antecedent or preiacent matter He created man in such state as he neuer needed to haue sinned and consequently as he might haue liued for euer although he were indeede mortall For as by eating of the tree of knowledge hee sinned and consequently died euen so by eating of the tree of life he might haue preserued his life from time to time The meate of other trees yeelded food to man the tree of life as an wholesome medicine defended him from all corruption which vertue was either in the tree by some supernaturall inherent qualitie as sun drie of the auncient fathers holde or els the tree was a sacrament of Gods diuine grace by which man might haue liued eternally if he had neuer sinned as other learned writers think Which latter opinion I preferre for the better as which I iudge to be saint Austens yet the former is probable and can not easily be refeiled The second Section of mans sustentation Meate was necessarie for mans sustentation euen in the state of innocencie and it should euer so haue continued albeit man had neuer sinned for to this end did God plant so many trees in paradise giuing man leaue to eate thereof neither after sinne came any newe necessitie to eate but a speciall modification of eating was annexed thereunto for before sinne man did eate without labour but after sinne he was appointed to eate with the sweate of his browes The third Section of eating flesh Albeit the eating of flesh before the floud was not in vse as not then approued for good yet after the floud to eate flesh was granted vnto man Why it was then prohibited and after the floud granted no infallible reason can be alleaged yet two probable coniectures may be yeelded in that behalfe the one because in the beginning mens bodies were stronger and so needed lesse norishment the other because in those dayes the earth brought foorth better and more wholesome fruits CHAP. II. The first Section of the ages of the world and the duration thereof THe Iewes had a prophecie of Elias not Thesbites but one of their own Rabbins a Cabbalist mentioned in their Talmud or canon-law that the world should continue six thousand yeeres that is to say two thousand yeeres before the written setled law published by Moses two thousand yeeres in the time of circumcision and two thousand yeeres after Christs incarnation Which opinion wanteth not learned patrons for defence of the same albeit in my iudgement it cannot stand as shortly shall appeare The second Section of the ages of the world There be sixe ages of the world designed by all approued antiquitie After saint Austen the first age is from Adam to the floud the second to Abraham the third to Dauid the fourth to the captiuitie the fift to Christ the sixt to the end of the world which sixt and last age saith he cannot be measured with anie number of generations because the Father hath reserued in his owne power the knowledge of the last day This diuision of ages which saint Austen assigneth may wel be holden neuertheles because the diuision of ages into sixe before Christs first sacred aduent bringeth greater perspicuitie to the vnderstanding of the scriptures I will followe that course with other skilfull writers and make a pithie briefe declaration of the same The varietie of writers concerning the yeeres of the world vntil Christs holy incarnation is wonderfull euen so many opinions almost of those that I haue read and I haue read a good many as there be writers that handle the same After Eusebius Caesariensis the duration of the world till Christ is 5199 after the Hebrewes 3962 after the Septuagints 5328 after others 4121 after others 3929 after others 3969 after others more after some lesse This being true as it is most true indeede commendable must that labor be if any such can be found which in such different confusion shal deliuer a plaine manifestation of the trueth And because the trueth ought euer to be embraced by what mouth soeuer it be vttered albeit I seeme to swarue both from old and later writers yet let the gentle Reader affoord me his indifferent censure at least so far foorth as my iust and irrefringible probations shall euidently conuince and deserue Marke therefore my discourse attentiuely gentle Reader and then I trust this great and mighty controuersie will be plaine and easie to thee The first age The first