striuing for darknes we become children of darknes so lose the light of eternall life as the Iewes and Romanes did whose recompence hath followed The one depriued of their earthly glorie the other aduanced to glorie to be a staine of eternall damnation In the begining was the word c. Iohn 1.1 THese words In the beginning are the first wordes in the old Testament whose first word in the Hebrew is Bara which consisteth according to the Hebrew of three letters which closely conteine in them Father Sonne and Holie Ghost as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Ben which singnifieth Sonne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Abba which is Father and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Ruach Hakodesh which is the Holy spirit Thus the Trinity is closely contained in the first word but in the first verse is expressed in open wordes In the beginning God made heauen and earth and the spirit of God mooued vpon the waters and God said Let there be light This is expounded Iohn 1.1 in these wordes In the beginning was the Word the Word was with God and that Word was God shewing that Word in this place is taken for the Sonne of God by whom he made the world as Iohn 1.3 By him were all things created And Heb. 1.2 God made all things by his Sonne who ruleth all things by his mightie power Wherefore Christ in the dayes of his flesh chose the trade of a Carpenter Iohn 6.42 Math. 13.55 And in Esay 43.10 It is sayd This record you must beare me your selues saith the Lord that I am God and euen he I am from the beginning I doe the worke who shall let it Thus saith the Lord the holy one our redeemer Wherein is distinctly expressed Father Sonne and Holy Ghost He was the Light and that Light was the life of man Iohn 1.4 LIfe and light is not here carnally meant but spiritually To which two thinges Aaarons Iewell of Vrim and Thummim had a full relation Vrim signifying Light of the minde Thummim Perfection of vertue which bringeth life to the soule As Iohn 1.9 Christ is the true light that lightneth euery man And hee that abideth in this light hath euerlasting life 1. Iohn 1.5 God is light and in him is no darknes at all If wee walke in light euen as he is light then haue we fellowship with him and the blood of Iesus Christ shall giue vs life and cleanse vs from our sinne We the gentiles were darknes but now are light in the Lord. Ephes 5.8 The vnderstanding of the stories of the Bible doth giue a great light to the mind of man and the practise giueth life vnto euery one that embraceth them as Deut. 8.3 and Mat. 4.4 Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God The despisers of religion continue in darknesse and light to them is death as 1. Iohn 2. 9. He that saith hee is in light and hateth his brother is in darknesse and walketh in darknesse and knoweth not whither he goeth because the darknesse hath blinded his eies 1. Iohn 5.11 But God hath giuen vs eternall life and that life is in his Sonne who layed downe his life for his Sheepe Iohn 10.15 Wherefore while wee haue light let vs walke beleeue in the light that we may be the children of the light Iohn 12.36 The first Adam was made of the Earth earthly c. The second was made a soule giuing life c. HEre before the comparison betweene Adam and Christ we are to consider the Creation wherein we are to vnderstand the Creation of the Heauen Earth and Sea all the hoast of them which doe consist of Wightes visible and inuisible Inuisible as Angels Visible as Sunne Moone Starres Fishes Fowles Plants Hearbs Grasse Beastes and such like which God created before he created Adam by Christ for Adams sake because he purposed not to take the nature of Angels or of any other creature but of Adam and that he might be knowne in his power and louing kindnesse to Adam by his workes For he fore-purposing to make Adam both King and Father of all the Earth would not haue his wittes entangled with cares for this life but to haue his affections setled on heauenly things that he might continue holy and blamelesse before him as Mat. 6.25 Take no care what you shall eate or what you shall drinke nor yet for your body what rayment you shall put on Behold the Fowles neither sow nor reape and your heauenly Father feedeth them Are yee not much better then they How much more then shall he doe the same for you For he knoweth yee haue need of all these thinges But first seeke the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse Math 6.33 For no mans life standeth in the aboundance of thinges which he possesseth Now followeth Adams creation HEe was made the sixt day as it is gathered in September of the dust of the earth vpon Mount Moriah which is a Mountaine adioyning to the gates of the Garden of Eden into which Garden hee was put to dresse it about sixe of the clocke in the morning as we account when men commonly goe to labour as should appeare by the Psal 104.23 where it is said Adam goeth foorth in the morning to his labour This is not particularly meant of Adam but generally of all men no doubt alluding to the time of Adams creation Hee had dominion giuen him ouer all things and witte like to an Angell to giue names to all Beastes free libertie to eate of all the Trees in the Garden The Tree of knowledge of good and ill onely excepted As if God should haue said vnto him as Moses afterwardes sayd to the Children of Israel I set heere before you life and death eate of the one and liue and eate of the other and die eternally Yet could not he be content with this glorious estate but did eate of the forbidden Fruite by the perswasion of the Woman which God framed out of Adams Ribbe and ioyned to him to be an helpe for him before they had continued in Paradice one day as it is written Psal 49.20 Adam being in honour continueth not a night but is like to the Beastes that perish which Woman was deceiued by the subtiltie of a Serpent that is of the Deuill speaking in a Serpent which Beast was fittest to possesse to the deceiuing of her because he excelled all other Beastes in the Field in witte For if an Asse had sayd so much to her as did the Serpent it is very likely shee would haue examined the cause further But hee hauing once been an Angell of light but not keeping his first originall being throwne downe from Heauen continuing his knowledge though he lost his vertue was not to seeke either for meanes matter or oportunitie enuying their estates to bring his murtherous purpose to passe for so is he called the Serpent the old Deuill or Satan who was a
