times of the Gospel imported the same Notion And the Government shall be upon his shoulders The Power and Majestie of the Kingdom is committed to him by his Father chap. 22.22 with Matth. 28.18 and he hath strength enough to manage it Princeps est hajulus Reip. The Hebrews call a Prince Nassi because Atlas-like he is to bear up the Common-wealth and not to overload his Subjects Christ both as Prince of his Church and as High-Priest also beareth up and beareth out his people helping their infirmities Rom. 8.26 See the Note And his Name shall be called Heb. He shall call his Name 1. God his Father shall or every true Believer shall call him and count him all this And sure it is had we but skill to spell all the Letters in this Name of Christ Prov. 18.10 it would be a strong Tower unto us better then that of David builded for an Armoury and compleatly furnished Cant. 4.4 Compare this Text with 1 Cor. 1.30 and see all our doubts answered Are we perplexed He is our wonderful Counsellour and made unto us of God Wisdom Are we in depths of distress He is the mighty God our Redemption Want we Grace and his Image He is the Everlasting Father our Sanctification Doth the guilt of sin sting us He is the Prince of peace our Righteousness Wonderful Heb. A Miracle or Wonder viz. in all his Counsels and Courses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Symmach Ipsa admirabilitas A Lap. especially for his Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders Exod. 15.11 Counsellour The Septuagint here calleth Him the Angel of the great Counsel Rev. 1.13 He is set forth as cloathed with a garment down to the foot which is the Habit of Counsellors at Law who are therehence called Gentlemen of the long Robe See Rev. 3.17 Prov. 8.14 Jer. 32.19 But because Counsellors are but Subjects it is added in Christs stile The mighty God Able to effect his own Counsels for the behoof of his Subjects Saint Paul calleth him the great God Tit. 2.13 and God above all to be blessed for ever Rom. 9.5 God the Potentate so the Sept. render this Text God the Giant so Oecolampadius The Everlasting Father The Father of Eternity the King Eternal Immortal 1 Tim. 1.17 Ferdinand the Emperour on his death bed would not acknowledge the Title Invictissimus but commanded his Counsellour to call him Ferdinand without more addition Christ is also the Author of Eternity to all his people whom he hath begotten again to an Inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for them 1 Pet. 1.3 4. The Prince of peace Pacis omnimodae of all kinds of peace outward inward of countrey and of conscience temporal and eternal Of all these he is the Prince as having full power to bestow them for he is son to the God of peace Rom. 16.20 He was brought from Heaven with that song of peace Luc. 2.14 He himself purged our sins and made our peace Heb. 1.3 Eph. 2.14 Returned up to Heaven with that farewel of peace Joh. 14.27 Left to the world the Gospel of peace Eph. 2.17 Whose Ministers are messengers of peace Rom. 10.15 Whose followers are the children of peace Luk. 10.6 c. Wherefore Christ doth far better deserve then our Hen. 7. did to be stiled the Prince of peace Especially since Ver. 7. Of the increase of his government there shall be no end Here the Mem final in the middle of the word Lemarbeh hath occasioned some to give many guesses at the reason of it yea to conceit many mysteries where wiser men can find no such matter It is a good note which One giveth here viz. that the more Christs government increaseth in the soul the more peace there is See chap. 32.17 Psal 119.136 To establish it Or support it uphold it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A King hath his name in Greek from being the foundation of the people This King of Kings is only worthy of that name he is not maintained and supported by us our Subsidies but we by him and by the supplies of his Spirit Philip. 1.19 All our springs are in him Psal 87.7 Non amat qui non zelat The Zeal of the Lord of hosts i. e. the philanthropy Tit. 3.4 and free grace of God Dilexisti me Domine magis quam te saith a Father Let us reciprocate by being zealous of good works fervent in spirit serving the Lord. And when Satan telleth us of our no merits tell we him that the Zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do it notwithstanding Ver. 8. The Lord fâ—râ— a word into Jacob He sent it as a shaft out of a bow that will be sure to hit God loveth to premonish but woe be to those that will not be warned The Septuagint render it The Lord sent a plague or Death into Jacob and indeed after the white horse followeth the red