age from the creation of the world to the floud containeth 1656. yeeres whereof for the Readers better satisfaction I put downe this plaine demonstration Adam was made of the dust of the earth in the end of the sixt day Genes 1. vers 27 31. Adam begate Seth when he was 130. yeres old Gen. 5. v. 3 Seth begat Enosh when he was 105. yeres old Gen. 5. v. 6 Enosh begat Kenan when he was 90. yeres old Gen. 5. v. 9 Kenan begat Malaleel being 70. yeeres old Gen. 5. ver 12 Malaleel begat Iared being 65. yeeres old Gen. 5. ver 15 Iared begat Henoch being 162. yeeres old Gen. 5. ver 18 Henoch begat Methusalem being 65. yeres old Ge. 5. v. 21 Methusalem begat Lamech being 187. yeeres olde Gene. 5. verse 25. Lamech begat Noah being 182. yeeres old Gen. 5. ver 28 Noah was 600. yeres old when the floud came Gen. 7. v. 6 The whole summe of yeeres is 1656. and six dayes 130 105 90 70 65 162 65 187 182 600 1656 Make addition and this summe will amount to 1656 to which adde sixe dayes before Adams creation The second age The second age from the deluge to the birth of Abraham containeth 353. yeres and ten dayes whereof this is a plaine demonstration The floud indured one whole yeere and ten dayes Gene. 8. verse 4.13 14. Sem the son of Noah begate Arphaxad two yeeres after the floud when himselfe was 100. yeeres old Gene. 11. verse 10. Arphaxad begat Shale or Shelah when he was 35. yeeres old Gen. 11. verse 12. Shale begate Heber when he was 30. yeres old Gen. 11. verse 14. Heber begat Peleg being 34. yeres old Ge. 11. verse 16. Peleg begat Rehu being 30. yeres old Gen. 11. verse 18. Rehu begat Sarug when he was 32. yeeres old Gen. 11. verse 20. Sarug begat Nahor being 30. yeres old Ge. 11. ver 22. Nahor begat Thare or Terah at 29. yeres Ge. 11. v. 24. Thare begat Abraham when he was 130. yeres old Gen. 11. verse 26. though it seemeth by the text that he was but 70. yeeres old This difficultie shalbe solued by and by The whole summe of yeeres is 315. 1 2 35 30 34 30 32 30 29 130 353 Make addition and this wil be the summe 353. A graue obiection against the supputation last rehearsed It is written Genes 11. verse 26. that Thare begat Abraham when he was but 70. yeeres olde therefore three score yeeres must be substracted from the number abouesaide that is from the
Iapheth was the eldest sonne of Noah borne in the 500. yeere of his age Cham or Ham his second sonne borne in the 501. yeere of his age Sem his third and yongest sonne borne in the 502. yeere of his age Which tradition is very probable though not altogether certaine and vndoubted for Sem is said to be but 100 yeares olde 2. yeeres after the floud Genes 11. verse 10. yet is Sem named first in the scripture because the historie of the church is continued in his line Noah liued after the floud 350. yeares and when he was 950. yeeres old he died Gen. 9. verse 28. in the yeere of the world 2006. From Adam to the birth of Noah are 1056. yeres Gen. 5.3 from Adam vntill the death of Noah are 2606. yeeres The fourth section of the tower of Babel The tower of Babel was built about 130. yeeres after the floud in the yeere of the world 1788. The place where the tower stoode is now called Babylon that is to say confusion because from thence came the confusion of tongues Ioseph antiq lib. 1. cap. 4. Nimrod was a mightie hunter and the beginning of his kingdome was Babel in the land of Shinar for there was an other citie in Egypt called also Babel Gen. 10. verse 10. Nimrod was a cruell oppressor of the people and a very tyrant so as his tyranny came into a Prouerbe as Nimrod the mightie hunter before the Lord. Gen. 10. verse 9. Before the building of Babel the whole earth was of one language but they were puffed vp with pride and sought to build a tower to reach vp to heauen that so their name might be magnified and their power vnited on earth Yet sodainely such diuision of their vniforme language was made as one of them vnderstoode not another they were scattered abroade and the tower left vnperfect Genes 11. verse 4 7 8. Nimrod was the nephew of Cham who was son to Chus or Cush who first affected empire and beganne the forme of a kingdone in Chaldea his pallace was Babel Hee was the first that exercised hunting after Noahs floud Gen. 10. verse 7.10 About this time beganne a new kingdome amongst the Assyrians by Ashur the