Murtherer from the beginning but knowing the prohibition commeth to the Woman saying Yea hath God said yee shall not eate of euery Tree in the Garden To whom the Woman answereth saying Wee may eate freely of the fruite of the Trees of the Garden but as for the Tree in the middest of the Garden God hath sayd Yee shall not eate of it nor touch it least happily you die Out of which speaches the Serpent being a Ramping and a roaring Lyon going about seeking how he might deuoure her quickly sucketh aduantage finding her to haue digressed from the wordes of the Commandement adding thereto a tricke of his owne head sayth to the Woman Yee shall not die at all but you shall be as Gods knowing good and euill In that hee saith Gods hee meaneth not the true God for whatsoeuer hee speaketh is to be taken in the worst meaning that can be made of it but he meaneth you shall be in the state of Damnation as Deuils which are called Princes Gods of the World And likely enough that hee touched the Fruite because shee added to the commandement the word touch Now the Woman beholding the fruite that it was Good to eate Pleasaunt to the eyes A tree to be desired to get knowledge She tooke of the fruite did eate gaue also to her husband he did eate These 3. properties aboue are expounded in Iohn Wantonnes of the eies Lust of the flesh The pride of life By reason of which sinne Adam and Eue seeing their owne nakednesse sowed figge-tree leaues together and hidde themselues from the presence of God among the Trees of the garden their soules beeing then in the state of Damnation with a light shining in darknesse but their Darknesse not comprehending the same shewing thereby the weaknesse of their nature and of their posteritie God but a little leauing them to their selues that when they had sinned they had rather hide themselues in Darknesse and seeke to stockes and trees that haue no helpe in them than to God that made them But Dauid afterwards being clothed with the spirit of wisedome and vnderstanding acknowledgeth the power of God to ouer-reach the compasse of mans vaine imagination when he sayth Whither shall I flie from thy presence If I take the winges of the Morning and flie to the vttermost partes of the World thou art there If I climbe vp to Heauen thou art there If I goe downe to Hell thou art there also For God who made the eye shall not he see all the dwellers vpon the earth who hath weighed all men in a ballance numbring the dayes verie haires of the head diuiding to euerie one their double portion according to the fore-purpose of his election being a righteous Iudge sparing not the person of Adam though he were a King and the stateliest King that euer should be but calleth him to account in the coole of the same day wherein he was created and fell punisheth him though not according to the desert of his transgression like a mercifull Iudge that would saue as a Father that pittieth his owne child knowing wherof he was made and that he was but dust sayth to Adam What hast thou done and leauing him to consider of his sinne goeth to the woman in like tendernesse saying What hast thou done as if he should haue said Oh daughter haue I made the heauens the hoast therof that is Angels Sun Moone and Starres c. to be thy seruants and the earth and all that therein is to be obedient to thy call breathing into thy nostrils life whereby thou becamest a liuing soule in the image of God that is in righteousnesse and true holynesse to be a temple and a Tabernacle for the holy of the holyest to dwell in and hast thou defiled the same with fond lusts regarding the wordes of the Serpent the Father of lyes not respecting my power and my seueritie that as I made thy body and soule so I could destroy the same whereby thou hast purchased the execution of my law established at thy creation to thee and thy husband what hast thou done But God hauing examined the matters and finding them both guiltie and the malice of the Serpent to bee the cause of their guiltinesse neuer stayeth iudgement nor vouchsafeth once to reason the matters with him but presently curseth him and punisheth Adam and the woman and curseth for their sakes the earth plants and whole course of nature and made them of obedient seruants rebellious enemies to Adam and his posteritie And because Adam was not deceiued but the woman became into the transgression he maketh her will subiect to the desire of her husband increasing her sorrowes her conceptions Thus he chastiseth them but giueth them not ouer but pronounceth to the woman a short but a pithy sentence That the seede of the woman should breake the head of the Serpent That is to say I will cause one to be borne of the Womans seede which shall subdue the Diuell and the Diuell shall doe his endeavour to trip vp his heeles by tempting him The particulers wherof Adam neglected not to examine and the Woman likewise vnderstanding from hence duly marking and imbracing the same that God had a purpose to saue her gathereth from these wordes matter enough to saue her and all the world after her which receiue like comfort of the same Promise For she rightly vnderstood that this Seede must needs be Christ who must come and take Adams nature vpon him who should be subiect to death that hee might ouercome him that had power of death For she knew and so did Adam that if euer man being but onely man might worke his owne redemption himselfe was likeliest to haue done it because he was the chiefest of all the men that euer should be in the world But Adam beeing the goodliest man and not able to doe it him selfe hee knew it must needs be God who must appeare in the similitude of Adams nature and suffer death that hee might rise againe to sit at the right hand of his Father to make intercession for the Sonnes of Adam They both the Man and the Woman embracing this obtained the fauour of God and Adam called his Wiues name Euah that is Life to shew that whosoeuer beleeued as she beleeued should be partakers of eternall life as it is written Rom. 10.9 Whose confesseth with his mouth and beleeueth with his heart that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of the liuing God hee shall be saued But Adam and Euah were driuen out of Paradise and Cherubines where set to keepe the way of the Tree of life and they were cloathed with Skinnes as it should appeare with the Skinnes of Beastes to shew their beastlinesse which God for them had slaine to offer for sacrifice to teach them the vse thereof For no doubt God would not destroy the beastes to haue them spoyled seeing that Adam was not to eate any And wee see that Kaine Abel offered
