that had sent Dauid so wyse a sonne to sit in his seate and graunted hym Timber of Cedar Fyrre and other precious woodde so much as he woulde desire Wherefore Salomon to gratifie Hyram agayne sent hym twentye thousande quarters of wheate and twentye Butts of Oyle and gaue him also twentye goodly Cities which Cities Hyram called the lande of Cabul forasmuch as when he sawe them they pleased hym not After this Hyram gaue to Salomon sixe score Talents of Golde and sent him Ships and men which had knowledge of the Sea to go with his Nauye into the countrey of Ophir which Shippes brought vnto Salomon * In the. 2. Par. 8. d. is menciō made of 30. talents mo whiche seeme to haue ben employed for their charges foure hundred and twentye Talents of golde ¶ Hyram The hight of Lyfe 3. Reg. 7. b. Hyram This man was a certayne wydowes sonne dwelling in the Countrie of Tyre and of the Tribe of Nepthaly and dyd so excell in all maner of workemanship that Hyram King of Tyre sent him to Salomon to worke and finishe all things that pertayned to the Temple of the Lorde which Salomon went about to edifie Hobab was the sonne of Raguel whose * Some think that Raguel Iethro Hobab and Keni were all one Kymhi sayeth that Raguel was Iethros father So Hobab was Moses father in lawe companye Num. 10. d. Moses his Father in lawe woulde so fayne haue had into the lande of Canaan that he intreated him on this wise saying We are nowe going to the place which the Lord sayde that he woulde giue vs therefore I pray thée go with vs and we will doe thée good for the Lorde hath promised good vnto Israel Then Hobab made aunswere saying I will not go but I will departe to mine owne Countrey and kindred Nay quoth Moses I pray thée forsake vs not but go with vs and be our guide for thou knowest our comping places in the wildernesse and whatsoeuer goodnesse the Lorde shall shewe vnto vs the same will we she we vnto thée But all this coulde not mooue Hobab but that he woulde depart And so returned home into his owne countrey agayne ¶ Hobab Beloued Iudith 2. cap. Holofernes was the chiefe and most terrible Captaine of all Nabuchodonosors hoste sent of him to subdue all the worlde And comming to the Citie of Bethulia 14. b. where all the Iewes lay in great feare of him and his power he was there by Gods prouision slayne by the handes of an holy woman called Iudith Read hir storie ¶ Holofernes A stoute and valiant Captaine 1. Reg. 1. a. Hophni and Phinehes the twoo sonnes of Ely were the Lordes Priestes and became so wicked that they abused the women that wayted at the doore of the Tabernacle of wytnesse And whereas the law was that 2. c. d e. whenseeuer any man did make any offering the Priests boye should come whyle the fleshe was a séething and not before with a fleshe hooke in his hande hauing thrée téeth which he shoulde thrust into the Panne Kettle or whatsoeuer vessell it were and so much as the flesh hooke brought vp was the Priestes part and no more yet notwithstanding this lawe the Priestes boye woulde come before the fleshe was sodde and require flesh to rost for the Priest and say vnto him that made the offering that his Maister woulde haue no sod fleshe but rawe And if he woulde not giue it him then woulde the boye take it by violence By the which abusing of the Lawe the Lordes offering was had in such contempt among the people that they began to abhorre it Wherefore the Lorde plagued the sonnes of Eli permitting the Philistines 4. c. to slea them both in one day ¶ Hophni a Fyst or as much as one may comprehende betweene his thumbe and two fingers or couering 4. Reg. 15. g. 17. cap. Hosea the sonne of Ela by treason slue Pekah the sonne of Remaliahu King of Israel and possessed hys place and began his reigne in the .xij. yere of Ahas king This was the last King that reigned ouer Israel of Iuda and did euill in the sight of the Lorde but not so euill as other Kings before him He denyed to pay Tribute to the Assirians and sent to the King of Egypt to haue his ayde agaynst them wherefore Salmanasar King of Assiria came against Hosea and besieged him in Samaria thrée yeares and in the ende wanne the Citie destroyed his kingdome and ledde Hosea and all his people captine into Assiria Thus was Israel nowe deliuered into the handes of spoylers for their wickednesse which the Lorde had long suffred ¶ Hosea a Sauiour or health 4. Reg. 22. d. Hulda the wyfe of Sallum was a Prophetesse dwelling in Ierusalem in a place called the house of doctrine To whome Iosia King of Iuda sent certayne messengers to inquire of the Lorde for him and hys people concerning the booke of the Lawe which was founde in the Temple and red before him and when they had done their message the Prophetesse made aunswere saying Go and tell the man that sent you to me Thus sayth the Lorde beholde I will bring euill vpon this place and vpon the inhabiters thereof euen all the wordes of the booke which the King of Iuda hath readde bicause they haue forsaken me and haue burnt incense to other gods to anger me with all the works of their hands My wrath also shall be kindled agaynst this place and shall not be quenched But to the King of Iuda who sent you to inquire of the Lorde so shall ye say vnto him Thus sayth the Lorde God of Israel the wordes that thou hast heard shall come to passe But bicause that thine hart did melt and thou hast humbled thy selfe before the Lorde when thou heardest what I spake agaynst this place and against the inhabiters of the same howe they shoulde be destroyed and accursed and hast rent thy clothes and wept before mée I haue also hearde it sayth the Lorde Beholde therefore I will gather thée vnto thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eyes shall not sée all the euill that I will bring vpon this place And so the Messengers departed and tolde the King. ¶ Hulda the worlde ▪ or a Weesell Hur came of the Tribe of Iuda and * This is not that Hur which came of the kinrede of Caleb although they came both of the Tribe of Iuda but an other of the same name Lyra vppon 1. Par. 2. c. This Hur was husband to miriam sister to Moses was one of the Exod. 17. d. principall fathers and Rulers vnder Moses He and Aaron 24. d. 31. a. stayed vp the handes of Moses whyle the Chyldren of Israel fought with King Amalech And was also appointed with Aaron afterwarde to heare and determine all matters of controuersie among the people till Moses
his brethren I am Ioseph doth my father yet lyue With that they were so astonyed with his presence that they coulde not aunswere hym one woorde I am Ioseph your brother quoth he whome yée solde into Egipt nowe therefore be not grieued with your selues that yée solde mée hither for God dyd sende mée before you for your preseruation for this is the seconde yeare of dearth and fiue more are behinde wherefore God sent me before you to make prouision for you in this lande and to saue your lyues by a great deliueraunce So nowe it was not you that sent me hither but God who hath made mée a Father vnto Pharao and Lorde of all his house and ruler thorowout all the land of Egipt Therefore now go and tell my father and bid him come with all his houshold to mée and I will make prouision for him Thus when Ioseph had receyued 46. his Father into Egipt and gouerned the lande foure 50. d. score yeares hée dyed at the age of an hundred and ten yeares and was buried in Epigt whose bones were afterwarde translated into the lande of promission as Ioseph had bounde them to doe in his death bed ¶ Ioseph Increasing Math. 1. ◠Ioseph the sonne of Iacob the sonne of Matthan a poore honest man and a Carpenter by his occupasion was spoused to the Virgin Mary the Mother of Christ and dwelled in Nazareth a little Citie in Galile came of the same Tribe and kinred that Mary came of that is to say of the Tribe of Iuda and of the progenie stocke of Dauid of whose séede it was promised that Christe shoulde be borne He had foure sonnes Iames Ioses Symon 13. g. and Iudas which the Iewes of ignoraunce called the brethren of Christ Math. 27. g. Ioseph a man of honour and of great power and substaunce borne in the Citie of Aramathia which was a Disciple of Iesus but not openly knowne bicause of the Iewes which had made a lawe that whosoeuer dyd openly confesse him to be Iesus Disciple the same person shoulde be cast out of the Synagoge This Ioseph came to Pylate and desired licence of him to take downe the body of Iesus from the Crosse and to burie it and hauing obtayned his peticion he bought a fine péece of linnen cloth and therin wrapped the body and layed it in a new Sepulchre hewed out of the rocke and rolled a great stone before the dore of the Sepulchre so went his way 1. Mac. ◠b. f. g Iosephus the sonne of Zachary and one Asarias were twoo Captaynes vnder Iudas Machabeus which twoo Iudas left in Iewry to kéepe and gouerne the remnant of the hoste left there whyle he and Ionathas with Symon their brother went into the parties of Galile and Galaad to deliuer their brethren which were then besieged of their enimies giuing them a great charge not to warre with the heathen but to lye still till he and his brethren were returned home againe But neuerthelesse when Iosephus and Asarias had hearde of all the great actes done by Iudas and his brethren they sayde one to an other Let vs go out and fight agaynst the heathen that lye rounde about vs that we may get vs a name also And being agréede they went out and pitched theyr hoste before the Citie of Iamnya who had not lyen there long or that Gorgias issued out of the citie with his men and stroke battell with Iosephus and slue of the Iewes two thousand and chased Iosephus and all the rest of his companie to the borders of Iewrie And thus Iosephus and Asarias neglecting the commaundement of Iudas their Lorde and gouernour purchased in the steade of honour and fame great dishonour and shame Act. 4. g. Ioses a certayne Leuyte borne in the Countrey of Cypres solde his lande there and brought the whole price therof and layed it downe at the Apostles féete of whome he was surnamed Barnabas ¶ Ioses going out or thrust out 4. Reg. 22. ca Iosias the sonne of Amon being at the age of eyght yeares when he began his raygne ouer Iuda was a vertuous 2. Par. 34. ca. and iust Prince for he sought the Lord God of his father Dauid euen from his Childehoode to the ende of his lyfe He caused the booke of the lawe of Moses which had béene long lost founde againe by Helkia the Priest to be had in great reuerence and diligently read vnto the people He clensed his land from all witchcrafts and sorcerie and from Idols Images and Groues He brake downe the hill altars and brent the bones of the Priests of Baal and left no wicked thing vndestroyed nor monument standing in the Cities of Manasses Ephraim or other places of his Realme where any abhominacion had béene committed He kept a passeouer in the eyghtene yeare of his raigne the like neuer séene and repayred the Temple Finally he made warre vpon the King of Egipt in the which he was wounded with a Darte at a place called Magiddo whereof he dyed Whose death was much lamented for like vnto hym was neuer none before nor after Iehoahas his sonne succéeded him ¶ Iosias the Lordes Fire or the Lorde burning 4. Reg. 15. g. Iotham the sonne of Azaria or Vzia at the age of xxv yeares began his reigne ouer Iuda in the seconde 2. Par. 27. ca. yeare of Pekah King of Israel and did that which was right in the sight of the Lorde in all pointes as did hys father Azaria saue that * Hee went not into the Temple of the Lorde to burne incense as his father did contrary to the worde of god which is spoken to the commendation of Iotham he came not into the temple of the Lorde neyther caused the hyll aultars to be taken away by which occasion the people ceased not to doe wickedly He builded the sumpteous gate of the Temple and many Cities Castles and Towers in the Mountaynes of Iuda and other places He subdued the Ammonites who payed him thrée yeares togither an hundred talents of siluer ten thousand quarters of Wheate and so much of Barley He reigned .xvj. yeares and was buried in the Citie of Dauid leauing Ahas his son to enioy his place ¶ Iotham Persite Num. 27. c. d. Iosua the sonne of Nun was first called Osea which name Moses chaunged and called him Iosua who was Moses minister and ordeyned of God to rule and Exod. 17. c. d. gouerne the people after him He discomfited King Amalech while Moses helde vp his handes and prayed He was one of those Explorators which were sent by Moses Num. 13 cap. 14. a. b. to searche the lande of Canaan and to bring the people worde againe what maner of countrey it was at whose returne the people were ready to stone both him and Caleb for well reporting of that lande wherefore the Lord being angrye with the people sware that none of
a custome among the Iewes to haue a prisoner deliuered vnto them at the feast of Easter wherfore when Pilate sate in iudgement vpon Iesus he asked of the Iewes whether they woulde haue Barrabas or Iesus and they by the counsell of the great Priestes sayde Barrabas And so was the théefe and murtherer deliuered and the innocent put to death Barsabas surnamed Iustus was one of the twoo Disciples appoynted to be chosen in the rowme of Iudas the Apostle And when the lottes were cast the lot fell on Mathias hys fellowe Barthelmew was one of the twelue Apostles Mar. 10. g. * Bartimeus the sonne of Timeus was a certayne blinde begger which sate begging by the hye wayes side * The other Euangelists mention two but Marke nameth him that was most knowne of the people as they went by And when he heard Iesus of Nazareth passe that waye he began to crie and saye Iesus the sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon me and the people rebuked him to holde his peace but the more he was rebuked the more he cryed Then being called and comforted of the Apostles he threwe away his cloke for ioye and came to Iesus who demaunded of him what he woulde haue him to doe Mayster sayde he that I maye haue my sight and sée Go thy way sayde Iesus thy faith hath saued thée and by and by this blynde Bartimeus receyued his sight and followed Iesus ¶ Bartimeus a Blynde sonne or the sonne of blindnesse Iere. 36. cap. Baruch the sonne of Neriah wrote in a booke at the mouth of Ieremie the Prophete as he did indite all the curses agaynst Iuda and Israel which booke he read first to the Common people and after to the Rulers who being astonied at the wordes thereof caused Baruch to hide * The godly amonge the Princes gaue this counsell himselfe out of the way till they had shewed the booke vnto Ieohakim the King who when he had hearde thrée or fower leaues thereof caused the booke to be cut in péeces notwithstanding the great intreatie that certaine of hys Lordes made for the preseruation of the same and cast in the fire and brent Then Baruch wrote another booke at the mouth of Ieremie wherein was much more added than was before ¶ Baruch Blessed Gen. 22. d. 28. a. Bathuel was the sonne of Nahor his mothers name was Milca the daughter of Aran brother to Nahor and Abraham This Bathuel was Father to Rebecca and Laban ¶ Bathuel the Sonne begetting of God the Measure of God. Gen. 36. d. Bela the sonne of Beor reigned in Edem after whose death Iobab the sonne of Serah succéeded him 1. Par. 1. d. ¶ Bela Swalowing downe or destroying Num. 26. c â–ª Bela the sonne of Beniamin whose sonnes were Ard and Naaman and in the first booke of Chronicles 7. b. These are sayde to be the sonnes of Bela Ozban Ozi Oziel Ierimoth and Iri And in the. 8. chapter these Adar Gera Abiud 3. Esd 2. c. Belemus Mithridates Tabelius Rathunius Beeltethmus and Semellius the Secretarie with other mo wrote a sore complaint to Artaxerses King of Persia against the Iewes which were a building of the temple at Ierusalem through the which they were commaunded to cease and to builde no more Reade Artaxerses and Rathumus Sum natu minimus Beniaminus ex Cananea Mater in enixu est morte perempta Me scriptura LupuÌ„ natuÌ„ consumere proedaÌ„ In matutino tempore uera uocat Beniamin was the yoongest sonne of Iacob Gen. 35. c. hys mother was Rachel who dyed in traueyle and therfore Of the sonns of Beniamin Reade Gene. 46. c. 1. Par. 7. b. 8. a. called his name Benoni the sonne