sonne of Sem his chiefe citie was Niniueh but he builded also Rehoboth and Calah Genes 10. verse 11. Genebr The fift section of Abraham Abraham was borne 352. yeares after the floud in the yeare of the world 2008. the promise was made to Abraham 427. yeeres after the floud which was 75. yeares after his birth hee was commanded to goe out of his countrey 423. yeares after the floud Abrahams father Terah died when Abraham was but 75. yeares olde Terah was 205. yeares old when he died Genes 11 verse 32. Abraham died when hee was 175 yeares olde Genesis 25. verse 7. At the death of his father Terah he was but 75. yeeres old Genesis 12.4 Gen. 11. verse 26 32. In which age of 75. yeeres Abraham departed out of Haran Genesis 12. verse 4. The first difficultie It seemeth by the twelfth chapter of Genesis that GOD spake to Abraham after the death of his father Thare or Terah when he was in Haran And it is euident by Genes 11. that God spake vnto him when hee was in Chaldea I answere that God spake to Abraham when he was in Chaldea his natiue countrey from whence hee went with his father to Haran where he abode by reason of his fathers infirmitie vntill his death After the death of his father hee went from Haran with Sarai his wife to Canaan the land of promise accordingly as God had commanded him which resolution will be cleare if we ioyne the beginning of the 12. chapter with the latter end of the eleuenth The second difficultie Saint Steuen saith in the seauenth of the Actes that Mesopotamia was Abrahams natiue country from whence he went to Charran Therefore it cannot be that Chaldea was his countrey I answere that Chaldea was his country and that his countrey was indifferently called either Mesopotamia or Chaldea Which I prooue by two reasons First because Plinius lib. 6. cap 26. saith that Chaldea is a citie in Mesopotamia Secondly because S. Steuen Acts 7. verse 4. confirmeth the same neither doth any graue writer denie but that Mesopotamia ioyneth to Chaldea and so Chaldea being in the confines of Mesopotamia may not vnfitly bee taken for the same The third difficultie It is said in the 11. of Genesis that when Abraham went from Vr of the Chaldees he dwelt in Haran but in the 7. of the Acts it is said that when he went out of Chaldea he dwelt in Charran so it seemeth that either holy Moses or S. Steuen must vtter an vntruth I answere that that word which Moses in Genesis calleth Charran is also called Charran by S. Steuen in the Acts although the Latine vulgata editio and other vulgar translations tearme it Haran The reason hereof is this because the first letter of that worde in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is of diuers pronounced diuersly See the second chapter aforegoing in the end of the second age The fourth difficultie This is a great difficultie and worthie to be well obserued The doubt standeth thus Moses saith Genes 11. verse 26. that Terah begat Abraham when he was 70. yeeres olde In the same place he saith that Terah died when he was 205. yeeres old in the twelfth of Genesis hee saith that Abraham was 75. yeeres old when he departed out of Haran or Charran for all is one as is already saide so that by this reckoning we must want 60. yeares of Terahs age for albeit the scripture say that Terah liued 205. yeeres yet by the computation already made we cannot finde more then 145. yeeres I answer first that this difficultie hath troubled many learned men Some thinke that God would conceale the 60. yeeres that so the end of the world might be kept secret from vs. Others thinke that Abraham stayed those 60. yeeres with his father at Charran I answere secondly that Terah was 105 yeeres olde when he begat Abraham Neither is holy writ repugnant to this my answere For although it say that Terah was 70. yeeres old when he begat Abraham Nachor and Haran yet doth it not deny him to haue beene more but doth connotate the lesse by the more by the vsuall figure synechdoche very frequent in the holy scriptures See the second chapter aforegoing and the obiection made in the second age The sixt section of Isaac When Izhak was borne Abraham was 100. yeeres old Gen. 21. verse 5. Isaac was circumcised when he was eight daies old Gene. 21. verse 4. in the age of the world 2108. Circumcision of euerie man childe was appointed by God Genes 17. verse 10. in the age of the world 2107. Sodome about this time was destroyed with brimstone and fire descending from heauen Genes 19. verse 24. The promise was made to Abraham in Izhak his sonne Genesis 17. verse 21.
