Greekes shoulde learne Religion was Sems tentes of olde tyme as I haue touched before their owne wordes from a threefolde aucthoritie And this their obseruation is good to helpe them For as the blessing was performed before Salem was abolished and the worde of the Lord did not fayle so they and we were to looke vnto the cursse Moses telleth that vpon denying the Lord the Lande shoulde haue an eternall desolation Gabriel telleth their particuler denyance in killing of Christ not esteeming of the couenant blood wherewith we are sanctified Our Lord tolde that by the abomination of desolation Math. 24. an host besieging Luk. 22. Ierusalem should be destroyed and continually abyde desolate whyle the Gentiles calling continued Great errour hath been herein committed by not marking the force of Noahs wordes pursued by Moses Gabriel the Lord and full euent and the glorious erecting of the Church tearmed The heauenly Ierusalem in steade of it The Apostata Iulian to falsifie our Lord his wordes stirred faythles Iewes to repayre Ierusalem being him selfe at great charges but Christ shewed his trueth For the Moulde which thousandes caried on the day time was on the night remoued lykewise their Morter and their Playster wyndes tempestes and stormes dispersed Their further madnes an Earthquake terrified Vpon many their buyldinges fallyng quelled them and playne tokens of Christ were agaynst them The Apostata woulde neuer haue been so mad yf he had knowen how long Noahs graunt for Sems place to heare a prerogatiue did continue The Popes when they had fallen as Starres from heauen and brought from the pit a smoke to darken the Starres euen when that Helbrande was manifested to haue the throne of Satan and all his power then they woulde falsifie our Lorde his wordes and would recouer Ierusalem to set vp there a superstition They styre warres for to recouer the low Ierusalem to weaken Princes that their Cleargy myght afterwardes haue Emperours and Kinges at their commaundement So the force of the West was sent to the East and there the foure quarters of the earth made greater warres for the Citie which had been once beloued then the Seleucide and Ptolemei of olde tyme made brynging thyther the force of Gog and Magog who also wrought and suffered greater slaughter then euer the worlde saw before or after for the holding of one place And reason woulde that men going about to disanull the wordes of our Lord should know the price of their folly Seeing they would helpe the Citie that killed Christ to repayre Ierusalem where he was killed to proue the wordes of trueth vntrue to buylde there whereupon Christ had pronounced in Daniel and in the Gospell a perpetuall desolation Our Lorde in wrath agaynst that place remembred mercy towarde the sonnes of Abraham For whereas this was and is amongst the Iewes a grounde of all their errour that Moses Lawes and Ceremonies continue for euer vnchanged and yet them selues confesse that whyle they be out of their Lande their Law can not haue his practise and that they are bounde to affyrmatiue commaundementes only in thynges about their body as Phylacteries and post-writinges The Lord in Moses Deut. 28. and in the Gospell Math. 23. leauyng an unchangeable decree for a perpetuall desolation doth playnely tell them that Sems tentes hauing receyued Iapheth into the same dwelling must be enlarged on the right and on the left hande that they may dwell in desolate Cities ouer all the worlde and buylde a larger Ierusalem then that where Sem dwelt Wherefore it is a great â—mperfection in vs that in so weighty a cause Christians shoulde be founde vnskilfull vnable to expresse the open prophecies for the open place and continuance of Sems Citie and also for the perpetuall Desolation and the vse of that Prophecy If for the fyrst poynt we be founde ignoraunt where Sems tentes were we shall neuer eleerely conclude agaynst them when Sems tentes lose their glory Through our foolysh deuotion towardes Ierusalem in that Pilgrimages be continued thyther and we do not openly profeâ—â—e that place a burden of impietie ouerslowen with an eternal Desolation Ramban a Iew writing vpon Leu. 26. sheweth him selfe stroken with blindnsse and astonyshment of hart For he sayth that God wyll not suffer Chanaan to be replenished with Heathen because God doth forsoth reserue it for Israâ—l to returne thyther Because these poore soules are not mad enough of them selues Popyshe superstition wyshe pricking them forwarde which as it is bad not limityng the ende and tearme of Sems house so let vs not be founde vncertayne for the first places of it Concernyng Mount Sion how ancient the dwelling of the holy Fathers haue been there the same is spoken of Hebrew doctors that the old Latines haue deliuered vnto vs. Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon sayth It is a tradition holden of all handes that the place where Dauid and Salomon buylt the Temple in the floore of Arauna the same is the place where Abraham buylt the Alter and bounde Isaak vpon it and the same is the place where Noah buylt when he came out of the Arke and there was the Alter where Kain and Abel offered where also the first Adam offered soone after that he was created Then if this be holden true the seconde ADAM fiâ—lished his course where the first Adam began his By this we may vnderstande that the Apostle woulde not hope to perswade the Iewes of any to dwell at Salem but Sem in those dayes seeyng this was their vniuersall opinion and so fit for helpe of memory for the story And this much for the place Salem Most certayne of all notes poynting at Sem is the Sacrificehood which though I haue touched already tymes one two three yea and the fourth as Plato phrazeth in Timoeo I must somewhat yet handle it a new and ioyntly with it the continuance without beginnyng of dayes or ende of lyfe As the Sonne of God tooke not of hym selfe the function of Sacrificer but was called by him who said Thou art a Sacrificer for euer after the order of Melchisedek So neyther woulde Moses haue vs to thynke that Melchisedek had not a caller or had an obscure callyng But this open callyng and warranted in story and the highest that wordes coulde expresse was fastened by Noah vpon Sem wherefore it must needes be that he woulde holde it and not yeelde his honour vnto any other The Lorde was not ashamed to be called the God of Sem in his lyfe tyme yea and in his young yeeres in respect of his whole age Iapheth his elder brother being a Prophet as the Iewes rightly thinke and perswaded by God to preferre Sems tentes Now yf Iapheth were his inferiour woulde Moses haue vs to thinke any other man his superiour to represent a Sacrificehood of lyfe vndissolued Neyther Moses nor the Apostle woulde euer wysh any such thought to climme into our heades And seeing the Mightie the most High would be
A treatise of MELCHISEDEK prouing him to be SEM The father of all the sonnes of Heber the fyrst king and all kinges glory by the generall consent of his owne sonnes by the continuall iudgement of ages and by plentifull argumentes of scripture Heb. 7. 4. Now consider how great HE is Imprinted at London for Gabriel Simson and William White 1591. OMNE BONŪ SVPERNAE To the right Honorable Syr WILLIAM CECILL of the honorable order of the Garter Knight Lord Burghley Lord Treasurer of Englande grace and peace from the iust king of peace THe heauenly sayinges of Moses Right Honorable concerning Melchisedek Gen. 14 and the commaundement of consideryng howe great the party is Heb. 7. can not well take place in our hartes vnlesse the person be knowen that all spoken of hym may be taken in due sense For eyther we shall clymbe three steppes too hygh with Melchisedekians Hierax or yet Origen who make hym more then a mortall wight or we shall fall too low with the common Greekes who make hym eyther a Chanaanite or leaue hym to be an obscure man But when we find out certaynely who the person is then we may safely examine all that is spoken of hym And in my opinion that which is written of hym reacheth so farre both to the first Adam one way and to the seconde Adam an other way styll ouershynyng Aarons ceremonies that an errour in this matter wyll no lesse frette the webbe of holy Story then the worke of a VVeauer is hurt when many thriddes in one place are pulde away which reached through the whole peece In a matter of this weight I iudged my labours shoulde be well spent that I myght both shake