of sorrow But Iacob his father called him Beniamin sonne of the ryght hande His brothers name of father and mother was Ioseph who loued Beniamin aboue all the reast of his other brethren as in his storie appeareth ¶ Beniamin Sonne of the right hande Act. 13. b. Beriesus which by interpretacion is as much to saye as the sonne of Iesus was a Iewe borne and a great sorcerer which name he had taken vpon him to deceyue the people where as his right name was Elymas which worde in the Sirians language betokeneth an Enchaunter and a false Prophet also This false Sorcerer was got into the Citie of Paphos and there beyng crept into fauour with Sergius Paulus Ruler of the Countrie wythstoode the doctrine of Barnabas and Paule séeking by all meanes to turne the Rulers heart from the sayth in Christ But Paule being full of the holy ghost perceyuing the deuilishe and subtile craft of this sorcerer looked stedfastly vpon him and sayde O full of all subtiltie and mischiefe the chylde of the Deuil and enimie of all righteousnesse wylt thou not cease to peruert the streyght wayes of the Lorde Now therfore beholde the hande of the Lorde is vpon thée and thou shalt be blinde and not able to sée the Sunne for a season And when Paule had pronounced these wordes the Enchaunter was stricken with blyndenesse so that he as one amazed wandred vp and downe séeking for some man to leade him by the hande ¶ Beriesus an Ensorcerer or Coniurer 2. Reg. 17. g. Berzelai was a Gileadite borne who considered the necessitie of Dauid so much being flâ—dde out of hys owne Realme for feare of his owne sonne Absalon into the wildernesse of Mahanaim that he brought all things necessarie for â—eddes meate drinke and cloth out of Roglim to refreshe him and his men prouided so for him all the whyle he lay there that he lacked nothing and at his returne agayne he holped also to conuey both the King and all his men ouer Iordan Then Dauid séeing the great kyndenesse of Berzelai was much desirous to haue hym home with him to Ierusalem promising that all the dayes of his life he shoulde eate and drinke wyth him at his owne boorde and fare no woorse than he fared to whome Berzelai being a verye olde man sayde O my Lorde I am a man of foure score yeares of age and cannot discerne betwéene good and euill neyther yet taste any thing that I doe eate or drinke wherfore if I should then go with my Lorde the King I shoulde be but a burthen vnto him Therefore I beséech thée let thy seruant turne backe agayne that I may die in myne owne countrie and be buried in the graue of my father But here is thy seruant Chimeam my sonne let him go with my Lorde and doe vnto him whatsoeuer it shall please thée And so Dauid and Berzelai kissed eche other and departed but Chimeam went with Dauid who did not onely recompence his fathers kyndenesse in him so long as he liued but at the day of his death declared to Salomon his sonne the great fidelitie he had founde with Berzelai in the tyme of his exyle charging him therefore to shewe no
lesse fauour to the sonnes of Berzelai for their fathers sake than euer he himselfe had done ¶ Berzelai Made of yron or as harde as yron 2. Reg. 11. ca. Bethsabe was the daughter of Eliam and wyfe to Urias which was with Ioab in the Kings warres On a tyme as Bethsabe was washing hir selfe in hir priuye garden alone It chaunced King Dauid to looke out at a window in his palace saw hir whose bewty so rauished the King that forthwithall he sent for the woman and committed adulterie with hir and so sent hir home againe Then shortly after she perceyuing hir selfe with chylde sent the King worde thereof who then partly to hide his owne fault and partly to saue the woman from daunger of the lawe sent for Urias to come home But when Dauid sawe that Urias woulde not company with his wyfe Bethsabe he returned him backe againe to Ioab with a letter which caused Urias quickly to be dispatched out of his lyfe after whose death Bethsabe became Dauids wyfe and brought forth the chylde conceyued in adulterie which liued not long but dyed After that she 12. f. conceyued agayne and brought forth Salomon Lastly when Dauid was fallen into extréeme age and that she sawe Adonia the son of Agith begin to aspire to the kingdome of his father yet liuing she went by the counsell of Nathan the Prophet who had taught hir hyr lesson vnto Dauid hir husbande And making hir humble obeysance vnto the King as he sate in his Chamber and Abisag the Sunamite ministring vnto him he sayde vnto hir what is the matter She aunswered my Lorde thou swarest by the Lorde thy God vnto thine handmayde saying assuredly Salomon thy sonne shall reigne after me and he shall sit vpon my seate And behold now is Adonia King and thou my Lord the king knowest it not He hath offred Oxen fat Cattell and many shéepe and hath called all the Kings sonnes and Abiathar the Priest and Ioab the Captaine of the hoste But Salomon thy seruant hath he not bidden And nowe my Lorde O King the eyes of all Israell wayte on thée that thou shouldest tell them who ought to sit on the seate of my Lorde the King after him for else when my Lorde the King shall sléepe wyth his fathers I and my sonne Salomon shall be sinners The Quéene had no sooner ended hir tale but the Prophet Nathan came and confirmed hir wordes Wherevpon the King assured Bethsabe that Salomon hir son shoulde be that daye proclaymed to reigne in his steade The Quéene then humbling hir selfe with thankes desired of God that hir Lorde King Dauid might liue for euer Looke more in the historie of Adonia ¶ Bethsabe The seauenth daughter or the daughter of an Othe Exo. 31. a. 35. d. 36. 37. and 38. cap. Bezaleel the sonne of Uri of the Tribe of Iuda and Ahaliab of the Tribe of Dan were two cunning workemen most speciallye endued with the spirite of God to worke all maner curious worke that was to be wrought in Golde Siluer Brasse Woode Stone or with Néedle worke so that by these two the Tabernacle of wytnesse with all things pertayning therevnto was most artificially made ¶ Bezaleel in the shadowe of God. Gen. 29. f. 30. a. 35. d. Bilha was a yong Damosell which serued Laban the father of Rachel and when Rachel shoulde be maried to Iacob Laban gaue Bilha his mayde to Rachel his daughter to be hâ—â— seruaunt And when Rachel perceyued she coulde bâ—â—re Iacob no children she gaue Bilha hir mayde vnto him to be his wyfe who conceyued by Iacob and brought him forth two sonnes the one Dan and the other Nephtaly ¶ Bilha Olde or fading Gen. 14. a. b. Birsa was one of the foure Kinges that fought agaynst fiue other Kings in the vale of Siddim ¶ Birsa in Euill or in iniquitie or condemned or a sonne that looketh back Reade Arioch Ruth 2. 3. 4. Boos the sonne of Salomon was a great rich man dwelling in a Citie called Bethléem within the lande of Iuda Who on a tyme going to the fieldes to looke vpon his Reapers and finding there a yong Damosell a leasing demaunded of his workemen â–ª what she was To whome answere was made she was a straunger come with Naomie out of the Countrie of Moab Then went Boos to the Mayde and sayde hearest thou my daughter Here is a notable example for all riche Farmers which bee so vnmercifull y they wil not suffer their needy neyghbour to lease in their grouÌ„d wheras Boos was so mercifull to this straunger whose nation were enimies to gods people go to no other fielde a leasing I charge thée so long as Haruest tyme endureth but to myne tary here by my Maydens and gather as much as thou wilt and spare not for no man shall let thée neither yet hurt thée And when thou art hungry and a thirst go with my Maidens and eate and drinke such as they haue for they shall not denie thée And so departing from hir he went to his men seruants commaunding them to intreate hir gentlye and to leaue some sheaues on the grounde for the nonce for hir to take vp without shame Nowe after this it chaunced Boos to haue knowledge that this yong Damosell was his kinsewoman and that it was his lot to marrie hir which he was well content to doe considering hir to be a woman of good report and of much vertue But yet for as much as he knewe another to be more neare of kinne to hir than he he could not defraude him of his right therefore to knowe what he woulde doe in this matter he went and called his kinseman before the Congregation and sayde Sir we haue here a kinswoman lately returned out of the lande of Moab one Naomie and she will sell a péece of lande which was our brother Elimelechs If thou be disposed to buie it doe if not then tell me for there is none to challenge it saue thou and I next vnto thée Then sayde he to Boos I will purchase it Well sayde Boos looke what day thou buyest the lande of Naomie thou must also take * He woulde haue the land but not the woman Ruthe the Moabite to wyfe to rayse vp the name of the deade vpon his enheritance Then he reuoking his worde agayne sayde that he coulde not purchase it for marring of his owne inheritance Therefore take thou my right and purchase it and so drew of his * The maner of purchasing â–ª shooe and gaue it to Boos for that was the custome of olde in Israel concerning purchasing and chaunging of inheritaunce to plucke of his shooe and giue it to his neyghbour in witnesse that the thing betwéene them was truely bought and solde Then Boos hauing his kinsemans shooe sayd vnto the people ye are witnesses all this day that I haue bought all that was Elimelechs all that pertayned to his two sonnes *
reasoning the matter Iesus ioyned himselfe personally with them as a wayfayring man desirous to knowe whereof they talked so sadly To whome Cleophas made aunswere and sayde art thou only a straunger in Ierusalem and hast not knowne the thinges which haue chaunced there of late ▪ of what things sayde Iesus ▪ Of one Iesus of Nazareth which was a Prophet mightie in déede and word before ▪ God and all the people and howe the hye Priest and our Rulers deliuered him to be condemned to death and haue crucified him but we trusted that it had bene he that shoulde haue deliuered Israel and as touching all these things to day is euen the thirde day that they were done Then Iesus opened the Scriptures to Cleophas and the other and being knowne of them at the last by breaking of breade they returned to the Apostles at Ierusalem and tolde them all what they had hearde and séene of Iesus by the way to Emaus Clement was one of Paules labour fellowes in the Gospell among the Philippians as Paule himselfe reporteth saying And I beséech the faythfull yokefellow helpe the women which laboured with mée in the Gospell with Clement also and with other my labour fellowes whose names are in the booke of life Crescens what tyme as Paule sent for Timothy was departed from Rome into Galatia for businesse he had there whereof he certifieth Timothy saying Crescens is gone to Galatia and Titus vnto Dalmatia Crispus the chiefe ruler of the Synagoge at Corinth after he had heard Paules preaching beléeued in the Lord he and all his householde and were Christened in the name of Christ Iesu Cornelius was an heathen man dwelling in Cesarea and a Captaine ouer a bande of men which were in Italy This man notwithstanding he was a Gentile borne and in office a man of Armes yet he was a good lyuer and feared God as it well appeared chiefely in two pointes which was in liberally refreshing the poore and néedy and his continuall praying vnto the lord In the which prayer as he was on a time occupyed aboute the ninth houre of the day which was a little before Supper tyme he saw in a vision an Angell of God comming to him and calling him by his name saying Cornelius thy prayers and thine Almes déedes are come vp into remembraunce before God wherefore sende to Ioppa for one Symon whose Sirname is Peter he lodgeth with one Simon a Tanner whose house ioyneth vpon the Sea side and he shall tell thée what thou oughtest to doe Then Cornelius sent for Peter against whose comming he had called togithers all his kinsmen and speciall friends And when Peter was come Cornelius mette him and fell downe at his féete to worship hym which thing Peter would not suffer forasmuch as he was but a man as Cornelius was And so going in with hym he founde a great companie gathered togithers vnto whom he sayde Yée know how that it is an vnlawfull thing for a man that is a Iewe borne to company or come to one that is of an other nacion But God hath shewed me that I shoulde not make any man common or vncleane Therfore came I vnto you without saying nay assoone as I was sent for I aske therefore for what intent haue yée sent for me Then Cornelius sayd Foure dayes ago and euen about this same houre I fasted and at the ninth houre I prayed in my house and behold a man stoode before me in bright clothing and sayde Cornelius thy prayer is heard and thine Almes déeds are had in remembraunce in the sight of God sende therefore to Ioppa and call for Symon whose Sirname is Peter he is lodged in the house of one Symon a Tanner by the Sea side the which assoone as he is come shall speake vnto thée Then sent I for thée immediately and thou hast well done for to come Now therefore are we all here present before God to heare all thinges that are commaunded vnto thée Then Peter preached the worde of God vnto them and whyle he was yet preaching the holy Ghost fell vpon them all so that in the ende Cornelius with all his Company there present were Baptized in the name of Christ Iesu Chore was the sonne of Iezchar the sonne of Caath the sonne of Lénie This Chore of a stoute and prowde heart enuied and detested Moses the true seruant of God and raysed vp a sedicion agaynst him and Aaron hauing with hym Dathan Abiran and On Thrée great Captaynes beside 250. other noble men that tooke his parte which insurrection by the power of man was vnsuppressable But almighty God caused the earth to open and swallow them vp with theyr Wyues Children and all their substaunce ¶ Here is a question to be mooued If all the substaunce of Chore with his wife and children were swallowed vp of the earth with them How can that be true which is written in the tytle of the. 41. Psalme that the children of Chore were eyther the makers or the singers or the setters forth of that godly Psalme Aunswere is made Numeri 26. where it is written that when Chore was swallowed vp of the earth God miraculously preserued certayne of his children of whose ofspring there came very excellent learned and notable wyse men and speciallye these foure Ethan the Ezrachite to wéete that was borne in the town called Ezrachi Heman Calcal Darda which foure so farre excelled all other in wisedome and learning that the wisedome of Salomon was compared to be as great as theirs These foure are called the children of Chore not that they were the naturall children of Chore but that they came of the ofspring of the children of Chore which God had miraculously preserued from the great gulph and gaping of the earth For it is well knowne that Chore liued in Moses time agaynst whome he was the chiefe in stirring vp of rebellion against him Agayne Ethan Heman Calcal and Darda liued and florished in Salomons tyme which was 480. yeres or therabout after that Chore was killed So that these men could not be the naturall children of Chore but are called his children and his sonnes bicause they came of his progenic and ofspring Cirus King of Persia in the first yere of his reigne deliuered the people of Israell out of captiuitie and gaue them libertie to go and builde the Citie of Ierusalem and the Temple of God againe which Nabuchodonosor had destroyed and sent with them all the vessels of golde and siluer pertayning to the house of the Lorde which were in number 5400. And the number of the whole congregation that returned from the captiuitie of Babilon were .xlij. thousande thrée hundreth and thrée score beside their seruantes and Maydens which were 6337. and among them also were 200. singing men and women And of this Cyrus it was prophecied by the Prophet Esaye long before Cyrus was borne that he shoulde deliuer
