blessed of my Father he did not answer I will do it that his Disciples who were there might not be offended who yet were so much distasted that he spoke unto them and pacified them even as a Father having Sons and they ask him for somewhat that is hidden where he hath put it and he being unwilling to let them know saith I know not and wherefore did he not reveal it because it was not for their advantage nor their Successors for if he had declared it unto them they had been careless and remiss and had not been diligently constant in prayer and that this was so is known from what he said Watch and pray But of the day and hour And it is necessary to know in the first place That the Scriptures are not alwayes to be taken according to the outward sound of words nor when they say That God is a consuming fire are we to think That he burns or flameth nor that he is of Kin or a Watchman or corporeal or compounded of differing Natures or that he is subject to Passions that he is angry that he sleeps or wakes or is sorrowful or that he erred or was ignorant and according to that He who is not born of water and of the Spirit shall not enter into the Kingdom whereas many have been made famous for Martyrdom who have not been baptized the Thief also entred into Paradise And no man can say That Jesus is Lord but by the Spirit yet the Manichees the Mercionites the Gentiles and the Jewes are well pleased with the word and use it without the grace of the Spirit and like it is to this All of them have declined together and are become reprobate and all they who came were Thieves and Robbers So also is this expression for if he did not know this day and this hour how was this said That I and my Father are one for if in knowledge he be not one wherein is he one And if he did not know the day as well as the Father how said he That all whatsoever the Father hath is mine And if the Father hath any thing which the Son knoweth not how is it said That no man knows the Father but the Son And this is objected and how do these agree Is he one and the Father knoweth nothing which the Son doth not know and this there is nothing high and exalted but it is little in comparison of other things and thus saith the Apostle In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and how the Son and neither the Son but the Father And if he knows the Father it is certain that he knows him with all his knowledge Again If he knows the Father how doth he know the Father and knows not this day therefore this day is greater than the Father and if the Father knows this day of necessity also doth the Son know it and if it be not so the Father seems not to know or else how much greater is the knowledge of this day than the knowledge of the Father And if he be maker of all things how doth he not know his own Works or is this day not reckoned amongst his Works nor in the number of the dayes of the year And if so let them shew what it is or where it is for every compleat day is made up of a day and night and hours are the course of vicissitudes and an hour according to the opinion of the Philosophers is not at all for that which is past is not nor that which is to come for it is not yet and if he who had all things in his hand knoweth not the day how did he create any thing which he knows not how do these agree And if the Spirit searcheth out every thing even the profundities of God and this is the Spirit of Christ how is it that he doth not know those things which were made by him And how doth he know that the consummation of the World shall be in the night That two shall be in a Bed and one shall be led away and yet not know the day for because of the long interspace of time they thought that the end of the World was at hand and that his appearance should have been in their dayes as Paul said unto some Wonder not behold the day of the Lord cometh He governs them as Children for they had reapt no advantage from the knowledge of this day nor the Generations after them neither did he reveal the time of our death and by this Declaration he teacheth us That if we be ask't by any one an unprofitable question we should prudently shift it off as it were for want of knowledge lest instead of a Fish we should hold forth to our Neighbours a Serpent Moreover If these passages viz. He knows not that day I know ye not as he said unto the foolish Virgins and I never knew ye as he said should be understood according to the outward sound of words many of the like are spoken of the Father as this God remembred Noah as if he had recovered himself out of forgetfulness Again I will go down and see whether they have acted and done according to the cry that hath ascended up And the like again They did what I commanded them not and it came not into my mind And again Adam where art thou Where is Abel thy Brother And if the Father who is not cloathed with a Body is attended with Attributes of Infirmity how much rather should not he who is cloathed with a Body for us speak after the manner of men and as a Tree that is remote and at a great distance and unseen is known by the fruit which are presented to view and brought nigh so is our Lord made known by his signs and by his Works and by the Prophesies which have been made concerning him and not by words which sound of infirmity and if he being cloathed with a Body there were those who denied that he was born of the Virgin and said that he was not begotten but that he was a stranger and that he appeared onely in fancy how much the rather would they have said so had it not been for these Attributes of Infirmity Moreover He did not reveal this day because it would not have advantaged them to have known it and many would have been remiss in the exercise of vertue until the last hour but now forasmuch as the coming to Judgment is concealed from us we stand alvvayes in danger and fear Moreover It seemed good unto God that knovving it he should not reveal it and to man it vvas a reproach that he should have done it therefore forasmuch as he vvas deemed onely to be a man it vvas not a matter of odium to conceal from them the day but if any one had promised them who knew and would not have revealed it he had been thought wicked and envious and if he had revealed itit had produced remisness
remembred his mercy i. e. Mary doth not insinuate as if he had forgotten what he had said but by the words he remembred is to be understood That he fulfilled his mercy and his promise which he made unto Abraham that Christ should rise of his seed Moreover That which God promised by his mercy unto Abraham That in his seed the Nations should be blessed did he fulfill by the Twelve Apostles and by the multitude of Jewes who believed as also the Promises of Palesti were performed by Joshuah the Son of Nun and Caleb DIONYSIVS his EXPOSITION ON SIMEON 's Nunc Dimittas His Benediction and his Prophesie Translated by D. L. DIsmiss now thy servant He begs a Dismiss from Christ though he was not detained by him but by the Spirit for he knew that there was one Nature of the Father and of the Son and of the Spirit and that they have one Will which he had learned by the Spirit By these words Dismiss thou thy servant He prayes to be dismissed out of this life According to thy Word It is likely that he had formerly heard from him somewhat concerning this and therefore he put him in mind of what he had said unto him In peace That is to say Without pain and passion He begged a quiet departure and that very day he was dismissed this life though others say the day after Mine eyes have seen thy mercy His Incarnation or Incorporation he calls mercy whereby he redeemed all Nations Which thou preparedst in the sight That is to say In his clemency he was gracious to sinners and propitious unto them A light for revelation of the Gentiles When Christ was revealed in person he was a light to the Gentiles who sate in darkness and they discerned and distinguished between the false gods and the true God and worshipped him And the glory of thy people He was glory to the Israelites because he was incarnated of their Nation and chose from amongst them Twelve Apostles and Seventy two Evangelists and although there was amongst them one wicked man yet the rest of them believed as said the Apostle And Simeon blessed them The Virgin because she was worthy to be the Mother of him who was begotten of the Father eternally and Joseph because he was an assistant to the Virgin and they were both Ministers in this mystery Behold he is set for the fall That is to say Of the Scribes and Pharisees and Priests who did not believe And rising of many That is to say Of Publicans and Harlots who believed in him and arose and of all the sons of Adam who believed Is set Here is fulfilled that which was spoken by the person of the Father Behold I am to set up in Sion a stone of offence and it was well said I am to set up And Simeon said is set up by reason he was placed in the midst of those who believing arose and of those who denying fell In Israel He said so for that as yet they had liberty of choice and the fall and rising were not from Jesus but from proper freedom and power of those who believe or deny And for a sign of Contention For all Tongues spoke against him and were all overcome by him according to that I came not to bring Peace For a sign Because that as a sign doth not only shew it self but other things also so Jesus doth not onely reveal himself but also the Father and the Spirit Of Contention For the Jewes of that time were divided in opinion concerning him Some of them called him a Prophet and others of them a Deceiver As also the Christians of this time some of them call him God made Man others Man made God and two natures after the union And some of them call him Creator others call him a Creature And a Spear shall pass thorow thy soul He calls a Spear the defect of Faith in Mary concerning him at that time and also at the time of his Passion He did not say That a Spear shall stick in thee but it shall pass thorow thy soul That he might shew that her defect of Faith was not permanent with her because she received from the Apostles correction when the Spirit came down into the upper Room and instructed her concerning the Majesty of him whom she had born Moreover He calls a Spear the Contumely and Reproach which the Jewes cast upon her which as a Spear were to transfix her Again He calls a Spear that which transfixed her Son on the Cross which having passed thorow our Saviour he said that it passed thorow Mary for it was the Custom that they who were Crucified did end their life not with a Sword but with a Spear when therefore the Son receiveth a wound the Mother also is likewise wounded especially when she is neer at hand and seeth it for although as God he was by nature the Son of the Father yet inasmuch as he was made Man he was naturally the Son of Mary In the Greek instead of a Spear it is written a Sword Others Through thy soul That is to say Through thy Son shall pass a Spear and the sting of the Serpent of Paradise by reason of the Transgression of the Commandment hitherto and she calls her soul her Son That thoughts of many might be revealed That is to say this Spear to wit doubting and scandal which passeth thy soul doth reveal the Thoughts of many hearts whether they raise doubts concerning him out of infirmity or out of an evil mind receive Correction from the Spirit as Mary did and as many others at that time and as the Faithful afterwards DIONYSIVS SYRVS HIS EXPOSITION ON THE AVE MARIA Translated by D. L. AND the Angel came to her i. e. The Angel declared his message unto her being alone for as he had done unto Zacharias and Joseph speaking unto them he did not so declare unto Joseph for without the communication of Joseph in the conception she conceived by the Holy Ghost but he denounced the matter unto Zachary because he communicated in the conception of John Peace unto thee full of grace He commenceth his Discourse from Peace for this Child was to destroy the Hostility which was between earthly and heavenly Things between the Nation of the Jewes and the Gentiles and between the Soul and the Body and also his Administration was to be accomplished according to what Isaiah said He shall speak Peace with his people Who filled her with Peace The Father And what was this Grace It was this That she conceived God in the flesh Our Lord is with thee He doth not say My Lord onely but also of all the Hosts which is known from hence That it was God who was conceived for he was not onely Lord of the Angels but he was God also And why did he say God We say That he observed the custom of servants who do not call their Masters by their name Blessed amongst women That is to
all the earth And all the Greek and Caldean Philosophers who were in Caldea and Egypt wrote That one of the Trinity suffered that day And this agreeth with what David said The Kings of the earth arose i.e. from their Thrones and wondered at the sign that hapned For this darkness was like to that in the beginning of the Creation all the earth did put on mourning for its Lord the Sun being cloathed with Cypress and the Moon grew red and became as blood and though it were not the time of her * birth it suddenly appeared in the East and ran impetuously to the West and associated her self with the Sun and they both sate in mourning as good servants that are afflicted for the evil which befalls their Masters Moreover it is evident That the darkness when Christ was Crucified was not an Eclipse and it 's evident from these demonstrations An Eclipse doth not continue Three hours but this was a darkness of Three hours Moreover An Eclipse is not over all the earth but this darkness was over all places of the earth and a Solary Eclipse happeneth on the Thirtieth day of the Moon but this darkness was on the Fifteenth of the Moon when the Sun was removed from the Moon half its course i. e. One hundred and eighty dayes of the Suns motion and stood in the midst of the Sphere of the Firmament Concerning the Eclipse of the Sun and of the Moon and the natural cause of their effects we have spoken at large in the Book of our Epistle in the Tract concerning Faith and the nature of things intellectual and sensitive which is called a Book of the Doubts which I have made Dionysius concerning the Majesty of CHRIST Translated by D. L. J. U. D. HE shall be great In other Copies And he shall be called the Son of God The Hereticks say That afterward he was to be great Against whom we say That he was not newly called the Son of the most High nor was he magnified but he was naturally Great and this which was said That he shall be and shall be called signifieth That he was to be revealed and made known for those things which were to be when they were not differ from such things as had a being and were concealed but afterwards were to be revealed And this word Great signifieth as much as that he had Majesty and that it was to be revealed according to that I have made known thy Name to the sons of men not that he had not been but that he was from Eternity and not that the Father had not been truly or that he was not called Father did he manifest him unto men eternally but that he was eternally a Father and was hidden By this then that I have made known he saith as much as I have revealed unto them thy Name and this is like unto that which is written in Isaiah That he shall be called the Lord