so long For from the building thereof vntill the captiuitie be onely 432. yeares and eleuen yeares after that was it burnt as is prooued in the second doubt of this present chapter The captiuitie began the fourth yeare of Ioachim aliâs Eliachim Iere. 25. ver 1. Daniel with others of the Nobilitie were carried captiues Dan. 1. ver 3. yea Ioachim himself was bound with chaines and so carried to Babell 2. Paralip 36. ver 6. Nabuchodonozor carried away into Babell Ioachims mother his wiues his Eunuches and the mightie of the land carried he away into captiuitie from Ierusalem vnto Babell 4. King cap. 24. verse 15. The king of Babell made Matthanias his vncle king in his steed and changed his name to Sedechias verse 17. ibid. The first doubt The captiuitie beganne when Ieconias was carried away captiue to Babylon as it seemeth in S. Mathew cap. 1. v. 11. And yet was he eight yeares old when he was caried into Babylon 2. Par. 36. ver 9. before which time hee did not reigne ibid. Therefore the captiuitie could not beginne in the 11. yere of Sedechias as Iosephus and the Hebrews reckon neither at the birth of Ieconias as S. Mathew writeth The answere For the manifestation of this difficultie we must obserue that Ierusalem was thrise taken by the Babylonians to wit in the daies of Ioachim Iechonias and Sedechias 4. King ca. 24. 25. By reason whereof some reckon the beginning of the captiuitie from Ioachim some from Ieconias other some as the Hebrewes doe generally from the 11. yeare of king Sedechias See the answere of the third doubt heereof I haue spoken more at large in the second chapter in the handling of the fift age The second doubt The Prophet Ieremie writeth that the Citie of Ierusalem was burnt togither with the kinges pallace and the temple in the tenth day of the fift moneth in the 19. yeare of king Nebuchad-nezar Iere. 52. verse 12. but as the booke of Kings saith it was burnt in the seuenth day of the said moneth 2. Kin. 25. verse 8. The answere I answere that the citie was three daies in burning to wit from the seuenth day vntill the tenth Ieremie therefore speaking of the end is not contrarie to the booke of the kings speaking of the originall thereof The third doubt The prophet Daniel saith that the calamitie began in the third yeare of king Ioachim or Iehoiakim Dan. 1 ver 1. but the prophet Ieremie affirmeth that it was in the fourth yeare of Iehoiachim and in the first yeare of Nabuchad-nezar king of Babell Ier. cap. 25. verse 1. The answere We must here obserue that the captiuitie the first of the three was in the end of the third yeare of Ioachim as Daniel truely writeth in rigour of supputation yet may it be well said that it began in the fourth yeare as we reade in Ieremie because the remnant in the third yeare was in effect nothing at all The second Section Of the time of the siege The citie of Ierusalem was besieged the space of two yeres that is from the ninth yeare vntill the eleuenth of king Sedechias 4. Kin. 25. ver 1 2. during the time of which siege the famine was so sore and vrgent that the handes of pitifull mothers sod their own children to be their meate Lam. Ier. ca. 4. verse 10. which thing seemeth so repugnant to nature as it were ineredible to be tolde if holy writ had not first reported it The like horror was among mothers in murthering their children when Titus in the second yeare of Vespatianus his father besieged it and manie murthered themselues because the famine was so great The 3. Section Of Noe his floud The scripture recordeth that when God saw the wickednes of man to be great on earth and all the thoughtes of his heart to be naught continually it repented him that he had created man Wherefore his holy will was this to destroy from the face of the earth the man whom hee hadde made from man to beast to the creeping thinges and to the foules of the aire And this God purposed to doe by drowning of the world with a generall floud of water Yet Noah found fauour in Gods sight so that himselfe his wife his sonnes and their wiues eight persons in all with cattell foules and all liuing things two