least 1. Joseph is not here called the Son of Heli but Jesus is so for the word Jesus viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be understood and must be always added in the Reader 's mind to every race in this Genealogy after this manner Jesus as was supposed the Son of Joseph and so the Son of Heli and of Matthat yea and at length the Son of Adam and the Son of God For it was very little the business of the Evangelist either to draw Joseph's Pedigree from Adam or indeed to shew that Adam was the Son of God which not only sounds something harshly but in this place very enormously I may almost add blasphemously too For when St Luke Vers. 22. had made a voice from Heaven declaring that Jesus was the Son of God do we think the same Evangelist would in the same breath pronounce Adam the Son of God too So that this very thing teacheth us what the Evangelist propounded to himself in the framing of this Genealogy which was to shew that this Jesus who had newly received that great testimony from Heaven this is my Son was the very same that had been promised to Adam by the seed of the Woman And for this reason hath he drawn his Pedigree on the Mother's side who was the Daughter of Heli and this too as high as Adam to whom this Jesus was promised In the close of the Genealogy he teacheth in what sense the former part of it should be taken viz. that Jesus not Joseph should be called the Son of Heli and consequently that the same Jesus not Adam should be called the Son of God indeed in every link of this chain this still should be understood Jesus the Son of Matthat Jesus the Son of Levi Jesus the Son of Melchi and so of the rest And thus the Genealogical stile agrees with that of Moses Genes XXXVI 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which words if you should render Aholibamah the Daughter of Anah the Daughter of Zibeon you emasculate Anah and make a Woman of him who was a Man and the Father of Aholibamah Vers. 24 25. 2. Suppose it could be granted that Joseph might be called the Son of Heli which yet ought not to be yet would not this be any great solecisme that his Son-in-law should become the Husband of Mary his own Daughter He was but his Son by Law by the Marriage of Joseph's Mother not by Nature and Generation y y y y y y Hieros Chagigah fol 77. 4. There is a discourse of a certain person who in his sleep saw the punishment of the damned Amongst the rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I would render thus but shall willingly stand corrected if under a mistake He saw Mary the Daughter of Heli amongst the shades R. Lazar ben Josah saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That she hung by the glâ—ndles of her breasts R. Josah bar Haninah saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That the great bar of Hell's gate hung at her ear If this be the true rendring of the words which I have reason to believe it is then thus far at least it agrees with our Evangelist that Mary was the Daughter of Heli and questionless all the rest is added in reproach of the blessed Virgin the Mother of our Lord whom they often vilifie elsewhere under the name of Sardah VERS XXVII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The son of Rhesa the son of Zorobabel the son of Salathiel the son of Neri I. THAT Pedaiah the Father of Zorobabel 1 Chron. III. 19. is omitted here is agreeable with Ezra V. 2. Hagg. I. 1 c. but why it should be omitted either here or there is not so easie to guess II. As to the variation of the names both here and 1 Chron. III. this is not unworthy our observation That Zorobabel and his Sons were carried out of Babylon into Judea and possibly they might change their names when they changed the place of their dwelling It was not very safe for him to be known commonly by the name of Zorobabel in Babylon when the import of that name was the winnowing of Babel so that he was there more generally called Sheshbazzar But he might securely resume the name in Judea when Cyrus and Darius had now fanned and sifted Babylon So his two Sons Meshullam and Hananiah could not properly be called one of them Abiud the glory of my Father and the other Rhesa a Prince while they were
the beginning of the three years and not tackt to the end of them as is very evident from this that it is said The third year Elijah shewed himself to Ahab c. In the beginning therefore of those three years we believe Elijah shut up Heaven upon the approach of that time wherein the rains were wont to fall in the Month of Marheshvan and opened Heaven again the same Month at the end of three years Nor is it nothing that Menander speaks of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the drought taking its beginning in the Month October which in part answers to the Jews Marheshvan For consult that passage Chap. XVIII Ahab said unto Obadiah Go into the land unto all the fountains and all the vallies perhaps we may find grass to save the Horses alive No one will say this search was made in Winter but in the Summer not before or in the Month Nisan when the rains were wont to fall for what hay or grass could be expected at that time but when the year grew on to the Summer then was it a seasonable time to enquire after hay and grass Reckon therefore the time of Ahab's and Obadiah's progress in this search the time wherein Elijah and Obadiah meeting together Ahab fell in with them the time wherein the Israelites and the Prophets of Baal were gathered together at Mount Carmel when Elijah sacrificed there and the followers of Baal were killed and certainly it will be more probable that the unlocking of the Heavens and the fall of the rains happened in that usual and ordinary season the Month Marheshvan than any other part of the year Three years agone in that month when the rains were expected according to the common season of the year Elijah shut Heaven up that it should not rain and now at the close of three years when the season for those rains recurred he unlocks the Heavens and the rains fall abundantly VI. Now go back from Marheshvan the Month wherein the Prophet lockt up Heaven to the Month Nisan preceeding and those six Months between they were also without rain according to the ordinary course of the year and climate In the Month Nisan it rained the rest of the year to Marheshvan it was fair and held up when that Month came the rains were expected but Elijah had shut the Heavens up and they remained shut up for the space of three years ensuing So that though he did not shut up Heaven above the space of three years yet there was no rain for three years and six months VERS XXVII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naaman the Syrian THese instances galled those of Nazareth upon a twofold account I. That they looked upon themselves as vilified by these examples especially if we consider the occasion upon which our Saviour brought them Thou hast wrought miracles in Capernaum do something also here in thine own City No you are unworthy of it as Israel of old was unworthy of the Prophets Elijah and Elisha who were therefore sent amongst the Gentiles II. That by these instances he plainly intimated the calling of the Gentiles than which nothing could be more grating in the year of the Jews Elijah was sent to a Heathen Woman and an Heathen Man was sent to Elisha and both of them were turned from Heathenism to the true Religion Those words therefore of Naaman 2 Kings V. 17 18. I would thus render Thy servant will henceforth offer neither Burnt-offering nor Sacrifice to strange Gods but unto Jehovah And concerning this thing the Lord pardon thy servant viz. concerning my former Idolatry that when my Master went into the house of Rimmon to worship there and leaned on my hand I also bowed my self in the house of Rimmon for that I bowed my self in the house of Rimmon the Lord pardon thy servant concerning this thing VERS XXIX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That they might cast him down headlong BY what authority or by what legal process could those of Nazareth do this There was indeed a Court of Judicature consisting of three men because there was a Synagogue but it was not in the power of that Court to decree any thing in capital matters It may be askt whether that license that was permitted the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Zelots extended thus far e e e e e e Sanhedr fol. 81. 