in debt that hir creditors were come to fet hir twoo sonnes awaye to be their bondemen What hast thou in thy house sayde the Prophet Nothing quoth she but a little Pitcher of oyle The widowe left in debt Well saide he go thy waye home and borowe of thy neyghbours as many emptie vessels as thou canst get and poure out the oyle of the Pitcher into the emptie vessels vntill thou hast filled them all And when the woman had done all as the Prophet had commaunded hir she came backe againe and tolde him howe mightily hir oyle was increased Nowe go sayde the Prophet and sell so much of the oyle as will pay thy Creditours and then liue thou and thy children of the rest 4. Reg. 4. b. c. d. e. ¶ There was a certaine woman of great estimacion in the Citie of Sumen who hearing tell that Eliseus was come to the Citie inuited him home to hir house and made him great cheare And whensoeuer after that he came into that quarters which he haunted much he woulde euer take that Gentlewomans house in his way Then she séeing that sayde vnto hir husband I perceiue that this is an holye man that commeth so ofte by our place let vs make him a little chamber with all things Eliseus obtaineth a son for the Sunamite necessarie for the same that when he commeth this way he may lodge there and be quiet therein And when the new Chamber was made and finished the Prophete at his next comming was brought into the same there to take his rest He then considering the great prouision the woman had made and howe carefull she had bene for him sayde vnto Gehezi his man Go and aske of hir what she will haue mée to doe for hir whether it be to speake vnto the King or to the Captaine of the hoste or any thing else and I will doe it The seruaunt went and The Sunamites sonne restored from death to life brought him worde agayne that she had no chylde and hir husbande was olde Well sayde the Prophete she shall haue a sonne which in processe she had in déede And when the chylde was a fewe yeares growâ—n vp it had a desire to go and sée his Father and the Reapers in the fielde and being there in the heate of the daye it fell sodenly sicke and was caried home to his mother and dyed But for the womans sake the Prophet restored hir sonne to life agayne 4. Reg. 4. g. ¶ On a tyme Eliseus commaunded his Cooke to make a great pot of pottage for the children of the Prophetes which boorded with him and as one went out for herbes he gathered vnwares his lap full of wylde Coloquintidas Hee maketh the pottage sweete and came and shred them into the pot of pottage And when the children of the Prophets had tasted a little of the pottage they fearing least they had bene poysoned cried out saying O thou man of God there is death in the pot Then the Prophet called for Meale and threwe it into the pot and all was well and no more harme in the pot 4. Reg. 4. g. ¶ A certaine man the dearth being great in the lande came from Baal Salisa and brought to Eliseus twenty Barley loaues of the first fruites of his newe Corne the which he commaunded his man to giue to the people to satisfie their hunger How shall I sayd he set this before The loaues are multiplyed so many will it satisfie an hundred persons Well sayd Elizeus set it before them for thus sayth the Lord they shall eate and there shall remayne And so the loaues were set before the people and they did eate and left ouer according to the worde of the Lorde 4. Reg. 6. a. ¶ Eliseus had so many of the Prophetes children wyth him at boorde and downe lying that his house was to little for them all wherefore they sayde to him that they woulde go to Iordan and buylde them a bygger house to dwell in desiring him to go with them And as a certaine man was felling downe a trée to serue for the buylding the Axe heade slipt of the Helue and fell into the water Iron swimmeth Then the man cryed to Eliseus and sayde Alas Mayster helpe me to haue it agayne for it was lent me Where fell it in sayde the Prophet and when the man had tolde him Eliseus cut downe a péece of woode and cast it into the water and immediately the yron did swymme And then the man stretched forth his hande and tooke it vp 4. Reg. 8. a. ¶ He prophecied vnto the Sunamite whose sonne he had raysed from death of a great dearth which shoulde come and continue vpon the land seauen yeares giuing hir counsell therefore to go and soiourne in some other plentifull countrey till these yeares were expired whose counsell she followed and went with all hir housholde into the Philistines lande where she remayned these seauen yeares of dearth which being ended she returned home agayne And when she came to hir house another hauing possession thereof withhelde it from hir wherefore she went to the King to make hir complaynt at which time it happened the King to be talking with Gehezi The Sunamite is restored to hyr house lande agayne the seruant of Eliseus the Prophet who was declaring vnto the King what great and notable déedes hys Maister Eliseus had done and among all declared of a deade bodie which he had raysed vp from death to lyfe and as he was telling of these thinges vnto the King the woman came with hir sonne and required hir house and lande againe And when Gehezi sawe the woman he sayde O my Lorde and King this same is the woman that I tolde your Grace of â—uen nowe and this is hyr sonne that was raysed from death Then the King commaunded hir house and lande to be restored hir againe with all the rent and profites thereof from the first daye she lâ—st it â–ª till that present time 4. Reg. 13. c. d ¶ Finallye when the time drewe me that Eliseus the Prophet shoulde dye Ioas King of Israel came to visite him as he stoode before him and considered what a losse he should haue of that good man which had bene so great a defence vnto his Realme the teares ranne downe hys chéekes and sayde O my father my father the Charet of Israel and the horsemen of the same And when the Prophet sawe the King he bade him take his bowe and arrowes in his hand and make him readie to shoote The Prophet put his hande vpon the Kings hande and caused a windowe to be opened Eastwarde which was toward Siria and bade the King shoote and he shot The arrow of helth of the Lorde sayde Eliseus and the arrowe of health against Siria For thou shalt smyte Siria in Aphek till thou haue made an ende of them Nowe take thine arrowes in thine hande sayde the Prophete and smyte
rebell agaynst the Lorde or to swarue from his lawes and ordinaunces in any poynt but rather for this consideration to be a witnesse betwéene vs and you and our generations after vs least it shoulde chaunce another daye your children to say vnto ours what haue ye to doe with the Lorde God of Israel yée children of Ruben and of Gad the Lorde ye sée hath made Iordan a border betwéene vs and you and therefore ye can haue no part in the Lorde with vs and so shoulde your children make our chyldren cease from fearing the Lorde And therefore to preuent such an inconuenience we tooke aduisement and made this Aultar that if any such kynde of talke shoulde be ministred of your children to ours in time to come that then our children might aunswere and say agayne Beholde the facion of the Aultar of the Lorde which our fathers made neyther for burnt offerings nor sacrifices but for a witnesse betweene vs and you that our part is in the Lorde as well as yours And when Phinehes and the other Lordes had hearde their aunswere they were well content and returned and so the matter ended They called the Aultar our witnesse that the Lorde is God. Gad the Prophet came to Dauid lying in the lande of Moab saying abyde not in holde but depart and go into the lande of Iuda At another tyme when Dauid had offended the Lord in numbring his people Gad was sent vnto him to giue him choyse of thrée thinges whether he woulde haue seauen yeares hunger or thrée monthes to flie before his enimies or but thrée dayes pestilence in the lande Gaius a certaine faythfull brother dwelling in Derba was one of Paules companions and in great ieoperdie of his lyfe at Ephesus thorowe the sedition of Demetrius the Siluersmith but after the businesse was ended he accompanied Paule into Asia To this man S. Iohn wrote his thirde Epistle Gallio was Proconsull of Achaia to wyt the Lord Deputie vnder Cesar the Emperour in the countrey of Achaia In this tyme it happened the Iewes which had made a conspiracie agaynst Paule to bring him before the place of iudgement where Gallio sate as Iudge accusing Paule vnto him of newe learning But when Gallio perceyued the controucrsie betwéene the Iewes and Paule was concerning Iewishe religion he sought to ridde his handes of them and preuenting Paule which was ready to speake in his owne defence sayde Dye Iewes if it were a matter of wrong or an euill déede reason woulde that I shoulde heare you but if it be a question of wordes of names or of your lawe looke vnto it your selfe for I will be no Iudge in such matters And so caused them to auoyde the place Gamaliel one of the auncient Pharisies was Paules Schoolemaister and in high estimation among the people both for his excellent knowledge in the lawe and for his singuler wisedome When the Apostles were brought and other of the Counsell for preaching in the name of Christ whose lyues he perceyued the Counsell sought he desired that for a whyle the Apostles might depart out of the Counsell house And when they were gone he sayde ye men of Israel take héede to your selues what ye intende to doe as touching these men for before these dayes rose vp one Theudas boasting himselfe to whome resorted a number of men about 400. who was slaine and they all which beléeued him were scattered abroade and brought to naught After this man rose vp one Iudas of Galile in the time when Tribute began who drewe away much people after him he also perished and all that obeyed him were scattered abroade And nowe I say vnto you refrayne your selues from these men and let them alone For if this Counsell or this worke be of men it will come to naught but if it be of God ye cannot destroye it least ye be founde to stryue against God. Gedalia the sonne of Ahicam was a great Captaine vnder Nabuchodonosor whome he made gouerneur of the lande of Iuda to rule the rascall people which he had left behinde him at the destruction of Ierusalem who intreated the people so gently and so friendly that all the Iewes which were scattered about in the lande hearing of his gentlenesse resorted vnto Gedaliah and founde great fauour at his hande for the which they bare vnto him their heartie good willes Insomuch that when Baal King of the Ammonites had sent one Ismael vnder pretence of friendship to slea him The Captaynes of the Iewes hauing knowledge thereof were so sore afrayde of Gedaliah least any misfortune shoulde chaunce him that they tolde him of Ismaels conspiracie And one among the reast named Iohanan offred himselfe to dispach Ismael out of the way so secretly that the déede shoulde neuer be knowne But Gedaliah not crediting their wordes neyther yet mistrusting Ismael woulde suffer nothing to be done vnto him And so forsaking the counsell and admonition of his friendes and trusting to much to Ismael he was of him in fine most guylefully slaine within his owne house Gedeon the sonne of Ioas was of the Tribe of Manasses To whome the Aungell of the Lorde appeared as he was threshing of Wheate saying The Lorde is with thée thou valiant man Then sayde Gedeon if the Lord be with vs why is all this cuill come vpon vs we haue heard by our fathers of all the miracles which the Lorde did for his people in Egypt and nowe hath he forsaken vs and giuen vs ouer into the handes of the Madianites Well sayde the Aungell go thy waye in this thy might and strength which I haue giuen thée for thou shalt deliuer Israell out of the hande of their enimies Oh Lorde quoth Gedeon wherewith shall I saue Israel séeing my kinred is but poore and I the least of all my fathers house With my helpe sayth the Lorde shalt thou saue Israel for I will be with thée and thou shalt smyte the Madianites as if they were but one man Then I beséech thée O Lord quoth Gedeon shewe me a signe that thou talkest with me depart not hence tyll I come agayne with myne offering which offering being brought and dressed accordingly the Angell had no sooner touched it with the ende of his rodde but fire came out of the stone whereon the sacrifice lay and consumed it altogither and so the Aungell vanished out of sight The same night following at the Lordes commaundement Gedeon went and destroyed the Altar of Baal which his father had made and cut downe all the Groue about it for the which déede the people hauing knowledge thereof woulde haue stoned him to death Then Ioas to saue Gedeon his sonne sayde vnto them what will ye doe will ye pleade Baals cause or will ye be his defenders If Baal be a god let him reuenge his owne cause vpon him that hath done the déede And from that day forth Gedeon was called
warre with Ioram King Achabs sonne was a cruell aduersarye to Israel all the dayes of his lyfe Helkia was the hye Priest in the dayes of Iosias who in repayring the Temple of the Lorde chaunced by the prouidence of God to finde the booke of the lawe the which he sent to the King by Saphan the Scribe which he readde vnto him 2. Mac. 3. cap. Heliodorus being in great fauour with Seleucus King of Asia and Stewarde of his house was sent to Ierusalem to fet awaye the treasure out of the Temple which one Symon the gouernour thereof had betrayed vnto the king And being come to Ierusalem he was louingly receyued of Onias the hye Priest into the Citie But when Heliodorus had vttered the cause of his comming and that his commission was to bring the money vnto the King there was no small feare thorowout the whole citie For then all men from the hyest to the lowest were so oppressed with sorrowe and heauynesse that they wyste not what to doe but fell to prayer lifting vp their eyes to Heauen and calling vpon him which had made a lawe concerning stuffe giuen to kéepe that he woulde safely preserue the same which was there committed in custodie And whyle the Priestes and people were thus lamenting and crying vpon god And on the other side Heliodorus personally with his men of warre about the treasury There appeared an horse with a terrible man sitting vpon hym decte in harnasse of golde which horse smote at Heliodorus with his fore féete to beate him from the place Also there appeared twoo fayre and bewtyfull yong men in goodly apparell which stoode on eche syde of Heliodorus and scourged hym so long that he fell downe to the grounde as dead so was caryed out of the Temple without speache or hope of lyfe whereby the great power of God was manifest and knowne Then certayne of Heliodorus friendes besought Onias to call vpon God to giue him his lyfe which was euen at that time giuing vp the ghost Then Onias least the King shoulde suspect the Iewes had done him some harme called vpon God and obtayned his lyfe And being reuiued to health agayne the twoo yong men which had scourged hym before appeared and sayde Thanke Onias the hye Priest for thy lyfe at whose prayer the Lord hath restored thée and nowe that God hath scourged thée for thine offences giue him prayse and thankes and make his might and power manifest and open to all men And when the men had spoken these wordes and were vanished awaye Heliodorus made his oblacion to God and gaue heartye thankes to Onias for his lyfe and so returned home agayne to the King declaring vnto hym the great and manifest workes of God that were done vppon him The King after this being yet desirous of the treasure that was in the Temple asked of Heliodorus whome he thought méete to sende once agayne to Ierusalem for the money He aunswered saying Oh King if thou hast any enimie or traytour vnto thy Realme sende hym thyther and thou shalt be sure to haue him well punished and hardly to escape with his lyfe For doubtlesse sayde he In that place there is a speciall power and working of God for he that dwelâ—eth in heauen visiteth and defendeth that place and none escapeth vnpunished or plagued that commeth to doe it harme Thus dyd Heliodorus magnifie the power of God and would no more enter into such daunger ¶ Heliodorus the Gift of the Sonne Gen. 5. â— Henoch the sonne of Iared at the age of .65 yeres begat Mathusalâ—h and after that he liued 300. yeares and begat both sonnes and daughters and walked alwayes before the Lorde in an vpright and godlye lyfe And when he had liued 365. yeares the Lord * To inquire where Henoch became is meere curiositie tooke him away that he was no more séene ¶ Henoch Taught or dedicate Rom. 16. c. Herman was a faithfull Christen man vnto whom Paule sent commendations from Corinth to Rome ¶ Herman A proppe or vpholder or an earing 2. Tim. 1. d. Hermogenes was a faynt hollowe hearted Gospeller of the countrie of Asia which forsooke Paule and gaue him ouer whose vnfaythfulnesse Paule pronounceth to Timothie ¶ Hermogenes Begotten by Mercurie or the generation or increase of lucre or the refuge Math. 2. cap. Herode was an Idumean borne and the first stranger that reigned ouer the Iewes In whose time Christ the sauiour of the worlde by the will of God came into this worlde of whose birth he had first knowledge of the Mages or wise men which came from the East to Ierusalem demaunding there for him that was borne king of the Iewes saying that they had séene his Starre and were come to worship before him Which newes troubled Herode so sore that he sent for all the chiefe Priests and Scribes of the people to knowe of them where Christ shoulde be borne And being of them perfitely enformed that he shoulde be borne in the Citie of * For there is an other Bethleem in the Tribe of â—abulon Bethleem in Iewrie he sent for the wysemen and after inquisition made what time the starre appeared vnto them he bade them go to Bethleem and make diligent search for the chylde and when they had founde him to bring him word againe that he might go and worship him also But when they had found the childe and had made their offering they were warned of God to breake their promise with Herode and to returne home another waye Which thing being * Eusebius sayeth that Herode for this slaughter done would haue killed himselfe but being let by his seruaunt he dyed wythin fiue dayes when he had reigned 37. yeares tolde to Herode he fell into such a rage for being so mocked that in hys madnesse he sent forth ministers to Bethleem which killed al the Infants that were in the Citie and in the coastes thereof of the age of two yeares or vnder for whose great crueltie shewed vpon those Innocentes God payed him home soone after ¶ Herode the glorie of the skinne or boasting and glorying in skinnes Math. 14. a. b Herode the Tetrarch of Galile was brother to Philip Tetrarch of Iturea and being reprooued of Iohn Luke 3. 