of euery sorte were saued in the arke Gen. 6.7 Noah was 600. yeares olde when the floud was vpon the earth Gen. chap. 7. ver 6. the floud preuailed on the earth 150. dayes Gen. 7. ver 24. The floud continued a whole yere Gen. 8. ver 13. It was in the yere of the world 1656. For from Adam to the birth of Noah are 1056. Gen. 5. And from the birth of Noah till the floud are 600. yeares The fourth Section Of the building of the temple King Salomon builded the temple in the fourth yeare of his raigne which was in the 480. yeare after the children of Israel were come out of Egypt 3. Kin. 6. ver 1. And in the yeare of the world after Iosephus 3102. after others 3149. but after the exact supputation 2994. as is already prooued While the temple was a building K. Salomon appointed seuentie thousand to beare burdens foure score thousand to hew stones in the mountaines and three thousand sixe hundreth ouerseers to cause the people to worke Par. cap. 2. ver 18. The fift Section Of the abode of the Israelites in Egypt There is a great controuersie and varietie not to be dissembled amongst Historiographers and learned writers concerning the time that the Israelites were in Egypt For Moses saith that the Israelites were in Egypt 430. yeares In Genesis it is said that they were there only 400. yeares S. Stephen saith that Abrahams seed should be a soiourner 400. yeares in a strange land And yet it is very certaine by authenticall supputation of the Scriptures that they were in Egypt only 215. yeares so that we want two hundreth yeares and odde of the accompt made in Genesis Exodus and the Actes S. Hierome confessed freely that he knew not howe to reconcile these places of the holy scripture S. Chrysostome reconcileth the places thus to wit that God appointed the Israelites to abide 400. yeares in Egypt yet for the heynous sinnes of the Egyptians he shortened the time euen as he abridged the 120 yeares which he graunted before the floud vnto men that they might repent and brought them to one hundreth Neither was Niniuie destroied after 40. daies Neither died Ezechias as God had said I answere therefore with Saint Austen and other learned writers that the 400. yeares mentioned in Genesis and in the Acts must be reckoned from the birth of Isaach vntill the departure out of Egypt and the 430. from Abrahams going out of his countrie For the seed of Abraham was so long afflicted in a land not their owne as the scripture speabeth Partly in Palestine partly in Mesopotamia and
the euerliuing God and not to blaspheme him as I did for which cause I made this miserable end being murthered by mine owne children Note heere that after Eusebius Senacherib was also called Salmanasar which I thinke consonant to the holy scriptures Assar-addon succeeded Senacherib his father but was not fortunate for the strength of the Assyrians began to decay euen while his father was yet liuing Besides this the mighty prince Merodach-baladan the Chaldee made wars both with him his father before him forthwith after the death of Senacherib hee wanne Babylon and enioyed it with other territories in Assyria vntill the death of Assar-addon from whose death hee possessed the whole Empire Hee raigned tenne yeares Merodach-baladan the first king of the Babylonians for the fame and memorie of the ancient kingdome of Assyria was called king of the Assyrians also as were likewise other kings that followed him He first transported the maiestie of the Assyrians to the Chaldees or Babylonians for the glorie of Niniue where the kings pallace was of olde was nowe translated to Babylon for which benefit Merodach after his death was honoured for a God of the Babylonians Ier. 50 ver 2. he raigned 40. yeares Ben-merodach the second king of the Babylonians was a milde and mightie Prince he raigned 21. yeares Nabuchodonosor the first or the old the third king of the BabyloniaÌ„s after Merodach was father to that Nabuchodonosor who subdued Hierusalem and erected the Babylonian monarchy he made two great battailes the one against Phaortes aliâs Arphaxad king of the Medes the other against Nechao the mightie king of the Egyptians Hee slew king Arphaxad in the mountaines of Ragau as the storie of Iudith maketh mention But Nechao ouercame him and enioyed all Syria he raigned 35. yeeres Nabuchodonosor the great sonne of