off quite from all myndes which vse my paynes that which is to be reiected and helpe to settle better the ancient trueth To that ende I handle the chiefe diuersitie that haue been touching Melchisedek and speake for one opinion more at large which Hebrewes alwayes helde and Latines most commonly that Sem the father of all the sonnes of Heber must needes be the man Whereas many and great men thought otheryse but neyther the most ancient nor the most part nor onely of the best I leaue all to the Reader to iudge who yf he be of Learnyng wyll eyther as I trust folow the oldest opinion continued styll or without blame geue others leaue to folow it In chosing a particuler Iudge I finde your Lordshyp meete to geue a right censure in difficulties and I suppose you wyll delyght to heare what antiquity speaketh and the matter it selfe in this cause You shall finde this matter muche lyke that wherein once your L. bestowed long tyme in speach with me and many of the very same poyntes though to an other conclusion wyll here offer them selues As the other in my mynde were of profite to be knowen so by these I trust the student in Diuinitie wyll thinke hym selfe somewhat holpen And that both may come togeather yf it be not a trouble to your leasure to remember it wylbe a benefite to Scholers for to marke how some Counsellers looke into theyr studies and teach by sodayne demaundes what poyntes experience of whole kingdomes require to be playnely taught in the worlde which the common sort lytle thynke of and for want of indgement rashly dispise Fiue yeeres ago your L. requested me to repayre to the Court concernyng the Greeke translation of the Hebrew Prophetes presented to you and concernyng perusing of the Englysh to haue more integrity and playnnesse accordyng to the Hebrew and the Apostles Greeke Then you afforded most wyllingly three houres spech for matters of chiefe and generall vse and of great hardnesse in such sort that I was amazed how you shoulde haue eyther such leysure to be ready in them from your politicall affayres and studies or so right and profounde a iudgement for the bones in the body of Scripture as Diuines skant thinke of tyll great errours driue them to consider Beginnyng from the Greeke you demaunded why the 70. should not be more accompted then the Hebrew seeing the Apostles folow it Reason beyng rendred that they were to folow it because Heathen commonly knew no other Bible You further examined how farre they folowed and in eache kinde tryed out the matter Their strangenesse of imitation was in that they refused not bare faultes of Grammer as often appeareth to teach vs not to fight for wordes Secondly they folowed the 70. where they hid their mynde as in Kenan Gen. 11. and Luk. 3. and in Seuentie and fiue soules for Seuentie Gen 46. Acte 7. or deale as Paraphrastes or abridgers which often they do Thirdly in some rare vse of a worde One example of that offered it selfe Heb. 10. which mystaken by Translaters putteth all men to a plundge For it is sayd No further offeryng remayneth for sinne yf we after knowledge of the trueth sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whiche ought not there to be translated willingly rather of pretended malice from Exo 21. 13. where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in Hebrew Zadah insidiatus lying in wayte or iazid 14 wylfull or malicious spitefull And so the disputation was playne agaynst the Iewes wylfully faythles and no further griefe to distresse the conscience of any This was examined as a thyrd kinde of the 70. folowed You examined likewise turning to your Bible the 70. Translations refused when a chiefe matter was weakened by the 70. therefore Paule sayde for this cause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I raysed vp not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou hast been suffered aliue because he woulde expresse the Hebrewe more playnely Moreouer for heauenly eloquence how the Apostles departed from the Translation namely Heb. 1. 