Redemption answerable to euerie part of the Fall because God according to the secret counsell of his owne will before the foundations of the earth were layd would make the art of Saluation so easie and the harmonie of the Bible so tunable that no musicke in the world can be more pleasant to the eare then the meditation of the loue of God towardes vs in Christ is comfortable to the heart of man Therefore the meditation of Adams fall and the victorie of Christ ought to be continually in our mindes Adam dieth THe Hebrewes descant very strangely vpon the Arithmeticke of Adams yeares which he liued which were 930. vpon a sentence in the 24. of Iob where it is sayd All the dayes of man vpon earth are but a shadow as if hee should say All the dayes of Adam are but Abel for Adam in Hebrew signifieth Earth and Abell signifieth shadow or vanitie Whereby we are taught that from the Earth we came and to the Earth we must returne againe according to Gen. 3.19 Wee are also to vnderstand from hence that although God deferre his punishmentes yet hee is mindfull of his promises for not one tittle or iod of his Word shall passe as appeareth in Adams death which God before had promised and was accomplished though it were 930. yeares after Wherefore howsoeuer we be setled on the pleasures of this life or be aduanced to thrones of Maiestie as Adam was we are to know that it is but a Steward-ship bestowed vpon vs for a season and that in this world we are to looke for no abiding place for we are but Grasse we are consumed as Smoake our dayes come to an end A thousand yeares in Gods sight is as yesterday He turneth Adam to dust and sayth Returne to dust yee sonnes of Adam He bringeth our yeares to an end as it were a tale that is told Wherefore let vs pray to God with Moses To teach vs to number our dayes aright that we may apply our heartes vnto Wisedome Adam commeth short of 1000. yeares so much as is the dayes of mans life Iared Methushelah and Noah ouer-reached Adam in long life because of the power of the word of God Hee died about Mount Moriah where he was made He liued till he saw many Kings he himselfe the greatest and vntill he had erected a stately gouernement taught them humane artes who was fittest to doe it being a King to commaund whom he would and what he would and hauing witt excelling all the men in the world And as in a Princes court it is requisite to haue Noble men some higher and some lower and men of all degrees so Adam liued till he might haue a stately Court Now if a King should commaunde a Diuine to make Adams Will from his Storie he would make it in this sort O my Sonnes gather you togeather and harken vnto the wordes of your Father Adam the last that euer he shall speake vnto you I was voyde of saluation and enioyed not happinesse by disobeying which disobedience I then practised when I harkened to the perswasion of Heua and did eate the forbidden Fruite I then felt the heauie iudgementes of God against sinne and saw my nakednesse whereof I was ashamed Thereby I brought death vpon all my posteritie which Curse had continued if the Mercie of God had not remooued it by offering a Blessing in the Seede of the Woman I haue ruled you all the dayes of my life as a Father that you may learne to choose Gouernours which resemble Fathers in behauiour I haue instructed you to loue obey their gouernment you must know that as my saluation resteth vpon beliefe in the Seede of the Woman so must yours But the house of Kaine despising this and killing Abel a figure of him who by dying shall ouercome the power of the Serpent will cause the Flood to destroy the earth Few shall embrace this Doctrine for though eight be saued by the Arke yet seuen onely shall keepe sinceerely the beliefe in this Promise of the Seed of the Woman My dayes haue been long with the rest of your Fathers but the end of all flesh is come vpon mee for out of the Earth I came and to the Earth I must returne Now compare Christ with Adam The first Adam was made a soule hauing life of earth earthly therfore by the earthly one came Disobedience Sinne. Iudgement Condemnation Death The second Adam was wade a spirit giuing life from heauen heauenly Therefore by the heauenly one came Obedience Grace Forgiuenesse Iustification Life Adam was created on the sixt day did eate of the tree the sixt houre Was made a man without a Father made not inferior to the Angelles â— lost all Was tempted lost saluation at the time of eating Was made Ruler of the world and did not hold it Did fall in the Garden His soule was in darknes from the sixt houre vntill the ninth houre Christ Reforming man and healing the fall is fastened to the tree the sixt day and sixt houre Was made a man without a Father Made lower then the Angels is crowned with glory all the Angels worship him being man whereby we may know the world was made subiect to man Was tempted Brought saluation to all at the time of eating Was made Ruler of the World and did hold it went into a garden to recouer Adams fall in the garden when he suffered caused darknesse to couer the whole earth from the sixt houre till the ninth houre Adam By breaking one Commandement lost all Was called to accompt the ninth houre Was debarred of the Tree of life Was driuen out of Paradise Was the head of his Wife was a King Prophet Sacrificer Liued 1000. yeares wanting 70. Christ By fulfilling all the Commandementes brought life to all At the ninth houre yeeldeth vp the ghost goeth to giue accompt to his Father Is the true Tree of life on that day openeth Paradise to the poore Theefe The Head of the Church was a King Prophet Sacrificer Was borne 70. yeares before 4000. Because these two Tables consist onely of Numbers and that Numbers in the Scriptures are great helpes for the vnderstanding of the same before we come to speake of Seth it is not amisse to lay downe what Numbers are of most vse in the Bible namely 1.3.4.5.6.7.8.10.12 ONE One Expressing the vnion of the God-head and from thence the vnitie of all Godly as being members of one head Christ Iesus which is made plaine Psal 133.1 Behold how good and comely a thing it is for Breathren to dwell togeather in vnitie THREE Three Expressing the distinguished Trinitie within which number many excellent things fall out still to put vs in minde of the vndeuidable coeternity of Father Sonne and Holy Spirit Adam Kaine Of Adam the eldest extreame wicked Abel Seth Noah Iaphet Sem Cham Of Noah the youngest wicked Terah Haran Nachor Of Terah the middlemost was wicked Abram To shew that neither in eldest youngest
