Testament for they touch each other What do the Papists then when they put and chop in the Apocripha for Canonicall Scripture betweene Malachi and Matthew Law and Gospell What doe they but make a wall betweene the Seraphins that they cannot heare each others crie What do they but make a stoppe betweene the Cherubins that they cannot touch each others wing What do they but make a ditch betwixt these grounds that they cannot reach each to others coasts What do they but remooue the land-marke of the Scriptures and so are guilty of Cursed be he that remooues his neighbours marke Deut. 27.17 And what do they but â—â—â—orce the mariage of the Testaments and so are guilty of the breach of that which God hath ioyned together let no man put asunder These two Testaments are the two paps of the Church from which we suck the sincere milke of the Word One pap is not more like to another then are these two for substance but for language they varie in colour The old as all can tell is written in Hebrew but some forraigne languages are also admitted into Scripture besides the Hebrew as forraigne nations were to be admitted also to the Church besides the Hebrewes A great peece of Ezra in Chalde because takeÌ„ from Chalde Chronicles Those parts of Daniels visions that concerne al the world are written in the Chaldee the tongue then best known in the world because the Chaldeans were then Lords of the world The eleuenth verse of the tenth of Ieremie is in the same tongue that the Iewes might learne so much of their language as to refuse their idolatrie in their owne language Other words of this Idiome are frequent in the Scripture as I take two names giuen to Christ as Bar the sonne in Psal. 2.10 and Hhoter the rod of Iesses stemme Isa. 11. to be natiuely Chaldee words and for that they do shew the greater mysterie viz. that this Sonne and this Rod should belong to Chaldeans and Gentiles as well as to Iewes or Hebrewes Infinite it is to trace all of this nature and language The Arabian is also admitted into Scripture especially in the booke of Iob a man of that country whether Philistin Phrases and other adiacent nations Dialects be not to be found there also I referre to the Reader to search and I thinke he may easily find of the eloquence of some peeces aboue others and the difficultie of some bookes aboue others those that can euen read the English Bible can tell I would there were more that could reade it in its owne language and as it were talk with God there in his own tongue that as by Gods mercy Iaphet dwells now in the tents of Sem or the Gentiles haue gained the preheminence of the Iewes for religion so they would water this graffing of theirs into this stocke with the iuyce of that tongue thereby to prouoke them the more to Ielousie CAP. XXXIII Of the New Testament Language or the Greeke THe Greeke tongue is the key which God vsed to vnlocke the tents of Sem to the sonnes of Iaphet This glorious tongue as Tully cals it is made most glorious by the writing of the New Testament in this language God hath honoured all the letters by naming himselfe after the first and the last as Homer shewes the receit of all the Grecian ships by shewing how many the greatest and how few the least contained Iauan is held both by Iewes and Christians to haue planted the Country The tongue is likely to be maternall from Babel The Iewes vpon Genesis the forty ninth thinke that Iacob curseth his sons Simeon and Leuies fact in one word of Greek Macerothehem that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their swords but all the Chaldees and other Translations render it better their habitations Gen. 49.5 The ancientest Heathen Greek aliue is Homer though the tongue was long before and Homers subiect of Ilias treated of in Greeke verse by Euanders Wife of Arcadia as some haue related Homer watered the tongue and in succeeding ages it flourished till it grew ripe in the New Testament The Dialects of it familiarly knowne to be fiue The Attick the Ionick c. The Macedonian was something strange as appeares in Clemens Alexandrinus Strom. 