of all the earth not as if he had not been Lord from the beginning And if they say that he was newly call'd this will convince them that he is the power of the Highest and the power of the Highest is more intimate and of more affinity with the Father than this That he is the Son of the Highest for many are call'd the sons of the most High according to that Ye are all the sons of him who is on High but these are never call'd the power of the most High Again we say That whatsoever is the Father the Son is also and whatsoever the Father hath the Son hath except the peculiar proprieties viz. the personal indications i. e. that the Father is the cause and the begetter of the Son and the Son is the effect and that which is begotten of him and whatsoever is the Fathers is the Sons also except propriety therefore as the Father hath naturally sublimity and goodness and the Godhead and Life and Majesty so the Son hath for he is his natural Son but because he was conceived and was made man in the flesh it hath been said concerning him That he shall be great and this was his Exinanition in Truth That what he was naturally was said that he was to be and that he was called so and assumed it and this That he shall be glad is like to this That he was according to this Of her was born Jesus who is called Christ Here these words That he shall be called are synonymous with to the words That he is and every one that teacheth shall be called Rabbi and every one who shall break one of the Commandments shall be called least for as these things were called so so they were indeed Dionysius Syrus his Description of the Roman Government in Judaea Translated by D. L. J U. D. THE Romans after they had subdued the Jewes and had made them Tributary they set up Herod King over them who slew the Children and when he dyed and was ejected for his offence Tiberius Caesar divided the Region into four parts and in one part of Judaea he placed Pilate and over the Region of Galilee Herod and over the Region of Heturia and Troconia Philip the Brother of Herod and over the Countrey of Abilene Lucinius and every one of these four Governours was called Tetrach i. e. Governour of one of the four parts Others say That the Kingdom which Herod govern'd and after him Archelaus his son did Tiborius divide into four parts and the Region of Galilee he delivered unto Herod and the Region of Heturia to Philip and over the Countrey of Troconia he placed a man whose name is not mentioned in writing and when he offended he was ejected from his Government and the Countrey was 〈…〉 unto Philip wherefore his name is not written and over the Countrey of Abilene he established Lucinius and these four were called Kings but Pilate exercised the office of a Governor in Jerusalem and the places adjoining and although he was less in power than those four yet he was not subject unto them he exercised the Government administring Justice and raising of Money according to the Prerogative of Kings according to the degree of Muphties among the Persians Pontius Pilate is expounded right hand or one of these five for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth five or he had two names i. e. Pontius and Pilate or he was of the Countrey called Pontius Herod in Galilee It was this Herod who put John to death and in whose dayes Christ suffered he was not the same who slew the Children he begate Herod who was sirnamed Agrippus he governed those four parts and in his dayes the Romans came and undermined the Temple and the Kingdom of the Jewes was abolished Titus onely undermined and burned the Temple but Domitian his Brother when he Reigned he subverted the stones and thereof built an Idol Temple Dionysius Syrus his Exposition concerning the Tax made by Augustus Translated by D. L. J. U. D. THere went out a
souzes She cast in more than all the men cast in And how did she cast in more than all whereas they cast in twice as much as she He presently explains the difficulty and saith For all they cast in of their abundance Christ here teacheth us two things First That this gift which was made out of her penury was more abundant and greater in God's esteem than that which proceeded from Redundancy Secondly That God doth not regard the greatness or smallness of a gift but the will and mind wherewith it is given and it is certain That if it be given with a chearful will it is accounted much and great with God although it be small but if otherwise it is meanly esteemed by God though much in quantity CHAP. XIII BVt of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the Angels neither the Son but the Father The Hereticks to wit the Arrians when they are desirous to vilifie the Son they produce this Argument To whom we answer For inasmuch as he is God he knew all things that are before they were made but inasmuch as he was man he saith he knows not and the very same that is God is man and no other as he is life by nature and became death for us forasmuch as he was man so though he doth know all things as being God he said that he did not know as man And as he was before Abraham in respect of his Godhead according as he said Before Abraham was I am yet he was after him as being man for if he had said I know he had been like to the Father onely and not at all like unto us but he said I know not that he might be likened unto us and that there might be no place left for mistakes or to say that he was not made man for this property of man not to know things in futurity was common to him for he communicated in our want of knowledge even as in other humane infirmities and this is manifest from hence that he did not say Neither the Son of God knoweth but neither the Son simply as he was the Son of God so was he a so the Son of man and in that respect wanted knowledge though he knew all things as God Moreover it is certain That as he was man he said he did not know forasmuch as he did not say concerning the Holy Ghost that he did not know Again we say That God the Father is greater than the day of the coming of the Son and is more hidden and concealed than that day and yet the Son saith Even as the Father knoweth the Son the Son knoweth the Father If therefore he knoweth the Father who is high and exalted above all things and is more hidden and concealed than this day how much more then doth he know this day And if any one shall object That the Father knows the Son perfectly but that the Son knoweth the Father but in part let him know That for the same reason he might conclude that the Father knoweth not the Son but in part for the same knowledge is attributed to the Father and the Son as the Father knoweth the Son c. We say further That if the Father knows this day and hour the Son must necessarily know it because there is one knowledge of the Father and of the Son and of the Spirit for they are of one and the same nature the same will the same power and operation and therefore necessarily have they one and the same knowledge Moreover for that the Son created the Worlds and Times and Years and Months and Hours and Dayes it is manifest That he knows the day and hour of his appearance but if any one shall object That he hath not yet created the day of his coming he may be convinced by the force of two reasons First From this which is written That he finished the heaven and the earth and all that was in them and God finished his works on the seventh day Secondly Let it be granted That it were so though it be not a Truth yet he knew as God before hand those Things which are not and he knows every thing before hand Again How doth he know the Prognostications and the Signs which are to be at the day of his coming and yet not know the day for he declareth how that there shall be lightning and that the Sun shall be darkned and other such like things and the Stars shall fall from Heaven and the powers of Heaven shall be shaken and the sign of the Son of man shall appear and other the like things which are to happen in that day and hour and how is it possible That one should know what things are in the House and not know the House or how doth a man know the thing that is within a City or a Ship without knowing the City or the Ship And how can he who knoweth what things are without and within a Wall say that he doth not know the Wall in the middle Moreover as he knew the hour of his Birth and the day of his first coming in Bethlehem so doth he know his second coming Furthermore Paul saith That Christ is the power and wisdom of the Father and in this that he saith the power he sheweth That there is nothing out of his Jurisdiction and Providence and by that of wisdom he declares That there is nothing out of the reach of his knowledge but that all things which are and are to come are comprehended within the compass of his knowledge for if he can err in any thing he is not perfect wisdom especially since that he is the Divine wisdom of the Father and in him is hidden all wisdom and he it is that gives wisdom to the wise as saith the Son of Syrach All wisdom is of the Lord and Christ is the Lord whence it was that the Angels said to the Shepherds there is born unto you a Saviour who is Christ the Lord. Neither the Angels In this which the Angels said unto the Shepherds viz. To you is born c. which neither the Angels knew did he forbid them to declare that day and by this That neither the Son that is to say my self he stopt their mouths from asking him for in like manner they asked him after the Resurrection Art thou at this time about to restore the Kingdom And he stopt their mouths saying It doth not belong unto you to know the times and seasons which the Father hath appointed c. But the Father Inasmuch as he spoke of the knowledg of the Father he prevented them that they might not ask him and it is like to that of the mother of the sons of Zebedee for being unwilling to answer whether he would grant the request or no he answered It is not mine to give when assuredly it was he who was to place the Sheep on his right hand and the Goats on his left and to call Come ye
set down by St. Mark is evident from this That before our Lord was Baptized he neither Preached nor Evangelized but after that he was Baptized and Tempted he began to say Repent the Kingdom of heaven is at hand And St. Basil saith That this Mark first used the word Evangelium and this is clear from hence That the other Three Evangelists made no mention thereof A voyce crying in the wilderness John is called a voyce because he made known Christ the Word for by the voyce is made known the Word that is hidden in the mind Confessing their sins Hence it is manifest That confession is necessary for the Faithful And straightway he came up out of the water That is to say our Lord. He saw To wit John the Baptist And straightway the Spirit took him out To wit the holy Spirit What have we to do with thee This one speaks as from the mouth of them all CHAP. II. THE son of Halphaeus All the Doctors agree That this Levi was Matthew the Publican who was an Evangelist and that Jesus sat down in his House and Mark here calls him the son of Halphaeus and that this was not the brother of James the son of Halphaeus is demonstrable from this That Matthew was of the Tribe of Issachar and this James was of the Tribe of Menasse When Abiathar was High Priest In the Book of Samuel it is written That David desired the holy bread from Achimelech the Father of Abiathar and it is possible that he desired it from Achimelech and that Abiathar his son gave it CHAP. III. SOns of Thunder Because the sons of Zebedee did preach with a high voyce he calls them by this name And his Kindred heard That is to say the children of Joseph CHAP. IV. THat under the shadow thereof the Fowl may dwell That is to say the Gentiles without the Law may rest under the shade of the Gospel And they left the multitudes In some Copies it is read He left but that reading is not to be approved but we ought to follow the Greek Copies to wit That he and his Disciples left them or dismissed them And there was a great tempest The Syriack word signifieth a boysterous wind which bloweth on the face of the earth and raiseth up dust and sand it is of an Hebrew derivation and is expounded the ascent of God CHAP. V. LEGION That is to say Ten Thousand CHAP. VI. BEhold the Carpenter the son of Mary It is likely that Joseph was dead and therefore he did not mention him with his mother and brethren Except a Rod. The word except beareth the sense of neither in this place and it is clear from this That Matthew saith neither a Rod. It is not lawful for thee to take the wife of thy brother Because she had by fraud caused him to be put to death and had it not been for this it had not been unlawful for him to take her to Wife according to the Law of Moses CHAP. X. TImaeus the son of Timaeus In two Greek copies it is a blind man the son of a blind man And to say Son of David In two Greek copies we find it Son of the Son of David have mercy upon me CHAP. XIII AND not the Son but the Father Matthew hath not the woâ—ds and not the Son And our Lord said this wâ—th reservatâ—on and not that he was ignorant of the thing for he who knew the Father who was concealed and â—ncomprehensible saying No man knows the Father but â—he Son Hâ—w could he but know the time of the end of the World He said thus for this reason to wit That if he had said I know and will not tell they had been offended and it he had said he knew and had declared it unto them others would have known it frâ—m them and have communicated it to all other generations and so by reason of the remoteness of time they would have grown negligent and careless Hence it is known That it is more advantagious to the sons of men to be ignorant of a matter of this kind than to have knowledge thereof CHAP. XIV AND he took the Chalice and gave thanks and blessed and gave unto them In the Greek it is not said That he blessed any moâ—e than the body onely And a certain young man followed him and was naked onely covered with a linen cloth That this was a stranger is known from hence that his Disciples were modest and ashamed to accompany him with a linen cloth only Wine mixed with myrrhe That he might be the more intoxicated and not be sensible of the agony of death And Mary the mother of James the less That is to say the brother of our Lord and that he might be distinguished from James the brother of Zebedee he calls him the less and this Mary was not the mother of our Lord but the wife of Joseph to wit the mother of his children And of Jose and Shalom These also were the natural sons of Joseph and were called the brethren of our Lord in name only and not by consociation of blood CHAP. XVI AFter this he was seen of two of them Luke the Evangelist speaks clearly of one of them that he was Cleophas but as concerning the other there are different opinions Some say it was the wife of Cleophas Others say That it was Luke himself and that he might not seek glory he did not mention his name And confirmed their words with the signs which they wrought St. Severus saith in the Seventy seventh discourse of his Epithronion That in approved Greek copies the Gospel of Mark ends with these words For they were afraid LUKE CHAP. I. FOrasmuch as many That is to say The Sect of Simon the Sorcerer and those of the Circumcision for it is said That there were Eighty four Gospels according to the number of Apostles and Disciples and after the Apostles departed this life their Disciples chose two of those of the Apostles to wit those of Matthew and John and two of those of the Disciples to wit Mark and Luke and that they destroyed the rest According to what they have delivered That is to say The Apostles To us That is to say To me and to Mark. Of the Word That is to say of Preaching to wit Evangelical denuntiation and the doctrine of our Lord in the World and that this voyce the Word is applicable to those Three senses is apparent from the words of Gregorius Theologus Theophilus This man was a Believer and one of the Rulers of Alexandria Nor Seicera strong drink That is to say a certain kind of drink which was made of Honey and of Dates c. From the Birth of Jesus to his Baptism were Thirty years and from his Baptism to his Ascension were Two years and Six months He shall be great That is to say His greatness shall be revealed to Angels and to Men. And the power of him on high shall come upon thee All the