sacrifices as being taught from Adam whose sacrifices were of two sortes Abel offered as appeareth in sinceritie of religion The other for outward ceremonie voyd of true religion Wherefore to Abel and his offering God had respect but to Kaine and his offering hee had no regard Wherefore Kaine being possessed with the Poyson of the Serpent enuied Abel because his workes were good and his owne euill and killed him and being asked of God why hee had slaine his brother in steede of asking pardon of God hee said that his fault was greater then that Gods mercie could forgiue it Against whom Saint Augustine cryeth vehemently that by how much lesse the mercie of God could be inferiour to the fault of Kaine seeing that to forgiue is a thing proper to God and to reuenge and punish is farre estranged from his nature by so much more great was the offence of Kaine in the wordes he said then in the murther he did seeing that by the stroke of the Sword hee tooke away but the life of his Brother but by the blasphemie of his tongue he gaue death to his owne soule To kill his Brother was euill done but to dispaire in Gods mercie was euen a transgression of the Diuell For more do we offend God to esteeme him without mercie then in any other sinne we commit against Man For which God curseth him giuing him a marke of a guiltie Conscience alwayes accusing him of sinne against God and inhumanitie against Nature Wherevpon he goeth vp downe wandring as one finding no rest or peace like an excommunicate person from the place of true Religion into the land of Nod which signifieth Fugitiue This Kaine was the eldest Sonne of Adam whom hee named Possession for so doth Kaine signifie as if he had gained a goodly Possession But seeing what might be the comfort of such Possession he calleth his other Sonne Abel that is Vanitie to shew that if a man haue neuer so large Kingdomes or Possessions or be neuer so nobly borne as Kaine was except the Sonne of God it is all but Vanitie and vexation of minde It is not to be vnderstood that Adam had now no more Children but Kaine and Abel for doubtlesse Adam had many more Children as may appeare by Kaines Storie For it is sayd that Kaine departed into the land of Nod and knew his Wife which must needes be Adams Daughter and married before the murder for we are not to thinke that Adam would afterward haue bestowed his Daughter vpon a Reprobate The holy Ghost nameth onely three of Adams Sonnes Kaine Abel and Seth to make a proportionable number answerable to the number of the letters of the wordes of the Holy tongue or the tongue of Adam For vpon three letters doth euery word in that tongue consist Kaine doth represent the afflicters of such as in this life esteemed the World and the pleasures thereof Vanitie which is Abel And Seth whose name signifieth Setled or Foundation to shew the assurance of his Fayth in the Promises of God to the confirming of our Fayth which was that from him must come that Seed of the Woman that should bruse the head of the Serpent This sentence they and wee and all the World were and are bound to take notice of For this we ought to know and beleeue so assuredly that wee might shew our selues setled vpon a sure Foundation not vpon Sandes where Sea and Wind may ouerthrow vs but vpon the Rocke Christ Iesus that our building may remaine as the Mount Sion and as the heauenly Ierusalem which is builded foure square of three foures of precious Stones that howsoeuer wee be tossed with afflictions of this life we may stand firme acknowledging Iehouah to be the one true and euerlasting God Father Sonne and Holy spirit and that his mercie is like to eternall Mountaines that cannot be remooued wherewith he loued vs vnto saluation before the foundation of the World Thus duely considering his Power and Wisedome in the particular actions of the Creation Adams fall the Promise of eternall life Adams Fayth and his Sacrifices the shadowes of our Redemption the Seauenth day and the vse thereof wee shall spend our dayes in beholding our end and neuer doe amisse sorrowing with a godly sorrow as Enosh whose name signifieth Sorrow did For as in our dayes so in his men fell from the true Religion of Adam of Seth and other Godly men which were then aliue turning the grace of God into wantonnesse marrying Wiues of Kaines poysoned seed respecting Beautie and other outward giftes rather then Vertue not remembring their Grandmother Enah that for beholding the Beautie of one forbidden Fruite commending it to Adam for the pleasantnes of the Taste and the vnlawfull desire that she had of diuelish Knowledge not long before was driuen out of Paradse whose blessing of Procreation was ioyned with sorrow of Conception Whose innocent Soule by breaking but one Commandement became guiltie of eternall death lost the whole glorie of Paradise and was driuen out into Mountaines as not worthy to enioy the benefite of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden But Enosh being a Godly man and knowing that the fruites of worldly sorrow are likewise eternall Death and of Godly sorrow Repentance which word signifieth a changing of Iudgement from Ignorance to true Knowledge to the renewing of the spirit nameth his Sonne Kenan Contrite or Repenting or a looking backe into their impieties detesting their vaine conuersation to the killing of sinne in him selfe and to the imbracing of righteousnes For it is not onely required of a man to eschew euill but withal to do good to flie darknesse if we will enioy the light to follow the right way if we will not erre to auoy de the myre durt if we will be cleane and without spot and forbeare to be euill if we will begin to be good For it is not enough for a Valiant man to doe what he may but also he is bound to attempt nothing but what he ought And as repentance is the fruit of godly sorrow so thankfulnes to God for deliuerances from like trials proceedeth from Repentance Therefore Kenan the Contrite nameth his son Mahalaleel My praise God which none can doe effectually without a lowly minde sanctified first by Grace by the subduing of the flesh Mahalaleel knowing that such fruite is required of such a tree nameth his sonne Iared the Lowly which giftes of grace God bestoweth vpon such onely as he accepteth vnto himself as it is written Blessed is the man vnto whom God imputeth not his sin c. So that a man hauing thus purged himselfe from the iniquitie of wicked men marking the rules of Gods eternall Wisedome He shall be a vessell sanctified vnto honour meete for the vses of the Lord 2. Tim. 2.21 Therefore Iared the lowly nameth his sonne Henoch the Holy Now God commanding al men to direct their steps by the straight line of his word first layeth downe