and the black Revel 6.2 4 5. Like as Tamerlan that warlike Scythian displayed first a white flag in token of mercy and then a red menacing and threatning blood and then lastly a black flag the messenger and ensign of death was hung abroad And it hath lighted upon Israel 1. They were not ignorant of such a word ver 9.2 They could neither avert nor avoid his wrath Ver. 9. And all the people shall know Know it they do already but they shall know it by wofull experience He that trembleth not in hearing shall be crushed to pieces in feeling said Mr. Bradford Martyr That say in pride and sloutness of heart The Poet could say of his Ajax 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His pride undid him so doth it many a man especially when come to that height that it fighteth against God as here When earthen pots will needs be dashing against the Rock of ages and doing this or that al despito di Dio as that profane Pope once said whether God will or no divine vengeance doggs at heels such Desperado's Ver. 10. The bricks are fallen down Not thrown down by Providence but fallen down by Fate or blind fortune God is not so far honoured as once to be owned by these Atheists who think they can make their party good against him and mend what he had marr'd whether he would or not Thus this giantlike generation and the like impiety is in the corrupt nature of us all For as in water face answereth to face so doth the heart of a man to a man saith Solomon Prov. 27.19 The Sycomores are cut down c. Another proverbial speech to the same purpose Sycomores were then very common in that countrey and little set by 1 King 10.27 Now they are not to be found there saith Hierom as neither are Cedars in Lebanon Ver. 11. Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin in whom ye trust He shall shortly be destroyed by the Assyrian 2 King 16.9 and then your hopes
head lack no oyntment That thou mayst look smooth and handsome See Matth. 6.16 17. Oyntments were much used with those Eastern people in Banquetings Bathings and at other times Luk. 7.46 Mat. 26.7 By garments here some understand the affections as Col. 3.8 12 which must alwayes be white i. e. cheerful even in times of persecution when thy garments haply are stained with thine own bloud By the head they understand the thoughts which must also be kept lithe and lightsome as anoynted with the oyl of gladnesse Crucem multi abominantur crucem videntes sed non videntes unctionem Crux enim inuncta est saith Bernard Many men hate the Crosse because they see the Crosse only but see not the Oyntment that is upon it For the Crosse is anoynted and by the grace of Gods holy Spirit helping our infirmities it becomes not only light but sweet not only not troublesome Aug. but even desirable and delectable Martyr etiam in catena gaudet Paul gloried in his sufferings his spirit was cheered up by the thoughts of them as by some fragrant oyntment Vers 9. Live joyfully with the Wife whom thou lovest As Isaac the most loving Husband in Scripture did with his Rebecca whom he loved Gen. 24.67 not only as his Country-woman Kins-woman a good Woman c. but as his Woman not with an ordinary or Christian love only but with a conjugal love which indeed is that which will make marriage a merry-age sweeten all crosses season all comforts She is called the Wife of a mans bosome because she should be loved as well as the heart in his bosome God took one of mans ribs and having built it into a Wife laid it again in his bosome so that she is flesh of his flesh yea she is himself as the Apostle argues and therehence enforceth this duty of love Ephes 5. Neither doth he satisfie himself in this argument but addes there blow to blow so to drive this nayl up to the head the better to beat this duty into the heads and hearts of Husbands All the dayes of the life of thy vanity Love and live comfortably together as well in age as in youth as well in the fading as in the freshnesse of beauty Which he hath given thee i. e. The Wife not the Life which hee hath given thee For marriages are made in Heaven as the Heathens also held God as he brought Eve to Adam at first so still he is the Paranymph that makes the match Prov. 18.22 and unites their affections A prudent Wife is of the Lord for a comfort as a froward is for a scourge All the dayes of thy vanity i. e. Of thy vain vexatious life the miseries whereof to mitigate God hath given thee a meet-mate to compassionate and communicate with thee and to bee a principal remedy for Optimum solatium sodalitium no comfort in misery can be comparable to good company that will sympathize and share with