2. Baptist for kéeping his brother Philips wyfe he cast Iohn in prison where he remayned vntill Herodes birth daye was come in the which solemne feastfull daye it chanced the daughter of Philip and Herodias to daunce before Herode and pleased the King so well that he sware vnto hir that whatsoeuer shée woulde aske him it shoulde be graunted not thinking she woulde haue asked Mar. 6. cap. Iohn Baptistes heade for as S. Marke sayth Herode knowynge Iohn to bée a iust and an holye man did both feare and reuerence him and hearde his preaching and did many things thereafter and was very sorye the Mayde had asked none
other thing But neuerthelesse for kéeping his Othe which he had made before so many Noble men he caused the innocent mans heade to be cut of and giuen to the Wench This Herode and Pylate Lieutenant of Iewry had bene long at variaunce And for the pleasure that Pilate shewed to Herode in sending Iesus bounde vnto him to be examined he was at one with him againe For Herode had long desired to sée Iesus And hoping nowe to haue séene some myracles done by him he demaunded many questions of Iesus to the which he woulde make no answere at all Then Herode perceyuing that Iesus woulde neyther speake nor doe any thing at his pleasure he began to despyse and râ—uyle him and in mockery arayed him in a long whyte garment and sent him to Pylate agayne Act. 12. cap. Herode Tâ—is man was a great persecutour of the Apostles He beheaded Iames the brother of Iohn and This Herode was called Agrippa the sonne of Aristobolus he was nephew vnto Herode the great and brother of Herodias séeing that déede to content and pleasâ— the Iewes well he tooke Peter also and cast him into prison intending after Easter which was at hand to haue him put to death â–ª also Finally vpon a certaine day appointed to shewe himselfe in his pompe glory he made such an Oration before the assemblye that for the pleasauntnesse of hys speach the common people at the ende thereof gaue a mightie shoute saying it was the voyce of a God and not of a man And bicause he gloryed in their boasting and tooke that honour vnto himselfe which he ought to haue giuen to God he was immediatly smitten with the Wormie sickenesse whereof he most miserably dyed Rom. 16. b. Herodian was Paules kinseman vnto whome he sent commendations from Corinth on this wise Salute Herodian my kinseman ¶ Herodian the song of a yoong Virgin or of a woman conquering Math. 14. â— Herodias was wyfe to Philip Herodes brother to whome she brought forth a * Whiche daughter as Iosephus wryteth was called Salomen daughter This woman being more familiar with Herode than honestie required grew into such fauour with him that he contrarye to the lawe of Moses married hir his brother being alyue Against which vnlawfull marriage Iohn Baptist spake so much to Herodes reproofe that shée fearing least that Iohn woulde make Herode breake of the incest marriage counsayled hir daughter which daunced before him to aske the heade of Iohn Baptist And so by the wicked deuyce of this vnchaste woman Iohn lost his heade ¶ Herodias signifieth that that the woorde Herode before doth Gen. 46. b. Hesron was the sonne of Ruben and of hym came Num. 46. a. the kindred of the Hesronites ¶ Hesron the Arrowe of reioyeeing 1. Par. 2. c. Hesron the father of Caleb being come to the age of thréescore yeares tooke to wyfe the daughter of Machir who bare vnto him a sonne called Segub 4. Reg. 18. and. 19. cap. Hezakia the sonne of Ahaz was .xxv. yeares of age when he began his reygne ouer Iuda He was the godlyest Prince that euer reigned before or after among the Kings of Iuda He clensed his Countrie from all ydolatrie and brake downe the brasen Serpent which Moses had set vp as soone as he sawe it abused He brought in againe the true honouring of God and renued the Passeouer He had such a sure trust and confidence in God that at his prayer the Angell of the Lorde slue in one night of the Assirians which were come to destroye Ierusalem an hundred fourescore and fiue thousande and smote the rest into such a feare that they ran away 20. cap. After this he fell sicke and was admonished by the Prophete Esay to set his house in order for he shoulde surely dye Then he turned his face to the wall and made his peticion to God saying Oh Lord remember I beséech thée howe I haue walked before thée in truth and with a perfect heart haue done that which is good in thy sight and speaking these wordes â–ª hée * He wept not so much for his owne death as for feare that ydolatrie shuld be restored which he had destroyed wept verie sore The Lorde than mooued with his teares returned the Prophete agayne to comfort him with these newes that he shoulde receyue his health and be able the thirde day to go vp to the house of the Lorde and that he had added to his dayes .xv. yeares mo and to assure him of this his promise he woulde cause the Sunne to returne his course ten degrées backewarde At this tyme Berodach surnamed Baladad King of Babilon sent to Hezakia ambassadours to signifie vnto him howe glad and ioyfull he was of his recouery which kindenesse was so greatly estéemed of Hazakia that he thought he could not doe them to much pleasure but made them priuie to all his treasure siluer and golde and whatsoeuer he had in his house or in any other parte of his Realme he * Bicause he was mooued with ambicion and vayne glorie and semed also to reioyce in the friendship of him that was Gods enimy the Lorde was displeased shewed it freely vnto them Wherefore the Lorde not content therewith commaunded Esay the Prophet to go and tell Hezakia That forasmuch as he had made the messengers of Babilon priuie to all the commodities of his lande The dayes shoulde come that all thinges which he had in his house and whatsoeuer his Fathers had layed vp in store before him shoulde be caryed to Babylon Then Hezakia knowing the Prophete to be the true messenger of God humbled himselfe and saide Thy worde O Lord is welcome vnto mée but yet I shall desire thee not to sende those cuils in my dayes but rather peace and truth He raigned .xxix. yeares and died ¶ Hezakia the strength of the Lorde or the Lordes holding 1. Tim. 1. d. Hymeneus after he had tasted of the worde of God and béene a professour of the same he fell awaye and became an vtter enimie and a spitefull rayler agaynst the doctrine of the Gospel of Christe denying the chiefest point and foundacion of the Gospel which is that the resurrection 2. Tim. 2. c. is past wherewith he destroyed the fayth of many persons For the which errour and other his rayling and ieastinges agaynst the truth of Gods woorde Paule excommunicated him that he thorowe correction might be ashamed of his faulte and tourne agayne to Christ ¶ Hymeneus a Maryage song or Bride song 2. Reg. 5. b. Hyram King of Tyre fauoured Dauid so much that he hearing that Dauid went about to builde hym an house sent hym both Tymber Workemen to finish the same Also when Salomon after the death of Dauid 3. Reg. 5. cap. 9. b. c. d. his Father sent to this King for woodde and Timber to buylde the Lordes Temple he praysed God
came downe from the Mount againe where vnto he was ascended ¶ Hur Libertie whytenesse or a hole Husai the Arachite was ‡ 2. Reg. 15. d. 16. c. a man of great wisedome one of Dauids chiefe Counsaylers his assured friend as it well appeared when he came vnto him being fled from Absalom his sonne with his clothes regt and ashes vpon his head declaring thereby the great sorowe and heauynesse he was in to sée his Lord and mayster in that case of whose comming Dauid was greatly comforted But forasmuch as he thought he shuld do him more pleasure otherwise than to go with him now he said Oh my most deare friend Husai if thou doest go with me now at this tyme thou shalt be but a burthen vnto me But if thou wilt returne into Ierusalem and say vnto Absalom I will be thy seruant O King and serue thée as I haue done thy father thou mayst for my sake destroy the counsell of Achitophell and thereby doe me great pleasure So Husai gat him to Absalom saying God saue the King God saue the King What quoth Absalom is this the kyndenesse thou she west to thy friende Howe chaunceth it that thou wentest not with him Nay sayde Husai but whome the Lorde and this people and all the men of Israel hath chosen his will I be and with hym will I dwell to whome shall I doe seruice but to hys sonne as I serued before thy father so will I serue thée Then when Absalom had retayned Husai to be of his Counsell he sayde vnto him Achitophell hath counsayled thus and thus to doe shall we doe thereafter or no. Husai answered the Counsell that Achitophell hath giuen is not good at this time For sayd he thou knowest thy father and his men howe they be strong and now being chafed in their myndes are euen as a Beare robbed of hir Whelpes in the fielde And also thy father is a man practised in warre and maketh no tarying wyth the people Beholde he lurketh nowe in some Caue or in some other strong place and though some of his men be ouerthrowen at the first brunt it will be sayde that thy people is ouerthrowen and so shall the best men thou hast whose hearts are as the hearts of Lyons shrynke thereat For all Israel knoweth thy father to be a man of great might and his warriours stoute men Therefore my counsell is that all Israel be gathered togither vnto thée from Dan to Béerseba which are in number as the sande of the sea And that thou go to battell in thyne owne person For so shall we come vpon him in one place or other where we shall finde him and fall vpon hym as thicke as the dewe falleth vpon the grounde and of all the men that are with him we shall not leaue him one Moreouer if he be gotten into a towne then shall all the men of Israell bring roapes to that towne or Citie we will drawe it into the riuer vntill there be not one stone founde there This counsell of Husai pleased Absalom and the people better than Achitophels which was euen the Lordes detâ—rmination to destroy the good counsell of Achitophel that the Lorde might bring euill vpon Absalom And so when Husai had done according to Dauids request he caused Sadoch and Abiathar the Priestes to sende Dauid worde of all that was done whereby he escaped ¶ Husai Sense or making haste or holding his peace I. IAbes was so named of his mother bicause she bare him in sorrowe He being more honorable than the reast of his brethren made a condicionall vow vnto God saying If thou wilt blesse me in déede and inlarge my coastes and if thine hande be with me and thou wylt cause me to be deliuered from cuill that I be not hurt Thus farre goeth his request which was graunted Iabyn was the King of Canaan whose Captayne of warre was Sisera Twentie yeares he troubled Israel very sore But at the last he was ouercome of the Israelites and brought to naught There was another King called Iabyn also whome Iosua slue and destroyed his Citie called Hazor as yée shall reade in Iosua Chap. 11. Iacob was the yongest sonne of Isaac and brother to Esau whose byrthright he bought for a mease of pottage and afterwarde by the counsell of Rebecca hys mother got away his blessing And then to auoyde his brothers displeasure he was sent into Mesopotamia to Laban his Mothers brother to get him a Wyfe And chaunceing to come to a place where he was benighted he tooke a stone and layde it vnder his heade and fell a sléeue And in his dreame he sawe a Ladder stande vppon the earth reaching vp to heauen and the Angels of God ascending and descending vpon it and God himselfe standing vpon the Ladder sayde I am the Lorde God of Abraham thy father and the God of Isaac the lande which thou sléepest vpon will I giue to thée and thy seede and thy séede shall be as the dust of the earth thou shalt spreade abroade to the West to the East to the North and to the South And thorowe thée and in thy séede shall all the kinreds of the earth be blessed Behold I am with thée and will be thy kéeper in all places where thou goest and will bring thée agayne into thys lande neyther will I leaue thée vntill I haue made good all that I haue promised Then Iacob awaking out of sléepe sayde Surely the Lorde is in this place and I was not aware Oh how fearefull is this place it is none other but the house of God and the gate of heauen Then Iacob gate him vp earely in the morning and tooke the stone which he slept vpon and set it vp as a pyller to be a remembrance of that vision and poured oyle vpon it and called the place Bethel which before was called Lus. And before his departing he vowed saying If God will be with me and kéepe me in this iourney which I go and will giue me breade to eate and clothes to couer me so that I come againe to my fathers house in safety then shall the Lorde be my God and this stone which I haue set vp an ende shall be Gods house and of all that thou giuest me will I giue the tenth vnto thée And so Iacob going on his iourney came into the East countrey where in beholding the lande he sawe certayne heardemen lying with their flockes of shéepe besyde a Well at the which they commonly vsed to water their shéepe to whom he went demanded whence they were They said of Haran Doe ye not know quoth he one Laban the sonne of Nahor Yea sayde they we knowe him well He is in health And beholde yonder commeth his daughter Rachel to water hir fathers shéepe who was no sooner come but Iacob went to the Well and rolled away the stone from the Welles mouth and