his will what we ought to doe to please him and then induceth vs thereunto not onely by hope of eternall life but promiseth vs in this life long and happy dayes as in the eternall Law is expressed Loue God aboue all and thy neighbour as thy selfe that thy dayes may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee c. Henoch therefore being assured of the infinite mercies of God towards him and his seed by fayth still beholding as in a glasse the Redemption by the Sonne of God the summe of all saluation nameth his sonne Methushelah Long life or Speare-death For euen as the poynt of a Speare keepeth off that which would otherwise destroy euen so Methushelah kept away the Flood a long time from drowning the World But because men should not thinke that any liueth without calamities least outward happines should make men to forget God Methushelah hauing heard his fathers and himselfe also being a Prophet preach of the destruction of the World by the Flood calleth his sonne Lamech that is Stroken or Heart-wounded which is to be vnderstood that in respect that he being neere those times of dangers many of his posteritie were like to be drowned not onely in the flood but eternally tormented for ioyning with the wicked mockers which despised the preaching of the Fathers But although God throweth mens consciences downe for a while with griefe of other mens iust punishment yet he rayseth them vp againe giuing them hope of his assured Promises and a sweete comfort of eternall life Lamech being thus strengthened with the fayth of his Fathers ayming still to the sentence of Saluation pronounced in Paradise calleth his sonne Noah Restorer or Comforter saying This Sonne shall comfort vs concerning the sorrow of our hands and concerning the earth which the Lord hath cursed Wherein he sheweth that he both looked backward to the Creation formard to the Redemption by Christ The Seed of the Woman that should bruse the head of the Serpent Thus much for the vse of the names of the ten Fathers before the Food in generll Now followeth the liues and deaths of the Fathers in particular and first of Adam There is a great doubt made of the time of the yeare of Adams Creation and of the day of his fall and is refused as a thing vnprofitable to be knowne and Vnpossible to be prooued First for the time of his Creation IT is certaine hee was created in September at the time that Fruits be ripe which is at the fall of the Leafe And that was the fittest time seeing in the course of Nature there was no fitter time to expresse the nature of Adams fall And as the fall of Adam was answerable to the fall of the Leafe because by his fall death was brought vpon all So the death of Christ beeing contrary to Adams fall because it brought life to all the fittest time to resemble this life in the course of Nature was the Spring Therefore Christ dyed at the Spring to deliuer vs out of the spirituall Prison when as all thinges shew them-selues to be deliuered out of this earthly Iayle Now for the day of Adams fall IT was on Fryday the sixt day the day of Adams creation at the time of eating For we doe not read that euer Adam did eate before he did eate of the forbidden fruite Therefore when by the storie the time of eating cannot be seperated in time reason sheweth vs to ioyne them in time For Satan was a murderer from the beginning and wee must bring it from the beginning as neare as can be not crossing any Scripture The searching of this matter is not of small importance For from the true vnderstanding of the Creation we see the clearenes of the Redemption and not marking the Creation aright is the cause of much folly and they that misse of the lawes of Creation are sure to misse of the lawes of Redemption and Moses making mention of many Times hee would not haue omitted the time of the Fall except it had been done presently after the Creation therefore Adams fall must needs be layd as neere the beginning as may be not crossing the Storie The bare Narration sheweth that no famous action went betweene the Commandement and the Fall And the shortnesse of the time doth shew the force of the Aduersarie Besides it is a great sinne to say that any man except Christ could fulfill perfectly any one poynt of the Law for thereby we darken the glory of Christ and prooue him not to haue performed the whole Law If Adam had continued vntill the Sabaoth in his innocencie no doubt he would haue kept a perfect Sabaoth And if he had kept a perfect Sabaoth he had performed some part of the Law and thereby been partaker with Christ in the worke of our Redemption Againe if Adam had continued in the image of God which is in righteousnesse and true holinesse vntill the Sabaoth he would haue performed the ordinances of the Sabaoth which was to eate of the Tree of life for God after his fall setteth Cherubins to keepe the way of the Tree of life least Adam eating should liue for euer Whereby it appeareth that if he had eaten thereof before he had not fallen Therefore it cannot be that Adam continued perfect vnto the Sabaoth And further it is written Psal 49.20 Adam beeing in honour continueth not one night but is like to the Beastes that perish Cedrenus a Greeke writer sayth That Adam fell the sixt day of the first weeke Saint Augustine sayth The Woman straight way after her creation before she accompanied with Adam became into the transgression otherwise Kaine had been conceaued without sinne Theophilact vpon Matthew sayth That as Man was formed the sixt day and did eate of the Tree the sixt houre so Christ reforming Man and healing the fall was fastned to the Tree the sixt day and the sixt houre And in the storie of the Creation in Genesis presently after the fall Moses speaketh of the Redemption And without we compare the Creation with the Redemption we misse of all For Adam to be compared with Christ is the summe of all And wherefore should all the actions of the Redemption be accomplished in such rarenesse except to be answerable both to the fall and to the time of the fall Wherefore it is needfull we should know our thraldome if we will receiue comfort by the Redeemer thus First Christ the Restorer was borne of a Virgin Why Because by a Virgin destruction came to the world Chrysostome compareth Eue and Marie togeather thus Eue being a Virgin hearing the wordes of the Serpent and beleeuing them brought foorth Death The Virgin Marie hearing the wordes of the Angel Gabriel and beleeuing them brought foorth Life Againe why should Christ die on the sixt day rather then on the fifth or fourth And why was there darkenesse vntill the coole of the day rather then till the Sunne setting But to make the