2. He that steals the consecrated dishes and curseth by a Conjurer that is curseth God in the name of an Idol and goes in to an Heathen Woman that is openly as Zimri Numb XXV 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Zelots stay him And the Priest that ministers in his uncleanness his brethren the Priests beat out his brains with clubs But doth this license of the Zelot belong to all persons upon all occasions When Nathaniel said Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth He does not seem there to reflect so much upon the smallness and insignificancy of the Town as the looseness and pravity of its manners VERS XXXIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who had a spirit of an unclean Devil AN expression something unusual Perhaps it points toward the Pythonick or Necromantick Spirit how these are distinguisht amongst the Doctors we may see f f f f f f In Ramban in Sanbedr cap. 7. hal 4. Both of them though in a different manner invited and desired the inspirations of the Devil But of this thing I shall treat more largely at Chap. XIII 11. CHAP. V. VERS I. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To hear the word of God he also stood by the lake c. FOR they were wont to teach also without the Synagogue and Beth Midrash in the high-ways and in the streets a a a a a a Pesacbin fol. 26 1. Rabban Johaman ben Zacchai taught in the street before the mountain of the Temple the whole day See the Gloss upon it b b b b b b Eâ—ubbin fol. 29. 1. Ben Azzai taught in the streets of Tiberias This custom R. Judah forbad in this Canon c c c c c c Moed Katon fol. 16. 1. Let not the Doctors teach their disciples in the streets And accordingly he severely rebuked R. Chaijam because he taught his Brothers Sons in the street And yet it is related of the same R. Judah d d d d d d Beresh Rab. sect 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 R. Judah sat labouring in the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 labouring in the word and doctrine as the expression is 1 Tim. V. 17. before the Babylonish Synagogue in Zippor there was a Bullock passed by him to the slaughter and it lowed This Bullock because he did not deliver from the slaughter he was struck with the Tooth-ach for the space thirteen years VERS V. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We have toiled all night IN the Talmud's way of expressing it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 e e e e e e So â—ava Maâ—â— fol. 83. 10. Laborious all night 〈◊〉
elsewhere is expounded d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Devil Ashmodeus For in both places we have this ridiculous tale There was a certain Woman brought forth a son in the m Beresh rabb fol 39. 3. night time and said to her son a child newly born you must know go and light me a Candle that I may cut thy Navel As he was going the Devil Asmodeus meeting him said to him go and tell thy Mother that if the Cock had not crowed I would have killed thee c. The very name points at Apostacy not so much that the Devil was an Apostate as that this Devil provoked and entised people to apostatize Beelzebul amongst the Gentiles and Asmodeus amongst the Jews the first Authors of their apostacy Whether both the Name and Demon were not found out by the Jews to affright the Samaritans See the place above quoted n n n n n n Bâ—resh rabb col 4. Whenas Noah went to plant a Vineyard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Demon Asmodeus met him and said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let me partake with thee c. So that it seems they suppose Asmodeus had an hand in Noah's drunkenness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he that is Solomon sinned Asmodeus drove him to it c. They call the Angel of death by the name of Prince of all Satans because he destroys all mankind by death none excepted VERS XXXI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The Queen of the South c. I. I Cannot but wonder what should be the meaning of that passage in o o o o o o Fol. 15. 2. Bava bathra 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whoever saith that the Queen of Sheba was a Woman doth no other than mistake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What then is the Queen of Sheba The Kingdom of Sheba He would have the whole Kingdom of the Sabeans to have come to Solomon perhaps what is said that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 came 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with an exceeding great Army for so is that clause rendred by some might seem to sound something of this nature in his ears But if there was any kind of ambiguity in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as indeed there is none or if Interpreters doubted at all about it as indeed none had done the great Oracle of truth hath here taught us that the Queen did come to Solomon but why doth he term her the Queen of the South and not the Queen of Sheba II. There are plausible things upon this occasion spoken concerning Sheba of the Arabians which we have no leisure to discuss at present I am apt rather to apprehend that our Saviour may call her the Queen of the South in much a like sense as the King of Egypt is called in Daniel the King of the South the Countries in that quarter of the world were very well known amongst the Jews by that title but I question whether the Arabian Saba were so or no. Grant that some of the Arabian Countries be in later ages called Aliemin or Southern parts yet I doubt whether so called by antiquity or in the days of our Saviour Whereas it is said that the Queen of the South came to hear the wisdom of Solomon is it worth the patience of the Reader to hear a little the folly of the Jews about this matter Because it is said that she came to make a proof of his wisdom by dark sayings and hard questions these Doctors will be telling us what kind of riddles and hard questions she put to him p p p p p p Midr. Mis. about the beginning She saith unto him if I ask thee any thing wilt thou answer me He said it is the Lord that giveth wisdom She saith what is this then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There are seven things go out and nine enter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Two mingle or prepare the cup and one drinks of it He saith there are seven days for a Womans separation that go out and nine months for her bringing forth that come in Two breasts do mingle or prepare the cup and one sucks it Again saith she I will ask thee one thing more what is this A Woman saith unto her Son thy Father was my Father thy Grandfather was my Husband thou art my Son and I am thy Sister To whom he answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Surely they were Lot's Daughters There is much more of this kind but thus much may suffice for riddles VERS XXXIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. No man when he hath lighted a Candle c. THE coherence of this passage with what went before seems a little difficult but the connexion probably is this There were some that had reviled him as if he had cast out Devils by the Prince of the Devils others that had required a sign from Heaven Vers. 15 16. To the former of these he gives an answer Vers. 17 18. and indeed to both of them Vers. 19. and so on This passage we are upon respects both but the latter more principally q. d. You require a sign of me would you have me light a Candle and put it under a bushel Would you have me work miracles when I am assured beforehand you will not believe these miracles Which however of themselves they may shine like a candle lighted up yet in respect to you that believe them not it is no other than a candle under a bushel or in a secret place VERS XXXVI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The whole shall be full of light THIS clause seems so much the same with the former