us For that is thy portion And a very good one too if she prove good As if otherwise Arist in Rhetor. Aristotle saith right he that is unhappy in a Wife hath lost the one half at least of his happinesse on earth And in thy labour which thou takest c. They that will marry shall have trouble in the flesh 1 Cor. 7.28 let them look for it and labour to make a vertue of necessity As there is rejoycing in marriage so there is a deal of labour i. e. of care cost and cumber Is it not good therefore to have a Partner such an one as Sarah was to Abraham a Peece so just cut for him as answered him right in every joynt Vers 10. Whatsoever thy hand findes to doe doe it with thy might Wee were made and set here to be doing of something that may doe us good a thousand years hence our time is short our task is long our Master urgent an anstere man c. work therefore while the day lasteth yea work hard as afraid to be taken with your task undone The night of death comes when none can work That 's a time not of doing work but of receiving wages Up therefore and be doing that the Lord may be with you Praecipita tempus mors atra impendet agenti Silius Castigemus ergo mores moras The Devil is therefore more mischievous because hee knowes he hath but a short time Rev. 12.12 and makes all the haste he can to out work the children of light in a quick dispatch of deeds of darknesse O learn for shame of the Devil as Latimer said once in another case therefore to doe your utmost because the time is short or rolled up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor 7.29 as sayls use to bee when the ship drawes nigh to the harbour This argument prevailed much with St. Peter to bestirre him in stirring up those hee wrote unto because hee knew that hee must shortly put off his tabernacle 2 Pet. 1.13 14. The life of man is the lamp of God saith Solomon God hath set up our lives as Alexander when hee sate down before a City did use to set up a light to give those within to understand that if they came forth to him whiles that light lasted they might have quarter as if otherwise no mercy was to be expected Vers 11. That the race is not to the swift Here the Preacher proveth what hee had found true by experience by the event of mens indeavours often frustrated that nothing is in our power but all carried on by a providence which oft crosseth our likeliest projects that God may have the honour of all Let a man be as swift as Asahel or Atalanta yet hee may not get the goal or escape the danger Speed The battel of Terwin in France fought by our Henry 8. was called the battel of spurres because many fled for their lives who yet fell as the men of Ai did into the midst of their enemies At Muscle-borough-field many of the Scots running away so strained themselves in their race Life of Edw. 6. by Sir John Heywood that they fell down breathlesse and dead whereby they seemed in running from their deaths to run to it whereas two thousand of them that lay all day as dead got away safe in the night Nor the battel to the strong As we see in the examples of Gideon Jonathan and his armour-bearer David in his encounter with Goliah Leonidas who with six hundred men worsted five hundred thousand of Xerxes host Dan. 11.34 They shall be holpen with a little help And why a little that through weaker means we may see Gods greater strength Zach. 4.6 Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord This Rabshakeh knew not and therefore derided Hezekiah for trusting to his prayers Esay 36.5 What can Hezekiah say to embolden him to stand out What I say saith Hezekiah I have words of my lips that is Prayer Prayer saith
few So that God may say as once of the cured Lepers Where are the other nine Such were those that looked for the Consolation of Israel when Christ came in the flesh Zachary Simeon Anna the Maries Joseph of Arimathea the Apostles Peters Converts c. And it shall return and shall be eaten Or it shall after its return again be burnt up or removed so they were to some purpose by the Romans See on ver 12. As a Toyle-tree or as an Oak Trees that are durae ac durabiles hard and long-lasting and although they lose their fruit and leaves or be cut down yet Their substance is in them the substance of the matter the sap remaineth in the Trunk and Root In radice caudice Junius Piscator Some think there is an allusion in this Text to a Bank or Causey that went from the Kings House to the Temple and was born up with Trees planted on either side of it which Trees as they kept up the Causey so do the godly the State 1 Chron. 26.16 18. 1 King 10.5 2 Chron. 