will serue for an exposition Eliphaz resoneth with Iob thus Hast thou O Iob marked the way of the world wherein wicked men haue walked which were cut off by time and whose foundation was couered with waters which said vnto God depart from vs And yet what could he doe more for them he filled their houses with good thinges yet they refused the way of the Almightie So S. Peter speaketh that the spirit of God went in like manner as he is said to come downe at the ouerthrow of Babell by confounding their tongues and when he destroyed Sodome and Gomorrah preached in Noah to weete the time while the Arke was in making To whom to the Spirits now in prison Why because they sayd to God Depart from vs we will none of thy wayes Thus we see the wordes of S. Peter made plaine This time of 120. yeares Saint Peter calleth The patience and long suffering of God The Iewes in a Booke called Zoar expound S. Peters wordes in this sort The Lord commeth to plague the Wicked for their vnbeliefe sixe monethes with Water sixe monethes with Fire hotte and cold and sent them all to Gehenna which is Hell not that they meant so the storie of the word by plaine eye-sight controlling it but that the anger of God was as grieuous to their soules as the Waters of the flood which wrinckled their bodyes Christ in the Gospell compareth the Flood with the end of the World for in the dayes of Noah they had rich Iubal to feast them and cunning Tubalkain to delight them in building or such like deuises and faire Nahamah that they might marrie according as their eyes lusted till the Waters of the flood ouerwhelmed them so shall it be in the end of the World Eliphaz counselleth Iob that considering the end of these men hee should be at peace with God before our substance be cut off and the fire consumed the rest of them Iaphet borne when Noah was 500. yeares old HIs name signifieth Perswaded Hee was the eldest Sonne of Noah whereof many seeme to doubt which being examined by Scripture will appeare most certaine In Gen. 5.32 it is sayd Noah being 500. yeares old hee begetteth Sem Cham and Iapheth Now it is certaine they were not borne all at once for the plaine Storie crosseth that In Gen. 7.6 Noah is said to be Sixe hundreth yeares old and the Flood commeth Then hee must needes haue a Sonne that is 100. yeares old It could not be Sem for he was but an hundreth yeare old two yeare after the Flood Gen. 11.10 Neither was it Cham for hee was younger then Sem for Noah said Hee knew what his youngest Sonne had done The reason of this doubt ariseth because Sem is named first in Gen. 5.32 whom Moses penning the Storie long after placed first to shew that Sem was the most worthie and had the prerogatiue of first borne because Christ was to come from him according to the Promise made to Euah in Paradise The seede of the Woman shall breake the head of the Serpent Sem borne when Noah was 502. yeare old HIs name signifieth Name or Renowne Whereby we are to vnderstand that Noah had a wonderfull assurance of the Promise in Christ in calling him Sem or as we say Name And withall we are to seeke by the like fayth to be renowned that our Names may be written in the Booke of Life For Salomon sayth Pro. 22.1 Eccle. 7.3 A good Name is more worth then a precious Oyntment But God will put out their Names from vnder Heauen that flatter themselues in their wickednesse and whose roote beareth Gall and Wormewood as he commaunded Deut. 25.19 Put out the Name of Amalecke from vnder Heauen hee is the beginning of Nations but his latter end shall perish vtterly These numbers are the summe of the yeares from the Creation to the Flood which are gathered by the particular Natiuities of the ten Fathers before the Flood Adam 130. Seth. 105. Enosh 90. Kenan 70. Mahalaleel 65. Iared 162. Henoch 65. Methushelah 187. Lamech 182. Noah 600. These particulers being added they make the yeares of the world at the Flood 1656. ½ This halfe sheweth that at the Flood the dayes of man were shortned halfe in halfe as Psal 89.45 The Lord hath shortened the dayes of youth The Flood is brought vpon the old World c. THe Flood is a resemblance of the destruction of the world and was the greatest iudgement of the world till the world shal be consumed with fire Therefore the story of the Flood doth cause vs to consider of things past and to haue iudgement of things to come For in the Flood are rare examples concerning waighing numbring and diuiding It was 40. dayes in rayning the like time in abating God hath numbred waighed and diuided The second day of the seuenth moneth The times do shew that God doth waigh and number wonderfully all the affaires of men but men did not then know what God would doe because he had hardned their hearts and scorning Noah all his life time they were ashamed then to fly vnto him but the Flood came for the sinnes of man for the blood of Abell came the Flood and washt them all away Yea the very waters that were vnder the earth aduanced themselues aboue men Further in this storie of the Flood these three thinges are chiefely to be considered The Arke Persons that were saued Time of the continuance of the Flood And first for the Arke THe Arke was made about Mount Libanon where the Cedars for Salomons Temple were had and it was sixe score yeares in making Which time in S. Peter is called The long suffering of God The fourtie yeares in the Wildernesse was a famous thing but the making of the Arke was more famous and the time thrise so long Not any thing so famous as the Arke except the Lords death The proportion of height depth breadth are described Gen. 6.15 The height is the tenth part of the length The Beastes were in the middlemost place the fodder aboue the dung beneath And God bids vs marke the quantitie of all the Beastes of the earth by the bulke of the Arke There is much speach taken from the Arke to the Church but the consequent of the one followeth not in the other In the Arke were Beastes cleane and vncleane Some in the Arke did perish They that were out of the Arke did perish The Waters did hold vp the Arke In the Church are faythfull and vnfaythfull Some in the Church doe perish So the Turke being out of the Church doth perish The Waters doth wash them cleane away that are without The tossing vpon the waters doth represent the troubles which the Church of God is to endure in this life Againe no man of modestie but may know that it was no pleasant life for Noah all his familie to dwell a whole yeere vpon the waters and to abide the noysomnesse of all