as if there were something of Tautology 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. If thy whole body therefore be full of light c. our Saviour speaketh of the eye after the manner of the Schools where the evil eye or the eye not single signify'd the covetous envious and malicious mind Do not bring such a mind along with thee but a candid benign gentle mind then thou wilt be all bright and clear thy self and all things will be bright and clear to thee If you had but such a mind O! ye carping blasphemous Jews you would not frame so sordid and infamous a judgment of my miracles but you would have a clear and candid opinion concerning them VERS XXXVIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That he had not first washed before dinner HAD the Pharisee himself washed before dinner in that sense wherein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the washing of the whole body it is hardly credible when there was neither need nor was it the custom to wash the whole body before meat but the hands only This we have spoken larglier upon elswhere q q q q q q Vid. Notes upon Mâ—t XV. Mark VII from whence it will be necessary for us to repeat these things that there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a washing of the hands and there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a dipping of the
common conceipt of theirs And that example he brings of a certain person that needed no repentance viz. the prodigal's Brother savours rather of the Jewish Doctrine than that he supposed any one in this world perfectly just VERS VIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Woman lighted a Candle THere is a parable not much unlike this in Midras Schir l l l l l l Fol. 3. 2. R. Phineas ben Jair expoundeth If thou seek wisdom as silver that is If thou seek the things of the Law as hidden treasures A Parable It is like a man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who if he lose a stone or ornament in his house he lighteth some Candles some Torches till he find it If it be thus for the things of this world how much more may it be for the things of the world to come VERS XI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A certain man had two sons IT is no new thing so to apply this parable as if the elder Son denoted the Jew and the younger the Gentile And indeed the elder son doth suite well enough with the Jew in this that he boasts so much of his obedience I have not transgressed at any time thy Commandment as also that he is so much against the entertainment of his Brother now a penitent Nothing can be more grievous to the Jews than the reception of the Gentiles VERS XIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He wasted his substance with riotous living OUght not this Prodigal to be looked upon as that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stubborn and rebellious son mentioned Deut. XXI 18 by no means if we take the judgment of the Sanhedrin it self For according to the character that is given of a stubborn and rebellious son in Sanhedrin m m m m m m Cap. 8. Where there is a set discourse upon that subject there can hardly be such an one found in nature as he is there described Unless he steal from his Father and his Mother he is not such a Son Unless he eat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 half a pound of flesh and drink half a log of wine he is not such a Son If his Father or Mother be lame or blind he is not such a Son c. Half a pound of flesh It is told of Maximin that he drank frequently in one day a Capitoline bottle of wine and eat forty pounds of flesh or as Cordus saith threescore n n n n n n Jul. Capitolin in Maximino CHAP. XVI VERS I. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who had a steward THIS Parable seems to have relation to the custom of letting out grounds which we find discoursed of a a a a a a Demai cap. 6. where it is supposed a ground is let by its owner to some tenant upon this condition that he pay half or one third or fourth part of the products of the ground according as is agreed betwixt them as to the proportion and quantity So also he supposes an Olive-yard let out upon such kind of conditions And there it is disputed about the payment of the Tithes in what manner it should be compounded between the owner and him that occupies the ground 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Kimchi is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pakidh b b b b b b Isal. XL. where he hath a Parable not much unlike this The world saith he is like unto an house built the Heaven is the covering of the house The Stars are the Candles in the house The fruits of the Earth are like a table spread in the house The owner of the house and he indeed that built it is the holy blessed God Man in the world is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 steward of the house into whose hands his Lord hath delivered all his riches If he behave himself well he will find favour in the eyes of his Lord if ill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be will remove him from his stewardship VERS III. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I cannot digg to beg I am ashamed IS there not some third thing betwixt digging and begging The distinction betwixt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Artificers and Labourers mentioned in Bavah Mezia c c c c c c Cap. 6. 6. hath place here This Steward having conversed only with Husbandmen must be supposed skilled in no other handicraft but that if should be forced to seek a livelihood he must be necessitated to apply himself to digging in the Vine-yards or Fields or Olive-yards VERS VI. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Take thy bill c. THAT is take from me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the schrol of thy contract which thou deliveredst to me and make a new one of fifty measures only that are owing by thee But it seems a great inequality that he should abate one fifty in an hundred measures of Oyl and the other but twenty out of an hundred measures of Wheat Unless the measures of Wheat exceeded the measure of Oyl ten times so that when there were twenty Cori of Wheat abated the debtor there were abated to him two hundred Baths or Ephah's VERS IX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of the Mammon of unrighteousness 1. WEre I very well assured that our Saviour in this passage meant riches well gotten and Alms to be bestowed thence I would not render it Mammon of unrighteousness but hurtful Mammon For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to hurt as well as to deal unjustly d d d d d d Revel VII 3. See also Rev. XI 5. Luke X. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vulg. Nolite nocere terrae hurt not the earth and so riches even well got may be said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hurtful Mammon because it frequently proves noxious to the owner It is the Lawyers term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dammage of Mammon Maimonides hath a Treatise with that title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is when any person doth any way hurt or damnifie anothers estate And in reality on the contrary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hurtful Mammon i. e. when riches turn to the hurt and mischief of the owner And if I thought our Saviour here speaks of riches honestly gotten I would suppose he might use this very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only that the phrase of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not so usual amongst the Jews as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 II. Or perhaps he might call it Mammon of unrighteousness in opposition to Mammon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of righteousness i. e. of mercy or alms-giving for by that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 righteousness the Jews usually expressed charity or alms-giving as every one that hath dipt into that language knows very well And then his meaning might be make to your selves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness i. e. of those riches which you have not yet laid out in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