9.11 Semen sanctuus statumen terrae CHAP. VII In Pentat Ver. 1. ANd it came to pass This is not a superfluous Transition as Austin maketh it but importeth that the following discourse is no less to be regarded then the foregoing In the dayes of Ahaz that sturdy-stigmatick under whom Isaiah was as Eliah under Ahab and for the comfort of the godly prophesied then most sweetly concerning Christ and his Kingdom The son of Jotham the son of Uzziah for whose sake say the Rabbins this wretch was thus relieved King of Judah Titularis sed non Tutelaris as it was once said of Culperick King of France utpote qui Reip. defuit non praefuit That Rezin the King of Syria He is first named as being Generalissimo See of him 2 King 15.37 He was King of Damascene and Caelosyria And Pekah King of Israel These two Kings had severally invaded Judah before with great success 2 Chron. 28.5 8. And heartened thereby now they joyn their forces thinking to make a full conquest but were as much deceived and disappointed as were the Pope and Spaniard here in Eighty-eight and more then once in Ireland where D. Aquila with his Spaniards being beaten out said in open Treaty that when the Devil upon the Mount shewed Christ all the Kingdoms of the Earth and the glory of them he did not doubt but he left out Ireland and kept it for himself Went up but not in Gods Name non Dei missu nutu ut ante sed proprio motu ambitione But could not prevail against it Heb. could not war sc with any good success They came into the Countrey like Thunder and Lightning as duo fulmina belli but went out like a snuffe Ver. 2. And it was told the house of David i. e. the King and chief Officers of the Crown and Court Ill news flyeth swift and filleth all places Syria is confederate with Ephraim though these two were oft at deadly feud betwixt themselves yet they could combine for a mischief to Gods people So could Herodians and Pharisees Herod and Pilate c. The Devil doubtless had a design by these two Champions of his to have utterly rooted out the House of David as he sought also afterwards to do by Herod Caligulae and others and so to have prevented Christ his being made of the Seed of Abraham according to the flesh Rom. 1.3 but that could not be And his heart was moved Concussum conquassatum Impiety triumpheth in prosperity trembleth in adversity Tullus Hostilius that godless King of Rome set up Pavor and Pallor for Gods to himself Saul and Achitophel in distress despaired and dispatcht themselves So did Demosthenes Cato and other Heathen Sages who were without God in the world and therefore without comfort Sin maketh men timorous Lev. 26.36 but Righteousness bold Prov. 28.1 Psalm 27.1 The Spirit of power and of a sound mind are fitly set together 2 Tim. 1.7 Ver. 3. Then said the Lord unto Isaiah Wicked Ahaz shall have a Prophet sent him with a Promise if it be but to leave him without excuse There was also a godly party in the Land whose comfort was aimed at and for whose sake Shear jashub was also taken along as carrying comfort in this very name Portendit enim omnes pios qui divini verbi satu generandi sunt salvos incolumes fore divinisque muneribus exornatos At the end of the Conduit of the upper pool Where he is walking and talking about sending to Assyria for help The place is pointed out for confirmation of the truth of the Prophesie So in the Gospel the Apostles are foretold where to fetch the Asse where to prepare the Passover This place was without the City over against the Palace-Royal the very same where afterwards Rabshakah the fugitive son of our Prophet Isaiah say the Rabbins but without reason railed upon the living God This Prophesie here and now delivered 2 King 18. might haply be some support to good Hezekiah under that trial Of the Fullers field Fullers must have store of water and room enough for the dressing and drying of their clothes Ministers are by an Ancient called Fullones animarum Fullers of mens souls Ver. 4. Take heed and be quiet Cave quiesce Or as others render it Vide ut sileas See that thou say nothing fret not faint not send no message to the Assyrian rest by Faith upon the Lord of Hosts get a blessed Sabbath of Spirit a well composed frame of Soul for in quietness and confidence consisteth thy safety as Chap. 30.15 Fear not neither be faint-hearted See on ver 2. For the two tails of these smoaking fire-brands By a most elegant Metaphor he nameth not one of these two Potentates as not worth naming but calleth them in contemp a couple of firebrands such as would do mischief but cannot because but smoaking and not burning and but the tails of smoaking firebrands neither such as are smoaking