beginning of the Evangelium which is good Tydings is the Baptism of Christ as blessed Mark saith and inasmuch as he saith The Beginning of the Gospel he sheweth that he was the first that gave the name of Evangelium to a Book Moreover forasmuch as Evangelium or Gospel is by interpretation good Tydings and Christ before his Baptism did neither Preach nor Evangelize but after he was Baptized and Tempted he immediately Preached Repent the Kingdom is at hand as Matthew and Mark have written Moreover from his Birth to his Baptism he was governed by the Law and from his Baptism by such a new Administration as comported with the New Testament Again before his Baptism he performed no Miracle nor delivered any Doctrine otherwise than by Question and Answer in the Temple when he was Twelve years old as Luke sayes Moreover those things which were from his Birth to his Baptism are not to be reputed as of the Gospel though they have relation thereunto and are compiled therewith that we might be taught after what manner were his Conception and Birth Nor were it possible that we should be capable of receiving the Doctrine of the Gospel if we had not first learned where and how he was born whereas in those Years from his Birth to his being Thirty Years of Age he satisfied the Obligation of the Law of Nature and the written Law then he applied himself to frame a Module of a new World in his Baptism and to Preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God And forasmuch as Mark knew that Baptism was the Beginning of the Gospel and that our Lord thence took his Commencement in the new Administration he wrote in the beginning of his Book thus The Beginning of the Gospel And if it shall be Objected Wherefore did the other Evangelists begin higher than his Baptism It is plain that Matthew wrote so that he might make it appear unto the Hebrews to whom he wrote That as the Prophets had before written that Christ should spring from the Lineage of David so he did then spring thence and Luke that he might bring them into Contempt who unskilfully undertook to write the Histories of deeds and John that he might write concerning the Divinity of Christ for that the other three omitted it lest it should be concealed and Christ be reputed but a meer man for these three causes they took their rise so high and not for that his Conception his Birth his Circumcision c. were of the Gospel The Son of God He calls Jesus Christ the Son of God and not the Son of Grace as say the Nestorians for we are the sons of grace and that Mark doth not here call Jesus Christ the Son of Grace but the Natural Son of God is evident from that which the Apostle said to the Philippians in an Epistle Let this mind be in your selves which was also in Christ Jesus who being the likeness thought it not robbery to be equal with God but evacuated himself of reputation and assumed the likeness of a servant and was made in the likeness of the sons of men and in fashion was found as man and humbled himself and became obedient even to death even the death of the Cross wherefore God hath exceedingly exalted him and given him a Name more excellent than all names That at the Name of Jesus every knee should how c. Let the Nestorians and Calcedonians be demanded Who is he who so evacuated himself and assumed the likeness of a servant Man or the word God Divine Nature or Nature Humane for Man and Humane Nature were already evacuated and servants wherefore this is the sense of the words that the word God evacuated himself and observe that the word God who evacuated himself and assumed the likeness of a servant doth he call Jesus Christ and to him is attributed Subjection Obedience and Death and the Cross and to him is attributed Exaltation and the giving of the Name of God which is more excellent than all Names And forasmuch as the Apostle said concerning the word God that he evacuated himself these are evident Demonstrations First That he being God by Nature was incarnate and made Man of his own will without being changed from being God Secondly That being equal in Nature with the Holy Ghost and Giver thereof and having a natural Holiness he took upon him to be anointed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost as he was Man for being made Man he suffered natural and animal Passions but not culpable Hunger and Thirst Sleep and Death did he taste for us And Thirdly That being called by eminent and exalted Names to wit Lord and God and Omnipotent and other the like so that whatsoever he had did as naturally belong unto him as to the Father and the Holy Ghost as having life of his own nature having power over all things and having glory due unto him from all things yet it is said That it was given him of the Father and that he received it from the Father And this moreover for that he was evacuated and made man And these were Demonstrations of his Exinanition that he vouchsafed to be called by humble and inferiour names as of Man Son of Man and a Stone Moreover it is certain That the word God who was the natural Son of God the Father is called Christ and not the Son of man who was of Mary for David saith That thy Throne O God is for ever and ever a right Scepter is the Scepter of thy Kingdom thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity wherefore God thy God hath anointed thee with the oyle of gladness above thy fellows It is therefore clearly understood that he whom he calls God and of whom he saith Thy Throne O God for ever is the same whom God the Father anointed and not the Son of Man who was of Mary Furthermore forasmuch as he saith That he anointed him above his fellows that is to say more than all they who were anointed by the Holy Ghost because they stood in need of anointing and were anointed by the Holy Ghost but the word God was anointed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost not being in want thereof because he was equal with the Holy Ghost and had a natural Holiness and was full as St. John saith of his fulness have we all received but because he was made man he received the Spirit and his anointing and his holiness that by his Mediation he might give us the Spirit to anoint and sanctifie us for that this word was anointed and sanctified by the Spirit because he was sent into the World and was made man is manifest from that which he saith of himself Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world thou blasphemest because I said unto you that I am the Son of God for it is certain that he who was sent from God the Father into the world was God the word and he who was sent was
sanctified by the Spirit that the word God is called Christ because he was made man St. Paul saith But to us there is one God the Father of whom are all things and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and one Holy Ghost in whom are all things Moreover he saith of Christ that all things were made by his hands by whose hands therefore saith Paul that all things were created whether by the hands of the Son of man who was begotten of Mary or by the hands of the word God as John saith All things were made by him and the same word by whom all things have been created doth Paul call Jesus Christ It is evident therefore from these premises that Mark calls the Natural Son of God the Father who was incarnated and made man by the Name of Christ and not the Son of man who was born of Mary who was the Son of Grace as say the Hereticks As it is written in Isaiah the Prophet behold I send my Angel That is to say he produceth this Testimony to prove That the Beginning of the Gospel is the Baptism of Christ for this Allegation Behold I send my Angel is written in Malachi and not in Isaiah but others say that it was also written in Isaiah and that it is lost Others say That this Gospel was Translated out of the Roman Language into the Greek and out of the Greek into the Syriack and that the Interpreters mistake put Isaiah in the place of Malachi Others That in the Book of Diateseron which is preserved in Alexandria and was written by Tatianus the Bishop as also in the Greek Gospel and the Harkalian it is written in the Prophet without expressing what Prophet Others say that this Quotation hath reference to the voyce of one crying in the wilderness Prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths strait for Isaiah speaks after that manner but not to this Behold I send my Angel for the Evangelist was not curious as to the exactness of his Narrative according to the custom of a Book wherein a Subject is Treated of at large but wrote after an ordinary manner according as other Divine Writers have done after this sort all the people saw the Voyces and the Lightnings whereas it is known that Voyces cannot fall under the sense of sight Again a Bullock or a Lamb whose Ear is cleft or wants a Tayle whereas a Bullock hath no Tayle In like manner it is said My hand kissed my mouth whereas the mouth did kiss and not the hand So Mark sets down that of Isaiah then this I send my Angel and after this The voyce of one crying not distinguishing to which of the two sayings he referred the Quotation out of Isaiah The voyce of one crying Wherefore is John called a voyce because Christ is called the word and a word without a voyce or writing is not known therefore very aptly is John called a voyce because with his voyce was Preached the onely Word Prepare the way of the Lord. The way and path he calls the coming of Christ Prepare your minds and thoughts against the coming of Christ John was in the wilderness He calls the Wilderness the desolate passage from Earth to Heaven By Baptising and Preaching he signified that the destruction of Mortality was to be destroyed By his cloathing of Hair he signified Repentance By the Girdle about his Loyns and the Band upon his Bowels he denotes the sensitive and intellectual Faculties and Continency from an exorbitant Appetite which in Prosperity is exuberant By the winged Locusts the seed of the Just to meet the Lord. By the sweetness of Honey the sweetness of the Blessings which come from our Lord of higher value than Jewels Moreover Honey signifieth the purging of the World from the rust of sin for Honey is of a cleansing Nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Region of Judaea That is to say a place of Towns or Villages The Garment of Camels Hair signifies the meanness of his Apparrel and his Poverty for he was not cloathed with Wooll but with course Hair The time is accomplished and the Kingdom is at hand That is to say the time of the shadows of the Law and the fulfilling of Mysteries and Types is at hand the Kingdom of God he ealls here the Gospel and Grace A certain man with an unclean spirit He calls the Devil unclean by reason of the unclean deeds he frequently acted by him in whom he dwelt Art thou come to destroy us He hints two things First Their fear of our Lord which possessed them from the victory had against them in the Wilderness Secondly Their wickedness in respect that the delivery of that man out of their power who was their Captive was reputed their loss I know thee who thou art the Holy One of God He speaks unto him as unto a holy man and not as persuaded that he was God And when they had found him they said unto him all men seek thee This saying all in this place is like to this Jesus looked upon her with all the Earth and all the Nations round about me and all they who came were Thieves and Robbers See thou say nothing to any man He prohibited them who were cured to publish the same lest he might be suppressed by the Jews as a vain-glorious person for he knew that the Miracles which he did were not to be concealed When he performed Miracles before the multitude he gave no command that they should not publish them as in Kotna and when he multiplied the bread but as touching the matter of Lazarus he forbade his own followers to publish it as he did also concerning this Leprous man the Paralytick and the blind men And we say that among the Multitudes he openly wrought Miracles to the intent that he might draw them to faith in him and did not praerequire from them faith in him as he did amongst his own followers for when he changed Water into Wine he did not first of all take the Suffrages of the company to acknowledge whether he were able to do it or no as he did in the case of the Leprous person the Paralitick and the blind men whom he did not cure until they had confessed that he was God As Moses commanded for a testimony unto them He commanded the Leprous person to offer an Oblation that he might manifest the agreement of both Testaments Secondly That he might shew that there was one giver of them both although the first was the Doctrine of Babes and ours of Perfection Thirdly That he might declare that this of God was not contrary to that of the Law so that they needed not to suppress this for the other CHAP. II. THey lifted up the Roof By Art they found out a way to lift up the Roof of the House and easily to let down the Bed in such manner that neither the Timber nor Dust might fall upon them as many in these dayes