3. that your L. diligently tryed by Esay 4. and other places Neither was the Hebrew left vntryed with the 70. for a rare text or in some vse an onely VVhy we say Psalm 2. Kisse the Sonne where the Latin hath after the Greeke Amplectimini eruditionem The openyng of that drewe more matter I answered that by both Translations it myght appeare that the Hebrew worde was Bar. Now the Hebrew worde Barar To teach might by proportion of language haue Bar for doctrine though so in vse any where it commeth not but for a sonne it doth in the Prouerbes 31. 2. Bar and Dan. 3. Bar and in the new Testament Actes 4. Bar-nabas was expounded Sonne of consolation This text litigious for the wryting amongst the Romistes for the meanyng with Iewes folowyng the 70. your L. mooued to be expounded For the Translaters I gessed that eyther they feared to translate for Heathen vngrounded vpon the Trinitie a distinct saying of one person The Sonne least Heathen shoulde turne it to a wrong meanyng or they marked it not As in Daniel they knew not how to translate Iccaret◠Messiah Messiah shalbe killed because they vnderstoode not the matter or they feared to publyshe it in a playne phrase and in Greeke Vpon mention
For Cedarlaomers people of Elam must needes be of Sem. This Iarchi and Epiphanius in Ancorato are of one iudgement that many of Sems posteritie such as had not their tongues altered kept about Ierusalem though in tyme Chanaans families wearied them out For that I wyll not striue as Ramban doth agaynst Iarchi but both he citing the Fathers and I also wyll graunt that Sem met Abraham I omit their short speaches in this poynt that onely cite other mens iudgementes as Dauid Kinchi vpon Psal 110. Rabbi Nathan in the recorde of the Fathers Aben Ezra vpon Gen. 14. and Baal Hatturim in his nootes of memorie from the letters of Melec Salem whereby S. and M. in the wordes turned make Sem. Though such toying can be no proofe in sounde argument yet it argueth that to haue beene alwayes the common opinion otherwyse that dallying shoulde neuer haue been admitted whereas yet most weightie things are founde in that worke from the letters in appearaunce but in trueth from the matter strong and cleere of antiquity and for memorie wittely contriued to some note vpon the letters for better preseruation also of the Text. Ralbag confirmeth the Rabbines consent by the great matters which are in Melchisedek and must also be in Sem. Midras Psal 76. maketh a lyuely discourse vpon the name Salem which the very same is in Bereshith Rabbaâ— also in Sepher Aruch The name of that place was Iehouah Iireh Abraham called it Iireh Sem called it Salem as hence appeareth Melchisedek king of Salem the holy blessed God sayd If I call it Iireh Sem a iust man wyll be greeued yf I call it still but Salem Abraham a iust man wyll be greeued for his monument forgotten Beholde I call it as they both call it Ierusalem Iireh Salem That is The sight or reuerence or religion of peace I woulde Ierusalem had as sadly looked to those thinges which were her peace as Midras doth pleasantly open the name The same Midras hath also a strong argument from the place For that was the place of Sems dwelling whence in time Iapheths sonnes should learne to dwel in the tabernacle of God But from Sion came foorth the Law and the worde of the Lord from Ierusalem whereby God had his Tabernacle amongst vs of Iapheths house therefore Sion and Salem was the place of Sems dwellyng Thus reasoneth Midras that being so doubtles Salem and Sem were despised by the buylders of Babel whereupon many tongues sprang and contrariwise by clouen tongues vnderstoode at Salem that Ierusalem was founded in which Iapheth and Sem might both dwell togeather The Iewes at Wormes being demaunded When they thought Iapheth and Sem ioyned sayd at the ouerthrowe which they gaue to Babel and ioyned paynes to buylde Ierusalem And in deede it is somewhat that they say but a small deale to the whole meanyng Then Darius of Madai and Iapheth and Cyrus of Elam and Sem both pulde downe Babel and set vp Ierusalem But the fulnes of their dwelling is in that Ierusalem named Heb. 10 Apo. 3. 