to kill them all and to bring their heades on the next morrowe to Iezrael And when they for feare had fulfilled his commaundement and brought their heades to him Iehu fell vpon the murtherers and slue them also And in the waye to Samaria he slue the brethren of Ahaziahu euen fortie and two which were going to visite Achabs sonnes Finally he trained all the Priests of Baal into the Temple of Baal and there slue them euery one conuerted the temple to a Iakes house And now when Iehu had left neyther Priest Kinseman nor any that fauoured Achab aliue the Lord for his well dooing made him this promise that his séede shoulde sit on the seate of Israel vntill the fourth generation But notwithstanding that Iehu had thus seuerely punished the vice of Idolatrie in Achabs posteritie yet he himselfe committed the same in worshipping the golden Calues and caused Israel to sinne as other before him had done He reygned .xxviij. yeares ¶ Iehu He himselfe or that which is Iudic. 11. cap. Iephtah was the sonne of Gilead base borne whose brethren which were legittimate thrust him out of their companie and so hated him that they coulde not suffer him to remayne among them wherfore Iephtah departed and fled into the lande of Tob where vnto him resorted all naughtie and light persons Nowe in the meane time that Iephtah was thus a straunger from his brethren the Ammonites made sore warre agaynst the Israelites so that they were in great ieoperdie and feare to be ouercome of them Then the Elders of Gilead considering Iephtah to be a strong and a valiant man went to Tob where he laye to intreate him to be their Captayne against the Ammonites Howe commeth thys quoth Iephtah that ye come to me in the time of your trouble did ye not hate me and * Often tymes those things which men reiect God chooseth to doe greater enterprises by expell me out of my fathers house Therefore sayde they are we turned to thée that thou mayest go with vs and be our heade and ruler But will ye promise nowe quoth Iephtah that when the Lorde shall deliuer the Ammonites into my hande ye will make me then your heade and gouernour They sayde yea And so he went with the Elders who brought him to Mizpa and being there made and confirmed their heade and Ruler he sent his messengers to the King of Ammon demauÌ„ding what cause he had to striue with Israel who answered and sayde Bicause they tooke away my countrie when they came from Egypt which if they will now restore agayne I will cease from warre Then Iephtah sent him worde agayne that Israel tooke not his lande from him but comming from Egypt and passing through the wildernesse euen to the redde Sea they remayned at Cades and sent to Sehon King of the Ammorites to suffer them quietlye to passe thorowe his Countrie And bicause he woulde not shewe them this kyndenesse the Lorde deliuered both him and his land into their hands and shall they dispossesse themselues of that which the Lord hath giuen them Nay not so Looke what people Chamos thy God driueth out that land possesse thou whatsoeuer nation the Lord our God expelleth that will we enioy Art thou better than Balac King of Moab did he not stryue with Israel and fight agaynst them all the whyle they laye in Hesbon and there about 300. yeares and why didst thou not recouer thy lande in all that space Thou doest mée wrong to warre against me for I haue not offended thée and therfore the Lorde be Iudge betwéene thée and me But when Iephtah perceyued the Ammonites not to regarde his words he prepared his armie to set vpon them And before his going made this vowe vnto the Lorde That if he did deliuer the Ammonites into his hande the first thing that met him out of his doores at his returne home againe shoulde be the Lordes and he woulde offer it vp vnto him for a burnt offering And when he had subdued the Ammonites and was comming homewarde to hys house the first thing that met him out at his doores was his owne daughter who for ioye of hir fathers victorie came against him with Timbrels and daunces Then Iephtah séeing his onely chylde come agaynst him with a companie of women after hir he rent his clothes and sayde Alas my daughter thou hast brought me lowe and art one of them that doe trouble mée for I haue opened my mouth vnto the Lorde and cannot go backe To whome she sayde Oh my father if thou hast promysed to the Lorde then forasmuch as the Lord hath auenged thée and giuen thée victorie ouer thine enimies doe with me according to thy promise But yet this one thing I shall desire of thée to spare me for two monthes that I may go downe to the Mountaynes and there with my my fellowes * For it was counted as a shame in Israel to dye without children bewayle my Virginitie Which done she returned to hir father who did with hir according as he had vowed vnto the Lorde After this the Ephraites fell at deâ—iance with Iephtah bicause he had not called them to take his part against the Ammonites and for this matter was a fielde pitched betwéene them and the Gileadites and a great battell foughten in the which the Ephraites were put to flight and séeking to haue escaped ouer Iordan the Gileadites had preuented them and stopped the passage that no Ephraite shoulde escape that way And to knowe who was an Ephraite and who was not the Gileadites vsed this policie if any preased to go euer the water they woulde bidde him say * Schibboleth signifieth the fall of waters or an eare of corne Schybboleth and as many as coulde not say Schibboleth they slue him for by that they knewe he was au Ephraite for the Ephraites coulde not sounde nor say Schibboleth but Sibboleth And so were slaine of the Ephraites that daye two and twentie thousande Iephtah vuled Israel vj. yeares and dyed ¶ Iephtah Opening Iere. 1. 2. Ieremy was the sonne of Helkia whome some thinke to be he that founde out the booke of the lawe and gaue it to Iosia He was borne in a citie called Anathoth Epiphanius wryteth that this Prophet Ieremy was slayne of hys people at a citie in Egipt called â—aphnis in the Countrie of Beniamin and by the commaundement of God began very yong to prophecie that is in the .xiij. yeare of Iosias and continued .xviij. yeares vnder the saide King and thrée monthes vnder Iehoahas and vnder Iehoakym .xi. yeares and thrée monthes vnder Iehoachin and vnder Zedekia .xi. yeares vnto the time they were caried away into Babilon So that the tyme amounteth to aboue fortie yeares beside the time that he prophecied after the captiuitie This storie is drawne out of Geneua in the Argument before the booke of Ieremie the Prophet ¶ Ieremy the Maiestie or highnesse of the Lorde Iudic. 6.
by Dauids authoritie he fled to the Tabernacle of the Lorde out of the which he woulde not depart but catching holde on the * The holynesse of the place ought not to saue the wilfull murther Exo. 21. b. corners of the Aultar sayde he woulde euen in that place dye Then Salomon hearing thereof commaunded Banaihahu to go and kill him euen there for the bloude of Abner and Amasa which he had shed causelesse And so was Ioab slayne in the Tabernacle and caried out and buried in his owne house in the wildernesse ¶ Ioab willing â–ª or voluntarie Luk. 8. a. 24 a Ioanna the wyfe of Chusa Herodes Stewarde was a godly Woman and ministred vnto Christ of hir substance while he liued And after he had suffered his passion she went with other women to séeke him at hys Sepulchre And being tolde by the Aungels that he was not there returned to the Apostles to bring them tydings of his resurrection which séemed to them but feyned things and therefore beléeued them not ¶ Ioanna the grace of the Lorde or the Lordes gift or the Lordes mercy .6 Isachar onusto cur sim simulatus asello Inque manu signet quid ligo scire capis Finibus exiguis coÌ„tentus ferre lahores Me iuuat et collo non recusare iugum 4. Reg. 13. b. c. d. Ioas the sonne of Iehoahas began his reygne ouer Israel in the .xxxvij. yeare of Ioas King of Iuda and did euil in the sight of the Lord grieuing him with the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebab Of the great victorie 2. Par. 25. c. f. g. the Lorde gaue Ioas against Amasiah King of Iuda reade his storie And howe he visited Elizeus the Prophete in his sicknesse reade the last ende of his story also This King reygned .xvi. yeares and dyed leauing Ieroboam his sonne to take his place Iob. 1. cap. Iob was a perfect iust man dwelling in the lande of Hus and one that feared God who gaue vnto him seauen sonnes and thrée daughters and also endued him with great riches His substance was .7000 shéepe .3000 Camels .500 yoake of Oxen 500. she Camels and a very great housholde So that he was one of the moste principall men among all them of the East Countrie He was so carefull ouer his sonnes least in their banketting they had committed some offence or bene vnthankfull to God in their heartes that he dayly woulde sanctifie them and offer for euerye one a burnt offering vnto the Lorde he was a man also replenished with such pacience that Sathan with all his temptacions coulde not mooue him out of the same for when worde was brought him how that the Sabes had taken away his Oxen and slayne his seruants and that the Lorde had consumed all his shéepe with fire and that the Chaldeys had taken away his Camels and howe that all his Children were slaine in their eldest brothers house which the lâ—ynde blewe downe vppon them he made no more a doe but said Naked came I cut of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne agayne The Lorde gaue and the Lorde hath taken away euen as it hath pleased the Lorde so is it come to 2. cap. passe blessed be the name of the Lorde Also when Satan by the permission of God had plagued Iob with extreme sores euen from the sole of the foote to the crowne of his heade so that he sate vpon the grounde in dust and ashes scraping off the filth of his sores with a potsherde and being also inwardly afflicted with the sharpe temptacion of his wife which tempted him to blaspheme God he tooke all in good woorth reproouing his wife for hir foolishe talking for shall we quoth he receyue good at the hande of God and not receyue euill not so I am as well content to suffer this aduersitie sent of the Lorde as I was to receyue the prosperitie he gaue me before And so Iob continued in his perfitenesse and was at the last Iob. 42. c. d. restored to as manye children as he had before and to double riches He liued an hundred and fortie yeares and sawe his chylders chyldren to the fourth generation before he dyed ¶ Iob Sorrowfull or hated Iochebed was the daughter of Leuy and * She was Amrams fathers sister which kynde of mariage was after in the lawe forbidden Leuit 18. borne in Exod. 6. c. Num. 26. g. Egipt Hir husbandes name was Amram to whom she bare thrée children Aaron Moses and a daughter called Miriam ¶ Iochebed Glorious Iocsan was the sonne ‡ Gen. 25. a. of Abraham begotten of his wife Cetura his twoo children were called the one Seba and the other Dedan ¶ Iocsan Hardnesse or Offence Ioel the sonne of Phatuel was * Ioel. 1. 2. 3. cap. an holy Prophet and prophecied against the Iewes exhorting the Priests ‡ 1. Par. 1. c. to prayer and fasting for the misery that was comming at hande And giuing them warning of the comming and crueltie of their enimies mooued them to turne and conuert And last of all he setteth out the Iudgement of God against the enimies of his people ¶ Ioel willing or beginning Iere. 40. d. Iohanan the sonne of Cariah Prophecied to Gedaliah whom Nabuchodonosor King of Babilon had made gouernour ouer the people that he left at Ierusalem that Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah by the procurement of Baal King of the Ammonites shoulde kill hym which came so to passe in déede as ye shall reade in the storye of Gedaliah After whose death Iohanan with the reast of 41. ca. 42. ca. the Captaynes ouer the Iewes persecuted Ismael and recouered from him all the people which he had caryed awaye and put Ismael to flight Then Iohanan fearing the Chaldeys bicause of the death of Gedaliah consulted with the reast of the Captaynes and agréede to conueigh themselues all the people into Egipt and asked counsell of Ieremie the Prophete who had dwelt quietlye in the lande vnder Gedaliah whither it were best so to doe or no who made them aunswere that if they went into Egipt they shoulde perishe but if they taryed still in the lande God would surely so defende them that the Chaldeys 43. a. shoulde not hurt them yet they of a prowde minde despising the counsell of Ieremie and taking his wordes for lyes ledde the people awaye into Egipt to their vtter destruction Luke 1. cap. Iohn Baptist the sonne of Zacharye was sanctified in the wombe of Elizabeth his mother and ordayned of God to be an abstayner and to go before the Lord in the spirite and power of Helias to prepare his waye and make ready a perfect people vnto him thorowe preaching the amendement of life and baptizing in the water Luk. 3. a. b. c. d of repentaunce And was a man of so great perfection and holinesse of life that the people stoode in a doubt whither that he were
fasting hearing what promise Osias had made to the people sent for him and all the Elders of Bethulia and sayde How happeneth this that yée haue promised to deliuer the Citie to the Assirians vnlesse within these fiue dayes the Lorde turne to helpe you what men are yée that yée tempt the Lorde your deuise obtayneth no mercy of God but rather prouoketh him to wrath and displeasure Will yée set the mercy of the Lorde a time and appoint him a daye at your will exhorte the people to repentaunce prayer and put them in remembraunce of this That with much tribulasion the friendes of God are tryed and that all these things which we now suffer are farre lesse than our sinnes haue deserued And that this correction is come vpon vs as to the seruauntes of God for the amendement of our lyues and not for our destruction Nowe heare my deuise I praye you and beséeche the Lorde to bring it to good ende Yée shall stande this night in the gate of Bethulia I will go foorth with Abra my Mayden Praye yée vnto the Lorde that within the dayes that yée haue promised to deliuer vppe the citie he will visite Israel by my hande But inquyre not of mée the thing I haue taken in hande for I will not declare it tyll God haue finished the acte Then euery man went their wayes and Iudith departed home to hir secret closet where she made hir harty prayers vnto God for the peoples deliueraunce Which being done she cast of hir mourning garments decked hir selfe most brauelye to allure the eyes of all men that shoulde beholde hir which she dyd not for anye voluptuousnesse or pleasure of the fleshe but of a right discrecion and vertue And so going foorth of hir house with Abra hir Mayde she came to the gate of the Citie where the Elders stoode wayting hir comming And as they behelde hir woonderfull bewtie which God at that present had giuen hir they were marueylously astonished She then commaunding the gates to be open tooke hir leaue of the people who most hartily besought the Lorde to be hir defence well to performe the deuise of hir heart that they might safely and ioyfully receyue hir presence agayne And so committing hir to God shut the gates and looked ouer the walles after hir so long as they could sée hir And as she was going downe the mountaynes the first watch of the Assirians tooke hir demaunding what she was and whither she went I am quoth she a daughter of the Hebrues and am fled from them bycause I knowe that they shall be giuen vnto you to be spoyled Wherefore I am going to the Prince Holofernes to tell him all theyr secretes and howe he shall winne the Citie without the losse of one man And when the men had pondered hir wordes and considered well hir bewtie they put hir in good comfort of hir lyfe brought hir to Holofernes whose Maiestie so abashed Iudith that she fell downe as one almost dead for feare But being reuyued agayne Holofernes demaunded the cause of hir comming to whom she made aunswere on this wise saying O my Lord if thou wilt receyue the wordes of thine handmayden and doe thereafter the Lorde shall bring thy matter to a prosperous effect For as thy seruaunt Achior gaue counsell vnto my Lord to make search whither they had sinned agaynst their God or no It is manifest and plaine that their God is so wrath with them for their sinnes that he hath shewed by his Prophetes that he will giue them ouer into the enimies hande Wherefore they are sore afrayde and suffer great hunger and at this present for lacke of water are in a manner as dead menne and in this extremitie brought to kill theyr cattell and drincke the bloude And also purposed to consume all the