A Briefe Discourse of the Scriptures Declaring the seuerall Stories Liues and Deaths of the Fathers from the Creation of Adam vnto the death of Ioseph Very necessarie to be read and practised for easie vnderstanding of the Scriptures in a short time Imprinted at London by W. White dwelling in Cow-lane 1614. THE PRINTER To the Reader THis short Treatise Christian Reader of The storie of the Fathers from Adam to Ioseph comming to my hands and beeing well approoued of by many godly and discreetly zealous men for the worthinesse of the subiect I was at the earnest request of sundry my especiall good Friendes drawne to commit it as thou seest to the Presse for the benefite of many Of the Author hereof I finde no mention yet likely it is to haue been penned by an Attendaunt on that learned Diuine M. H. B. as a collection from his Notes or Readings Perused it hath been before the authorizing thereof for the print by a Diuine of mature iudgement who corrected such thinges as he found faultie therein Read it without preiudice or partialitie and I doubt not but the profite which thou shalt reape thereby for the increase of thy knowledge in holy Scripture will preserue thee from all repenting of thy paines W. W. A Briefe Discourse of the Scriptures declaring the seuerall Stories Liues and Deaths of the Fathers from the creation of Adam vnto the death of Joseph very necessarie to be read and practised for easie vnderstanding of the Scriptures in a short time Jehouah our God Jehouah is one Deut. 6.4 IEHOVAH is a name of great force to driue vs to the due reuerence of Gods eternall Maiestie for it conteyneth the Wisedome Power and Eternitie of God His Wisedome In giuing a Name vnto himselfe answerable to the glorie of his Maiestie This Name was had in such reuerence among the Iewes that they trembled to name or read it but vsed the name Adonai Lord. After their cōming frō Babel they neuer vsed the name Jehouah but a name of twelue letters conteining Father Sonne and Holy spirit Jehouah hath in it the fiue Vowels which are the sinnewes of all Tongues And as without them no tongue can be expressed so without the true knowledge of Iehouah no flesh can be saued It signifieth Prayse mee the eternall God It conteineth in it Father Sonne and holy Ghost His Power In that from Iehouah all creatures haue their breathing and their being which also in Iehouah is closely expressed For as it consisteth of fiue vowels so hath it two hh which Sholers call Aspirations or Breathings which two Aspirations make vp the number of 7. which is the number of the Sabboth S. Paul closely alluding to the name of Iehouah sayth that from him we haue our breathing and our beeing and in Esay 57.16 the Lord sayth The blasting goeth foorth from me and is included in the body I made the breath So often therefore as we breath we are to remember the Power and Maiestie of Iehouah His Eternitie Is closely expressed in these three Letters י ו τ Whose terminations are Jod vavv be is a signe of the Futertense Presentense Preterperfectense This is made plaine in Apoc. 1.4 Who was is wil be to come Our God Herein is expressed the Humanitie of Christ for it is neither added to the Father the first person in Trinitie nor to the holy Ghost the third person but to the Sonne the second person who was to become ours by taking our nature vpon him Some hold it not to be meant of the Humanitie of Christ but for a word of separation of the God of the Iewes from the Gods of the Gentiles To remooue such absurditie the holy Ghost in Mark 12.29 when there was no difference betweene the Iew and the Gentile repeateth the very words of Moses Deut. 6.4 The Lord our God The Lord is one Thrise naming God as commaunding vs thereby to vnderstand Father Sonne and Holy spirit For this is alwayes to be obserued Whatsoeuer God speeketh of himselfe is to be taken in the heauenliest vnderstanding that can be made of it Iehouah our God Iehouah is one There be three in Heauen The Father the Worde and the Holy Spirit And these three are one 1. Iohn 5.7 The Trinitie is heere described to be one vnited Godhead distinguishable in persons but vndeuidable in coeternitie one in three and three in one GOD who Created Redeemed and Sanctified all One onely wise God who was shewed in the Flesh was iustified in the Spirit was seene among Angels was preached to the Gentiles was beleeued on in the World receiued vp into Glorie 1. Timo. 3.16 Which to know is the first and chiefest poynt of all saluation as Iohn 17.3 This is eternall life to