5. Especially their deuout Macedonian or about their oraisons How God scattered and diuulged this tongue of the Greekes ouer the world against the comming of Christ and writing of the New Testament is remarkeable Alexander the great with his Macedonians made the Easterne parts Grecian The Old Testament at Ptolomaeus his request translated into Greek was as an Vsher to bring in the New Testament when Iaphet should come to dwell in the tents of Sem. The Iewes vsed to keepe a mournefull fast for that translation but as Iewes mourne so haue Gentiles cause to reioyce In like sort for the preparation for the Gospell of late which as farre as Antichrist his power could reach lay depressed but not ouerwhelmed the Greeke tongue at the sacking of Constantinople by the Turkes was sent into these Westerne climates that we might heare Christ speake in his owne language without an Aegyptian to interpret to vs as Ioseph had to his brethren What need we now to rely vpon a Latine foundation when we haue the Greeke purity Neuer did the Turke any good to Chriâ—tianity but this and this against his will but God worketh all things for his owne glory And we may say of the poore inhabitants of Grecia as of the Iewes by their impouerishing we are inriched As Athens in old time was called the Grecia of Grecia so the New Testament for language may be stiled the Greeke of Greeke In it as vpon the crosse of our Sauiour in the title are three tongues Hebrew Greek and Latine Greeke the foundation the other two but little additions In the Greeke Master Broughton hath giuen learned rules and examples of the kinds of it viz. Septuagint Talmudick Atticke and Apostolicke The Hebrew or Syrian for so that word Hebrew in the title of the crosse must bee vnderstood is easily found out euen in translations Latine there is some in the Gospells but not much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Census for tribute 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ward or watch Matthew 28.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spiculator Marke 6.27 which word is vsed by Targum Ieruselamy in Gen. 37. of Potiphar that hee was Rabh Sapulachtaria Princeps spiculatorum And some other words of the Latine tongue which language in our Sauiours time the conquest of the Romans had scattered in Ierusalem and in the parts adioyning and so may one finde some Latine in the Syrian Testament and abundance of Greeke CAP. XXXIIII Of the Chaldee and Syrian Tongues THe Chaldee and Syrian tongue was once all one as appeareth in Genesis 31.47 Ezra 4.7 Dan. 2.4 In Character indeed they differed they of Babilon vsing one kind of letter they of Syria another This was that that nonplust the Babilonian wizards about
into his world wherefore I vow to giue Almes for him that for this his soule may be bound vp in the bundle of life with the soule of Abraham Isaac and Iacob Sarah and Rebecca Rahel and Leah and with the rest of the righteous men and righteous women which be in the garden of Eden Amen The Lord remember the soule of Mris N. the Daughter of N. who is gone to her world Therefore I vow c. as in the other before Amen The Lord remember the soule of my father and my mother of my grandfathers and grandmothers of my vncles and aunts of my brethren and sisters of my cosens and cosenesses whether of my fathers side or mothers side who are gone into their world Wherefore I vow c. Amen The Lord remember the soule of N. the sonne of N. and the soules of all my cosens and cosenesses whether on my fathers or mothers side who were put to death or slaine or stabd or burnt or drowned or hanged for the sanctifying of the name of God Therefore I will giue Almes for the memory of their soules and for this let their soules bee bound vp in the bundle of life with the soule of Abraham Isaac and Iacob Sarah and Rebecca Rahel and Leah and with the rest of the righteous men and righteous women which are in the garden of Eden Amen Then the Priest pronounceth a blessing vpon the man that is thus charitable as it followeth there in these words Hee that blessed our father Abraham Isaac and Iacob Moses and Aaron Dauid and Salomon he blesse Rabbi N. the sonne of N. because he hath vowed Almes for the soules whom he hath mentioned for the honour of God and for the honour of the law and for the honour of the day for this the Lord keepe him and deliuer him from all affliction and trouble and from euery plague and sickenesse and write him and seale him for a happy life in the day of Iudgement and send a blessing and prosper him in euery worke of his hands and all Israel his brethren and let vs say Amen Thus courteous Reader hast thou seene a Popish Iew interceding for the dead haue but the like patience a while and thou shalt see how they are Popish almost entirely in claiming the merits of the dead to intercede for them for thus tendeth a prayer which they vse in the booke called Sepher Min hagim shel col Hammedinoth c. which I haue also here turned into English Do for thy praises sake Do for their sakes that loued thee that now dwell in dust For Abraham Isaac and Iacobs sake Do for Moses and Aarons sake Doe for Dauid and Salomons sake Doe for Ierusalem thy holy Cities sake Doe for Sion the habitation of thy glories sake Do for the desolation of thy Temples sake Do for the treading down of thine Altars sake Do for their sakes who were slaine for