21. Now that we cast no stumbling blocke before those blinde we shoulde furnyshe our selues to agree skilfully with them for the writ and take heede least we vrge the Apostle as a new teacher of an olde story in which kind Apostles would not be conuicted disputing with their enimies to teache that which Moses and the Prophetes taught not I will passe ouer Tanchuma Elias Abrabaneel Zakuto to hasten to those Hebrewes which by type mystery or callyng of the matter to an high vnderstanding deale in Melchisedek as doth the Apostle considering how CHRIST in him is represented that thereby the Apostles wordes may lesse amaze vs when we see that y e Iewes of them selues bryng Melchisedek to represent the eternall name of God and distinctly the Messias agaynst their present religion at this day Let vs marke R. Symeon ben Iochai a Rabbin of which a man may speake as Homer speaketh of Egypt that therein been receites many good and many euyll I am to regarde him as a recorder and not a iudge as citing other mens wordes and of small aucthoritie for his owne He is thought of Genebrard to be a very olde writer as of Galatinus and I finde R. Symeon Ben Iochi cited in Talmud Sanadrin pag 70. b. But doubtles many rare thinges for a Rabbin he hath yeelded to many Christians very agreeable to the Apostles doctrine Thus he sayth Melchisedek king of Salem Salem properly VVhen is he king of Salem In the daye of reconciliation when all faces are made lyghtened What can be better spoken or more fitly for the party resembled by Melchisedek For when our Lord Iesus ware the crowne of Thornes then the daughters of Ierusalem were to beholde the true Salomon and king of Salem euen in that day when the most Holy was killed not for him selfe but to make expiation or reconciliation for sinne Therefore the Angel doth vse Daniel 9. the verbe capper for to aunswere Moses worde cippur expiation and reconciliation The same Rabbin Col. 83. speaketh that the spirite of God Gen. 1 2. is the spirite of the Messias who is also Shiloh in which name is Iah the Eternall And there he speaketh of the Serpent desirous to shed blood so that Christ shoulde be kilde and many of Israel with him This may well be admitted in the Cabalist who yet properly helde Melchisedek to be Sem as S. Iarchi the Talmud doth This olde Cabalist shoulde be the more esteemed for that out of him many cite from these wordes Iehouah our God Iehouah the persons of Father Sonne and holy Ghost Yet I may for his skill speake as of one that of late wrote a Booke vnperfect and vnpermitted and forbyd to be printed of the Lyues of the Fathers A discourse framed by a rude Seruing man who had scraped notes from sundry men and stayned all eyther with argumentes vnapt or with blasphemous errours He citing Zoar a booke whereof he can not read one worde caused his booke to be fathered vpon such as woulde loath it and by such meanes many were dispersed and the simple much intangled The same is the case of these Rabbines who haue much from olde writers agreeable to the Apostles doctrine but stayned with dogged blasphemies notwithstanding their readines in the text and recordes in peeces of ancient trueth must be regarded And who so dealeth with them and is founde erronious in story as they who woulde make the rare type of Melchisedek to be of a nation cursed he shall geue them great occasion to disdayne the trueth as was geuen to Hierax and S. Augustine to runne to a speculation vnprofitable I may well ioyne R. Menachem to the authour of Zoar for his wordes Menachem most commonly foloweth Thus he writeth vpon Sedek part of the name and signifieth Iustice The meaning is that the terme Sedek hath a close betokening of Sâ—cinah
beginning from their Ierusalem and tentes of Sem. By not marking the Rabbines here we norysh vntruethes in two speciall stories Sems fyrst and Abrahams lykewise by not discirnyng in what kinde of spech Hebrewes make Sem and Abraham eldest where they helde it in trueth for both to be otherwyse Lykewyse Epiphanius not being marked droue some to expositions which him selfe had blamed in Melchisedekians But boubtles he must nedes be holden to hide his minde bringing but one reason that from a false grounde And for reasons agaynst that in him he is strongly resolued that Sem helde the place after geuen to Abrahams seede This dissemblyng in wryters should not seeme strange seeing that euen Poetes in kinges persons set it foorth and Rhetoritians thence gather preceptes for that kinde Homers Agamemnon preparyng a