to his Father what he had done and that he might convince those who said he was an enemy to God And he sighed First by reason of the hardness of their hearts who saw the Miracles which he wrought and did not believe Secondly because there were some amongst them who did not onely not believe when they saw the Miracles which he did but also crucified him Thirdly as a Shepherd who sighs for his lost sheep and as a Mariner for his ship that is lost Fourthly by reason of Humane Nature which until then was humbled afflicted and brought into subjection Fifthly by reason of the captivity of our nature by the Devils And looking up to heaven he said unto him Ephphatha He did not open him by prayer or supplication but as in the beginning he commanded the light and it was made And if any one say That in the Beginning the Father commanded the Creatures that they should be made We answer That there was the same Commandment of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost as it is written That by the word of the Lord the heavens were made And straightway his ears were opened This was the operation of God who so soon as he commands any thing it is perfectly done according to that he commanded and they were and he commanded and he arose wherefore from hence That he commanded and it was done we understand That Christ who is God was made man And he charged them that they should tell no man thereof For he abstained from vain glory nay rather he Taught how to shun it and this which he said And he charged them being of the plural number whereas there was but one deaf man which he Cured must be taken in this sense That he joined this deaf man with others whom he had Cured or he charged this deaf man together with the multitude there assembled That they should tell no man CHAP. VIII ANd he came to Bethsaida and they brought unto him a blind man That is to say That they might Tempt him as his Friends And he took him by the hand and led him out of the town Wherefore he led him out hath been spoken unto by us concerning the deaf man And he did spit on his eyes This in like manner have we explained before And he asked him Dost thou see any thing That the blind man might be confirmed concerning his Cure I see men like trees walking The word walking is to be referred to men and not to trees according to that All the people saw the voyces and the lightnings and the Priests accompanied them in the way and they flew It had been an easie thing for him in the twinkling of an eye to have Cured him but he prolonged his Cure that the blind man might be more sensible thereof And that this Miracle might be confirmed and that the Humanation of Christ might not be taken for a fancy some say That because this blind man and that deaf man were doubtful in the Faith therefore did Christ prolong their Cure and effected it by little and little that they might be sensible thereof And sent him to his house Thereby abstaining from vain glory and Teaching us to flie from it And Peter took him and began to rebuke him Not angerly but lovingly and rather by way of Deprecation But he turned about and looked That is to say Jesus looked on his Disciples as if a man should say observe what Simeon saith even that which a Religious man should not think fit to admit into his Thoughts Get thee behind me Satan He calls him Satan by way of Admonition unto them that no man should presume to find fault with such Things as are acceptable to God as if they were complying with the mind of the Devil CHAP. IX I Have brought unto thee my son That is to say Not the Spirit which did not speak but the man who â—â—ught the infirm person spoke for his speech was suppressed whil'st he was Tormented He bruiseth him and he foameth That is to say Froth did come out of his mouth and he was like a dry stick And he spake to his Disciples that they should cast him out and they could not Because it was not decent that they should work Miracles when they were so near our Lord for when they were sent into Judaea they themselves did not only do mighty deeds but also said unto our Lord Behold the Devils are subject unto us through thy Name Nay others acted in his Name insomuch that they said We saw a man casting out Devils in thy Name and we forbade him We have expounded the rest of this matter upon Matthew And he wallowed and foamed That is to say he did beat with his legs and he cast up foam And Jesus asked his Father He did not ask as being ignorant for he who knew the Father perfectly knew also the time when this unclean spirit entred but he asked the question for four Reasons First That he might shew the contempt of the Jews Secondly That the power of Christ might be the more taken notice of and published Thirdly That the Miracle might be the more magnified in the eyes of the Beholders Fourthly That those who stood in need of Cure might be sensible of his Cure and these things we have explained in Matthew John said unto him Master we have seen a man who casteth out Devils in thy Name and we prohibited him It is probable That this man was one of those who often came to our Lord although he did not follow him as did his Disciples and because he was worthy our Lord bestowed on him this power But the Disciples when they observed it they forbade him the exercise thereof That is to say They admonished him under pain of Excommunication since thou art not of those who adhere to our Lord it is not lawful for thee to cast out Devils in his Name but our Lord saith unto them Forbid them not for there is no man who worketh a miracle in my Name and can suddenly speak evil of me If thy hand offend thee cut it off it is better for thee maimed c. By the Hand and by the Foot he signifieth the Congregation That is to say The lesser sort of People and Commonalty That is to say Whosoever is Arrogant a Glutton or a Covetous person or a Fornicator whether he be a Governor of the Congregation or of the meaner sort if he offend the Church to wit the Faithful cut him off and cast him out of the Church lest that he infect the whole Church by his offence and so all fall into Hell For every one shall be salted with fire and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt That is to say even as that Coyn which is tryed and purged by fire is of use to a Kingdom And as Salt preserves tender Bodies from Corruption so also the grace of the Spirit preserveth loose minds from the corrupt odour of sin
Furthermore This is to be taken notice of That Mark onely saith That neither the Son knoweth whereas Matthew saith no such thing Matthew he wrote to the Hebrews and Mark to the Romans The Hebrews They doubted of his Divinity and the Romans of his Humanity by reason of the seed of fancy which Simon had sown amongst them viz. That our Lord had not assumed a Body for which reason Mark adds Neither the Son Teaching thereby That he was not only God but also man who was like unto us in every thing sin excepted After another Exposition thus Mark doth not here call our Lord Son but the faithful who are called Sons by reason of Baptism and Christ he calls Father for he is the Father of the World to come And my children a little while I am with you and behold I and the children which the Lord hath given me for the name Father is used for the Father and the Son for the Father by Nature for the Son by Dispensation And he used here a communion of name to his Disciples as this Destroy this Temple and I will raise it whil'st he spoke of his Body the Jewes understood a Temple of stones In like manner the Disciples here when they heard these words Neither the Angels nor the Son but the Father they thought that he had called his own father Father and himself Son and they declined the question because it was not of advantage to know for if he spoke concerning the Father he knows the day this is not worthy admiration for naturally he had this knowledge but this deserves admiration That the faithful should gain a foreknowledge of any thing Furthermore As he being the power and life of all things was exercised with infirmities and slept and was wearied and was hungry so here he is brought to that pass that he knows not the day Because the Disciples were desirous to know that which was too high for them and that they might not be troubled because he did not reveal the mystery unto them he saith That neither the Angels Take ye heed watch and pray for ye know not the day He commanded them that they should be vigilant and watchful for it is certain That if they had known it they had slept and would not have watched therefore that he might drive forth sloathfulness out of them he doth not reveal the day and forasmuch as he saith Pray he sheweth That the power of Prayer is able to free us from the fear of this day As a man taking a far journey Even as a man ready to go to a remote place calls his servants and gives them power over his goods promising to reward them plentifully who shall observe his commands and to punish those who shall slight his Word if he should also reveal unto them the day of his coming one of these two things would happen if the day of his coming vvere neer and short they vvould give themselves pleasure they vvould live vvantonly and idly saying The time is short and there is not space sufficient to fulfill his will and neglectful men do altogether weaken and cut off hope if the time of his coming were long they would live pleasantly and idly and those who are idle are neglectful they would Wander and play the fool until the day came for inasmuch as he exhorts them to apply themselves to their Work concealing from them the day they are incited on both sides to the performance of his Will It is thus to be explained after another manner Even as a man the Master of a Family being about to take a Journey if he acquaint his servants with the day of his return from the day of his setting forth the fear of him is taken from them and they eat and drink c. and say our Master deferreth his coming for he appointed such a day for his return but if he do not appoint a day for his coming they remain in fear and terror thinking with themselves perhaps he may come in an hour we know not of and may take us in our follies So also Christ did not reveal that day unto us nor the time of our death that we might be retained in awe and be careful and watchful Moreover the Master who took the Journey and declared the day of his coming to his servants was bound up within restriction and limits and could neither anticipate nor prolong the time according to justice for if he come before the time appointed and they do not come forth to meet him it is not just that he should reprehend them because the day appointed is not yet come and if he prolongs the time when he cometh the same thing hapneth So our Lord also had he revealed this day they had been like Lords and he as a servant so that he could not have prevented nor delayed the time for if he had done the one or the other one of the two had hapned either they had said that because the day of his coming was not known before it fell out so or that there was a cogent Master above him who constrain'd him to anticipate or go beyond the time appointed for as much therefore as he did not reveal the time he remained in the power of his dominion and forasmuch as he excited their diligence to watch and pray he kept them in fear and expelled carelesness out of them Again as he gave men to understand that they were mortal that therefore they might be kept in awe and practise Holiness but did not declare unto them on what day they should dye lest they might sin upon the opinion that their life was to last longer so here he did not reveal to his Apostles the day of his coming to the end they might be watchful and diligent in prayer CHAP. XIV ONE of the Twelve It is known that Judas was not of the least but one of those of best note amongst the Twelve Some say that he was the Third for he was ranked next to Simeon and James but because the Evangelists wrote the Gospel after his Treachery they placed him last in order Who dippeth with me in the dish There were two round Tables set before them and Judas sate down at our Lords Table Others say That there was but one round Table and all of them sate down to it but that there were two Dishes at the Table and Judas dipped into that which was our Lords And he took with him Peter and James and John These three he took with him when he prayed here he took them also with him when he raised to life the Damsel and when he was Transfigured in the Mount not that he undervalued the rest but first of all for the great love which they bore unto him secondly because Judas was not vvorthy of that sight thirdly for a Testimony of vvhat he did for the Testimony of Three is sure And he went a little nearer and fell upon the earth John expresseth
death was not yet come At the Third hour he was Crucified and at the Ninth hour he dyed and from the Third to the Ninth are but six hours for it was thought that one who had been Crucified but six hours would not have dyed and when he heard that he was dead he wondred And this Testifieth for Christ That he dyed of his own Will and not by constraint for that he dyed truly as to his Body we say but that he admitted death of his own Will and not by constraint as we the Thieves were not dead but he because of his own accord he permitted death to approach unto him therefore he dyed at the Ninth hour Again He marvailed as at something that was not customary for every one that is Crucified remains a day or two but he failed in the Ninth hour of the day and whatsoever was done there was a miracle CHAP. XVI AND when the Sabbath was past Mary Magdalene and the other Mary bought sweet spices that they might anoint him That is to say according to the custom of Women who on the Sabbath or the Third day of the Week or on Friday and on Festivals went in honour of the dead to the Sepulchre with perfumes and sweet oyntments And they saw a young man sitting on the right hand They called the Angel Gabriel a young man because he appeared in the likeness of a young man That he might signifie that he who was risen did restore our nature to its Youth And that he appeared on the right hand sheweth That he was to Preach glorious and prosperous Things unto the Women But go tell his Disciples and Cephas He distinguished and singled out Cephas as him who had carried himself defectively in respect of Faith for Behold he came twice to the Sepulchre And that he might fill him with consolation inasmuch as he was terrified and confounded with shame by reason of his denial and that he might know that his repentance was complete And he calls him Peter to shew the strength of his love though he was somewhat lyable to humane failing and that he was restored by Repentance to his former Honour so as to be the foundation of the Church And in the morning the first day of the week he arose and appeared In the Greek Copy and the Harkalian it is thus written When he arose in the morning of the first of the week he appeared first of all to Mary Magdalene This sense is apt and it is apparent That first he said when he arose and then made a distinction by interposing a point and afterwards added the other words viz. in the morning of the first of the week he appeared to Mary Magdalene Whence we understand That our Saviour first arose at a time unknown to any but the Father and the Holy Ghost for no Creature knew it for if we do not know our own Resurrection at what hour or time it shall be so no man knoweth at what time Christ arose That he arose truly we know but at what time or hour of the night we know not but whil'st it was the time of the morning of the first of the week he appeared to Mary Magdalene as John hath said and written Again The words morning and appeared are annexed to Mary and not to the time when he arose yet here the word arose is interposed though in congruity of sense it goes before the word morning because he spoke briefly of the Resurrection and in what manner he appeared to Mary he rendred the sense confused St. Severus saith That there are many Copies of the Gospel of Mark which want from the morning of the first day of the week he arose unto the end of the Book so that the Gospel ends with these words Neither said they any thing to any man for they were afraid Afterwards he appeared to the eleven That is to say He laid before them their want of Faith and hardness of Heart saying That they did not give credit unto them who had seen that he was risen He that believeth and shall be baptized shall be saved That is to say He who believes in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Ghost Three persons and one God and shall be baptized in the Name of these three persons shall be saved from sin which is the