thy holy Name Do for their sakes who haue bene massacred for thy sake Do for their sakes who haue gone to fire or water for the hallowing of thy Name Do for sucking childrens sakes who haue not sinned Doe for weaned childrens sakes who haue not offended Do for infants sakes who are of the house of our Doctors Do for thine owne sake if not for ours Do for thine owne sake and saue vs. Tel me gentle reader 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. whether doth the Iew Romanize or the Roman Iudaize in his deuotions This interceding by others is a shrewd signe they haue both reiected the right Mediator betweene God and man Christ Iesus The prophane Heathen might haue read both Iew and Papist a lecture in his Contemno minutos istos Deos modo Iouem propitium habeam which I thinke a Christian may well English let go all Diminutiue Diuinities so that I may haue the great Iesus Christ to propitiate for me CAP. XLI Of the Latine translation of Mat. 6.1 ALmes in Rabbin Hebrew are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tsedhakah righteousnesse which word the Syrian Translator vseth Mat. 6.1 Act. 10.2 and in other places From this custome of speech the Roman vulgar Translateth Attendite ne iustitiam vestram faciatis One English old manuscript Testament is in Lichfield Librarie which hath it thus after the Latine Takith hede that you do not your rigtwisnes before men to be seyne of hem ellis ye shullen haue no mede at your fadir that is in heuenes Other English Translation I neuer saw any to this sense nor any Greeke coppie It seemes the Papist will rather Iudaize for his owne aduantage then follow the true Greeke The Septuagint in some places of the old TestameÌ„t haue turned Tsedhakah Righteousnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Almesdeeds to little or to no sense As the Papists haue in this place of the new Testament turned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Almesdeeds by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Righteousnesse to as little purpose In the Hebrew indeed one word is vsed for both Tsedhakah for Almesdeeds which properly signifies Righteousnesse vpon what ground I know not vnlesse it be to shew that Almes must be giuen of rightly gotten good or else they are no riâ—hteousnesse or they are called zadkatha in Syrian Hu ger Zadek lemehwo they are called righteousnesse because it is right they should be giuen and giuen rightly The Fathers of the Councell of Trent speake much of the merit of Almes whom one may answer in the very words of their vulgar Attendite ne iustitiam vestram faciatis Take heed you do not make them your Iustification CAP. XLII An Embleme A Wall in Rome had this picture A man painted naked with a whip in one hand and foure leaues of a booke in the other and in euery leafe a word written In the first Plango I mourne In the second Dico I tell In the third volo I will and in the fourth facio I do Such a one in the true repentant He is naked because he would haue his most secret sinnes laid open to God He is whipped because his sinnes do sting himselfe His booke is his repentance His foure words are his actions In the first hee mournes in the second he confesses in the third hee resolues and in the fourth hee performes his resolution Plango I mourne there is sight of sinne and sorrow Dico I tell there is contrition for sinne and confession Volo I will there is amending resolution Facio I do there is performing satisfaction CAP. XLIII Mahhanaijm Gen. 32.2 ANd Iacob went on his way and the Angels of God met him And Iacob said when he saw them This is the Host of the Lord and he called the name of the place Mahanaim The word is duall and tels of two armies and no more what these two armies were the Iewes according to their vsuall veine do finde strange expositions To omit them all this seemes to me to be the truth and reason of the name There was one companie with Iacob which afterwards he
light heart but where the guiltinesse grones heauy too the gold is worth nothing At last the murderers conscience accuseth and condemnes him like both witnesse and Iudge for his bloudy fact His heart and eyes are both cast downe the one as farre as hell whither the fact had sunke and the other to the earth whither the bloud He is now wearie of his owne life as ere-while he was of anothers He ties his purse of gold which had hired him to kill the other about his necke and offers it to euery one he meets as his reward if he would kill him At last hee is paid in his owne coine and hires his owne murderer with that price wherewith he himselfe was hired And so perish all such whose feet are swift to shed bloud and he that strikes with an vnlawfull sword be strucken with a lawfull againe