set fielde maketh an oration of going home to try his Souldiers myndes and courage but his reasons are strong agaynst returnyng He vrgeth a goyng home because the warres were long and it was shame to leaue all vnperfect and their shyppe tymber was rotten and their sayles were ragged which poyâ—â—Tres all were contrary to returnyng notwithstanding the multitude tooke holde on his spech quickly and so preparde homewarde that skantly coulde all the wysedome of Nestor perswade them that the King meant otherwyse or the witte of Vlysses stay them from returnyng Hermogenes helde this dealyng to be so common that he thought good to teach from Homer how to do it artistcially But most common was hiding of the minde amongst the Iewes nation touching the Septuagint Eusebius recordeth out of Aristeas that they bound their nation by paine of a cursse that none of them should alter the Greeks Translation Aquilas Symmacâ—us and Theodotion were hated not onely for their heresies but also for theyR TraINslations though they were not of their nation Wherefore Epiphanius had two thinges to bridle him the one that he might not drawe in the same yoke with Heretiques the other that he myght not run into the cursse for altering the Greke I thinke that the Apostle writing to the Hebrewes was also to regard that wyshed not to offend the nation where no neede required And we see that S. Paule was loth to differ from the common maner in reckonyng of the Iudges tyme after a sort 450. yeeres as Iosephus in effect doth which tyme was nothing neare that in proprietie and yet in a dobble reckoning by Oppressours and Reuengers most exactly so much Also S. Luke reckonyng Iacobes familie to be seuentie and fiue soules accordyng to the Sepâ—uagint was loth to breake the agreement or custome of their nation So I thinke that Epiphanius to Greekes durst not disclose the secretes of the Elders And thus much for testimonies of Hebrewes Greekes and Latines touching Melchisedek where for Latines I broughe many of Witenberge becaluse that to an abridgement of Codomans Chronicle there set forth an opinion vnlyke theirs is fastened by one which woulde not haue it searched who the person shoulde be and in a seconde edition is agaynst him selfe drawing men not to mislyke that he should be a litle Cananite king That the simple might knowe this opinion not to come from Witenberge I 〈◊〉 authours thence otherwise minded Vnder the testimonies and vpon some discourses many reasons were brought which by the matter without mans countenaunce seeme to stande each one But least by them selues and seuerall they shew not all their strength or beyng scatttred cannot be so well vewed nor make so good a shew To conclude this cause I thinke it good to bring them togyther and to strengthen them yf neede be And fyrst to take away that which most seemeth to hinder the mistaking of the Apostles wordes of being without Father without Mother that I confidently affyrme to be spoken onely by relation to Gen. 14. without any condemning of such as from other places affyrme who in trueth Melchisedek was Now that Moses meant that Sem shoulde be knowen to be that King and the Apostle lykewyse the matter it selfe cryeth out aloude For Moses speaking of Sem blessed front Noah by these wordes Blessed be the God of SEM and of Chanaan cursed vpon Chams badnes and to be his seruaunt also of Iapheth to fetch religion from SEMS house First sheweth how the cursse came in that Babel was buylt rebellious Nemrod of Chams race and the youngest brother erecting a tyranny and setting forwarde a worke for men to make them selues a Shem that is a Name He reckoneth the Languages that came vpon that worke wherewith they that were punished were scattered from the presence of God of which we shoulde not fayne any to holde Religion nor by their owne abilitie to recouer Grace nor without hearyng of the worde to be made faythfull nor to affyrme of special preaching to them without warrant from Scripture Now as for blessed Sem Moses returneth to his strory telleth of his lyne to Abraham reckoneth how long they all lyued omitteth mention of death Gen. 11. far otherwyse then he dealt Gen. 5. casteth Sem to be aliue very long after Abrahams calling and