all the world so notwithstanding the sinne of the Iewes Christ in Canaan wrought the full saluation of all the world These eleuen sonnes of Canaan were setled in one soyle that is in Canaan which is about 160. myles from North to South and 60. myles from East to West Their names are Zidon who built Tyrus the glory of the world for trafique of Marchandize Heth Gebusi who after Sems death as it should appeare possessed Ierusalem Amori Girgashi of whom there were some left till Christes time as Matt. 8. 28 Hiuits of whom Abraham bought his burying place of whose kindred also Esau tooke him Wiues Arkite Siuite Aruadite Zemathite Hemathite It is supposed there were so many Tongues as there were Nations but it was no otherwise then our Cornish and Northerne men differ in their tongues These were Lordes of the whole soyle to plant buyld and replenish it against time to come that the twelue Trybes of Israel might haue Vineyardes that they neuer planted and Houses they neuer builded Whereupon Moses sayth Deut. 32.8 When the most high God deuided to the Nations their Inheritance hee appoynted the borders of a people according to the number of the Sonnes of Israel And when God promiseth to Abraham Gen. 15.18 that he will giue his seed a Land that shall flow with Mylke and Hony hee bordereth it from Egipt to the great Riuer Euphrates within which borders are contained the seuerall Lordships of Canaan and his Sonnes namely the Kenites the Kenesites the Cadmonites the Hithites the Pheresites the Gyaunts the Amorites the Cananites the Girgashites and the Gebusites Because C ham scorned his father who was the restorer of all the world therefore his Countrie was to be giuen to Sems House the Iewes and they were driuen out of their Land by the Sword of Ioshua except some few who were left in the Land to be Spurres in the sides and Thornes in the eyes of the Israelites who were to possesse it that when through the aboundance of wealth they grew to forget God they might be chastened with his rod of correction Thus Shams curse is extended euen vnto Canaan his youngest sonne and he is made a Seruant of seruantes to Sem that the blessing of Sem might appeare and the open cursed should serue the open blessed although it be nine hundred yeares after Noahs Prophecie to shew that although God suffer the wicked a while and doth deferre his punishmentes vntill the sinne of the Amorites come to a full ripenesse that yet he is a righteous Iudge and sitteth vpon a firie Throne from whose presence doth issue Ryuers of fire to consume all such as will not learne to know The Seed of the Woman to be able to breake the head of the Serpent nor desire to dwell in the Tentes of Sem acknowledging the God of Abraham the God of Isaacke and the God of Iacob to be the true GOD that keepeth couenant with all whose Garments were washed in Wine and his Mantell in the blood of Grapes nor marke that Shiloh is that Emmanuel God with Vs who is that Stone that can grind the mightiest Gyant in the land of Canaan to powder Who haue eyes and will not see how God with fire from Heauen consumed their Cities turned Lots wise into a Piller of Salt ouerthew their kinsmen Pharaoh in the read Sea and made the Walles of Iericho to fall downe without violent handes Chams House was not plagued for building Babel onely but for falling from the Religion of Sem and his posteritie had a deadly minde against true Religion And as Cham the rest are in Gehenna in darknesse so in Scripture they are left in darknesse for there is no time of any mentioned when they died but are left in darknesse The wicked men of Canaan would neuer yeeld to the trueth but praysed Gods of Gold Brasse and Stone Now followeth for Iaphet HIs name signifieth Perswaded He had seuen Sonnes Gomer Magog Madai of whom came the Meedes Jauan of whom the Grecians and Romanes come And Tubal and Mesech of whom the Muscouites come And Tiras of whom the Thracians come Of these were the Isles of the Gentiles diuided in their Landes Iaphet hee was pertaker with Sem in the action of couering thier Father but Sem had the prerogatiue of the Promise concerning Christ notwithstanding Iaphet was the elder And if you marke through al the Bible you shal not finde the first borne of any of Christes auncestors to haue the Promise pronounced to them in open tearmes because Christ the first begotten of his Father would not come according to the lust of the flesh or course of nature but by grace Sem in regard of that had the glory of God preached in his Tentes vntill the acceptable Child did come in whom all Nations should be blessed And when the glory of Sems house which were the Iewes was extinct Iohn was banished into Patmos is commanded to write to the seuen Congregations in Asia the lesser where Iaphets sonnes were first setled to so many Congregations as Iaphet had sonnes Grace and peace from him that was and is and which is to come and from the seuen Spirites expressed in Esay 11.7 which are before his throne from Iesus Christ which is a faythfull witnes and first begotten of the dead Alpha and Omega the first and the last who was dead but is aliue and behold he liues for euer euer and hath the keyes of Hell and of Death giueth light life to Iaphet the Gentile who was in darknes and in the shadow of death perswading him to dwell in the tentes of Sem to be a dweller in the spirituall Canaan and a Citizen in the heauenly Salem where there is no earthly Temple For God almightie and the Lambe are the Temple of it Now for SEM. SEM being an hundred yeares old begetteth Arphaxad two yeares after the Flood So old was Abraham when he begat Isaacke He is in vertue equall with any before the Flood This Sem was a King Prophet Sacrificer He signifieth a Name to teach them that they should looke to him in whom Sem and the whole world should be blessed He had fiue Sonnes Elam Ashur Arphaxad Lud. Aram. Elam of whom the Persians Ashur of whom the Assirians Arphaxad of whom CHRIST Aram of whom the Aramites Lud of whom the Lidians There be diuers which condemne Genealogies warranted thereby as they say by Saint Paules Councell to Thimothie Neither that they giue heed to Fables and Genealogies Endlesse which breede rather questions then godly edifying by Fayth Indeed seeing Genealogies are of great consequence to the prouing of Christ to be the Messias the Iewes to crosse this faine diuers of their owne which S. Paul calleth Endlesse therefore to be auoided as also tales inuented by them whereby they corrupted the story of the Scriptures But this condemneth not the Genealogies which the Holy Ghost penneth but rather approueth them And