know the Father and him whom he hath sent Iesus Christ Which must be obteined by the true vnderstanding of the Bible as Iohn 5.39 Search the Scriptures and in them ye shall find eternall life Some will say it is enough to know Christ crucified Pilate Herod and Iudas the traytor knew that yet went to eternall destruction Wherefore saluation consisteth not in outward knowledge but in renewing the spirit of our vnderstanding which standeth first in the knowledge and feare of God then in the knowing of our selues which are the first two steps to saluation For true Knowledge is the mother of Godlinesse and as the Eye is the light of the Body so is Vnderstanding the light of the Minde This a man hauing truly learned he is to meditate of the graces of Christ offered vnto vs by his Word God hath chosen vs in Christ before the foundation of the World c. Ephes 1.4 HErein we are to consider the louing kindnesse of God to exceed our desertes in louing vs to saluation before we were The Papistes hold merites of saluation which cannot any way hold seeing God of his vnspeakable grace hath elected vs vnto saluation before we knew him This mysterie of Gods Election is not fully receiued of all because men take not words of Scripture in their proper sense as they are layde downe Election is the eternall counsell of God for the sauing and reiecting of some before the beginning of the world The Heathen neuer receiued comfort by this for being told before of thinges afterward to come to passe they could not know the reason but thought that the actions of men were gouerned by the motions of Starres and the course of Nature and not by the decree or fore-purpose of God who worketh euery thing according to the counsell of his owne will not according to our reason Then some will say if God decreeth euery thing why punisheth he any thing It is answered that punishment commeth from God by the iust desert of the rancor of mans minde Election of his free grace which he bestoweth vpon whō he will as he saith Rom. 9.15 I will haue mercie on whom I will haue mercie Therefore the first thing we ought to know is our
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
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
or middlemost but in Gods free election standeth our eternall happines Three Angels appeared to Abraham in his Tent. Three foures of precious Stones were set in Aarons brest Three thinges reserued in the Arke The Booke of the Law The Potte of Manna Aarons Rodde that did alwayes florish Three taken vp in the Old Testament and three in the New Three partes was Ierusalem deuided into Three Letters the roote of euery word in the Hebrew tongue Three Captiuities of the Iewes Three times was the Temple grosly polluted by the Babylonians Antiochi Romanes Three times a yeare were the Iewes bound to come to Ierusalem to giue accompt of their Religion Three dayes nightes was Ionas in the Whales belly Three nightes and dayes was Christ in the Graue Three Iohns viz. Iohn Baptist Luke 1.60 Iohn Euangelist Mat. 4.21 Iohn Marke Act. 12.25 Job saued three Eliphaz Sophar Bildad Daniel saued three Ananias Azarias Mishael Noah saued three Sem. Cham. Japhet In the third seauenth Iubilee the Iewes fell away and then Ieremie said O Earth heare the worde of the Lord c. The Title ouer Christ on the Crosse was written in Three tongues Hebrew Greeke Latin Although it may not bee vrged that all these Threes haue full relation to the Trinitie seeing they fall not out by chaunce yet wee are not to despise the pleasant harmonie and comfortable vse of them but to thinke that the wisedome of God hath contriued saluation into such a sweet Art that verie children may learne the same and therefore the Scripture is called verie fitly a shallow water and a deepe fountaine shallow that the Lambe may wade and deepe that the Elephant may swimme FOVRE Foure Is a square number and vsuall Heber the fourth after the Flood Iuda the fourth sonne of Iacob Foure square signifieth true Religion Moses fourth sonne in the fourth age was Sacrificer to the Tribe of Dan. Foure times seuen Iubilees the time of Christes death Foure The forme of the heauenly Ierusalem FIVE Fiue the letters of Iehouah The fiue Vowels the sinewes of all Tongues Christ seedeth 5000. with Fiue Loaues SIXE Sixe The day of Adams creation which number is often times vsed in the Scripture to put vs in minde of the Creation Sixe hundred thousand fighting men came out of Egipt Sixe hundred yeares old was Noah at the flood Sixe times seuen