death of the foul Moreover He shall live a life Immortal whereunto shall be joined inseparably joyes which shall never fail He that believeth He sheweth That first a man gets Faith and then worketh Miracles according to this If ye have Faith ye shall remove Mountains As these signs have been wrought amongst them so if Faith shall be found in them they shall work Miracles according to what is said He who hath Faith can do every thing He that doth not believe That is to say Unbelievers shall have a life mixed with torments without end In my name shall they cast out Devils That is to say the Apostles and Disciples cast out many Devils and spoke the Languages of the Nations They shall take up Serpents There are two kinds of Serpents the one proceeds from the earth the other from Devils and neither kind saith he shall be able to hurt the faithful who keeps his Commandments And if they shall drink any deadly poyson They say That the Gentiles made one of the Seventy two Disciples to drink deadly poyson and he did not dye therewith and that they cast poyson into the Cup of the Mysteries wherein was the blood of Redemption and made a Saint drink thereof and he did not thereof dye and many others there were who drank poyson and it hurt them not And they shall lay hands on the sick This we have seen done even to this day by many Priests But the Heathens object If these words of Christ are true wherefore do not they cast out Devils and take hold of Serpents c We answer according to the judgment of Philoxenus That Christ doth not use the word by way of a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say for a determinal and universal term but an indefinite for he doth not say That these Things shall belong to every one that believeth in him but to those who believe in him for he did not use the word all or every of them in his Proposition Therefore it is not said of every one of them but that there are many who shall be attended with these signs as Apostles and Saints He ascended into Heaven and sate on the right hand For the right hand denotes Honour According to this He shall place the sheep on his right hand That is to say He shall associate them with himself in glory for the Father is not corporeal that he should have a right and left hand neither have the Angels a right and left hand for this belongs to Bodies but the right hand of God the Father signifieth equality of Session of Majesty with him for there is but
one Kingdom and Glory and Honour of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost And our Lord helped them and confirmed their words by the signs which they wrought That is to say He shewed that their words were true by the Miracles and Cures and Signs which he wrought by their hands for those who saw the Apostles and Disciples that they cured Lepers and raised the Dead and other Miracles they confirmed their words and entertained their Preaching and believed whatsoever they Preached Through the prayers of the Holy Apostles pardon unto us O God for the love of thy Humanity our Trespasses whether willingly or unwillingly of knowledge or ignorance And also O Lord have mercy on the sinner and weak person who wrote through thy abundant mercies Amen Here ends the Exposition of the Gospel of Blessed MARK his Prayer be with us Amen MATTHEW the Son of JOHN wrote This He who Reads it Let him pray for him in our Lord. Finished Anno 1058. according to the Computation of the Grecians DIONYSIVS SYRVS HIS EXPOSITION OF THE Ten Beatitudes Pronounced in the Fifth Chapter of St. Matthew c. Translated out of the SYRIACK LANGUAGE BY DVDLEY LOFTVS J. U. D. BEfore our Saviour pronounced the Beatitudes he ascended a Mountain that he might thereby shew that it was he who descended on Mount Sinai and gave the Ten Commandments Furthermore That he might raise the Disciples and the Multitude to the Contemplation of heavenly Things and that he might shew that his Doctrine was high and superior to Things that are earthly and that it is not overcast with a Lye but shineth forth unto all men for he appeared as a man and ascended the Mount because the children of Israel desired that they might not see that fire lest they should dye Moreover He said thus The Lord shall raise unto them a Prophet of their Brethren because he was a Mediator between God and men as Moses between God and Israel And he foretold Things to come and Taught Ten Commandments as Moses did and as the Ten Commandments comprehend the Law so the Ten Beatitudes contain the whole Gospel And how are the Beatitudes said to be Ten since there are but Nine of them We say That Luke added another And blessed are they who weep now for they shall rejoyce Signifying by him that weeps him who lamenteth for his sins and our fall from Paradise and that he freed them from dissolute Laughter and vain Mirth and that he who freed them from dissolute laughter and vain mirth will cause them to rejoyce in the world to come who flie therfrom but if they say that Luke deliver'd that which Matthew said Blessed are they who mourn Let them know that it is another Beatitude i.e. The Assumption of the Body and Blood when he gave these blessings as yet he had not communicated the Mysteries and therefore there is one of the Beatitudes wanting that it might be fulfill'd in the receiving of his Body and Blood Moreover Also there are Nine Commandments yet are they called Ten. I. The First I am the Lord thy God II. The Second Thou shalt not swear by the Name of the Lord. III. The Third Keep the Sabbath day IV. The Fourth Honour thy Father and thy Mother V. The Fifth Thou shalt not commit Murther VI. The Sixth Thou shalt not commit Adultery VII The Seventh Thou shalt not Steal VIII The Eigth Thou shalt not bear false Witness IX The Ninth Thou shalt not covet the House nor Wife of thy Neighbour And wherefore then are they called Ten being but Nine Because the number of Ten is a perfect number and Perfection is not to be found in the Law but in the Gospel and therefore there was a defect in the Commandments that Perfection might be found in the Gospel according to the letter Jud which is the first letter of Jesus which signifieth Ten. Moreover The Doctrine of the Beatitudes is applicable unto all men in general and not to the Disciples onely and that is manifest from hence That he saith Not Blessed are ye but Blessed are they speaking as to many The name therefore of the Beatitudes comprehendeth all joy and exultation even as the name unhappy comprehendeth whatsoever is sad or grievous I. Blessed are the poor in spirit Poor he ' calls those who enjoy wealth and of their own accord become poor scattering it among the poor according to that Sell thy possession and give to the poor Again Poor he calls those who are able to acquire wealth and do not acquire it by reason of the Kingdom of Heaven as Monks and Votaries Again Those who possess Riches and yet are not affected with them or which have them but yet are poor in spirit notwithstanding and dispense them honourably as did Job and Abraham Moreover He doth not call them poor in opposition to wealth because they if they offend are condemn'd but the poor in spirit i. e. Those who are void of sin and empty of sin and iniquity and as the poor want the wealth of this World so these are void of sin and iniquity Again The poor he calls those who are not puft up in their minds either in respect of Justice or Wealth or Wisdom but are meek and humble according to this With whom shall I walk but with the meek and humble For the inchantment of pride was the first-born of Satan in the beginning and therewith he lifted up his Heel against his Creator and thereby caused man to fall justly therefore doth our Saviour purge this passion giving a blessing unto the Righteous who are free from pride The Kingdom of Heaven The Kingdom he calls the Bliss which the Saints enjoy after the Resurrection II. Blessed are they who mourn Mourning may be said in two senses Worldly Mourning whereby a man mourneth for that he is not rich or that he is unable to revenge himself on his Enemy or for the separation of Lovers This Mourning begetteth Death according to that worldly sorrow worketh Death but Mourning for God's sake is the cause of life and gaineth comfort and doubleth blessings Not to those who mourn for Poverty or the Death of others but to those who mourn for their sins being afraid of Judgment according to that I have watered my Bed all the night Again He calls him a Mourner who being free from sin mourns for the evil of other men as Samuel for that of Saul and David who said Sadness hath seized on me for the sins of those who have left thy Law Or when we compute the Happiness from which Adam fell or the Infelicity wherein we are left according as it was said of one of the Saints That whensoever he was willing to eat did weep and when he was asked the Reason answered I remember what we were in the beginning and how low we are cast to eat the grass as the Beasts These therefore are Mourners who mourn for their sins Again Mourners are those who
and be comforted in the Vision of the Divine image Again Vision is taken in seven several significations but generally it may be reduced into three viz. to Sense Reason and Faith and God is onely seen by Faith and Faith is the persuasion of those things which are in Hope Again He is seen in his Works according to that They shall seek after God and find him out in his creatures The Organ of this sight is a pure Heart which doth not adhere to earthly Things Furthermore They call sight the light and revelation which the Soul receiveth from within by the knowledge of him and of these spiritual Things according to that Clear mine eyes that I may see the wonderful things which are in thy Law VII Blessed are the Peace-makers For Peace is the equality of Will which is perfected in Love and the Proprieties of Peace and its Faculties are Love Quietness Unanimity and Charity These are the contraries to Peace Scandal Commotion and the Properties of him who is in Commotion are distorted Eyes tuberous Lips gnashing Teeth a distended Neck a moving and shaking Head Hands beating the Air stamping Feet therefore he calls them Peace-makers who cause War and Seditions to cease Moreover Him who worketh quietness between the Soul and the Body for the Spirit loves whatsoever keeps down the Body Moreover Whomsoever worketh quietness between himself and others For they shall be called the Sons of God But how can man that is made of dust be the Son of God We say That by Grace this was bestowed on him as it was in the beginning Free-will our own Liberty and Immortality are by Grace and what is this Filiation That is to say That man was made of mortal corruptible and temporal immortal incorruptible and eternal and that which is more he was made a divine man for he who was worthy to be the Son of God possesseth the glory of his Father as bodily Sons do inherit the riches of their Fathers VIII Blessed are they who are persecuted for Righteousness i. e. The Martyrs and Confessors who are persecuted by the Devil or Tyrants and our Lord calleth Righteousness himself as hath been said before Moreover He calleth Righteousness all the victories of vertues those who are persecuted for vertue either for the care of our Brethren or for Truth 's sake Moreover This eighth Beatitude hath affinity with the number Eight and as the Head of all Beatitudes is placed in the summity of divine vertues This David sheweth in the eight Psalm and also Moses by the Circumcision the eighth day cutting off and circumcising the dead skin wherewith we were cloathed for Transgression of the Commandment and here the eighth Beatitude gaineth us a return to Heaven and a regress to our former Righteousness Again This number of eight is celebrated in Nature and in Books and among the Heathen Philosophers Moreover There are eight passions of the right hand and eight of the left those of the right are Simplicity of the Mind Mourning Humility Righteousness Mercy Pureness of Thought Peace and perfect Suffering Those of the left hand are Pride Fornication Vain glory Intemperance Covetousness Anger Envy Disdain There is a Cure set down for every one of the left-handed passions viz. one of those of the right hand and the Soul is rectified and the Body perfected of him who takes care thereof Pride which is the first Devil a man overcometh by Simplicity which is of mean nature And Fornication the second being of a Swinish nature by the passion of the heart and Mourning Vain glory a Thorn which pricketh on every side and is without Fruit by Humility which is the good ground and cultivated with all vertues Gulosity a burning fire and never satisfied by an appetite regulated by Justice and Vprightness The rich man an Oppressor of and hated by all men by clemency and mercy towards all men A turbulent passion of the mind and commotion of a confus'd person by sincerity of thoughts and cordial love Envy the Fountain of all Contention and Strife by Peace the reconciler of differences Disdain the Father of pusillanimity and neglect by patient suffering the mother and root of all good Things IX Blessed are ye when men deride you i. e. When men call you Sorcerers Criminal Erroneous and by other reviling Terms for scorns and reproaches sometimes are a greater punishment than blows and many times men strangle themselves for that they have been reproached or reviled for what reason is this Beatitude of Reproach set in the last place By reason of the asperity thereof for if a man have not attain'd the perfection of the former he cannot endure this for he needeth to be a fortified man who can bear a reproach according as Job who bore the reproaches of his friends and David those of Shimei And persecute you i. e. Because they were to convert the Gentiles from worshipping of Idols to Faith in the Father in the Son and in the Holy Ghost therefore persecutions arise against you And speak against you every evil word Not for your offences but by reason of me it being untrue what they shall say against you as Paul said Let none of you suffer as an evil doer but as a Christian Then rejoyce and be glad for your reward i. e. in Truth when the Apostles were reproached and reviled for Christ they greatly rejoyced and now a reward is given unto them and then the glory which is to be revealed in us and these words are taken to concern all those who suffer Tentation for Christ For so persecuted they the Prophets This passage doth not only regard the Apostles but also the Doctors That as the Prophets suffered for the Father so ye shall suffer for me And by this he sheweth his Majesty and the Equality of his Glory with the Father And inasmuch as he said The Prophets which were before them He shewed That even they also had Prophets Again Though in every of the Beatitudes the Kingdom is not promised be not dismayed for though the rewards in the Beatitudes be divers and different one from the other yet all and every of them will bring him who observeth any of them to the Kingdom of Heaven And after he taught them their Duty he applieth himself to the praysing of them that they might not be troubled and say How can we attain the fulfilling of the Commandments which is requisite for our entrance into Heaven DIONYSIUS HIS EXPOSITION ON THE PROPHESIE of ZACHARIAS Translated by D. L. BLessed be the Lord God of Israel That is to say He is worthy of all Acknowledgments of thankful Benediction because he hath shewed his care and providence for us Who hath visited his people That is to say By the eye of the Spirit he saw that the Blind were to be restored to sight and the rest of the Miracles which our Saviour wrought And wrought them Redemption That is to say from Satan Death and Sin And hath raised