sold his Brethren sprinkleth the blood of a Kidde vpon his partie coloured Coate and brought it home to their Father and said a wilde Beast had slaine him Jacob was 20. yeares from his father Isaacke and did not see his face Ioseph was 20 yeares from his father Iacob before he seeth his face To shew that wherein a man offendeth therein he shall be punished Joseph the sonne of Jacob fedde Israel in Egipt as putting meat into the mouth of a Child Joseth the sonne of Jacoh taketh the child Jesus and his Mother Mary fleeth into Egipt Mat. 2.14 and properly putteth meate into the Childes mouth Er and Onan died Gen. 38.7 ER and Onan hauing committed a horrible sinne before God are slaine and no seed left vnto them Then according to the custome Thamar thought to haue had the third sonne Selah to haue raysed vp seed but Iuda neglecting it shee attyred her selfe like a light woman and lay in the way as Iuda should goe to the Sheepshearing Whom Iuda knew and at the time shee bare two Children Phares and Serah For which fact Iuda would haue burt her Whereby we may know that before the Law giuen by Moses they had the same equitie of Iustice for punishing of sinne that they had afterwards In Moses Law a Magistrate might not be condemned vnder three witnesses Thamar condemneth Iuda by three witnesses his Seale Bracelet Staffe From this deed of Iuda wee may vnderstand the prerogatiue that his Brethren should prayse him could not be meant of himselfe but herein is manifest the giftes of God to be of Grace and not of Nature for if Iuda had been rare of godlinesse the prerogatiue of Nature might seeme to haue caused Christ to haue come of him Isaacke died Gen. 35.29 being 180. yeares old HEe is the longest liuer after Heber and liueth longer then Abraham to shew that he was a Child of Promise for if Abraham begetting him when he was old he should haue died quickly what rare blessing had it been to Abraham And therefore that the power of God might be seene euen in the weaknesse of man Isaacke hath a longer life then Abraham or any after him Herevpon it may be concluded the Booke of Tobias to be false because it maketh Tobias life so long and thereby seemeth to crosse Iacobs Blessing Besides wee shall finde that in Nehemias time they which came out of Captiuitie do out-liue any in the Scriptures that come after and these men were accounted old The longest liuer of them commeth short of Isaackes age Ezrom borne of him nothing is spoken Iacob goeth into Egipt Gen. 47.5 Hee is nourished of Ioseph 17. yeares NOw for this number of 215. how is that performed Gen. 15.13 where God sayth to Abraham Thy seed shall be euill intreated in a Land that is not theirs 400. yeares seeing they continue in Egipt but 215. yeares They were afflicted by some of Egipt 400. yeares for Ismael the Egiptian by Hagar mocketh Isaacke in the beginning of the 400. yeares and that Mocking in the Scripture is called Persecution And in the end of the 400. yeares they were afflicted vnto the comming out of Egipt so that they were not in Egipt 400. yeares but they were afflicted first and last 400. yeares Psal 105.23 Israel came into Egypt and Iacob was a Stranger in the land of Cham to confirme the couenant that hee made with Abraham and the oath that he sware vnto Isaacke which he appoynted to Iacob for a Law and to Israel for an euerlasting Testament saying Vnto thee will I giue the Land of Canaan the lot of your inheritance when as yet there were but a few of them and they Strangers in the Land what time as they went from one Nation to another and from one Kingdome to another people Hee suffered no man to doe them wrong but reprooued euen Kinges for their sakes saying Touch not mine Annoynted and doe my Prophets no harme Yet hee called for a Dearth vpon the Land and destroyed all the prouision of Bread But hee had sent a man before them Gen. 39.1 euen Ioseph which was sold to be a Bond-seruant whose feete were hurt in the Stockes and the Iron entered into his soule vntill the time that his cause was knowne The word of the Lord tryed him This Famine ouer all the land of Canaan may appeare to be a punishment on Iacobs samilie for selling Ioseph into Egipt IAcob goeth into Egipt and there telleth Pharaoh that hee was 130. yeares old though Pharaoh in his demaunde meant no more then a Heathen man would to wit to know his yeares and the age of his life yeâ— God so disposeth Jacobs answere that he signifieth vnto him that his comming into Egipt with Seauentie soules is answerable in a contrarie degree to the first scattering of the Seauentie Families at the building of the Tower of Babel In fourtie eight yeares there came three discentes from Iacob Whereby it appeareth that Iuda and Pharez could not be much elder when they begot children then Salomon was when he begot Roboam which was about twelue yeares of age By meanes of which speedy increase there were of these Seauentie in two hundred and fifteene yeares Six hundred thousand fighting Men besides Women and Children godly and of the household of fayth to shew how God could performe his Promise to Abraham that Hee would make his seede as the Starres of Heauen and as the Sand of the Sea-shore Heereupon Abacucke sayth that the Councels of God are eternall thereby teaching vs to marke diligently the time wherein God performeth his Promises which may be made familiar by examples in this sort It is sayd Gen. 3.15 The Seede of the Woman shall breake the head of the Serpent This was not performed till Christ tooke flesh of the Virgin and became Man which was 4000. yeares wanting but 70. after the Promise made to Adam Satan to try this tempteth Christ and is ouerthrowne Abraham goeth foorth of his Countrey to imbrace the Promise that God would giue him a Land 430. yeares before his Seede should enioy it But the true performance was long after that is to say in Christ as Zacharias speaketh Luk. 1. To performe the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham that he would giue vs. God speaketh as though presently it should fall out but seeing one thousand yeares in his sight aâ—â—â—â— one day we must marke how his Counsels are eternall It was spoken in King Achaz daies by Esay 7.14 Behold a Virgine shall conceaue a Sonne Hee nor his seede saw the performance thereof So was Isaacke a figure of Christ and the Lambe kept it in memorie Daniel in his time prophesieth of 70. Seauens or 490. yeares before Christ the King should be killed to performe euery Vision and Prophecie Iacob died in Egipt c. Gen. 49.33 HEe is brought from Egipt to Canaan to be buried in Hebron with Abraham and Isaacke as a signe that hee