Wheate Wyne and Oyle which are reserued and sanctified for the Priests and not lawfull for the people to touch Wherefore I thy handmaide knowing all this am fled from their presence for God hath sent mée to woorke a thing wyth thée that all the earth shall woonder for thy seruaunt feareth the Lorde and woorshippeth the God of heauen day and night And nowe let me remayne with thée my Lorde and let thy seruaunt go out in the night to the valley and I will praye vnto God that he may reueale vnto mée when they shall committe their sinnes that I may shewe them vnto thée and than mayest thou surely go foorth with thine armie for no man shall resist thée I will bring thée to Ierusalem in such safetie that there shall not so much as one dogge barcke against thée Nowe was Holofernes so well pleased with the wordes of this woman and so farre in loue with hir bewtie that he commaunded hir lodging to be made in the Tent where his treasure laye and to prepare hir diet of the same that he himselfe dyd eate and drincke of but notwithstanding she tolde the King that she might not eate of his meate least she should offende hir God but I can satisfie my selfe quoth she with such thinges as I haue brought Then how shall we doe quoth Holofernes if these thinges that thou hast brought doe sayle where shall we haue the like to giue thée As truely as the soule of my Lorde liueth quoth she thine handmayde shall not spende all that I haue tyll God haue brought to passe in my hande the thing that I haue determined And so being licensed to go out and in euery night at hir pleasure to praye she went thrée nightes togither into the valley of Bethulia calling vpon God to prosper hir deuise for the deliueraunce of his people and at eche time returned to hir Tent againe And vppon the fourth daye as it happened Holofernes by Gods prouidence to make a great Banket vnto his Lordes he sent Vago his Chamberlayne to Iudith to counsell hir to come and kéepe Companye with hym that night for it were a shame for vs quoth he if we shoulde let such a woman alone and not talke with hir we will allure hir least she doe mocke vs And when the messenger had done his message brought Iudith to Holofernes his spirite by and by was mooued and rauished with hir bewtie Sit downe now quoth he and drincke with vs and be mery I will drincke nowe my Lorde quoth she and reioyce bycause my state is exalted more than euer it was before And so she eate and drancke before him of such things as hir Mayde had prepared then Holofernes reioyced so much in Iudith that he dranke more wyne at that time than euer he had done in one daye before Nowe when the euening was come and euery man departed and gone to their lodging Vago the Kinges Chamberlayne shut the chamber doore and went his waye to bedde leauing none but Iudith in the chamber with Holofernes for hir Mayde was cōmaunded to stande without the Chamber doore to wayte hir Mistresse cōming
of Israel but forget them and put them cleane out of remembraunce Lornhama not obtayning Mercy S LVCAS EVANGELISTA Acta Apost Cap. 9. SAVLE SAVLE QVID ME PERSEQVERIS DOMINE QVID ME VIS FACERE ET DOMINâ— IHS Collo 4. d. Luke was a Phisition borne in the citie of Antioche 2. Tim. 4. c. and became Saint Pauls Disciple and companion in all Luke liued 84. yeares and was buried at Constautinople his traueyles He wrote the volume of his Gospell as he had learned of Paule and of the other Apostles as he reporteth himselfe in the beginning of the same worke saying As they haue deliuered them to vs which from the beginning saw them with their eyes and were ministers of the thinges that they declared But the volume called the Actes of the Apostles he composed as he had séene the story whereof came euen to Paules tyme being and tarying twoo yeares at Rome where the woorke was finished ¶ Luke his Resurrection M. MAacha the daughter of Thalmar king of Gessur was King Dauids wyfe and mother to Absalom Maacha the daughter of Absalom was wyfe to Roboam and Mother to Abia which Abia his father Roboam ordayned to raigne after hym for the loue that he bare to Maacha his mother aboue all the reast of his wyues â–ª Reade the storye of Asa Machabeus was the thirde sonne of Mathathias and after his fathers death he was made Ruler ouer the Iewes Who in the defence of the holye lawes fought most manfully against Goddes enimies during his lyfe Machir was the sonne of Amiel of Lodebar and a great friende to Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathas who kept him in his house tyll King Dauid sent for hym to his preferment Manahen the Sonne of Eady besieged Sallum King of Israel in Samaria and slue him whose Kingdome he possessed and began his raygne in the nyne and thirtie yeare of Azariahu King of Iuda And because the Citie of Tiphsah woulde not receyue him as there he destroyed the Citie and all that was within it And for this great wickednesse and tyrannie God styrred vp Phul King of Assiria agaynst him vnto whom Manahen gaue a thousande Talents of siluer to breake vp his warres which money he exacted of his people taking of euerye man of substannce fiftie Sicles He raygned ten yeares leauing Pekahia his sonne to succéede him Manahen which was brought vp of a Childe with Herode and his playsere at the last forsooke him and followed Christ Manasses the sonne of Hezekia was twelue yeare olde when he began his raygne ouer Iuda and wrought much euill before the Lorde For he buylt vp the hye places agayne which his father had destroyed He erected vp Altars for Baal and made Groues as Achab dyd and woorshipped all the hoste of heauen and serued them He offered his children in fire as the maner of the Gentyles was and gaue himselfe to witchcraft and Sorcerye and fauoured Soothsayers and such as vsed familiar spirits He set the Image of the groue in the house where the Lorde sayde he woulde put his name for euer Ouer and beyonde all these euils he shed so much innocent bloude that all Ierusalem was replenished from corner to corner wrought more wickednesse than dyd all the Amorites Wherefore the Lorde gaue hym ouer into the handes of the King of Assiria who tooke Manasses and bounde him with twoo cheynes and caryed him to Babilon Where at the last he so humbled him selfe to the Lorde that he had compassion vpon hym and restored him to his Kingdome agayne Who after that became a good man and put downe all such abhominacions as he before had mayntayned and reygned fiue an fiftie yeres leauing Amon his sonne to succéede Mardocheus the sonne of Iair was a Iew borne dwelling in the Citie of Susan and one of them which were caryed away from Ierusalem with Iechonia King of Iuda by Nabuchodonosor into Babilon This man had a fayre Damosell in his house named Hester his vncles daughter whose Father and Mother being dead he brought vp as his owne daughter so long till at last for hir bewtie fayrenesse she was taken vp by the Kinges commission with other mo had to the Court there to be brought vp at the Kings charges in an house appointed for that purpose the King had called them for And euery day would Mardocheus walke before the womens house to he are and know how Hester dyd what should become of hir whose lotte in processe was to be made Quéene in the steade of Vasthi late deposed And on a time as Mardocheus sate in the Kings gate he heard an ynckling of certaine treason conspired against the Kings owne person by twoo of his pryuie Chamber Bigthan and There 's which treason he caused Hester to open vnto the King and to certifie his grace thereof in his name Vpon whose certification inquirie being made founde true the conspiratours were put to death and the matter Registred in Chronicle for a remembrance of their acte After this bycause Mardocheus would doe no reuerence to Haman both he and the Iewes shoulde all haue béene slayne in one daye Whereof Mardocheus hauing knowledge he rent his clothes and put on mourning apparell and so ranne thorow the Citie of Susan where their destruction was denised Crying out vntill he came to the Kinges gate where he might not be suffered to enter in that araye Then Hester hearing thereof was sore astonished and sent him other rayment to put on But he refusing the rayment declared vnto the messenger the whole effect of Hamans commission and working and tooke him a Copye of the same to giue to Ester charging hir to go vnto the King for the lyues and â—afegarde of hir people For who can tell quoth he whither God hath called hir to the Kingdome for that purpose or no it may be that he hath And therefore if she nowe holde hir peace the Iewes shall haue helpe from some other place and so shall she hir fathers house be vtterly destroyed And so whyle Ester went about the deliueraunce of the Iewes Mardocheus was exalted into the Kings fauour to the great reioysing of all the Iewes whose wealth he sought so long as he lyued Reade the story of Ester and Haman Marie the Virgin and mother of God whose parentes are not expressed in Scripture was affianced to a certaine good man of hir owne stocke and Tribe which was of Iuda named Ioseph And before she came to dwell with him the Angell Gabriel being sent of God came and saluted hir saying Hayle full of grace the Lorde is with thée blessed art thou among women The Virgin séeing the Angel was sore abashed at his words and mused much in hir mynde what salutation that shoulde be Then sayde the Angell feare not Mary for thou hast founde fauour with God for lo
thou shalt conceyue in thy wombe and beare a sonne and shalt call his name Iesus c. Then Mary bicause she woulde be resolued of all doubtes to the ende she might the more surely embrace the promise of God sayde Howe shall this be séeing I knowe no man The holy ghost quoth the Angell shall come vpon thée and the power of the most highest shall ouershadowe thée Therefore also that holy thing which shall be borne of thée shall be called the sonne of god c. Then sayde Marâ—e Beholde the handemayde of the Lord be it vnto me according to thy word Vpon this she prepared hir selfe with spéede to go and visite hir Cosin Elizabeth with whome she remayned thrée monthes and returned home agayne And shortly after went with Ioseph hir husbande from the Citie of Nazareth to the lande of Iewrie to a Citie called Bethleem there to be taxed according to the Emperour Augustus commaundement bicause they were of the house and linage of Dauid And being forced to lye in the stable for lacke of roume in the Inne hir houre came to be deliuered and there she brought forth Christ Iesus the Sauiour of the worlde And when she was purified and had bene at Ierusalem with hir chylde and performed all things there according to the lawe she returned with Ioseph hir husbande home to the Citie of Nazareth agayne And being accustemed yearely she and hir husbande to go vp at the feast of Easter to Ierusalem shée chaunced one tyme to forget hir Sonne behinde hir and when she had turned backe and sought him out and founde him she sayde Sonne why hast thou thus dealt with vs thy father and I haue sought thée with heauye heartes Another time as she was with hir Sonne at a mariage in Cana a towne in Galile when the Wyne fayled at the feast she tolde hir Sonne that they lacked wyne and receyuing his anâ—â—ere méekely bade the Ministers to doe whatsoeuer he commaunded them Finally as shée stoode by the Crosse whereon hir sonne shedde his bloude as well for hir as all other Christians sorow â–ª pierced hir heart like a sworde according to Simeons prophecie Marie the wyfe of Cleophe was hir sister Marie Salome was a certayne godly woman who among other ministred of hir substance to Iesus and followed him from Galile and after he was erucified bought swéete odors to annoynt his body and was a witnesse of his resurrection Marie the mother of Iohn Marke into whose house Peter came after the Angell of God had deliuered him out of prison from the handes of Herode where manye were gathered togither in prayer Marie * Magdalene dwelt in Bethania and was a sinfull woman And in token of hir great repentance she went to Iesus as he sate at meate in one of the Phariseys houses with a boxe of Oyntment in hir hande falling downe at his féete wéeping and washing them with the teares distilling downe from hir eyes and wyped them with the heares of hir head and also kyssed them and annointed them with swéete Oyntment Then Iesus séeing the great fayth of the woman sayde vnto hir Mary thy fayth hath saued thée goe in peace Then Mary féeling hir selfe much bounde to Christ which had forgiuen hir so many sinnes fell in so great loue that all hir whole meditacion and studie was vppon him Insomuch that when Martha hir sister was cumbred about much seruing of Christ at the Table Marie choosing the better part sate at Iesus féete to heare his preaching And when he suffred his passion she stoode by the Crosse with Mary his mother to sée the ende And the morrowe after the Sabboth day when she came to the sepulchre and sawe the stone taken awaye from the Tombe shée ranne to Peter and Iohn and tolde them who ranne to the graue and tryed the matter and returned backe againe leauing Marie standing at the Graue wéeping And as she bowed hir selfe into the graue she sawe twoo Aungels sitting in whyte clothing who sayde vnto hir woman why wéepest thou They haue taken away my Lorde quoth she and I knowe not where they haue layde him And turning hir selfe about she sawe Iesus standing but knewe him not to whome he sayde Woman why wéepest thou whome doest thou séeke She supposing it had bene the Gardiner sayde Sir if thou hast borne him hence tell me where thou hast layde him and I will fet him Then sayde Iesus Mary with thâ— she turned hir selfe and sayd Rabbony which is to say Mayster and fell downe to the ground to haue kyssed his féete But to withdrawe hir from that Iesus sayde Touche me not but go tell my brethren that I ascende to my Father and your Father to my God and 〈◊〉 god Then went Mary to the Disciples and tolde 〈◊〉 that she had séene the Lord and what things he had 〈◊〉 vnto hir Reade the storie of Martha hir sister and of Lazarus hir brother Marke the Euaungelist is thought to haue béene Peters Disciple and to write his Gospell according as he heard Peter preache and shew euery thing by mouth and to haue planted the first Church in Alexandria where he died in the eyght yeare of the reigne of Nero in whose place succéeded Anianus Of this Marke speaketh Peter in his first Epistle the fift Chapter saying The Congregacion of them which at Babilon are companions of your election saluteth you and so doth Marke my sonne Marke otherwise called Iohn the sonne of Mary was Minister to Paule Barnabas what tyme as they were sent by the holy Ghost from Antioche to preach the Gospell vnto the heathen which Marke at Pamphilia departed backe from them agayne For the which cause Paule the next iourney that he and Barnabas made woulde not suffer Marke to go with them wherefore Barnabas departed from Paule taking Marke who was his Sisters sonne with him into Cypers Martha and Mary Magdalene were twoo Sisters dwelling in the Citie of Bethinia which twoo had a brother named Lazarus This Martha on a tyme inuyted Iesus to dinner And being cumbred about much seruing and séeing hir Sister Mary sit styll at Iesus féete sayde vnto him doest thou not care that my sister hath left me to minister alone Bid hir come helpe mée To whome he aunswered Martha Martha thou carest and arte troubled about many things verilye one is néedefull Mary hath chosen the best part which shall not be taken from hir On a tyme as Iesus was comming to Bethinia to heale hir brother Lazarus she mette him saying Lorde if thou haddest béene here my brother had not dyed Neuerthelesse nowe I know that whatsoeuer thou doest aske of God he will giue it thée Then sayde Iesus Thy brother shall ryse agayne Yea quoth Martha I know that he shall ryse agayne in the resurrection at the last daye I am sayde Iesus the resurrection and the lyfe he that beléeueth on mée yea though he were