an horn for us He calls Christ an horn according to that then I will raise an horn unto David Psal 132.17 An horn is taken from the similitude of wiâ—d Beasts which fight and help themselves with their horns In the house of David his servant For in respect to him were the promises made That of the seed of David Christ should arise Severus de Gebulo God is the horn of the Righteous and Saints wherefore is he called an horn as an horn is one of the integral parts of the body and hath nothing like the body for it is not flesh specifically nor bones nor nerves nor veins nor any of the entralls though it be of the body So Christ though he be of men yet hath he not in him any thing like unto men of those things which are of sin As he spake by the mouth of the Holy Prophets That Christ should arise from the seed of David That he might redeem us from our Enemies That is to say from the Devil and his ministers and from sin and death And hath remembred his Covenant That he remembred is as much as to say he performed viz. The agreement which he made with Abraham this day hath he performed for Covenants are the Agreements which he made with Abraham swearing That of his seed one should arise in whom all Nations should be blessed By my self have I sworn said the Lord because thou hast done this thing and hast not with-held thy Son from me c. And the Oath which he sware That is to say That which I sware by my self saith the Lord of lords He calls his seed which sojourned in the Land of his Enemies the children of Israel and the seed wherein all Nations were to be blessed he calls Christ And that they might serve him without fear He therefore delivered us that we might worship him and not Idols without being afraid of the Devil In Justice and Righteousness That is to say in Holiness and not in Sacrifices of dumb Beasts Thou Childe the Prophet of the Highest That is to say If Christ be the Highest he hath Prophets also as hath his Father It is manifest That the Word is the most high from that which John said That he who came from on high is above all therefore it was the most High God who was incarnated and his Prophet was John not far off but neer at hand for he said Behold there cometh one after me For thou shalt go before the face That is to say To prepare the way before him in the minds of men who are sunk in sins Again He went before his Face for he said Behold there cometh after me one who is more powerful than I. That he might give knowledge of salvation to his people To give unto the Faithful knowledge of salvation by remission of sins he calls his people those who believe in him that he might give them the knowledge of God the Father who is the true God and that they might lead their lives as Christ said This is life that they may know thee the true God By the tender mercies of God That is to say By the mercies and favour of God He sent unto us from on high a branch According to that Behold a man and his name was a branch Others call the Star which declared unto the Wise men a branch which came from on High and preached unto the Wise men who sate in sin To give light unto them who are in darkness He calls sin darkness and the shadow of death for to this end he came from on High that he might expiate our sins and iniquities which are darkness and death because he is the light of the World To guide our feet in the way Feet and the way he calls Conversation and Actings In the way of peace That is in the way of the Gospel according to that Your feet shod with the blessing of the Gospel And he made peace between us and his Father THE EXPOSITON OF DIONYSIVS SYRVS ON THE MAGNIFICAT Translated by D. L. MY Soul doth magnifie the Lord. That is to say My Soul gives Thanks and glorifies him who hath magnified me and made me the Mother of his Son It is a Query Whether the Lord magnified Mary or whether Mary magnified the Lord And it is certain That the Lord magnified Mary Again Magnifie here is like that of the Scripture which saith Give Majesty unto God And my Spirit hath rejoyced in God Because he hath sent down his Son unto me and hath preserved me from that Curse In sorrow shalt thou conceive Regarded the lowliness of thy Hand-maiden That is to say He hath beheld my Humility and hath exalted me and made me the Mother of his Son Moses also by reason of his Humility was made a Prince And he saw that she obscured her self in the low condition of a Maid-servant though she was to be the Mother of his Son Behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed That is to say From this time that she conceived the Word of God And this she spoke by Prophesie For behold all generations of the earth called her blessed according as she said Hath done great things to me That is to say That she conceived him without the Society of Man and bare him with the Conservation of Virginity He that is mighty and holy is his Name Because he is Mighty and Omnipotent he hath done great things for me And his mercy is to generations Because he poureth forth his mercies upon those who are of a righteous and vertuous Conversation And she took of those Things which were her own and conferr'd them upon others i. e. because she feared God he multiplied his mercy on her in Virginity He hath gotten the victory with his arm i. e. his Dominion and Kingdom he calleth Victory In time past the Victory the Arm and Dominion of the Lord was seen in the Wonders which he wrought by the Prophets but in this time forward by the Revelation of his Son He hath scattered the proud In time past the Proud and Vain glorious but in the time to come the Crucifiers He hath put down the mighty i. e. In times past the Kings who rose up against the Hebrews but at this time the Gentiles and the Jewes and the Hereticks who have risen against the Church And exalted the humble i. e. In the time of Abraham and Isaac and afterward the Apostles and Faithful The hungry he hath filled with good things i. e. Really he satisfied and will satisfie and spiritually he satisfieth and will satisfie those who hunger after vertue and in the world to come will fill them with good Things and Rewards The rich he dismist i. e. Those who gloried in their Riches he vomited out and drove away from him He hath holpen his servant Israel i. e. In Egypt and in the Wilderness and in that he gave him the Land of Promise and freed him from his Enemies He hath
say In thee is blotted out the Curse by thy bearing him in whom are blessed all Nations An EXPOSITION of the LORDS PRAYER taken out of DIONYSIVS SYRVS his CATENA on the Sixth Chapter of St. Matthew And Translated by D. L. PRay thus That is to say Not as the Gentiles and Hypocrites but as I teach you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prayer is sometimes taken for a promise of Vows which are separated or designed by us to God according to what David said I will perform my vowes to the Lord As also for whatsoever cometh from the lips And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prayer is an Oblation made to God after the performance of a promise therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought first to be accomplished and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to follow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prayer is taken three manner of wayes First For Words as that of Hannah who prayed with her mouth Secondly For matter of Fact as that of Phinehas who prayed by a zealous deed Thirdly For that of the mind according to that I will pray in the Spirit and I will pray with knowledge And every one of these three manner of wayes bodily mentally spiritually our Lord recommends unto us the latter Our Father who art in Heaven Our Father may be termed several wayes First Our remote Father as Adam the Father of us all Secondly Our next Father as Abraham who was the Father of Isaac Thirdly Accidental Fathers Fourthly An Instructer of Youths is called a Father Fifthly An aged man is called a Father Sixthly The High Priest is called Father Seventhly The Three hundred and eighteen Doctors are called Fathers Moreover Satan is called the Father of them who are subject unto him but in none of these kinds do we call God our Father but by reason of Baptism and forasmuch as Christ and we also are born in Baptism we are Brethren unto him and Sons to the Father as David said I will declare thy Name to my Brethren and he gave them authority to be called the Sons of God And we call the Father our Father Christ was the natural Son of his Father but we are the Sons of Grace Unto whom doth it belong to call God his Father He who is perfect in a good Conversation is he who calls God our Father but he who is of a sordid and evil Conversation calls Satan his Father because he fulfills his Will Why doth he teach us to say Our Father generally and not peculiarly every one of us My Father who art in Heaven That he might shew that we are one Body and that our Father is one and that we might pray for the intire body of Brethren Moreover by the words Our Father he beats down Pride and exalted Opinions of our selves shewing That Kings and Beggars are equal in that glorious Pedigree if ye all have one Father ye are also of one kind in the Spirit Our Father who art in Heaven Not that he is confined to Heaven but that he might divert the mind of him who prayeth from earthly Cogitations and raise it to Heaven Again He saith in Heaven That we might be weaned from earthly Parents and to shew that his dwelling is in Heaven Hallowed by the Name That is to say That by our glorious and gracious living the Name of God may be sanctified and glorified Again That we might consecrate our lips and our mouths to his Name because he is Holy before we can call him Holy Again Hallowed That is to say Let thy Holy Name be praised or celebrated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an Hebrew name and signifieth separation And whatsoever thing is separated from another whether it be in beauty or in riches c the Hebrew calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Holy according to that The Holy in the Land and Renowned Thy Name Thy Name is used in the place of God according to the phrase of Scripture Praise the Name of his holiness and let them know that thy Name is the Lord onely Thy Kingdom come That is to say That thou may'st deliver us from evil The word Kingdom is taken in sundry senses as we have hinted heretofore Kingdom The Beatitude of the World to come wherein we shall be made immortal Kingdom The time after the Resurrection of Christ according to that I will not drink of the fruit of the Vine until I drink it anew in the Kingdom Kingdom The Gospel Kingdom The Theory of Things of small quantity according to that The Kingdom is like unto Leaven Kingdom The Contemplation of the Trinity according to that The Kingdom cometh not by observation and the Kingdom of God is within you Here he calls the Kingdom the Grace of the Holy Spirit which we receive in Baptism Again Thy Kingdom come He teacheth us to pray for Faith in him therefore he calls Faith the Kingdom Thy Will be done He teacheth us to pray for a vertuous and chaste Conversation Moreover Be pleased that we who dwell on earth may glorifie thee As in Heaven so also in Earth That is to say As thou art well-pleased with the Angels in Heaven so also be pleased with us who dwell on Earth Give us the Bread of our Exigency By Bread is understood all things necessary for the Body Meat Drink Rayment and Lodging all which are requisite for the Body This day In that he saith the day he means the present time Remit unto us our debts as we also For remission he gives remission we as men remit unto men but he as God remits unto us our many Trespasses And as is the disproportion between a grain and a Mountain between a drop and the Sea so little is our remission in comparison of that remission he grants us Lead us not into Tentation That is to say Let us not be the occasion of their being condemned who are to bring Tribulations upon us And again It doth not befit us to presume of our own accord the exposing of our selves to Tentations for Satan himself continually raiseth them up against us and therefore let not us excite them But deliver us from Evil. That is to say It behoveth us alwayes to pray that we may be delivered from the Temptations which the evil one raiseth against us For thine is the Kingdom If the Kingdom be his then Satan is his Slave and cannot presume to attempt any thing unless he permit him as he gave him permission in the case of Job and of the Swine The Power and the Glory His is the Power for he is able to do all Things And Glory for ever For as his Kingdom is sure and his Power great so also shall his Glory without end remain for ever He comprehends the Prayer in Ten sentences according to the Mystery of the Ten Commandments and the Ten Beatitudes and Jud which signifieth Ten is the letter of Jesus and the five first sentences concern the Soul and the five latter concern the Body that we may purge the