their last and shall shortly be utterly extinct In a word they have more pride then power being a meer flash Ver. 5. Because Syria Ephraim c. This was the fruit of their fury fuming out at their Noses ver 4. and proving like smoak which the higher it riseth the sooner it vanisheth or like the bubbles blown up into the ayr by children into whose eyes they soon fall back again There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord Prov. 21.30 See the Note there Ver. 6. Let us go up against Judah and vex it So they had done severally and so they think much more to do joyntly Sed aliter Deo visum est There is a Council in Heaven that dasheth the mould of all contrary Counsels upon earth as Psalm 2.4 And let us make a breach therein for us Or let us divide it and share it betwixt us or set a King over it that
will not hearken unto them See Prov. 1.28 Zech. 7.13 with the Notes Ver. 12. Then shall the Cities of Judah go and cry unto the Gods Or Let them go and cry unto them q. d. Let them for me This is one of those bitter answers that God giveth to wicked suitors Ezek. 14. See Judg. 10.14 Or if he give them better at any time it is in wrath and for a mischief to them Ver. 13. For according to the number of thy Cities See chap. 2.28 And according to the number of thy streets See Ezek. 16.31 Ver. 14. Therefore pray not thou for this people See on chap. 7.16 When they cry unto me for their trouble It is not the cry of the spirit for grace but of the flesh only for ease it is but the fruit of sinful self-love In thee indeed it proceedeth from a better principle but I am at a point Ver. 15. What hath my beloved to do in mine house i. e. Mine once-beloved people which had the liberty of mine house and was welcome thither Vatab. but is now discarded and discovenanted as if an husband should say to his adulterous wife What maketh this strumpet in my bed sith she hath so many paramouts And the holy flesh The sacrifices sanctified by the Altar Is passed from thee Shall be wholly taken away from you together with the Temple When thou doest evil then thou rejoycest Thou revellest in thine impurities and sensualities as dreading no danger but slighting all admonition Ver. 16. The Lord called thy name a green Olive-tree Green all the year long fair and fruitful this was thy prosperous and flourishing condition but now thy best dayes are over For With the noise of a great tumult Barritu militari such as souldiers make when they storm a City Ver. 17. For the evil of the house of Israel That evil by a specialty that land-desolating sin of Idolatry Ver. 18. And the Lord hath given me knowledge of it i. e. Of the treacherous plot of my country-men of Anathoth against me who should never have dreamt of any such danger Dius pro suis excubat Ver. 19. But I was like a lamb or an Ox Harmlesse and blamelesse busied in my function and not in the least suspecting any such evil designe against me Mâ—t. 10. I send you forth as lambs amongst wolves saith Christ who himself being the Lamb of God was slain from the beginning of the world his servants also are slain all the day long and counted as sheep to the slaughter Rom. 8. Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof Let us poison his food so the Chaldee senseth it Ponamus lignum taxi in sorbitiunculam Others let us destroy the Prophet and his prophecyes together Others let us make an end of him either by sword or by famine as the punishment threatned ver 22. pointeth us to That his name may be no more remembred Sic veritas odium peperit So the Papists have given order that wheresoever Calvins name is found it shall be blotted out and by a most malicious Anagram they have turned Calvin into Lucian One of them lately took a long journey to Rome only to have his name changed from Calvin to some other and that out of devilish hatred of that most learned and holy man Ipsa à quo virtus virtutem discere posset Ver. 20. But O Lord of hosts Thou who art potentissimus liberrimus a most powerful and free Agent That tryest the reines and the heart And so knowest with what mind I make this complaint and request Let me see thy vengeance upon them A prophetical imprecation guided by Gods Spirit and not lightly to be imitated So the Church prayed against Julian the Apostate whom they knew to be a desperate enemy and to have committed that sin unto death So perhaps had these men of Anathoth Ver. 21. Of the men of Anathoth that seek thy life Where shall a man find worse friends then at home A Prophet is nowhere so little set by as in his own countrey Epist famil lib. 7. ep 6. Mat. 13.57 Probatissimus optimus quisque peregrè