t t t t t Lib. ◠cap. 23. Caelosyria habet Apamiam Marsyâ amne divisam A Nazarinorum Tetrarchiâ Bambycen quae alio nomine Hierapolis vocatur Syris verò Magog SECT IV. Certain horrid practises in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Caphar Nachum HAving spoken of Nazareth it will not be amiss to make some mention of Capernaum which however distant many miles yet was it the place where our Saviour dwelt as Nazareth was his native soil We have considered its situation in another Treatise being in the Country of Gennesareth a little distance from Tiberias There is another Capernahum mentioned by Gulielmus Tyrius u u u u u u Lib. 10. cap. 26. that lay upon the Coast of the Mediterranean as this did upon the coast of Gennesaret In loco quae dicitur Petra incisa juxta antiquum Tyrum inter Capharnaum Doram oppida Maritima In a place called Petra Incisa near old Tyre betwixt Capernaum and Dor two Sea-coast Towns It is uncertain whether the name be derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The former denotes pleasantness the latter comfort And though our Capernaum might justly enough take its name from the pleasantness of its situation according to the description that Josephus giveth of it x x x x x x Lib. de bell 3. cap. 35. Yet the oriental Interpreters write it the latter way The Rabbins also mention such a Town written in the same Letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which perhaps it will not be tedious to the Reader to take this Story y y y y y y Midras Coheleth fol. 85. 2. Chanina R. Joshua's Brother's Son went into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Capernaum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Hereticks or Magicians for the word signifies either inchanted him They brought him into the City sitting upon an Ass on the Sabbath day which was forbiden by their Law He went to his Uncle R. Joshua 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who besmeared him with a certain Ointment and he was recovered It should seem that by some kind of Enchantments they had thrown him into a Delirium so far that he had forgot both himself and the Sabbath day There is another Story immediately follows that A certain Disciple of R. Jonathan's flies over to these Hereticks That himself might be entred amongst them and become one too Jonathan finds him out employed in castrating Birds and Beasts They sent to him Jonathan and said it is written cast in thy Lot amongst us and let us all have one purse He fled and they followed him saying Rabbi come and give us a cast of thy office toward a young Birde He returned and found them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 committing Adultery with a Woman He asketh them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Is it the manner of the Jews to do such things as these They answer Is it not written in the Law cast in thy lot amongst us and let us all have one purse He fled and they pursued him to his own house and then he shut the doors against them They call to him and say O Rabbi Jonathan go and rejoycing tell thy Mother that thou didst not so much as look back toward us for if thou hadst looked back thou hadst then followed us as vehemently as we have now followed thee Whiles I read these things I cannot but call to mind the Nicolaitans and such who indulged to themselves a liberty of all obscene filthinesses nor is what we have related unworthy our observation with respect to Heresies of this kind Should this Capernaum be the same as probably it is with that Capernaum which we meet with so frequently in the Evangelists it is something observable what is said of it Thou Capernaum which art exalted unto Heaven shalt be brought down to Hell SECT V. Some short remarks upon Cana Joh. II. 2. IT is very disputable which should be the first letter of the word Cana whether Caph or Koph for we find both I. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kanah with the initial letter Koph is a City in the Tribe of Aser Josh. XIX 28. where the Greek for Canah have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and MS. Alex. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 II. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kene a word not very much differing in the sound occurs amongst the Talmudists ◠In Ohaloth cap. 18. hal ult 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rabbi and his Sanhedrin having numbred votes pronounced Keni clean Gloss. Keni was a place of doubtful esteem reckoned amongst the unclean that is a place of the Gentiles but in the days of R. Judah Haccodesh it came under tryal and they pronounced it clean III. We find 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Josephus but the situation not mentioned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a a a a a a Lib. 13. cap. 23. Antiochus being slain viz. when he fought with the Arabian King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Army fled to the Town Kana This is hardly our Cana as may in some measure appear in Josephus's Context IV. But further he speaks in his own life of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cana in Galilee As for its situation as far as can be collected from Josephus we discuss that in another Treatise and shew that it is not far from that where the River Jordan dischargeth its self into the Sea of Gennesaret so that between this Cana and Capernaum there seems to be almost the whole length of that Sea V. But it must not be forgot that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Canah beginning with the Letter Caph is met with in Juchasin b b b b b b Fol. 57. 2. the words these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the end of the Chapter it is these venth Chapter of Bavah Meziah there is a Tradition Abba Chalaphtha of Caphar Hananiah in the name of R. Meir saith they are in Bavah Meziah where he is brought in and what he said c c c c c c Fol. 94. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It seems to me they are the words of the Author of Juchasin that Caphar Hananiah is Caphar Cana as may be proved out of the ninth Chapter of the Book Sheviith for there was the entrance of the lower Galilee From that place quoted in Sheviith which is Halac 2. it plainly appears that Caphar Hananiah was in the very outmost border that divided the upper and the lower Galilee From whence it is evident that the entrance of the lower Galilee according to our Author was not as we go from Samaria to Galilee but from the upper Galilee into the lower And whether Cana of Galilee be so called to distinguish it from that Cana that so divides between the two Galilees or from that Cana that was in the Tribe of Aser which may not unfitly be called Cana of the Sidonians it is at the Reader 's choice to determine As also why the Syriack Interpreter should in this place write 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