Ten senses He applies himself after Prayer to root out of the mind anger and wrath which if it be not done Prayer is not accepted The Form of PRAYER which our Saviour made after his Baptism when the Heavens were opened as it is delivered by Dionysius Syrus according to the Testimony of St. Philoxenus and Translated by D. L. O Father according to the good pleasure of thy Will I am made Man and from the time in which I was born of a Virgin unto this day I have finished those things which are agreeing to the nature of Man and with due observance have perform'd all thy Commandments the Mysteries and Types of the Law And now I am baptized and so I have ordain'd Baptism that from thence as from the place of spiritual Eirth the Regeneration of Men may be accomplish'd and as John was the last of the Legal Priests so am I the first of the Evangelical Thou therefore O Father by the mediation of my Prayer open the Heavens and from thence send thy Holy Spirit upon this womb of Baptism that as he did untye the womb of the Virgin and thence form me so also he would loose this Baptismal womb and so sanctifie it unto men that from thence now men may be begotten who may become thy Sons and my Brethren and Heirs of thy Kingdom And what the Priests under the Law until John could not do grant unto the Priests of the New Testament whose chief I am in the oblation of this Prayer that whensoever they shall celebrate Baptism or pour forth Prayers unto thee as the Holy Spirit is seen with me in open Vision so also it may be made manifest that the same Spirit will adjoyn himself in their society a more secret way and will by them perform the ministeries of the New Testament for which I am made Man and as the High Priest I do offer these Prayers in thy sight Dionysius Syrus his Question and Answer concerning the Prayer which JOHN the Baptist taught his DISCIPLES Translated by D.L. Quest VVHat was the Prayer which John taught his Disciples Answ Some recite it thus O Lord fit us for thy Kingdom and that we may enjoy the happiness thereof with thy Son Others thus O Father shew me the day of the Baptism of thy Son But what if one should say What need was there of this Prayer after he had baptized the Son had seen the Spirit and had heard the Father Others say That he prayed thus Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Others thus O Father let me hear thy Voyce O Son shew me thy Person O Spirit shew me thy Descent and raise up thy Power But neither is this approved the first Exposition carries with it the greater verisimilitude Gregorius the SYRIACK SCHOLIAST called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on the Four Gospels Translated by DUDLEY LOFTUS J.U.D. MATTHEW the First The Son of David the Son of Abraham HE mentioneth David for that they hoped Christ would arise from him according to that Was not Christ to rise from the seed of David and from Bethlehem He mentions Abraham also for that it hath been said In his seed shall all Nations be blessed And Luke because that he wrote unto the Gentiles mounted up unto Adam the common Father and from him to God the Creator of all things Jacob begate Judah and his Brethren He did not mention the Brethren of Isaac and Jacob for that the Nation of the Hebrews were not to derive their Genealogy from them as from the Brethren of Judah for these were Hebrews the other were Edomites the sons of Ishmael and Esau Judah begate Pharez and Zarah of Thamar Pharez was a Type of the New Testament whose resemblance he was made in regard he first put out his hand which was afterwards withdrawn And after Zarah who was a Type of the Old Testament came out and therefore he expresses both their names and the Evangelist abstains from making mention of Zarah Rebecca and other vertuous Women but mentioneth Rahab Ruth and Beersheba to reprove the Jews who upbraided the Lineage of the Gentiles with the peculiarity of the people of God and thought that the meritorious cause of becoming the servants of God was Lineage or Wisdom whereas he shews That David the Great descended from Thamar the Ammonite who committed Fornication with her Father-in-law and from Rahab the Harlot who received the Spies in Jericho and from Ruth the Moabite though against the Moabites and Ammonites it was decreed That they should not enter into the House of the Lord for ever and King Solomon the wise was begotten of Beersheba the Hittite who at first had unlawful Communication with David Joram begate Hosiah Joram did not beget Hosiah but Ahaziah and Ahaziah begate Joash and Joash begate Amoziah and Amoziah begate Hosiah In the Catena he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Africanus of Emaus and St. Severus say That the Evangelists omitted these three for that they descended from Attaliah the Sister of Ahab she who for her wickedness was also called the sister of Jezabel but if it were so How cometh he to make mention of Ahaziah and Manaasse who were more wicked Georgius de Gentilibus saith Concerning this the Authour of the Catena after the citation of many Opinions rests upon none but saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Id est quam voluerit sententian sequatur lector That the first Scribe failed by reason of the similitude of letters and instead of Ahaziah wrote Hosiah but neither doth this Opinion prevail with me because that if these three be brought into computation with the others they make up Seventeen Generations and if they were not omitted by the Evangelist How did he set down Seventeen and reckon but Fourteen It is therefore known that the computation of Origen ought rather to take place and to be credited who saith That the Evangelist omitted those persons to accommodate the computation to the pleasure of the believing Hebrews who much respected the number Fourteen Josia begate Jocania and his Brethren in the Captivity of Babylon Jocania who was the Grandson of Josia he calls his son for Josia begate Jehoiachim who was Aliakim and Jehoiachim begate Jocania and the Uncles of Jocania on the Fathers side Jehu Achaz and Zedekia are called his brothers children according to the custom of Scripture as Abraham said unto Lot the son of his brother We are Brethren And because the Prophet Daniel reckoneth the seventy years of Captivity in the Transmigration from the Prophesie of Jeremiah which began the 13th of Josia Matthew saith That he begate Josiah although it was Achaziah Jocania begate Shelathiel Jeremiah the Prophet said concerning Jocaniah That his Throne shall perish without children and that no man of his seed shall sit upon the Throne of David How therefore can Christ of whom it is said The Lord will give him the Throne of his Father David derive his Genealogy from him for one of the
Greek Doctors agree That with this saying the Divinity was united with the Soul and Body and amongst the Syrian Fathers Absanius of Mabog saith That with this saying the Word was united with the Flesh as John saith The Word was made flesh and dwelt in us and after Forty dayes when the body was formed it received the rational soul By the name of his father Zacharia Every first-born son they called by the name of his Father according to the custom which they held And they made signs unto his father This sheweth That his speech failed also with his hearing And he was in the Wilderness When he was Two years and an half old his Mother fled with him from Herod for he was born Six months before our Lord and when our Lord was Two years old the Wise men came and Herod slew the Children and because Zacharia had caused his son to flie away he sent to put him to death between the Altar and the Temple whereunto he fled and betook himself viz. to the horns of the Altar CHAP. II. THat all the people of his Empire should be taxed The Greek That all the inhabitated World should be taxed Here the Syriack sense is more to be approved than the Greek because Caesars power did not extend its self to all Nations of the World And good tydings unto men You may take notice that the word Amen is hereunto added in some Syriack Copies but not in the Greek And when eight dayes were accomplished The Armenians partly adhering to the fancy of Julianus say That he was not in Truth circumcised but that they onely drew a line over his skin And when the dayes of their purification were accomplisht She who bore a son was purified in Forty days but she who bore a daughter in Eighty dayes His name was Simeon He was the Father of Jesus the son of Asira and he was one of the Seventy and two Interpreters who Translated the Hebrew Bible into the Greek in the dayes of Ptolomy and because he doubted concerning this passage viz. a Virgin shall conceive and bring forth spoken by Esay the Prophet he was bound Two hundred and eighty years to the Oblation until he saw him who was born of a Virgin Behold he is appointed for the fall That is to say of the Scribes and Pharisees And for the rising of many in Israel That is to say of sinners who shall be justified by him And for a sign of contention That is to say There shall be divers Opinions concerning him Of the Tribe of Aser she also was aged In the Greek the words she also are not written for she was not so old as Simeon CHAP. III. VVIth your allowance That is whatsoever was given by the King for their maintenance I baptize you with water That is to say I wash you from sins The son of Heli. Matthew the Evangelist calls Joseph the son of James and not the son of Heli and Aphrichianus the Genealogist saith That Heli was the son of Matthath and that James was the son of Mathan Brethren by the Mother whose name was Estha and they were searchers of Secrets and when Heli dyed without sons James his Brother took his Wife according to the Law for constitution of sons and of her begate Joseph Hence it is that Joseph was the natural son of James as Matthew said and the legal son of Heli as Luke said The son of Matthath the son of Levi the son of Melchi Aprichianus saith That according to the Tradition they received from the Hebrew Genealogists Heli Matthath and Levi were Brethren the sons of Melchi and not as Luke said Heli the son of Matthath and Matthath the son of Levi. The son of Zerubabel Matthew saith That Zerubabel begate Abiud and Luke saith That Zerubabel begate Resa and St. Severus saith That Zerubabel had two sons Abiud and Resa and Matthew computed Abiud and Luke reckoned upon Resa and George of the Gentiles saith That they had not one Father but two who were called by the same name Zerubabel and others say That Abiud was Resa to wit that one person was called by two names The son of Shelathiel the son of Neri Matthew saith That Jechonia begate Shelathiel and Luke saith That Neri begate Shelathiel and St. Severus saith That Melchi the Father of Neri took a Wife whose name was Nahashta and of her begate Neri and when Melchi dyed Jehoiakim the King who was Eliakim took Nahashta his Wife for her beauty and of her begate Jochania and Neri and Jochania were Brethren by the Mother and Neri took a Wife and dyed without sons and Jochania his Brother took his Wife and of her begate Shelathiel Hence it was that this Shelathiel was the natural son of Jochania as Matthew said and the legal son of Neri as Luke said and George of the Gentiles doth not agree to this but saith That Shelathiel the son of Jochania was one and Shelathiel the son of Neri was another The son of Joram This Joram was not the son of Jehoshaphet as Matthew saith but the son of Mathitha The son of Nathan the son of David Matthew saith That David begate Solomon and Luke saith That David begate Nathan and this difference proceeds from this That Matthew was willing to write onely the natural Genealogy which was deduced from Solomon the son of David and Luke by reason of a contest amongst the Jewes was forced to write the natural and legal Genealogy which was deduced from Nathan the son of David for which reason many names in Luke differ from those in Matthew The son of Jesse the son of Obed the son of Boaz. Julianus King of the Gentiles objects and saith If Luke wrote the legal Generations wherefore doth he mention Obed to be the son of Boaz according to the rule of nature and not the son of Malion according to the legal deduction as it is written in the book of Ruth The Doctors answer thus That there was a controversie amongst the Jewes concerning Joseph whether he proceeded from David or no and therefore blessed Luke proves That not only naturally as Matthew writes but legally also the Genealogy of Joseph mounts up to David and Luke ascending from David to Abraham computes the natural Fathers as Matthew did The son of Abraham the son of Terah From hence Luke begins to carry on the Genealogy where Matthew left off and to raise it to Adam because he did not as St. Matthew write his Gospel to the Hebrews who boasted of Abraham but to all Nations who were deduced from Adam as well as he The son of Adam who was from God Aprichianus sets down Fifty persons from Abraham to Christ and in all the Copies of Luke which are read in the Holy Churches there are Fifty and Six and so from Adam to our Lord Seventy and six and according to the natural Genealogy of the Gospel of Matthew from Abraham to Joseph there were Forty persons and according to the Book
Christ was to spring from Bethlehem and not knowing that he was born in Bethlehem CHAP. II. FOrty and six years was this Temple in building That building did not require so long a space of time but they were hindred by their bordering Nations CHAP. III. UNless a man shall be born of Water and the Spirit He doth not say Vnless a man hath been born For just men who went before inherited the Kingdom and were not baptized but shall be baptized to wit henceforward CHAP. IV. HIs Disciples went into the City It is probable That as yet he had not commanded them that they should not enter into the City of the Samaritans and they entred not to learn but to buy victuals Was not thy husband That is to say is not because the five husbands which she took dyed one after another she was reputed an Homicide as Thamar was by Judah and for the reproach of Widowhood she took a sixth with a Covenant that he should not have commerce with her as a Wife The sowers That is to say the Prophets The reapers That is to say the Apostles CHAP. V. THere was a feast of the Jewes That is to say Pentecost Which was called in the Hebrew Bethesda That is to say an house of ignominy because they washed therein the Sacrifices from blood and excrements Some men by another reading will have the word to signifie an house of mercies from the help given to the blind and lame it sounds like this The Lord was with Joseph and shed mercy upon him But this is not to be approved because the Greek reads it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say a house of the excrements of sheep and instead of Bethesda calls it Bethtsaida And he who descended first after the commotion of the water was cured Some say That it conferred remedy by reason that the body of Esaia was buried there Thou art whole sin no more This sheweth That sin was the cause of his Palsie The Son can do nothing of his own will By this he sheweth the harmony of will between the Father and the Son and doth not set sorth the imbecility of his power For the hour cometh and now is when the dead shall hear He hints the Resurrection of Lazārus The hour cometh when all they who are in the grave Inasmuch as he doth not here add and now is he signifieth the general Resurrection to come CHAP. VI. FOR him the Father hath sealed to be God That is to say That he hath demonstrated and revealed That the Son of man which ye have seen is God I am the bread of life St. Joannis saith That here he calls God the bread of life and where he saith and the bread which I shall give is my body he means his body I am the bread which came down from Heaven That is to say his Godhead And the bread which I shall give is my body That is to say his Humanity No man can come to me unless it be given to him from my Father That is to say without Gods assistance Grace is not to be acquired CHAP. VII THat I have made a man altogether whole Not a part of him only as Circumcision but his whole Body which had the Palsie and if for one member the Sabbath may be broken how much rather shall it be broken for all the Members When Christ cometh no man knows from whence This is to be understood concerning Idiots and not of their Scribes who knew that he was to come from Bethlehem and of the seed of David Search and look for out of Galilee ariseth no Prophet CHAP. VIII THere is found in the Copy of Alexandria the Paragraphy of the Adulterous Woman which they brought to Jesus asking him Whether she ought to be stoned But whil'st he stooped and wrote the sins of every one of them they left her and went their way but Jesus said unto her Go thy way and henceforward do not sin If ye be sons of Abraham That is to say he shews they were not for he said before I know that ye are the seed of Abraham but that by deeds ye are not his sons speaking according to the Apostle Not all those who are of Israel are Israelites And he saw and rejoyced By reason of the nearness of the time he speaks as if he had been already Crucified CHAP. IX Master who did sin he or his Parents that he was born blind Because they heard him say to the sick of the Palsie Sin no more they thought that sin was the cause of his Palsie Neither he sinned nor his Parents Not that they were without sin but that the cause of blindness was not sin and in that he said Neither he sinned he confuteth the Platonick conceit which holdeth That Souls declining from Virtue in their first bodies are in a kind of Torment imprisoned in their second Bodies as in Sepulchres and therefore Bodies are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Sepulchres 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 simata in terms of Affinity and a Soul is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and could 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and by these words Neither his Parents he refutes the Jewish Opinion That the sins of the Fathers are imposed on the heads of their Children While it is day the night cometh when no man can work That is to say He calls this World the day wherein men may be justified and he calls the World to come Night where there is no place for Repentance but Paul on the contrary calls this World Night for that spiritual things are not therein discerned I am come for judgment of this world That is to say for tryal of men and above he said That God did not send his Son that he might judge the world to wit That he should pronounce sentence against the sons of men for this was the scope of his second coming for here is Tryal and there is Judgment CHAP. X. AND that they might have more abundantly Not of life but of such corporeal things as they had And it was the Feast of Renovation at Jerusalem and it was Winter On the 25th of December Bicorus the Master of the Host of Antiochus Epiphanes entred into the Temple and erected therein the image of Jupiter and prophaned it and three years afterward as upon the same day Judas Mathabaeus and every year on the same day they celebrate a Feast CHAP. XI LAzarus That is to say an helper and Prince Ephraim saith That after he was raised from the dead John the Evangelist baptized him together with his siners and the Mother of God he preached in Alexandria and was Crowned in the dayes of Tiberius But Eusebius saith That he preached in Cyprus and that he dyed there and was buried there And if a man walk in the day he stumbleth not That is to say with me whom am the Sun of righteousness Whose name was Caiphas It is said That this was Josephus the Writer he whom the Romans