lykewyse for a good whyle Arphaxad and Selah men borne before the confusion of Tongues Heber also that forwarned it longest of all but none borne after Babel as Peleg Regu Sarug Nachor Terah and expressely mentioneth Terahs death that fell to Idolatrie that we should consider him dead before the Promyse as the wrath vpon the Towre-buylding yea and vpon the Fathers borne after vntyll Abraham that none of them lyued to see the Blessing continued Then sheweth how Abraham called to lâ—aue his Countrey going to Chanaan going to Egypt returnyng to Chanaan recoueryng his Lot partaker of the blessing killing of the king of Elam was after this blessed of Melchisedek representyng CHRIST and saying Blessed be Abraham to El Elion and blessed be the God of Abraham Doth not the golden chayne of the story thus setled and of the phrase alyke continued drawe Sem hither who as he receyued the Blessing from Noah deliuereth it vnto Abraham Shoulde we thinke that in so great a matter Sem shoulde haue a blessing and lyue obscurely all his lyfe and some vpstart of Families cursed shoulde pronounce it vpon Abraham Whyle Libanus beareth Snow and Iordans waters flowe that wyll not stande I trow Such a stately matter falleth not out without a prophecie If Adams fall beyng so speedy yet had with a warnyng a kinde of foretellyng If the Floodde at Noahs byrth was closely foretolde and also the Languages confounded vpon Cham chursed through his families I woulde also thinke that the blessing of Abraham should not be a late tolde thing but depende vpon auncient speches As the Lordes workes are knowen to him of eternitie so it is vsuall in his worde that he sheweth thinges before they aryse and doth nothyng but that he telleth his seruauntes the Prophetes In this kinde I assure my selfe that Moses purposedly continueth the blessing
Now Iubilees continued not beyonde our Lord his death but the last fell out in the same yeere that Holy yere the acceptable time when he brought vs into our Rest For particuler declaration of that an other tyme must be taken and for Moses further meanyng to be opened For y e present matter touching dulnesse of hearing it was spoken doubtles of not vnderstandyng Melchisedek representing the Some of God which representation how woulde that Nation euer haue looked for in a Chanaanite whereas in Sem graunted by them to figuer Christ and in most manifest Scriptures they woulde rather stop their cares then heare that poynt Thus all that is spoken of Melchisedek shineth in Sems cause and it can not be that any other then alyue shoulde be thought equall in the kinde Sem is the honour of Kinges for antiquity and iustice ended his dwelling at Salem whence Religion sprang to our Fathers was the worthiest Sacrificer to his God was vnborne in the worlde now vndead in the memory of most that saw him blesse Abraham undying in description of his age besides the maner of spech before vsed to the astonyshment of men Sem onely coulde tell Abraham and Isaak the storyes of Adam from the mouth of Lamech and his father Methuselah onely by the lewes graunt agaynst the Iewes can be brought a keeper of the worlde from Tobu by his owne eares testimony as knowing the law of Fayth before Abraham Sem onely had before a promyse wherein the learned Iewes woulde be dull of hearyng and was meete to be lykened to the Sonne of God in his case then And neuer was any King more strengthened to a Kingdome by Warriers then Sem is by argumentes to be Melchisedek This I had to speake of Melchisedek styred vp first to defence by spech of a Learned brother who taught the same and of some was blamed Afterwardes I wrote in fewe lynes the effect of all this sufficient as I supposed to stay the vnstayed and so I founde that in many it tooke place One Learned man otherwayes mynded wrote what he thought good to an other conclusion His and myne I willingly commende to the iudgement of the Godly that the trueth may take place to common agreement in buyldyng the kingdome of Iustice in Peace FINIS Hebrew Rabbines or Rabbine workes cited in this booke for Sem or Melchisedek whose whole workes from Venice or Francfurt Studentes may haue 1. Aben Ezra 2. Abrabbaneel 3. Abraham Ben Isaak in Nauath Salom. 