of Gennesaret had obtained this Medicinal vertue for her sake It is a wonder they had not got the story of this Pool by the end too and attributed its vertue to the merits of Solomon because this once was Solomon's Pool There was a time when God shewed wonders upon the Fountains and Rivers about Jerusalem in a very different manner that is in great severity and judgment as now in mercy and compassion i i i i i i Joseph de beli lib. 5. cap. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These are the words of Josephus exhorting the people to surrender themselves Those springs flow abundantly to Titus which as to us had dryed away long before For you know how before his coming Siloam and all the Springs about the City failed so much that water was bought by the bottle but now they bubble up afresh for your Enemies and that in such abundance that they have sufficiently not only for themselves but for their Cattel and Gardens Which very miracle this Nation hath formerly experienced when this City was taken by the King of Babylon If there was such a miracle upon the waters upon the approach of the Enemy and destroyer it is less wonder that there should be some miraculous appearances there though in a different manner at the approach of him who was to be our Saviour How long the vertue of this Pool lasted for healing the Impotent whether to the destruction of Jerusalem or whether it ceased before or from this very time it would be to as little purpose to enquire as after the original and first appearance of it being both so very uncertain and unintelligible VERS VI. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wilt thou be made whole IT is no question but he desired to be healed because for that vey end he had layen there so long But this question of our Saviour hath respect to the Sabbath q. d. wouldst thou be healed on the Sabbath day For that they were infinitely superstitious in this matter there are several instances in the Evangelists not to mention their own Traditions Mark III. 2. Luke XIII 14. and XIV 3. VERS VIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Take up thy bed and walk I Would render it in the Jewish language thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He said elsewhere Take up thy bed and go thy way into thine House Mark II. 11. Whether this be the same with that it is not so very clear I. The common distinction must be observed between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which respects the Sabbath that is so that there may be a difference betwixt a private place or what is any ones peculiar right and a publick place or what is of more publick and common right Let nothing be carried out on the Sabbath out of a private place into a publick and so on the contrary k k k k k k Schabb. fol. 6. 1. Whoever on the Sabbath carries out any thing either from a private place to a publick or from a publick place to a private or brings in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if he do this unadvisedly he is bound to offer Sacrifice for his sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but if presumptuously he is punished by cutting off and being stoned II. But it was lawful within places of private propriety such as were the Porches Entryes and Courts where various Families dwelling together by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 might be joyned it was lawful for them to remove and bear from one place to another but not all things nor indeed any thing unless upon very urgent necessity l l l l l l Schabb. cap. 18. hal 1. They remove four or five Chests of straw or fruits for the sakes of Passengers or want of Beth Midrash But they remove not their treasure c. The Gloss is They remove these things if they have need of the place they take up either for Passengers to eat or Scholars to learn in neither are solicitous for their labour on the Sabbath c. But what do we speak of these things whenas by the Canons and Rules of the Scribes it is forbidden them to carry any thing of the least weight or burden on the Sabbath day So that it would be plainly contrary to those rules to take his Bed hither or thither in the Porch it self much more out of the Porch into the streets It is worthy our observing therefore that our Saviour did not think it enough meerly to heal the Impotent Man on the Sabbath day which was against their rules but further commanded him to take up his Bed which was much more against that rule From whence it is very evident that Christ had determined within himself either to try the Faith and Obedience of this man or else at this time openly to shake the Jewish Sabbath which e're long he knew must be thrown off the hinges it now turned upon or both VERS IX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Was the Sabbath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mentioned in St. Luke VI. 1. was this very Sabbath or the very next VERS XVII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My Father worketh hitherto OUR Saviour being called before the Sanhedrin I. Asserts the Messiah to be God and II. That he himself is the Messiah The Son of God and the Messiah are convertible terms which the Jews deny not and yet have very wrong conceptions about filiation or being made a Son St. Peter confesseth Matth. XVI 16. Thou art Christ the Son of God So also Caiphas in his interrogatory Matth. XXVI 63. Art thou Christ the Son of God but they hardly agree in the same sense and notion of Son-ship Aben Ezra upon Psal. II. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kiss the Son confesseth that this is properly spoken of the Messiah but in Midr. Tillin there is a vehement dispute against true filiation The same Aben Ezra likewise confesseth that in Dan. III. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One like the Son of God is to be taken in the same sense with that of Prov. XXXI 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with my Son and what the Son of my Womb But Saadias and R. Solomon understand it of an Angel m m m m m m Midras Cohelath fol. 93. 4. There is one who hath neither Son nor Brother the Holy Blessed who hath neither Brother nor Son He hath no Brother how should he have a Son only that God loved Israel and so called them his Children It is not unknown with what obstinacy the Jews deny the God-head of the Messiah Whence the Apostle writing to the Hebrews lays this down as his first foundation of Discourse That the Messiah is truly God Heb. I. Which they being ignorant of the great mystery of the Trinity deny fearing lest if they should acknowledge Messiah to be God they should acknowledge more Gods than one Hence they every day repeated in the recitals of their Phylacteries Hear O
called the Just nor could we suppose any a more likely Candidate for the Apostleship than he who was brother to so many of the Apostles and had been so oftentimes nam'd with James What the word Barsabas might signifie it is not so easie to determine because Sabas may agree with so many Hebrew words the Nomenclators render it The Son of Conversion Son of quiet Son of an Oath But by the way who can tell what Etymology the Arabick Interpreter in Bib. Polygl referr'd to when he render'd it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Barzaphan I would write it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bar Saba which also the Erpenian Arab. does i. e. a wise Son unless you had rather Son of an old man There is also another Barsabas Chap. XV. 22. Judas sirnamed Barsabas by whom if Judas the Apostle be to be understood let Joses and he both Barsabas be brothers both of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Sons of old Alpheus CHAP. II. VERS I. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come I. THIS word Pentecost seems to be taken into use by the Hellenist Jews to signifie this Feast which also almost all the Versions retain the Western especially and amongst the Eastern the Syriack and Aethiopick The Hebraizing Jews commonly call this Feast by the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from which one of the Arabicks differs very little when it renders it in this place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is only interserted the other omits the word wholly and only hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the day of the fifty II. It is well enough known that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Holy Scriptures was an Holy-day Levit. XXIII 36. Deut. XVI 8. and the reason why the Jews so peculiarly appropriate it to the Feast of Pentecost seems to be this because this Feast consisted in one solemn day whereas the Feast of Passover and of Tabernacles had more days f f f f f f Beresh rabba fol. 114. 3. As the days of the Feast are seven R. Chaija saith because the Pentecost is but for one day is the mourning so too They say unto him thou arguest from a far fetcht tradition Where the Gloss hath it That this Feast is but for one day we learn from the very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 g g g g g g Beracoth fol. 17. 