This mans case makes mee to thinke of Cain the old grandsire of all murderers Of his heauy doome and misery and burden and banishment Dauid once groaned vnder the burden of blood-guiltinesse but God at his repenting eased him Psal. 51. Iudas takes a worse course then euen Cain did to bee released of the sting of bloudshed Mat. 27. God grant I neuer know what it is to bee guilty of shedding of bloud but onely by reading CAP. XVIII Of the name of the Red Sea IN Hebrew it is called Suph the sea of weeds Because saith Kimchi there grew abundance of weeds vpon the sides of it In Greeke Latine and English and other Westerne tongues it is commonly called the Red Sea Diuerse reasons are giuen by diuerse persons why it is so called the best seemes to me to be from the rednesse of the ground about it And so Herodotus speakes of a place thereabout called Erythrobolus or the red soile It is thought our country tooke the name of Albion from the like occasion but not like colour As from the white rocks or clifts vpon the sea side The Iewes hold that Whale that swallowed Ionah brought him into the Red Sea and there shewed him the way that Israel passed through it for his eyes were as two windowes to Ionah that he looked out and saw all the sea as he went A whetstone yet they will needs haue some reason for this loudly and this is it because Ionah in Cap. 2.5 saith Suph hhabhush leroshi which is the weeds were wrapped about my head which they construe the Red Sea was wrapped about my head And to helpe the Whale thither Rabbi Iaphet saith that the Red Sea meets with the sea of Iapho or the Mediterranean vnlesse the Rabbin meanes that they meet vnder ground guesse what a Geographer he was and if hee find a way vnder ground guesse what a deepe scholler A long iourney it was for the Whale to go vp to Hercules pillars into the Ocean and from thence to the Red Sea in three dayes and nights but the fabling Iewes must find some sleight to maintaine their owne inuentions CAP. XIX Of the word Raca Mat. 5.22 WHosoeuer shall say vnto his brother Raca shall be worthy to bee punished by the Councell The word is a Iewish nick-name and so vsed in the Talmud for a despitefull title to a despised man as Our Rabbins shew a thing done with a religious man that was praying in the high way by comes a great man and giues him the time of the day but he saluted him not againe He stayed for him till he had finished his prayer after he had done his prayer he said to him Reka is it not written in your law that you shall take heed to your selues Had I strucke off thy head with my sword who should haue required thy bloud c. And so goes the angry man on Irenaeus hath a Phrase nigh to the signification of this word qui expuit cerebrum a man that hath no braines and so Raka signifies a man emptie whether of vnderstanding or goodnesse so the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is frequently taken CAP. XX. Wit stollen by Iewes out of the Gospell Gospell OVR Sauiour saith to His Disciples the haruest truly is great but the labourers are few Matth. 9.38 Whosoeuer heareth these sayings and doth them I will liken him to a man that built his house vpon a rock And the raine descended and flouds came c. And euery one that heareth these sayings and doth them not shal be likened to a foolish man that built his house vpon the sand Mat. 7.24 25. c. Of euery idle word that men speake they shall giue account therof at the day of Iudgement Mat. 12.36 With what measure you mete it shall be measured to you againe Mat. 7.2 Iewes RAbbi Simeon saith today is the haruest and the worke is much and the labourers idle and the reward great and the Master of the house vrgent Pirk Abhoth Per. 2. He that learneth the law and doth many good works is like a man that built his house the foundatiō of stone and the rest of bricke and the waters beate and the stone stood c. But hee that learneth the law and doth not many good workes is like a man that built his house the foundation of brick and the rest of stone c. and the brick wasted c. Abhoth Rabbi Nathan The very same words almost in Orehhoth hhajmi Rabbi Mair saith with the measure that a man measureth they measure to him againe Sanhedrin The whole Lords Prayer might almost be picked out of their workes for they deny not the words though they contradict the force of it The first words of it they vse frequently as Our father which art in heauen in their common prayer booke fol. 5. and Humble your hearts before your father which is in heauen in Rosh hashaua But they haue as much deuotion toward the Father while they denie the Sonne as the Heathens had which could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our father Iupiter and worshipped an vnknowne