blessing And when she heard how his brother threatned to kyll him for stealing awaye his blessing she tolde it Iacob saying Thy brother Esau threatneth to sley thée therefore my some heare my voyce Make thée ready and get thée to Laban my brother at Haran and tary with him a while vntill thy brothers fiercenesse be swaged and that his wrath be turned awaye from thée and he forget the thinges which thou hast done vnto him and then will I sende and fet thée awaye from thence for why shoulde I be depryued of you both in one daye And when she had giuen hir sonne this counsell she went to Isaac hir husbande and sayde I am weary of my lyfe for feare of the daughters of Heth. If Iacob take a wyfe of the daughters of Heth such one as these are or of the Daughters of the lande what good shall my lyfe doe mée And so by the counsell of Rebecca Iacob was sent to Laban his mothers brother where in processe he got him a wyfe and purchased the loue of Esau his brother agayne Rechab was the Father of Ionadab Which Ionadab made a Lawe that the Rechabytes shoulde neuer drincke Wyne their wyues nor their children neyther yet buylde house nor sowe séede nor plant Vyneyardes but shoulde alwayes dwell in Tents Which commaundement they kept and obayed truely And this their obedience Ieremy layeth before the Iewes to their great reproche for that they were not so readye to obeye the will and commaundement of God their heauenlye Father as the Rechabytes were to obeye their Father Ionadab ¶ Of Rechab the sonne of Rymmon Reade the storye of Baanah his brother Rezin King of Siria went with Pekah King of Israel to fight agaynst Ahaz King of Iuda but coulde not ouercome hym At which tyme Rezin tooke the Citie of Elath and droue out the Iewes therein and inhabited the Citie with Sirians But in fine the King of Assiria came agaynst him in the defence of Ahaz King of Iuda and at Damasco siue hym Rezon the sonne of Eliada was a great Captayne vnder Hadadezer king of Zoba which Hadadezer Dauid had ouercome in battell And when Rezon saw his Lord and Maister discomfited he fled from him and gathered a bonde of men and went to Damasco where he reygned as King and became a great aduersarie to Salomon for the which purpose the Lord had stirred him vp Rizpa the daughter of Ahia was Saules Concubine and had by him twoo sonnes the one named Armony and the other Miphiboseth which twoo with the sonnes of Merob Dauid deliuered to the Gibeonites who for the offence of Saule hanged them vp vpon an hyll before the Lorde Then Rizpa perceyuing their carkasses to remayne vpon the Gybbet longer than the law required made prouision to saue their bodies that neyther Birdes shoulde fall vpon them by daye nor beast by night And when it was tolde to Dauid what Rizpa had done he caused their bones with the bones of Saule and Ionathas to be caried into the Countrie of Beniamin and there buried in the Sepulchre of Cis Sauls fathers Roboam the sonne of Salomon was .xlj. yere olde when he began to reigne his mothers name was Naama In this mans time began the Kingdome of Israel to be deuided For when the people came to him and sayd Thy father layde a grieuous yoake vpon vs nowe therfore remit thou somewhat of the grieuous seruice of thy father and of his heauie yoake that he put vpon vs and wée will serue thée He aunswered as his yong Counsailers had counsayled him saying My little finger shall be heauyer than all my fathers loynes And where as my father put an heauy yoke vpon you I will adde more vnto it And where as he chastyned you with whyppes I will chasten you with Scorpions The people hearing this they forsooke him all saue the Tribe of Iuda and Beniamin Then Roboam séeing his kingdome deuided gathered an hoste of men out of the house of Iuda and Beniamin to the number of nyne score thousande to fight with Israel and to bring the Kingdome agayne vnto himselfe But whyle he was thus minded the Prophet Semaia came to him and bade him ceasse from his purpose for the thing that was done was the Lords doing Wherevpon euery man departed according to the wordes of the Lorde which the Prophete had spoken Then Roboam fell to building of Cities and repayring of strong holdes which he furnished both with men and victuals So that his kingdome was mighty and strongby 〈…〉 walked he and 〈…〉 when they had 〈…〉 making Hylaulâ—â—◠〈…〉 â—ome Sodomites 〈…〉 â—â—â—en God forsooke 〈…〉 Sisack King of 〈…〉 raigne came to 〈…〉 of the Lorde and 〈…〉 shields of Golde 〈…〉 â—hereof Roboam 〈…〉 â—â—â—e God made the 〈…〉 â—â—â—â—ts to Sisack alâ—◠〈…〉 the intent they 〈…〉 â—is service and the 〈…〉 This King Roâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 â—core Concubins 〈…〉 â—bsalom best And 〈…〉 â—â—â—r all his brethren 〈…〉 and when by hys 〈…〉 â—â—â—â—â—d his Children aâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 cares he dyed .1 Primus Iacobi natorum nomine Ruben ed quia fae daui stratum genitoris ab illis Doni excellens imperioque prior Exclusus perij seu leuis unda breui Crispin J Ventor G. D. Iode Excudebat Rufus was a vertuous and a Religious man whom Paul remembred in his Epistle saying Salute Rufus chosen in the Lorde and his mother and mine Ruth and Orpha were twoo fayre yoong Damosels borne in the Countrey of Moab where by chaunce they maryed with the sonnes of Elimelech and Naomy who were straungers come out of the lande of Iuda there to inhabite and when both their husbandes were dead and their mother in lawe a wydowe also they forsooke theyr owne Countrey to go home with their mother into the lande of Iuda And when they had gone a good way togithers â–ª Orpha not without great intreatie of hir mother in lawe turned home agayne but Ruth abode still Then sayde â–ª Naomy to Ruth Oh sée my daughter thy sister in lawe is gone backe agayne to hir people and goodes returne and go after hir I praye thée sayde Ruth intreate mee not to leaue thée For whithersoeuer thou goest I will go with thée And where thou dwellest there will I dwell also Thy people shal be my people And thy God my God looke where thou dyest there will I dye also and there will I be buryed The Lorde doe so and so vnto mée if ought but death onely depart thée and mée a sundre And so went they foorth tyll they came to to Bethleem Iuda which was in the beginning of Barley haruest And as Ruth went one daye out a leasing among the haruest folkes she happened by the prouidencâ— of God vppon the fieldes pertayning to Boos who shewed hir such kindnesse that she neyther lacked meate nor drincke neyther yet corne so long as Haruest lasted And when all Haruest was done Naomy sayde vnto Ruth
olde and was not able to beare the burden he made his twoo sonnes Ioel and Abia Iudges ouer Israel thinking that they woulde imitate his steppes But contrarywise they were so couetous that for lucre sake they peruerted all true iustice wherevpon the Elders of Israel perceyuing Samuel to be olde and his sonnes giuen all to coueteousnesse went to Samuel desiring of him that they might haue a king to raygne ouer them as other nations had Then Samuel hearing them speake of a king was sore displeased But neuerthelesse at the Lordes commaundement who bade him make them a King hée first declared to them the office and authoritie of a King and than annoynted Saule to be their King and gouernour whome he sent to Gilgal commaunding Saule to tary him there seauen dayes and then he woulde come and tell him what he shoulde doe And on the seauenth day when Samuel came to Saule and sawe he had offered before he came he asked him what he had done Mary quoth Saule when I sawe the people begin to scatter from mée and that thou taryedst so long I offered burnt offerings least the Philistines shoulde come vpon me before I had made my supplicasion vnto the Lorde Nowe sayde Samuel thou hast played the foole For if thou haddest hep to the Lordes commaundement hée woulde haue stablished thy Kingdome for euer But now it shall not continue For the Lorde hath sought him out a man after his owne heart which shall rule the people and so Samuel departed to his house at Gibea After this when Saule had broken the Lordes commaundement in sauing Agag King of the Amalachites alyue and had made a sacrifice vnto the Lorde of their best shéepe and Cattell which hée reserued Samuel came whereof the Kinge was verye glad and tolde hym that he had fulfilled the Lordes commaundement But what meaneth then quoth Samuel the bleting of the shéepe and noyse of Oxen that I heare There are quoth he the best shéepe and Oxen that the people hath spared to sacrifice vnto the Lorde but the reast haue we destroyed Then sayde Samuel Did not the Lord when thou wert little in thine olvne eyes make thée King ouer Israel and gaue thée a charge vtterly to destroy those sinners the Amalachites And wherefore hast thou obeyed the people and not the Lorde I haue quoth he done all that the Lorde commaunded mée and saued none but Agag Hath the Lorde quoth Samuel as great pleasure in burnt sacrifices and offeringes as when the voyce of the Lorde is obeyed Beholde to obey is better than sacrifice and to harcken is better than the fat of Rammes for rebellion is as the sinne of Witchcraft and stubbornesse is as the wickednesse of Idolatrie And bicause thou hast cast away the worde of the Lorde therefore hath the Lorde cast away thée from being king Then sayde Saule I haue sinned and gone further than the saying of the Lord therefore take awaye my sinne 〈◊〉 turne againe with me that I may worship the lord Nay quoth Samuel I will not returne with thée for thou hast cast awaye the Lorde and he hath cast away thée And as Samuel was turning himselfe to haue gone away Saule â—aught him by the lap of his garment and it rent Then sayde Samuel the Lorde hath rent the kingdome of Israel from thée this day and giuen it to a neyghbour of thine better than thy selfe Neuerthelesse thorowe great intreatie of Saule Samuel went with him And when they had worshipped the Lorde Agag was brought to Samuel who tooke and hewed him in péeces and so departed to Rama where he mourned so long for Saule till the Lorde reprooued him for it and sent him to Bethleem to annoynt Dauid Which thing done he went home agayne to Rama where he remayned vntill he dyed Sanabalat the Heronite when he hearde of the graunt that Nehemias had obtayned of Artâ—â—erses for the building of the Temple at Ierusalem he was marueylously grieued therewith and sought by all meanes howe to let the Iewes of their purpose Saphira the wyfe of Ananias being of his Counsell in kéeping awaye part of the pryce of a possession which they had solde came vnto Peter about a thrée houres after hir husbande ignorant of that which was done vnto whome Peter sayde Tell me Saphira solde yée the lande for so much yea quoth she for so much Why haue ye quoth Peter agréed togither to tempt the spirite of the lord Beholde the féete of them which haue buried thy husbande are at the doore and shall carye thée out And with that she fell downe and gaue vp the ghost And the Officers came and caried hir out and buried hir beside hir husbande Saule the sonne of Cis of the Trybe of Beniamin was a goodly tall yoong man who on a tyme as he was séeking his fathers Asses and coulde not finde them happened by the prouision of God to go and séeke but Samuel to wit of him some tydinges of hys Asses And as he was going towarde the Citie it was tolde him of a great offering that shoulde be there and howe the people wayted for Samuels comming to blesse the same And when Saule was come into the middest of the Citie he met Samuel comming against him going vp to the hill And as Samuel behelde Saule the Lorde sayd vnto him this is the man which I tolde thée yesterdaye I woulde sende this daye vnto thée to be King of Israel Then Samuel tooke him vp with him to the hyll and set him in the chiefest seate amonge his guestes and made him eate with them And the feast being done he went and annoynted Saule King and told him what he should doe after his departure from him And going from Samuel the Lorde gaue him another maner of heart than he had before So that he prophecied among the Prophetes and was so greatly honoured of all men that after he had deliuered the Citie of Iabes out of the handes of Nahas King of the Ammonites the people renued his kingdome which God woulde haue stablished for euer if he had not disobeyed his commaundement in taking vpon him to offer burnt sacrifice before Samuel came and also to saue Agag whom he was commaunded to destroy And for this his disobedience the Lorde tooke hys spirite from Saule and gaue it to Dauid and gaue vnto Saule an euill spirit to vexe him withall Then Saule séeing the spirit of the Lord departed from him and gone to Dauid he sought by all meanes to destroye him but neuer coulde come to his purpose Finally Saule being sore cumbred with the Philistynes he went to an Enchaunter notwithstanding he had expelled all of that Arte before to rayse him vp Samuel who being raysed vp tolde hym that for as much as hée had disobeyed the Lorde and not executed his fierce wrath vppon the Amalachytes therefore had God forsaken hym and rent his Kingdome out of his
hande and giuen it to Dauid And moreouer sayth he to Saule the Lorde will deliuer the Israelites into the handes of the Philistines and tomorrow shalt thou and thy Sonnes be with mée And on the next day Saule being ouercome of the Philistynes and his thrée Sonnes slayne for anguishe of heart fell vpon his owne sworde and killed himselfe after he had reygned fortie yeares Sara the daughter of Aram was Abrahams wife And perceyuing that the Lorde had restrayned hir from bearing of children she gaue Abraham leaue to take Agar hir Mayden to wife But when she saw hir selfe despised of hir mayde which had conceyued she began to be so sharpe and quicke with Agar that she made hir runne awaye Neuerthelesse at the humble submission of Agar Sara receyued hir agayne Then Sara passing foorth till she came to the age of foure score and ten yeres it chaunced she hearde the Aungel of the Lorde as she stoode in hir Tent say vnto Abraham that Sara his wyfe should haue a childe which wordes séemed so impossible vnto hir that she laughed within hir selfe and sayde Is it of a surety that I shall beare a sonne Shall I now giue my selfe to lust being olde and my Lord olde also And when she had talked thus to hir selfe the Aungell of the Lorde demaunded of Abraham wherefore his wyfe dyd laugh as though it were quoth he to harde a thing for God to performe his promise Then she being asked the question denyed it for she was afrayde saying that she laughed not And so Sara iudging him faythfull which had promised brought forth a sonne at the time apointed of God and called his name Isaac And when the Childe was borne she sayde God hath made mée a laughing stocke for all that heare will laugh at mée Who woulde haue sayde to Abraham that Sara shoulde haue giuen Children sucke for I haue borne him a sonne in his olde age After this when Sara perceyued Ismael the sonne of Agar as he played with Isaac to be a mocker she sayde vnto Abraham put awaye this bonde mayde hir sonne for the sonne of this bonde woman shall not be eyer with my sonne Isaac Finally when Sara had lyued one hundred and seuen an twentie yeres she dyed in Kiriat Arba Which is also called Hebron And was buryed in the double Caue which Abraham had bought of the sonnes of Heth. Sara the daughter of Raguel had seauen husbands one after an other which men before they had lyen with hir were all slayne of the Deuill Asmodius to the great discomfort and heauinesse of the yoong woman And yet the more to aggreuate hir sorowe hir fathers Maydens when she did correct them for their faults woulde slaunder hir on this wyse saying God let vs neuer sée sonne nor daughter of thée more vpon earth thou kyller of thy husbandes wilt thou kyll vs also as thou hast done them Which woordes were so gricuous to Sara that she got hir vp to an hygh chamber of hir house where she continued thrée dayes and thrée nightes in prayer beséeching God that he woulde vouchsafe to lowse hir out of that rebuke or else to take hir out of y earth For thou knowest O Lorde that I neuer had desire vnto man and that I haue kept my soule cleane from all vncleanlye lust I haue not kept companie with those that passe there time in sporte neyther haue I made my selfe partaker with them that walke in light behauiour neuerthelesse an husbande haue I consented to take not for my pleasure but in thy feare Now peraduenture eyther