2. The men of the Town Mahaesia are strong of heart for they see the glory of the Law twice in the year The Gloss is Thither all Israel is gather'd together in the Month Adar that they may hear the Traditions concerning that Passover in the School of Rabh Asai and in the Month Elul that they may hear the Traditions concerning the Feast of Tabernacles But they were not so gather'd together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at the Feast of Pentecost because that is not above one day Hence that Baithusean may be the better believ'd in his dispute with Rabban Johanan h h h h h h Menacoth fol. fol. 65. 1. Moses our Master saith he will love Israel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he knows that the Feast of Pentecost is but for one day III. And yet there is mention of a second Holy-day in Pentecost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rabh Papa hath shammatiz'd those bearers that bury the dead on the first Feast-day of Pentecost c. where the mention of the first Feast-day hints to us that there is a second which we find elsewhere asserted in express terms i i i i i i Erachin fol. 10. 1. R. Simeon ben Jozedek saith in eighteen days any single person repeats the Hallel over that is to say in the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles in the eight days of the Feast of Dedication the first day of the Passover and the first day of Pentecost But in the captivity they did it in one and twenty days In the nine days of the Feast of Tabernacles in the eight days of the Feast of Dedication in the two Feast-days of the Passover 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the two Feast-days of Pentecost Whereas it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the captivity the difficulty is answer'd for although in the land of Israel there was but one solemn day in the Feast of Pentecost yet amongst the Jews in foreign Countries there were two which also happen'd in other Solemnities For instance within Palestine they kept but one day holy in the beginning of the year viz. the first day of the Month Tisri but in Babylon and other foreign Countries they observ'd both the first and the second day And the reason was because at so great a distance from the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem they could not be exactly certain of the precise day as it had been stated by the Sanhedrin they observ'd therefore two days that by the one or the other they might be sure to hit upon the right IV. God himself did indeed institute but one Holy-day in the Feast of Pentecost Levit. XXIII and therefore is it more peculiarly call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a solemn day because it had but one Feast-day And yet that Feast hath the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same titles that the Feast of Tabernacles and the Passover had Exod. XXIII 14 c. and all the males appear'd in this Feast as well as in the others nor was this Feast without its Chagigah any more than the rest So that however the first day of Pentecost only was the Holy and solemn day yet the Feast it self was continu'd for seven days So the Doctors in Rosh hashanah k k k k k k Fol. 4. 2. R. Oshaiah saith whence comes it that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Pentecost hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 compensations for all the seven days because the Scripture saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Feast of unleaven'd bread 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in the Feast of Weeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in the Feast of Tabernacles He compares the Feast of Weeks i. e. Pentecost with the Feast of unleaven'd bread That hath compensations for all the seven days 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the Feast of Weeks i. e. Pentecost hath compensations for all the seven days They call'd that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 compensations when any one had not made his just offerings in the beginning of the Feast he repair'd and compensated this negligence or defect of his by offering in any other of the seven days And thus much may suffice as to this whole Feast in general Now as to the very day of Pentecost it self it may not be amiss to add something I. It is well known that the account of weeks and days from the Passover to Pentecost took its beginning from and depended upon the day of offering the sheaf of the first-fruits Levit. XXIII 15. But through the ambiguity
mistaken who suppose the Jews that were dispersed amongst other Nations to be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hellenists I confess my self willingly to be in that error too Nor yet would I put all these Jews that were dispersed among the Gentiles under the name of Hellenists not those that were scattered amongst the Medes Parthians Persians Arabians and those Eastern Countries Nor do I suppose that he would call the Proselites of those Nations Hellenists because the very Etymology of the word implies Grecisme 1. Chap. II. 10. we meet with Jews and Proselites and in this Chapter we meet with Hebrews and Hellenists We may most truly say that the Proselites there are distinguisht from the Jews we cannot at the same time say that the word Hellenists in this place distinguisheth them from the Jews when we see it only distinguisheth from the Hebrews 2. St. Luke calls Nicolas a Proselyte of Antioch ver 5. would we therefore call him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Hellenist of Antioch we would rather term him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Greek because his very name shews him to have been originally a Greek 3. As to that distinction in Chap. XI 19 20. for I would rather term it a distinction than an Antithesis it doth not conclude the Hellenists not to have been Jews but intimates the difference only between Jews of a more pure and worthy rank and Jews not so pure and worthy II. There are those that think and that truly that the Hellenists were Jews dispersed amongst the Gentiles but that they were called Hellenists for this reason especially viz. because they used in their Synagogues the Greek Bible which whether it be true or no I question but will not dispute it at this present only thus far I will observe 1. That the Greek Tongue was in mean esteem amongst the Jews indeed they hated it rather than took any pleasure in it or had any value for it s s s s s s Bava Kama fol. 82. 2. When Aristobulus the Asmonean beseiged his brother Hyrcanus and some things had fallen out amiss with them through the Counsel of a certain old man skilled in the Greek learning they said at that time cursed be the man that cherisheth swine and cursed the man that teacheth his son the wisdom of the Greeks t t t t t t Sotah fol. 40. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the war of Titus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they decreed that no man should teach his Son Greek The Gloss upon this place confounds the stories and would have the war of Titus the same with that of Aristobulus and Hyrcanus but the Gloss upon the former place rightly distinguisheth and grants there was such a decree made in the days of the Asmoneans but having been neglected in process of time was revived and renewed in the war with Titus Let it be one or the other we may abundantly see what kind of respect the Greek Learning or Language had amongst them For this passage follows in both Samuel saith in the name of Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel There were a thousand boys 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my Fathers School of whom five hundred learnt the Law and five hundred the wisdom of the Greeks and there is not one of all that last number now alive excepting my self here and my Unkles Son in Hasia I rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my Fathers School or Family because of what follows in both places They allowed the family of Rabban Gamaliel the Greek Learning because they ware allied to the Royal blood i. e. they sprung of the stock and lineage of David They permitted that that family should be brought up in that learning because it became them for their honour and nobility to want no kind of Learning But this they did not freely