vivit saith Ennius in Tully Saying Prophecy not in the Name of the Lord A desperate speech proceeding from an height of hatred and coasting upon the unpardonable sin Ver. 22. Behold I will punish them Sic tandem bona causa triumphat The visible vengeance of God followeth close at the heels the persecutors of his faithful messengers Ver. 23. And there shall be no remnant Behold the severity of God their bloody design was to destroy Jeremies stock and fruit stalk and grain together ver 19. God meteth unto them the self-same measure leaveth them not a remnant This is not ordinary justice chap. 4.27 Isa 1. and 10. A remnant shall be left saith he here not so Let Rome that shambles of the Saints and Prophets especially look to it God is now coming to make inquisition for blood c. CHAP. XII Ver. 1. RIghteous art thou O Lord when I plead with thee Or though I should contend with thee Est elegans 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This the Prophet fitly premiseth to the ensuing disceptation that he might not be mistaken Thy judgements saith he are sometimes secret alwayes just this I am well assured of though I thus argue Yet let me talk with thee of thy judgements Let me take the humble boldnesse so to do that I may be further cleared and instructed by thee Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper Viz. Whil'st better men suffer as now the wicked Anathothites do whil'st I go in danger of my life by them This is that noble question which hath exercised the wits and molested the minds of many wise men both within and without the Church See Job 21.7 13. Psal 37.1 and 73.1 2 12. Hab. 1.4 5. Plato Cicero Seneca Epictetus Claudian against Ruffin c. Wherefore are they all happy Heb. at ease Not all neither for some wicked have their payment here their hell afore-hand To this question the Lord who knoweth our frame Psal 103. being content to condescend where he might have judged calmly maketh answer ver 5. like as Christ in like case did to Peter Joh. 21.21 22. Ver. 2. Thou hast planted them and they have taken root All goes haile with them they have more then heart can wish Psal 73.7 And in lieu of Gods goodnesse to them they professe largely and pretend to great devotion but that 's all Thou art near in their mouth and far from their reines That is from their affections Tit. 1.16 Hypocrites are like that heap of heads 2 King 10.8 that had never a heart among them they have vocem in chorâ— mentem in foro virtutem non colunt sed colorant That Persian Embassadour of whom before when conversing with Christians he had so oft in his moth Soli Deo Gloria made believe that he gave glory to the only true God when as he meant the
for it came up four notable horns i. e. Four potent Princes out of the shipwrack of his Empire which four in processe of time came to two Dan. 11.5 6. Ver. 9. And out of one of them Out of the posterity of Seleucus King of Syria Came forth a little horn This was Antiochus sirnamed Epiphanes Illustrious Polybius called him Epimanes the mad man He is here called a little horn because he was vile and base from the very first to the last of him Indeed he was born a Prince but without a Kingdom a meer Nullatenensis till he became an V surper He was sent for an hostage to Rome by his father Antiochus Magnus whom the Romans had â—ndgeld into a treaty taking away from him the best part of his Kingdom After his fathers death he stole away from Rome and seized upon the Kingdom of Syria casting out of it his nephew Demetrius who was the right heir Afterwards he got into his hands also the Kingdom of Egypt under colour of Protectour to his young nephew Ptâ—lomy Philometor And being therehence discharged by the Romans and made to answer Parebo I will be gone he went thence in a rage and like a mad man recked his teem as we say upon the poor Jews playing the devil amongst them Toward the South i. e. Egypt And toward the East Persia which he also conquered And toward the pleasant land i. e. Judaea called here Decus Capreolus the delectable and desireable Country by reason of its great prerogatives So Ezek. 20.6 Psal 48.2 See there Ver. 10. And it waxed great even to the host of heaven Or against the host of heaven so the Church militant is called The Saints are the worlds great luminaries yea the only earthly Angels although wicked people count and call them the filth and off couring of all things And of the stars Such as shone in the light of holy doctrine Rev. 1.10 Persecutors spite is specially against such Zach. 13.7 Ver. 11. Yea he magnified himself extolled or extended himself such was his insolency Even to or