a Samaritan a Transgressor of the Law and have said That I am not come from God These things shall be forgiven unto ye but forasmuch as ye have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit by whom I have cast out Devils and Cured the Sick and have said That I did so by the help of Beelzebub and have attributed Divine miracles unto Devils This Blasphemy shall not be remitted unto ye neither in this World nor in that which is to come Object If Blasphemy against him shall be forgiven and Blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven therefore the Son is less than the Spirit and how is Blasphemy against the Spirit irremissible for behold the Jewes who blasphemed against him as also the Macedonians who called him a thing made when they believed and repented obtained forgiveness Resp We Answer That he doth not say that universally all Blasphemies against the Holy Ghost are irremissible but unless they repent they shall not be remitted unto them and many who blasphemed against the Son and did not repent did not obtain pardon and many who did blaspheme against the Spirit and afterwards repented have obtained pardon Moreover He sheweth that Blasphemy against himself is of a lower degree but Blasphemy against the Spirit is great and difficult There might be some excuse for Blasphemy against him because they saw him vested with a body and he appeared to be a man but the proof of the Spirit they took from the Scriptures and the Prophets who spoke concerning him and therefore they were inexcusable and according to what I said ye are offended with me because I am cloathed with flesh but forasmuch as ye have not seen the Spirit so cloathed but working miracles wherefore do ye blaspheme against him Neither in this World nor in that which is to come For some men are Tormented here and there as the Sodomites and the Jewes who were Tormented here in the Captivity and in the other World because they did not believe and there are others who are neither Tormented here nor there as the Apostles the Martyrs and Job for although they suffered afflictions yet whatsoever they endured was not a punishment but a colluctation with evil and a tryal of integrity for there is a difference between a punishment which proceeds from sin and tryals which are permitted for proof of the Elect and Vertuous for the one hardly receives remission of the sins which he committed by the tribulation he endures but the other obtains a Crown of Righteousness And there are some who are Tormented here as Beggars and Lazarus and he who toâ—k the Wife of his Father and some there as the Rich man and it being certain that some are Tormented here and some there our Lord said Neither in this World nor in that which is to come Moreover He calls his body the son of man that is to say Whosoever shall blaspheme against my body saying I came not from a Virgin or that I did not descend from Heaven or that my body hath not suffered truly but in fancy I shall forgive him upon Repentance but he who shall blaspheme against the Divinity working miracles shall not be forgiven for this is a sin accompanied with contempt and is not made of poverty and delight and although this sin may be remitted as we said before by Repentance yet it is the worst of all sins DIONYSIVS SYRVS CONCERNING FREE-VVILL IN HIS Exposition on the Eighteenth Chapter of MATTHEW Ver. 7. Translated by D. L. J. U. D. FOR it is necessary that offences should come By the word necessary he doth not take away the liberty and power which they have in themselves but hath regard to the Scandals which by their own liberty and will they were to bring necessarily upon themselves by reason of which they were to be condemn'd Again He did not cast them under a constraint of fact but foresaw that they were incurably sick and of their own will were to produce Scandals and therefore he said It is necessary forasmuch as they were to be the cause thereof for if they had been unwilling they would not have come But if it were necessary that Scandals should come why doth he denounce a Woe unto the World We say That as he abstain'd from the doing of some things as he was God so being Man he suffered passions and did whatsoever became him but because they were not the better he denounces a Woe unto them They were honoured and were not the better but when they were scourged they were amended And as a Physitian taking care of his sick Patient who will not obey his commands saith Woe to such a man by reason of his sickness which he increaseth by his own disobedience If it be necessary that Scandals should come how is it possible that we should escape them We say It is necessary that Scandals should come but it is not necessary that we should perish thereby even as a Physitian saith it is of necessity that such a man should be sick yet it is not necessary that he should be destroyed thereby who is forewarned thereof and it is certainly known from hence that there have been vertuous men who have escaped from evils and scandals therefore that a man is destroy'd proceedeth from his neglect If every man were upright and no man should bring Scandals this saying would be false It is necessary that they should come We say That if they were to be upright he had not said It is necessary but because he knew that they were not to be upright he said It is necessary i. e. absolutely * Omâ—imodâ— venient scandala And wherefore did not he grant unto them that they should not be troubled with Scandals We say That of neglect they were scandalized if destruction proceeded from the cause of Scandal every man must necessarily have been destroyed but if some escape he who doth not escape may repute himself the cause thereof Otherwise thus It is necessary Scandals should come Some men say That these words are founded upon the passion and death of our Lord for his death was necessary this is clear from hence That he said A grain of wheat unless it fall into the ground and dye beareth no fruit And Paul that by his death we vanquish him who had power and if the vanquishing of death is necessary so also is the death of our Lord and Regeneration necessary And we ought to know That although the Passion of our Lord were necessary yet the Actors and Authors thereof were not of necessity nor did they unvoluntarily attempt the same otherwise he had not pronounc'd a Woe against him by whom Scandals should come and if according to their madness the Treachery of Judas was of necessity who was the cause of his bursting and hanging himself Dionysius Syrus concerning the woman that had six husbands John 4. Translated by D. L. J. U. D. GO call thy husband i. e. That he might partake of these
command from Augustus Caesar Augustus was the proper name of this King but the name Caesar was a common name for every King who was set over the Romans was called Caesar even unto this as the King of the Egyptians was called Pharaoh and of the Persians Kosro and this Caesar governed the Romans the Egyptians the Hebrews and the Assyrians The Command went out That the inhabited World should be Taxed because he was desirous to know the number of men within his Jurisdiction according as David sent Joab and numbred the people Others say because he was willing to send every one into his own City and Countrey but these opinions are not the likeliest to be true but that which is most probable is That he was willing to raise Pole-money which is manifest from that which Gamaliel said in the Acts of the Apostles That Judah of Galilee arose in the dayes when men were taxed for Pole-money and there was not another tax neither before nor after that And St. Ephraim in his Exposition testifieth as much and Christ was born in the time of this Tax and he excited this King thereunto though he were unworthy as he did unto Balaam and the Wise men that Joseph and Mary coming up from Nazareth to Bethlehem might there be Taxed and our Lord be born there to fulfill the word of Micah Thou Bethlehem c. And that the Jewes might not contend and say That he was not Christ neither of the Lineage of David therefore he ascended thither and he was born in the Forty third year of Augustus and the Thirty third of Herod Augustus is expounded an arising brightness and splendor and Christ is the splendor of the Father and did arise from on high Augustus had not yet governed Sixteen years and Christ unto whom he was Type hath no end of his Kingdom And if Caesar Taxed them for Pole-money Christ also said Give unto Caesar that which is Caesars And if it were to know how many men were within the compass of his Jurisdiction Christ also in regard of the Providence he hath over us said The hairs of your heads are numbred and if it were for the return of every one into his own Countrey or Region Christ also brought forth Souls out of Hell and caused them to return unto their former place And it came to pass in those dayes Not in those wherein John was Nursed up until the day of his Proclamation in those dayes Christ was Thirty years old Neither in the dayes that Elizabeth brought forth for then Mary had conceived Three Months but dayes he calls in this place the dayes after Elizabeth brought forth FINIS The ARMENIAN CREED Translated out of that Language by D.L. J.U.D. WE profess and believe with a sincere heart God the Father not made nor begotten and without beginning the Begetter of the Son and Fountain of the Holy Ghost We believe God the Word not made but begotten and having a beginning from the Father before the world being not after nor younger than the Father the Father being Father onely and the Son Son onely We believe the Holy Ghost not made eternal not begotten but proceeding coessential with the Father and equal in glory with the Son We believe the Holy Trinity One Nature One Godhead not Three Gods but One God One Will One Kingdom One Authority Creator of all things visible and invisible We believe the Holy Church the remission of sins the communion of Saints We believe that One of the Three Persons the Word God begotten of the Father before the world descending in time took of the blood of the Virgin Mary the Mother of God and united it unto his Godhead was Nine moneths contain'd in the Womb of an uncorrupted Virgin and that he was perfect God and perfect man with soul mind and body One Soul and One Person compos'd in One Subsistence God was made Man without mutation without confusion without seed of Conception of incorrupt Nativity There is no beginning of his Divinity nor end of his Humanity for Jesus Christ yesterday and to day and for ever We believe our Lord Jesus Christ convers'd on earth and that after Thirty Years conversation here He was Baptized the Father testifying This is my well-beloved Son and the Holy Ghost descending as a Dove That He was tempted of Satan and that he assiduously preached Salvation unto men That He laboured in Body and suffered in weariness That he was hungry and thirsty That He afterward voluntarily came among his enemies That he was Crucified and Dyed in his Body but lived in the Divinity He preached unto souls and took Hell captive and free'd the Spirits After Three dayes he arose from the Dead and appeared to the Disciples I believe our Lord Jesus Christ is with the self same Body ascended into Heaven and that he sits on the Right Hand of the Father Moreover That He is with the same Body and with the glory of the Father to judge the living and the dead at the Resurrection of all men I believe also a retribution of Works eternal life for the Just and eternal torment for Sinners FINIS INTRODUCTIO DIONYSIISYRI IN EXPOSITIONEM SUAM QUATUOR EVANGELISTARUM Per DUDLEIUM LOFYUSIUM J. U. D. in Linguam Latinam versa DVBLINII Et prostant venales apud Josophum Wilde M. D C. LXXII Virtute quidem auxilio sanctae Trinitatis in essentia aequalis Patris Filii ac Spiritus sancti unius veri Dei exorsi sumus scribere explicationem Evangelii colendi sancti è quatuor sanctis Evangelistis Matthaeo Marco Luca Johanne collecti quam edidit sanctus Dominus Dionysius viz. Jacobus filius Crucis qui secernens eam quasi in Sectiones ab omnibus libris Expositorum ad instar flabelliferi divenit Caput primum ipsius Sancti praenominati ABsolutâ explicatione Legis antiquae Prophetarum Frater noster prout expedire visum est breviter stiloque quem potui adhibere simpliciore novam aggressisumus i.e. Evangelium Actus Apostolorum necnon Pauli Epistolas ea mente ut eandem simili modo tractemus de propriis tamen nostris nihil dicturi sed Expositorum innitentes fundamento aedificium spirituale animae proficiens struximus Cum autem intuiti fuerimus exploraverimus explicationem Evangelii quam ediderunt ipsi quorum nomina sum recitaturus viz. Dominus Ephraim Dominus Johannes Cyrillus insuper etiam Moses Bar Cepha Johannes de Dara cum non modica aliorum Doctorum Caterva nobis videatur omnino impossibile omnes eorum Expositiones in uno libro coacervare nè ita ultra justam produceretur mensuram hujusmodi Tractatus ut ei non sufficeret librorum Schedarum multitudo Nobis visum est omnium istorum Expositorum sensum in Compendium deducere nec non longitudinem latitudinem verborum quibus usi sunt in quantum poterimus contrahere haec est instituti nostri ratio