god Act. 17. They pray almost in euery other prayer Thy kingdome come and that Bimherah bejamenu quickly euen in our dayes but it is for an earthly kingdome they thus looke and pray They pray lead me not into temptation fol. 4. liturg while they tempt him that lead them in the wildernesse as did their father Psal. 95. By this Gospell which they thus filch they must be judged CAP. XXI Saint Cyprians nicety about the last Petition in the Lords Prayer SAint Cyprian it seemeth is so fearefull of making God the Author of euill that he will not thinke that God leadeth any man into temptation The Petition he readeth thus Ne nos patiaris induci in tentationem suffer vs not to be lead into temptation but deliuer vs from euill leauing the ordinanary current and truth of the Prayer because hee will not bee accessary to imagine that God should lead man into temptation whereas all men as well as he do thinke that God doth not leade man into euill
the writing of the wall so that they could not read it though it were in their owne language because it was not in their owne letter In after-times the very languages themselues began to vary as the Chaldee in Daniel and Onkelos and Ieruselamy and Ionathan and the Syrian in the Testament doe witnesse The Paraphrafts do much differ between themselues for purity of speech and all far short of the Bible Chaldee They are very full of Greeke words and so the Syrian a relique of Alexanders conquests some thinke they finde some Greeke in Daniel Montanus himselfe renders Osphaia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all along Foure kind of characters is the Chaldee to bee had in or if you will the Chaldee in two and the Syrian in two Our Bible and Paraphrasts and Rabbins Chaldee is in the Hebrew letter and the other kind of letter is the Samaritan The Syrian hath either a set letter such as we haue the New Testament imprinted in or their running hand such as the Maronites vse in their writing for speed there is no great difference betwixt them as you may see by their Alphabet CAP. XXXV Of the Arabian Language THis is the most copious of the Hebrew Dialects and a tongue that may brag with the most of tongues from fluencie and continuance of familiaritie This tongue is frequent in Scripture especially in Iob a man of that country How other parts of the Bible vse it I thinke may be iudged by the neerenesse of Iudaea and Arabia and of the two languages In this one thing it differs from its fellow-Dialects and its mother tongue that it varieth terminations in declining of nownes as the Greeke and Latine do and that it receiueth duall numbers in forming verbs as doth the Greeke Of the largenesse of the Alphabet and difference from other Alphabets and quiddits of the tongue or indeed any thing of the tongue I cannot say which I haue not receiued of the most industrious and thrice learned both in this and other the noble tongues Master William Bedwell whom I cannot name without a great deale of thankfulnesse and honour To whom I will rather be a scholler then take on me to teach others This tongue was Mahomads Alcoran written in and is still read in the same Idiome vnder paine of death not to mistake a letter which is as easily done in this tongue as in any CAP. XXXVI Of the Latine Tongue THis is the first Idiome of our Grammar Schooles A tongue next the sacred tongues most necessarie for Schollers of the best profession Whether Latine were a Babel language I will not controuert pro et contra Sure I dare say that what Latine we read now was not at Babel if we may beleeue Polybius who saith that the Latine tongue that was vsed in Iunius Brutus time was not vnderstood in the time of the first Punicke warre but onely by great schollers So much in few yeares it had degenerated The old Poets compared with smooth Ouid and Tully shew much alteration This spacious tongue once almost as big as any and as large as a great part of the world is now bounded in schooles and studies The Deluge of the North the treasurie of men ouerwhelmed the Romane empire scattered the men and spoiled the Latine Goths Vandalls Lombards and the rest of the brood of those frozen Climates haue beaten the Latine tongue out of its owne fashion into the French Spanish and Italian But some sparkes of their hammering are flowne into other languages of the West So that most countries hereabout may owne Rome for a second Babel for their speech confused CAP. XXXVII The Language of Brittaine neere a thousand yeares ago Ex Beda lib. 1. de Hist. Angl. Cap. 1. BRittania in praesenti iuxta numerum librorum c. Brittaine in my time saith Bede doth search and confesse one and the same knowledge of the high truth and true sublimity in fiue tongues according to the