4. Abraham Zakuto autor Sepher Iuchasim 5. Abraham Perizol 6. Baal Aruch 7. Baal Hatturim 8. Dauid Kimchi 9. Elias Mizrachi 10. Isaak Ben Arama 11. Leui Ben Gerson 12. Menachem vpon Moses 13. Midras Bereshith 14. Midras Tillin 15. Moses ben Maymon or Rambam 16. Moses ben Nachaman or Ramban 17. Perush col millah Kasha that is an exposition vppon euery hard worde 18. Salomob Iarchi 19. Seder Olam Rabbah 20. Symeon ben Iochai he is cited in the Babylonian Talmud but is farre elder in Zakuto in Sepher Iuchasin as of S. Pauls age 21. Talmud BabyloniaÌ„ printed at Basil and from Sucha Nedarin Sanedrin 22. Tanchumaâ— Rom. 9. 17. Exod. 9. 16. Epiphanius book 2. her 55 The first Opinion * In saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in the most manifest sort ‡ Heb. 7. Gene. 3. Iob. 13. 7. â™ By S. Augustnes leaue Heb. 7. Heb. 6. Gen. 14. 18. 2. Pet. 3 7. Conferre Gen. 9. 11. 14. The seconde opinion Rom. Heb. 5. 1. ‡ That Melchisedeck was a Cananite by kinred Epiph. in Here. 55. oecum vpon Heb. 7. § That he was no farther a Chananite then by place A discourse touching the Septuagint ‡ Rabbi Sadaias hath made a Treatise of that which Elias hath ioyned to his Hammasoreth * Apocal. 17. Mat. 3. Mar. 12 Luk. 20. Act. 5 * Aquilas Symmachus Theodotion and two without the Authors names These ioyned made Hexaplun that is a sixfold worke the Hebrewes both in Hebrew letters also in Greke letters but Hebrewe wordes made vp Octaplun the eyghtfolde worke The translation of Lucian the martyr that of Sophronius though not from the Hebrew were of good accompt Moses of late dayes is set foorth in a Greeke translation but in Hebrew letters by a wicked Iew to deface the Greke now vsed R. Abraham Ben-Dauid in Kabala 1 Homer Plato in Timaeo 2 Hesiod in Pandora 3 Nicander Ther. * Alexander polyhistor 4 Clem. 1. Strom. 5 Ioseph out of Hesiod and Diod. Sic Ouid. 1. Metam Herod 2. Euseb 1. praep ‡ Manethus Molus Estiaeus Ecataeus Ellanicus Acousilaus Ephorus Sibylla § Berossus Chaldeus Hieronymus aegiptius Ni colaus Damascenus Mnaseas ♓ Eupolemus Euseb 9. prap Diog Laer. in his Proaem In Egypt the learned were called Hiereis and Propheâ— ae thence the Septuagint borowed these two termes to translate Cohenim and Nebyir Th' Apostles in Greeke reteine the Septuagint termes and for Cohenim put Hiereis but neuer for oâ—e vnder the Gospel that is seruant in the worde and Sacramentes Wisedome woulde thinke their termes the best but custome will rule * Baal Aruch 〈◊〉 lachnai or Iannes who also citeth the Talmud and Numenius in Euseb Praep. 9. Obseruations * In the former tymes some noteâ— as it appeareth yet very badly and blasphemosly that Moses omitted an huÌ„dred yeres So at the fyrst they woulde deface all his authoritie What wyll they say for his later summe hauing more theÌ„ the Greeke hath by â—n hundreth yeeres and yet the whole summâ— in most equall in all sauing Lamech * In him the Greeke translation altereth nothyng her in Noah * So he should be a Father twenty yeres sooner then he was in the Hebrew trueth And of 955. yere old at the Flood wherfore the rest of his age he must be 14. yeres somwhere Some woulde beleeue that he was with Henoch tyll the Flood was past rather then beleeue y e Hebrew text Aug. Ciuit. 15. Cha. 11. As though al the lewes would or could corrupt the Hebrew text cited so muche in Commentaries and founde vniforme yet By this impossibilitie the Septuagint would haue the worlde to knowe that they for a closer purpose woulde not communicate the trueth of the Fathers ages with prophane Heathen It is a pittifull thing to see how tyl this day men are bent to imagine vntruethes agaynst the Hebrewe trueth to disanul the holines of the worde Moses in the Hebrew omitteth mention of Sems death to stay the reader in expectation of some rare dignitie of his person and that men shoulde not thinke that he died before the blessing was fastened vpon Abraham as in trueth he lyued after Terahs death or the promyse seuentie fiue yeeres vnto the fiftieth yeere of Isaaks age by the Ebrew vnfallible Here the Greekes enterlaced that fayned sentence And Caâ—nan liued c. that neuer was and he died And here a man mayseâ— that they did but dally with the Heathen by this fained name