Standinges had the Children of Israel in the Wildernes Sixe yeares was the land of Canaan in conquering Sixe Cities of refuge for one that killed a man by chance and not of malice had the Iewes to flie vnto Sixe times did the Children of Israel fall before Diuids time in the time of the Iudges SEVEN Seuen the number of the Sabaoth which number of Seuen as it is famous for the Creation so God comtinueth the same proportion throughout the Bible to the Redemption For as God the Father made the World in sixe dayes and rested the seuenth so God the Sonne hauing performed his Fathers will resteth the seuenth day in the Graue Seuen is a yeare of Grace Seuen Planets in the Firmament which Plato compareth to the number of seuen Starres in Apo. 1.16 Seuen yeares was the land of Canaan plagued for that Ioseph the beloued of the Lord should haue been slaine by his Brethren Seuen Stones in the Temple Gods seuenfold Wisedome or Prouidence in all his actions Seuen eyes to looke vpon the Building of euery Stone in in the Temple of Ierusalem Seuen yeares the land of Canaan was setling in rest Seuen yeares the Temple was in building Seuen yeares Nebuchadnetzar was a Beast for destroying the Temple Seuen Gates in the Temple before you come to the Holy of Holiest Seuen Branches did the Candlesticke in the Temple stand vpon which had 24. Knobbes signifying the sixe dayes worke the seuenth day of rest in the Creation Seuen Moneths was the Tabernacle in building Seuen Iubilees was the Arke in the house of Ioseph Seuen Trumpeters is a great number that doe alwayes sound Gods prayse Henoch the seuenth from Adam Heber the seuenth from Henoch Isaach the seuenth from Heber Moses the seuenth from Abraham Iosua the seuenth from Ephraim Elias taken vp in the seuenth age from Samuel Ioram the seuenth from Dauid Salomons Temple was consecrated in the seuenth moneth answerable to the birth of the Fathers The ceremonie of the Feast of Tabernacles continued seuen dayes After the comming from Egipt it was seuen times seuen dayes before the Law was giuen Seuen times seuen dayes after Christes resurrection descended the holy Ghost The stories of the Scriptures goe by seuens from Moses till Christs death thus Seuen yeares the land of Canaan was in conquering Seuen fifties for the glorie of Iosephs house Seuen seuenties for the house of Iudah Seuen tennes for the Captiuity From the Captiuitie to the death of Christ seuen seuenties Moses Ceremonies for the most part were in the seuenth Moneth The Manna that was gathered on the sixt day serued for the seuenth The seuenth yeare the Iewes might not plough sow nor reape In the end of the seuen seuens was the yeare of Iubilee In the seuenth seuen from Cyrus the Walles of Ierusalem were built Seuen times 7000. of the Iewes came from Captiuitie Ioakim endeth the seuenth seuentie with affliction Seuen yeares plenty seuen yeares dearth in the land of Egipt figured by seuen eares of Corne seuen Kyne Noah liued seuen Iubilees after the flood Seuen thousand in the booke of Kings mencioned that neuer bowed their knees vnto Ball. Kaines house cut off in the seuenth age How often shall I forgiue my Brother till seuen times I say vntill seuen times seuentie times alluding vnto Daniels seuens EIGHT Eight The number of the persons saued in the Arke Eight The day of circumcision TEN Tenne Is a full number and the highest or last of simple numbers All Nations after the number of 10. begin againe for plaine teaching and plainnesse in reckoning Ten is the yeare of Iudgement or accompt You haue Ten words for the creation of the World And Ten wordes for the gouernment of the world The Tenth is a holy number as in Tythes which is giuen to vs to acknowledge our dueties In the Tenth moneth the Waters of the Flood abated Sem liued to see the Tenth age a great blessing Tenne Plagues were the Egyptians plagued with for afflicting Sems house Tenne Spies in the Wildernesse misbeleeued Tenne Tribes fell away at Roboams time Daniels Beast hath Tenne Hornes which doe represent Ten cruell Kinges The Beast in the Reuelation hath Tenne Hornes The Pope hath Tenne stately Kingdomes to assist him Noah is the Tenth from Adam Abraham the tenth from Noah TWELVE Twelue Signes in the Zodiacke Twelue Moneths in the yeare Twelue Fathers from the Flood to Iacob Twelue Sonnes of Iacob Twelue Fountaines in the Wildernesse Twelue Stones in Iordan Twelue Stones in Aarons brest Salomon had Twelue Stewards and Dauid Twelue valiant Captaines Salomon at Twelue yeares of age discided the