fiue bookes wherein the Law of God was written namely in the English Brittaine Scottish Pict and Latine tongues And in the ninteenth chapter of the same booke he saith that when Austen the Monke came from Gregory the great to preach the Gospell in England he brought with him Interpreters out of France to speak to the English That language it seemes was then vsuall in England but whether the French that France speakes now is a question William the Conqueror tooke great care and paines to haue brought in his tongue with his conquest but could not preuaile CAP. XXXVIII Ionathan the Chaldee Paraphrast his conceit of Leuies choosing to the Priesthood translated out of his Paraph. on Gen. 32.24 ANd Iacob was left alone beyond the foord and an Angell in the likenesse of a man stroue with him and said Diddest thou not promise to giue tithe of all that thou hadst and behold thou hast twelue sonnes and one daughter and thou hast not tithed them Out of hand he sets apart the foure first borne to their foure mothers for saith the margin they were holy because of their primogeniture and then were eight left He begins againe to count from Simeon and ended in Leui for the tenth or tithe Michael answereth and saith Lord of the world this is thy lot c. thus the Chaldee On whose words if they were worth commenting on I could say more CAP. XXXIX Of the Iewes abbreuiature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THis short writing is common in all their Authors When they cite any of the Doctors of their schooles they commonly vse these words Ameru rabbothenu Zicceronam libhracah in foure letters thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thus say our Doctors of blessed memorie But when they speake of holy men in the old Testament they vsually take this Phrase Gnalau hashalom on him is peace in briefe thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus when they mention Moses Salomon Dauid or others this is the memoriall they giue them The Arabians haue the like vse in their Abbreuiation of Gnalaihi alsalemo on whom is peace The words in Hebrew want a verbe and so may be construâ—ed two wayes On him is peace or on him be peace The learned Master Broughton hath rendered it the former way and his iudgement herein shall bee my law To take it the latter way seemes to relish of Popish superstition of praying for the dead which though the Iewes did not directly do yet in manner they appeare to do no lesse in one part of their Common Prayer booke called Mazkir neshamoth the remembrancer of Soules which being not very long I thought not amisse to translate out of their tongue into our owne that the Reader may see their Iewish Poperie or Popish Iudaisme and may blesse the Creatour who hath not shut vs vp in the same darkenesse CAP. XL. Mazkir neshamoth or the Remembrancer of soules in the Iewes liturgy printed at Venice THe Lord remember the soule or spirit of Abba Mr. N. the sonne of N. who is gone
cals his armie and there was another companie of Angels which he cals the Armie of God These are the two Armies that gaue name to Mahanaim two armies one heauenly and the other earthly and from this I take it Salomon compares the Church to the companie of Mahanaim for so the Church consisteth of two Armies one heauenly like these Angels which is the Church triumphant and the other trauailing on earth like Iacobs armie which is the Church militant CAP. XLIIII The booke of Psalmes THe Psalmes are diuided into fiue bookes according to the fiue bookes of Moses and if they bee so diuided there be seuentie bookes in the Bible the vnskilfull may finde where any one of these fiue bookes end by looking where a Psalme ends with Amen there also ends the booke As at Psal. 41.72.89.106 and from thence to the end These may euen in their verie beginnings be harmonized to the books of the Law Genesis The first booke of Moses telleth how happinesse was lost euen by Adams walking in wicked counsel of the Serpent and the woman Psal. 1. The first booke of Psalmes tels how happines may be regained if a man do not walke in wicked counsell as of the serpent woman the diuell and the flesh This allusion of the first booke Arnobius makes Exodus The second book of Moses tels of groaning affliction in Egypt Leuiti The third booke of Moses is of giuing the law Numbers The fourth booke of Moses is about numbring Deutero The last booke of Moses is a rehearsall of all Psal. 42. The second booke of Psalmes begins in groaning affliction Psal. 42 43. Psal. 73. The third booke of Psalmes tels in the beginning how good God is for giuing this law This allusion Rab. Tanch makes very neere Ps. 90. The fourth booke begins with numbring of the best Arithmetick numbring Gods mercie Psal. 90.1 