I haue béene vnwoorthye of them or else were they vnméete for me for thou happily hast kept me for an other husbande And thus making hir prayers to God he hearde hir and sent yong Toby to be hir husband who being ioyned togither in Matrimonie lyued all their dayes an holy lyfe in the feare and lawes of God. Seba the sonne of Bichri assoone as Dauid was restored to his Kingdome agayne begun a new insurrection and got all Israel to followe hym saue onelye the men of Iuda which stacke fast by Dauid and as he came into the Citie of Abell to the which Ioab followed hym the Gouernesse of the citie being a woman of wisedome smote off the heade of Seba and threwe it ouer the Wall to Ioab and so the commocion ceased Sceua was a Iewe borne and the chiefe Priest among the Iewes This man had seauen sonnes who for lucre sake to purchase vnto themselues a great name thereby attempted to cast out euill spirites by inuocation of the name of the Lorde Iesus as Paule dyd saying vnto the man possessed we coniure you in the name of Iesus whome Paule preacheth that ye depart out of the man To whom the spirite aunswered and sayde Iesus I knowe and Paule I knowe but who are yée and as soone as he had spoken these woordes the man in whome the euill spirite was ranne vpon them and got the ouer hande on them In so much that they had much a doe to escape with their lyues and scarce got at the last naked and wounded out of the house And this example of the sonnes of Sceua being bruted abrode among the Iewes and Gentiles many which beléeued came to Paule and confessed their offences And besyde that diuers other which had vsed suche curious craftes of Coniurasions brought their bookes and burned them before all men the price whereof were counted at fiftie thousande Siluerlinges Sela the yoongest sonne of Iuda being growen to perfect age and not giuen to Thamar in mariage according to his Fathers promise was the occasion of Thamars playing the myswoman with Iuda hir Father in lawe Sela the sonne of Arphaxad of the generacion of Sem was the Father of Eber whome he begot when he was thirtie yeares of age and lyued after the birth of Eber foure hundred and thrée yeares Which make in the whole foure hundred and .xxxiij. yeares Sem the eldest Sonne of Noe receyued prayse of his Father bycause he couered his nakednesse as he laye vncouered in his Tent. Sem at the age of an hundred yeares begot Arphaxat twoo yeares after the floud and lyued after fiue hundred yeares .2 Ense meo cecidere uiri dum uindico stuprū Germanae fracto federe quod pepig◠Hinc pater iratus Sijmeoni dira precatus Nostraque posteritas heu masedicta fuit Sennacherib King of Assiria was a mightie prince which séeing that Salmanasar his predycessour had conquered the King of Israel and made them Tributaries thought it good to set vpon the King of Iuda who at that tyme was the godly and most noble Ezechias And when Sennacherib had gotten into his handes all the chiefe Cities of Iuda and Beniamin saue onely Ierusalem he besieged that also with such might and power that Ezechias was fayne to submit himselfe to the mercie of Sennacherib offering him tribute
the Garpen as hir maner was with twoo of hir Maydens onely to wash hir selfe these twoo hidde themselues in the Garden agaynst hir comming And assoone as the Maydens had shut the Drcharde doores and were gone for Oyle and Sope for their Mystresse the twoo Elders came vppon Susanna and sayde The Garden doores be nowe shut that no man can sée vs and we burne in lust towardes thée therefore consent and lye with vs if thou wilt not we will beare witnesse agaynst thée that a yoong man was in the Drchard with thée and therefore thou senâ—t away thy Maydens Then Susanna sighed and sayde If I doe followe your minds it will be my death and if I consent not vnto you I cannot escape your handes It is better for mée to fall into your handes without the déede dooing than to sinne in the sight of the Lorde and with that cryed out with a lowde voyce and the Elders cryed out agaynst hir which clamour on both parties was so great that it was hearde among the Seruauntes without which ranne to the Orcharde doore and burst it open to sée what the matter was And when the seruaunts had heard the Elders report of Susanna they were greatly ashamed for there was neuer such a reporte made of Susanna before And so on the next morowe the twoo Elders full of mischieuous imaginacions declared the matter to Ioachym hir husband to bring hir to death And when she was come with hir father and mother hir Children and all hir kinne to be iudged according to the law she stoode before the twoo wicked Iudges with hir face couered who commaunded to take the cloth from hir face that at the least they might be satisfied with hir bewtie which thing being done The Iudges stoode vp and layed their handes vpon the heade of Susanna saying As we were walking in the Orcharde alone this woman came in with hir twoo Maydens whom she sent awaye from hir making fast the Orcharde doore after them Then starte their vp a yoong fellowe which laye hidde in the Garden and went vnto hir laye with hir Then we which stoode in a corner séeing this wickednesse â—anne vnto them and saw them as they were togither but we coulde not holde the fellowe for he was stronger than we and got open the doore and leaped out And when we demaunded of hir what fellow it was she woulde not tell vs This is the matter and we be witnesse of the same Then Susanna cryed out and sayde O euerlasting God thou searcher of heartes thou that knowest all things before they come â–ª to passe â–ª thou wotest that they haue borne false witnesse agaynst mée And beholde I muste dye whereas I neuer intended anye such thing as these men haue maliciously ymagined agaynst mée And as she was ledde towarde the place of execution the Lorde of Heauen which hearde hir prayer raysed vp the spirite of a little Childe called Daniel who cryed with a lowde voyce â–ª saying I am cleane from the bloude of this woman And when the people hearde that they stayed to knowe of the Childe what he ment by his woordes O yée Children of Israel sayde he are yée such fooles that without examinacion and knowledge of the truth ye haue condemned a daughter of Israel returne agayne to iudgement for they haue borne false witnesse agaynst hir Then the people went backe agayne and the Elders tooke Daniel and set him among them in iudgement Who when he had commaunded the twoo false witnesses to be seuered that he might examine them he called the one before hym and sayde O thou that arte olde in a wicked lyfe nowe thy sinâ—es which thou hast committed afore tyme are come to light Tell mée vnder what Trée thou sawest this woman and the yoong fellowe togither he sayde vnder a Mulbery Trée Now veryly quoth Daniel thou hast lyed and arte woorthy of death in that thou hast oppressed the innocent and letten the guiltie go frée contrarie to the woordes of the Lorde which sayth The innocent and righteous sée thou slay not Then he called the other and sayde O thou séede of Canaan but not of Iuda Bewtie hath disceyued thée and lust hath subverted thine heart Thus haue ye dealt with the daughters of Israel and they for feare consented vnto you but the daughters of Iuda woulde not abyde your wickednesse Now tell mée vnder what Trée dyddest thou take them companying togither He aunswered vnder a Pyne Trée Nowe verily sayde Daniel thou hast lyed also agaynst thine head The messenger of the Lord standeth wayting with the swoorde to cut thée in twoo and so to destroye you both And with that the whole assembly cryed with a lowde voyce and praysed God which so myraculously had preserued Susanna that daye And so fell vppon the twoo wicked Iudges and according to the law of Moses put them both to death ¶ Susanna one of those godly women which followed Christ and his Apostles relieuing them with hir substaunce as much as laye in hir power T. TAddeus was one of the twelue Apostles Act. 24. a. Tartullus was a certayne Dratour the which Ananias the hye Priest had brought with him to informe Felix the ruler agaynst Paule And when Paule was brought foorth Tartullus began to accuse hym saying Séeing that we lyue in great quietnesse by the meanes of thée and that many good thinges are done vnto this nacion thorowe thy prouidence that we euer alowe and in all places most mightie Felix with all thanks Notwithstanding that I be not tedyous vnto thée I praye thée that thou wouldest heare vs of thy curtesie a few words For we haue founde this man a Pestilent fellowe and a moouer of debate vnto all the Iewes thoroweout the Worlde and a maintayner of the sect of the Nazarites And hath also inforced to pollute the Temple whom we tooke and woulde haue iudged according to our law But the hygh captayne Lysias came vpon vs and with great violence tooke him away out of our handes commaunding his accusers to come vnto thée Of whome thou mayst if thou wilt inquyre knowe the certaynetie of all these thinges whereof we accuse him Tartullus a salsâ—reporter or a teller of tales a lyer Gen. 11. d. Terah was the sonne of Nahor the Sonne of Serug He at the age of seuentie yeres begot Abraham but he had before by an other wife Nahor and Haran All the dayes that Terah lyued were two hundred and fiue yere ¶ Terah Smelling ¶ Looke in the story of Abraham Rom. 16. d. Tercius was the name of him that wrote the Epistle of S. Paule to the Romaynes whyle Paule endited it saying on this wyse I Tercius salute you which wrote this Epistle in the Lord. ¶ Tercius a Latine worde 2. Reg. 13. a. b. c. d. Thamar the daughter of Dauid was so bewtiefull a yoong woman that Ammon hir brother fell sicke for hir loue And when she had visited Ammon at
And when his course came to burne incense euening morning according to the lawe he went into the Temple And as he was in prayer an Angell appeared vnto him saying Feare not Zachary for thy prayer is hearde And thy wyfe Elizabeth shall beare thée a sonne and thou shalt call his name Iohn c. Whereby sayde Zachary shall I knowe this for I am olde and my wyfe olde also I am Gabriel quoth the Aungell which am sent vnto thée to shew thée these glad tydinges And beholde thou shalt be dumme and not able to speake vntill the day that these things be performed And so Zachary remayned speachelesse vntill the tyme came that his wyfe brought him foorth a sonne And when the childe shoulde be circumcised great controuersie was there about his name Some woulde haue him called Zachary some by one name some by an other and his mother woulde haue him called Iohn but to that woulde none agrée bycause there was none of the kinred so named Then they made signes to Zachary how he woulde haue his sonne called And he calling by signes for writing tables wrote therein His name is Iohn Whereat they all marueyled And immediatly the mouth of Zacharye was opened so that he spake and sayde Praysed be the Lorde God of Israel for he hath visited and redéemed his people c. Zacharia the sonne of Ieroboam King of Israel began his raygne in the eyght and thirtie yeare of Azaria King of Iuda and walked in the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat as dyd other before hym Hée had not raygned sixe monthes or that Sallum conspired against him and slue him euen in the face of the people raigned in his steade This Zacharia was the fourth and the last King of the generacion of Iehu which the Lord had promised shoulde sit on his seate after hym when he sayde Thy children vnto the fourth generacion after thée shall sit on the seate of Israel Zarah was one of the twoo twynnes which Thamar bare vnto Iuda at one birth who proffering to come forth before his brother put foorth his hande when the Mydwyfe had knit a redde thréede about it he pluckt in hys hande agayne and than his brother came out first whom they called Phares and than he with the redde thréede about his hande whome they called Zarah Zacharia the sonne of Iehoiada was an holye Prophet And when he sawe Ioas King of Iuda whome his father had trayned from his youth vp in the feare of god with all his people declined from the Lorde to the woorshipping of Idols and woulde not heare the Lordes admonicion sent by his prophets to call them home againe he stoode vp before the people sayde Why transgresse yée the commaundementes of the Lorde surelye it shall not prosper bycause yée haue forsaken the Lorde he also hath forsaken you For the which the King not regarding the kindnesse of Iehoiada his Father commaunded the people to stone him to death in the court of the house of the Lorde And as he suffered his martyrdome he desired the Lorde to reuenge his death and to requyre his bloude at their handes Zachy was a Publican and chiefe receyuer of the Kinges Tribute among them He was a very lowe man of stature And being much desirous to sée Iesus what maner a man he shoulde be made great meanes to sée him And when he sawe the prease so great that he coulde not he ranne before knowing which waye he woulde come and clymed vp into a wilde Figge trée And when Iesus saw him in the trée he sayde Zachy come downe at once for to day I must abyde at thy house And Zachy came downe receyued him ioyfully And shewing foorth the true fruites of repentaunce sayde Beholde Lorde the halfe of my goodes I giue to the poore and if I haue done any man wrong I restore him foure folde To whome Iesus sayde agayne This daye is saluacion come to this house forasmuch as thou art also become the sonne of Abraham Zaruia was Dauids sister Hir thrée Sonnes were Ioab Abisai and Asael Zedekia the fourth sonne of Iosia was one twentie yeare olde when Nabuchodonosor made him King of Iuda in the steade of Ieoacin his brothers sonne And made him take an othe of the Lorde faythfullye and truelye to serue the Chaldeis in token whereof hée chaunged hys name from Mathania to Zedekia This King suffered sinne and wickednesse so much to raygne in his lande as well among the heade rulers and Priestes as among the common sorte that God was forgotten his worde despised and his Prophets misused Wherefore the Lord styrred vp the Chaldeis with whom he had broke his league which came and destroyed the Citie of Ierusalem and the holy Temple of God with fyre as the Prophet Ieremie had sayde and tooke Zedekia the King his army being dispersed abrode in the playne of Iericho and brought him to the King of Babilon who first destroyed both his sonnes before his face and then pulled out the eyes of Zedekia and so caryed him to Babylon bounde with twoo chaynes where he dyed his people remayning in bondage vntill the dayes of Cyrus which was about thrée score and ten yeares Zedekia the sonne of Canaana was one of the false Prophets which deceyued Achab. And when Micheas the true Prophet of God spake agaynst them this Zedekia smote him on the Chéeke saying When went the spirit of the Lorde from mée to speake vnto thée Well sayde Micheas Thou shalt sée in that daye when thou shalt go from Chamber to chamber to hide thée Zelaphead the Sonne of Hepher the sonne of Gilead the Sonne of Machir the Sonne of Manasses the sonne of Ioseph had fiue daughters who forasmuch as their father dyed in the Wildernesse without male issue and was none of those that rebelled agaynst the Lorde in the Congregacion of Chore They requyred of Moses to haue a possession among their fathers brethren least the name of their Father shoulde be vtterlye taken awaye from among his kinred Whose request God alowed and bade Moses giue them a possession among their brethren and to make a law that whosoeuer dyed without a sonne his inheritaunce should turne to his daughter If he haue no daughter to his brethren If he haue no brethren to his Fathers brethren If his father haue no brethren than it shoulde turne to the next of the kinne And also to stabishe their inheritaunce that it should not be remooued thorow mariage into an other Tribe an order was taken that no Tribe shoulde marry with an other Tribe but euery Tribe shoulde mary with whom he lyst among his owne Tribe and kinred And so the daughters of Zelaphead were maryed to their Fathers brothers sonnes which were of the kinred of Manasses the Sonne of Ioseph by which meanes their inheritaunce remayned styll in the Tribe and kinred of their Father Zenas was