allow others and if they did not permit the wisdom of the Greeks we can hardly suppose they excepted the Greek Tongue especially when we find it in the very terms of the decree let no one teach his Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Greek Upon what I have already said I cannot but make these following remarques I. What an effectual bar they laid in their own way against the reading of the New Testament when they so renounced the Greek Tongue which God had now honoured beyond their Syriac though they will have that so much graced both in the Law Prophets and holy writings II. That even those who understood little else but Greek would very hardly admit the reading of the Law and the Prophets in their Synagogues in the Greek Tongue in that it was so very grateful to their Countrymen and the Decrees and Canons of the Elders did either require or at least permit an Interpreter in the reading of the Bible in their Synagogues III. How probable a thing is it that those Jews who having lived amongst the Gentiles understood no other Language but the Greek for that very thing grew the less valuable with their own Nation that had retained the common use of the Hebrew Tongue and were had in some lower esteem than others 2. If therefore they stood so affected toward the Greek Learning what value must they have for the Greek Tongue Grant that it were in some esteem amongst them because indeed most of the Learned Rabbins did understand it yet what account must they make of those Jews that knew no other Language but the Greek Surely they must be lookt upon as in the lower yea the lowest degree of Jews who were such strangers to the Language so peculiar to that nation that is the Hebrew Such are those whom we find mentioned in Hieros Sotah u u u u u u Fol. 21. 2. R. Levi ben Chaiathah going down to Cesarea heard them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reciting their Phylacteries in Greek and would have forbidden them which when R. Jose heard he was very angry and said if a man doth not know how to recite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Holy Tongue must he not recite them at all let him perform his duty in what Language he can Cesarea Philippi is the seene of this story a City that the Rabbins make very frequent and honourable mention of in both the Talmuds This being one of the Cities in Decapolis which were all under the Gentile or Greek jurisdiction it seems there might be some Jews there that understood Greek but not Hebrew Otherwise they would doubtless have said over their Phylacteries in the Hebrew though they could not do it in the Holy Tongue 3. There were many Jews in several Countries and those very probably to whom both the Languages of Hebrew and Greek were their Mother-Tongues The Hebrew in their own Country and the Greek among the Grecians The Hebrew in the Families and Synagogues of the Jews the Greek amongst their fellow-Citizens the Gentiles Such was Paul of Tarsus a Greek City and yet was he an Hebrew of the Hebrews Phil. III. 5. And such
enough VERS III. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Get thee out of thy Country and from thy kindred I Would not confound this passage with that in Gen. XII 1. For Stephen and indeed the thing it self assures us that this was spoken to Abraham in Chaldea but that in Charran Here is no mention of his going from his Fathers house as there is there Nor did he indeed depart from his Fathers house when he removed from Ur of the Chaldeans for he took his father and whole family along with him But he departed when he removed from Charran leaving his father buried behind him and Nahor his brother with his family VERS IV. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. When his Father was dead c. HERE ariseth a difficulty and upon that a controversie which we may take in in the words of R. Salomon upon Gen. XI And Terah died in Charran that is more than threescore years after Abraham had left Charran and had setled in the Land of Canaan For it is written Abraham was seventy five years of age when he went out of Charran and Terah was seventy years old when Abraham was born Behold Terah was one hundred and forty five years of age when Abraham left Charran and he had a great many years yet behind There remained indeed according to this calculation sixty years I. In that whole Chapter there is no mention of the death of any person there named before or beside that of Terah Where by the way we may take notice of the boldness of the Greek Interpreters who to every one of those persons have annext 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he died directly against the purpose of Moses and the mind of the Apostle Heb. VII 3. Now therefore why when Moses had past over the death of all the rest that had been reckoned up before in that Catalogue should it be put in concerning Terah only that he died in Charran were it not to shew that Abraham did not remove from thence till after his Fathers decease there This R. Solomon even while he is defending the contrary seems something apprehensive of For thus he expresseth himself Why doth the Scripture tell of the death of Terah before it mentions Abrahams removal viz. lest the matter should be made public and men should say Abraham did not give that honour to his Father that he ought to have done relinquishing him now in his old age and going away from him the Scripture therefore speaks of him as now dead because the wicked even while they are alive are accounted for dead How is this Rabbin mistaken For Terah now is no wicked man nor an Idolater but converted and therefore Moses makes him chief in that removal out of Chaldea that his conversion might be known although the command concerning the departure from that Country came first to Abraham And if it was not lawful for Abraham to have forsaken his Father being yet an Idolater much less was it so when he was now become a worshipper of the true God II. It is indeed said that Terah lived seventy years and begat Abraham Nahor and Haran but as it is against reason to suppose they were all begot in one year so there is no necessity to think they were begot in the order they are placed in in the story Here that common maxim of the Rabbins takes place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is no first and last in the Holy Scripture i. e. the order of the story does not necessarily determine the time of it And the Gemarists themselves however they suppose that Abraham might be older than Nahor one year and Nahor than Haran one year yet do they at length conclude 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perhaps Abraham was the youngest of his Brethren m m m m m m Sanhâ—dr fol. 69. 2. which they also confirm out of the order observed in numbring the sons of Noah where Sem is first in the Catalogue though he was younger than Japhet It is commonly received amongst the Jews that Sarah Abrahams wife was the daughter of his brother Haran and that not without reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jecah say they is the same with Sarah and Josephus speaks it out as a thing of antient tradition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Haran leaving one Son Lot and Sarah and Milcha two daughters dyed in Chaldea n n n n n n Aâ—… lib. 1. cap. â— If therefore Sarah who was but ten years younger than Abraham was Harans daughter which seems to be in some measure confirmed Gen. XX. 12. we can by no means suppose Abraham to have been the first born amongst the sons of Terah but Haran rather unless we will trifle with some of the Rabbins and say that Haran begat Milcha when he was but six or eight years old But they conclude at length a little more rationally if I understand what they mean 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they reckon them up according to their wisdom Conceive Abraham therefore born not in the seventieth but in the hundred and thirthieth year of Terah and that these words here recited by Stephen were spoken to him in Ur of the Chaldeans but those mentioned Gen. XII 1. spoken in Charran and thus joyn the story Terah dyed in Charran Then said God unto Abraham c. VERS XIV 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Threescore and fifteen Souls THE Hebrew Copies have it every where but threescore and ten So also Josephus o o o o o o Antiqu. lib. 2. cap. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. He came to Egypt with his Sons and all their Sons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were in all threescore and ten Again elswhere p p p p p p Ibid. cap. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. wherewith threescore and ten all that were with him going down into Egypt c. So Ezekiel Tragad in Euseb. de praepar Evangel * * * * * * Lib. 9. ca. 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 From the time that Jacob having left the Land of Canaan came down into Egypt having seven times ten Souls with him So the very Greek Version it self in Deut. X. 22. ' Ev 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Thy Fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons which is strange when they have it in another place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 threescore and fifteen †Vid. Gen. 46. 27. Exod. 1. 9 We may easily discern that Saint Luke here follows that Version that adds five Grand-children to Joseph Gen. XLVI 20. Machir and Gilead because of those words Gen. L. 22. The Sons of Machir the Son of Manasseh brought up upon Josephs knees And Sutelah and Tahan and Eden because it is said Joseph saw Ephraims Children unto the third generaâ—â—on Where by the way I cannot but think it strange why the Greek Interpreters should select these their additional persons out of the Sons of Joseph rather than any
only asks How shall this be c Doubtless she took the Prophecy in its proper sense as speaking of a Virgin untoucht She knew nothing then nor probably any part of the Nation at that time so much as once thought of that sense by which the Jews have now for a great while disguised that place and the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 II. Give me leave for their sakes in whose hands the book is not to transcribe some few things out of that noble Author Morney a a a a a a De Verit. Christ. Relig. cap. 28. which he quotes concerning this grand mystery from the Jews themselves b b b b b b Moses Haddarson in Psa LXXXV Truth shall spring out of the earth R. Jotten saith he notes upon this place That it is not said truth shall be born but shall spring out because the Generation and Nativity of the Messiah is not to be as other creatures in the world but shall be begot without Carnal Copulation and therefore no one hath mentioned his Father as who must be hid from the knowledge of men till himself shall come and reveal him And upon Genes Ye have said saith the Lord we are Orphans bereaved of our Father such an one shall your redeemer be whom I shall give you So upon Zachary Behold my servant whose name is of the branch And out of Psal. CX Thou art a Priest after the order of Melchizedech He saith R. Berachiah delivers the same things And R. Simeon Ben Jochai upon Genes more plainly viz. That the Spirit by the impulse of a mighty power shall come forth of the Womb though shut up that will become a mighty Prince the King Messiah So he VERS XXXVI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hath also conceived a Son in her old age THE Angel teaches to what purpose it was that Women either barren before or considerably stricken in years should be enabled to conceive and bring forth viz. to make way for the easier belief of the Conception of a Virgin If they either beside or beyond nature conceive a Child this may be some ground of belief that a Virgin contrary to Nature may do so too So Abraham by Faith saw Christ's day as born of a pure Virgin in the birth of his own Son Isaac of his old and barren Wife Sarah VERS XXXIX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. She went into the hill Country c. THAT is to Hebron Jos. XXI 11. For though it is true indeed the Priests after the return from Babylon were not all disposed and placed in all those very same dwellings they had possest before the Captivity yet is it probable that Zachary who was of the seed of Aaron being here said to dwell in the hill Country of Judah might have his House in Hebron which is more peculiarly said to be the City of Aaron's off-spring VERS XLI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Babe leaped in her Womb. SO the Seventy Gen. XXV 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Children leaped in her womb Psal. CXIV 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Mountains skipped That which is added by Elizabeth Vers. 44. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The babe leaped in the womb for joy signifies the manner of the thing not the cause q. d. it leaped with vehement exultation For John while he was an Embryo in the Womb knew no more what was then done than Jacob and Esau when they were in Rebecca's Womb knew what was determined concerning them a a a a a a Hieros Sotah fol. 2. 3. At the Red Sea even the infants sung in the wombs of their Mothers as it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal. LXVIII where the Targum to the same sense Exalt the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye infants in the bowels of your Mothers of the seed of Israel Let them enjoy their Hyperboles Questionless Elizabeth had learnt from her Husband that the Child she went with was designed as the fore-runner of the Messiah but she did not yet know of what sort of Woman the Messiah must be born till this leaping of the infant in her womb became some token to her VERS LVI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abode with her three Months A Space of time very well known amongst the Doctors defined by them to know whether a Woman be with Child or no. Which I have already observed upon Matth. I. a a a a a a Iâ—â—â—moth fol. 33 2. 34. â— 35. 1 c. VERS LIX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And they called it c. I. THE Circumciser said a a a a a a Schabb. fol. 137. 2. Blessed be the Lord our God who hath sanctified us by his precepts and hath given us the Law of Circumcision The Father of the infant said who hath sanctified us by his precepts and hath commanded us to enter the Child into the Covenant of Abraham our Father But where was Zachary's tongue for this service II. God at the same time instituted Circumcision and changed the names of Abraham and Sarah hence the custom of giving names to their Children at the time of their Circumcision III. Amongst the several accounts why this or that name was given to the Sons this was one that chiefly obtained viz. for the honour of some person whom they esteemed they gave the Child his name Which seems to have guided them in this case here when Zachary himself being dumb could not make his mind known to them Mahli the Son of Mushi hath the name of Mahli given him who was his Uncle the Brother of Mushi his Father 1 Chron. XXIII 21 23. b b b b b b Cholin fol. 47. 2. R. Nathan said I once went to the Islands of the Sea and there came to me a Woman whose first born had died by Circumcision so also her second Son She brought the third to me I bad her wait a little till the blood might asswage She waited a little and then Circumcised him and he lived They called him therefore by my name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nathan of Babylon See also Jerusalem Jevamoth c c c c c c Fol. 7. 4. d d d d d d â—ab Jevam. fol. 105. 1. There was a certain Family at Jerusalem that were wont to die about the eighteenth year of their age They made the matter known to R. Johanan ben Zacchai who said perhaps you are of Elie's Lineage concerning whom it is said The increase of thine House shall die in the flower of their age Go ye and be diligent in the study of the Law and ye shall live They went and gave diligent heed to the Law and lived They called themselves therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Family of Johanan after his name It is disputed in the same Tract e e e e e e Fol. 24. 1. whether the Son begot by a Brother's raising up seed to his Brother should not be called after the