against the Prince of the host Christ the Captain of his peoples sufferings and of their salvation Heb. 2.10 he bare an hostile spirit against the God of the Jews such an hell-bound hardly ever was born casting him out of his place and setting up in his room Jâ—piter Olympius that is the devil he defaced also and burnt up the books of the Law all he could light on 1 Mac. 1.59 Ver. 12. And an host was given him Or the host was given over for the trasgression against the daily sacrifice The Jewes were grown to a great height of profanesse even in Malachies dayes as is to be seen chap. 1 2 3. And by this time doubtlesse they were become much worse God therefore for punishment turned this Tiger loose upon them And it cast down the truth to the ground The doctrine of truth together with the Professors thereof The like whereunto is still done by the Romish Antichrist to whom some apply all this part of the Chapter as the proper and genuine sense of the Text. See the visions and Prophecies of Daniel expounded by Mr. Thomas Parker of Newbery in New-England pag. 43 44 c. And it practised and prospered Wicked practises against Religion may prosper for the time Acts 12.1 2 3. It was therefore no good argument that the Earl of Darby used to George Marsh Martyr telling him that the Dukes of Northumberland and of Suffolk and other of the new perswasion had ill luck Act. Mon. 1421. and were either put to death or in danger so to be And again he rehearsed unto him the good hap of the Queens highnesse and of those that held with her and said that the Duke of Northumberland confessed so plainly Ver. 13. And I heard one Saint speaking i. e. One holy Angel for they are sollicitous of Gods glory and sensible of the Saints sufferings whereof they would have a speedy end and should not we be so too weeping with those that weep and rejoycing with those that rejoyce And another Saint said unto that certain Saint which spake Anonymo illi qui loquebatur so Piscator rendereth it others To the wonderful Numberer who spake i. e. who commanded Gabriel to declare the vision to Daniel ver 16. This was Jesus Christ the Wisdom and Word of God He who knoweth all the secrets of his Father as perfectly as if they were numbred before him How long shall be the vision It appeareth then that Angels know not all secrets but that their knowledge is limited they know not so much but they would know more Ephes 3.10 1 Pet. 1.12 Concerning the daily sacrifice The losse whereof was a just matter of lamentation to godly minds See Zeph. 3.18 And the transgression of desolation Transgression is a land-desolating evil Lam. 1.9 And the host to be trodden under foot i. e. The Professors of the truth were over-turned some by perswasion others by persecution Ver. 14. And he 〈◊〉 unto me Not to the Angel but to me who should have proposed the question the holy Angel did it for me Vnto two thousand and three hundred dayes Heb. to the evening and morning two thousand and three hundred i. e. to so many natural dayes consisting of 24. hours which in all do make up six years three moneths and twenty dayes This point of skil Daniel here learneth of the Wonderful Numberer Christ who hath all secrets in numerato and will put a timely period to his peoples afflictions Not full seven years did they suffer here much lesse Seventy as once in Babylon How he moderateth the matter See on Rev. 2.10 How this Prophecy was fulfilled See 1 Maccab. 1.12 13 14. 2 Maccab. 4.12 c. with 1 Maccab. 4.52 Ver. 15. And it came to passe when I even I Daniel Not another as that black-mouthed Porphyry slanderously affirmed that not the Prophet Daniel saw Porphyr cont Christian l. 12. Hieronym and uttered these Prophecyes so long before they fell out but another who lived after the reign of Antiochus wrot an history of things past and entitled it falsely to Daniel as a prophecy of things to come Oâ—durum Then behold there stood before me They who seriously and sedulously seek after divine knowledge shall finde means to attain unto it Rev. 13.1 Ver. 16. And I heard a mans voice This was the Man Christ Jesus the great Doctour of his Church and Commander of Angels viro similis quia incarnandus Make this man to understand Angels and Ministers make men to understand secrets give the knowledge of salvation to Gods people Luke 1.77 not by infusion but by instruction Ver. 17. So he came near where I stood Let our obedience be like that of the Angels prompt and present I was afraid Through humane frailty and conscience of sin Vnderstand O son of man Ezekeil and Daniel only of all the Prophets are so called haply lest they should be exalted