and our owne dayes ver 12. Psa. 107. So is the last booke of the Psalmes from Psa. 107. to the end In the Iewes diuision of the Scripture this peece of the Psalmes and the bookes of the like nature are set last not because they be of least dignitie but because they be of least dependance with other bookes as some of them being no storie at all and some stories and bookes of lesser bulke and so set in a fourme by themselues The old Testament books the Iewes acrostically doe write thus in three letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euerie letter standing for a word and euerie word for a part of the Bible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Aorajetha or Torah the law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Nebhijm the Prophets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Cethubhim or bookes of holy writ this diuiâ—ion is so old that our Sauiour himselfe vseth it in the last of Luke and ver 44. All things written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and the Psalmes By the Psalmes meaning that part of Cethubhim in which the Psalmes are set first CAP. XLV Of the Creation TWo waies we come to the knowledge of God by his workes and by his word By his works we come to know there is a God and by his word wee come to know what God is His workes teach vs to spell his word teacheth vs to read The first are as it were his backe parts by which we behold him a farre off The latter shewes him to vs face to face The world is as a booke consisting of three leaues and euerie leafe printed with many letters and euery letter a lecture The leaues heauen the aire and earth with the water The letters in heauen euery Angel Star and Planet In the aire euery meteor and foule In the earth and waters euerie man beast plant fish and minerall all these set together spell to vs that there is a God and the Apostle saith no lesse though in lesse space Rom. 1 20. For the inuisible things of him that is his eternall power and Godhead are seene by the creation of the world being considered in his workes And so Dauid Psal. 19.1 It is not for nothing that God hath set the Cabinet of the vniuerse open but it is because he hath giuen vs eyes to behold his treasure Neither is it for nothing that he hath giuen vs eyes to behold his treasure but because he hath giuen vs hearts to admire vpon our beholding If wee marke not the workes of God we are like stones that haue no eyes wherewith to behold If wee wonder not at the workes of God when wee marke them we are like beasts that haue no hearts wherewith to admire And if wee praise not God for his workes when we admire them we are like deuils that haue no tongues wherewith to giue thankes Remarkeable is the storie of the poore old man whom a Bishop found most bitterly weeping ouer an vgly toad being asked the reason of his teares his answer was I weepe because that whereas God might haue made mee as vgly and filthy a creature as this toad and hath not I haue yet neuer in all my life beene thankefull to him for it If the works of the creation would but lead vs to this one lecture our labour of obseruing them were well bestowed How much more when they lead vs farre further CAP. XLVI The time and manner of the Creation MOSES in the first verse of the Bible refutes three heathen opinions namely theirs that thought the world was eternall for he saith in the beginning c. Secondly theirs that thought there was no God for he saith Elohim created Thirdly theirs that thought there were many gods for he saith Elohim he created heauen and earth The first word in the beginning may draw our mindes and thoughts to the last thing the latter end and this thought must draw our affections from too much loue of the world for it must haue an end as it had a beginning I will not stand to comment vpon the word Bereshith in the beginning for then I know not when to come to an end To treat how the diuerse expositors labour about the beginning of the world is a world of labour How the Ierus Targ. translates it In wisdome and is followed by Rabbi Tanchum and many Iewes How Targ. Ionath vseth an Arabian word Min Awwala a primo Onkelos in primis or in principio Iarchi in principio creationis creauit How Basil the great Saint Ambrose and hundreds others do interpret this is a worke endlesse to examine Satisfied am I with this that the world and all things had their beginning from God that in the beginning created heauen and earth Some of the Iewes do inuert the word Bereshith and make it Betisri that is in the moneth Tisri was the world created This month is about our September and that the world was created in this moneth to let other reasons alone this satisfies me that the feast of Tabernacles which was