Nabuchodonosor the first shortly after his fathers death wanne againe all Syria He was the mightiest king of all the kings of Babylon much spoken of in holy Writ Hee subdued the citie of Ierusalem and led away the inhabitants thereof captiues to Babylon This Nabuchodonosor as he was mightie in power so was he prowd in heart He made an image of golde and set it vp in the plaine of Dura in the prouince of Babylon Which done he commaunded all his princes nobles dukes iudges receiuers counsellers officers and all gouernors of his prouinces to come to the dedication of the image Hee appointed an herald to crie aloude that when they heard the sound of the cornet trumpet harpe sackebut psalterie dulcimer and other instruments of musicke then they should fall downe and worship the image And because the three holy Iewes Sidrach Misach and Abednego would not adore the image hee caused them to be cast into a very hote burning ouen from which fiery furnace God deliuered them myraculously In regarde whereof Nabuchodonosor magnified the liuing God made a decree that al people and nations which spake against the God of Sidrach Misach and Abednego shoulde bee drawen in peeces and their houses made a iakes Dan. 3.29 After this the king still swelled in pride so that he was cast out from his kingdome driuen from men ate grasse as oxen and his bodie was wet with the dew of heauen till his haires were growen as Eagles feathers and his nailes like birdes clawes Dan. 4. verse 30. After Nabuchodonosor magnus succeeded Euil-merodach after him Balthazar of which two see the first chapter in the fourth section CHAP. II. Of the destruction of Troy THe kingdome of Troy was of great antiquitie it began as sundrie Chronographers write a little before the death of Moses about the 32. yeare after the departure of Israel out of Egypt They write that Dardanus was the first king of the Troians and Priamus the last Alexander the sonne of Priamus surnamed Paris tooke away violently Helena wife to Menelaus king of the Lacedemonians which fact was the occasion of the most bitter and bloody battell of the Troyans This battel was fought of the most valiant people in Asia and Europe with mortall enmitie and inestimable losse on both sides with the bloud and destruction of many most flourishing regions Troy was taken burnt and vtterly destroyed 340. yeares before Rome was built in the age of the world 2935. From the captiuitie of Troy vntill the first Olimpias were complete 340. yeares albeit Liuiâ—s and some other haue their different supputations CHAP. III. Of the supputation of the Greeks THe olde Greekes did account as wee doe nowe by the yeres of our Lord the first Olimpias the second the third the fourth and so forth Some holde that Olimpias is the space of fiue yeeres but if thou wilt not be deceiued therin gentle reader reckon it but for the space of foure yeares The supputation of the Greeks by the Olimpiads is of all writers deemed true and therefore albeit before their Olympiads euerie one wrote as pleased himselfe yet after their Olympiads wee ought greatly to respect their account Africanus writeth that the first Olimpias was in the first yere of Ioatham king of Iuda and so it should be in the age of the world 3251. others dissent fro that computation affirme it to bee in the time of Ioas and then it chanced in the age of the world 3130. which supputation seemeth not so probable and therefore with Affricanus Eusebius and others I imitate the former but in reckoning the time of Iotham and Ioas I dissent from them both as is alreadie shewed CHAP. IIII. Of the citie of Rome ROme was builded in the end of the sixt Olympias in the age of the world 3218. after the destruction of Troy 340. before the incarnation of our sauior Iesus Christ about 729. yeares Romulus and Rhemus were brothers twinnes both of one age Contention and controuersie fell betweene them after whether of them the citie which they had newly built should be named The contention grew from words to tumults from tumults to strokes from strokes to bloudy battel insomuch as in the bickering Rhemus was slaine after his death Romulus enioyed the Empire alone of whome the City was called Rome Rome hath beene sundrie times sacked and ouerthrowne by the Gothes and Vandals first by Alaricus the Gothe in the yeare of our Lord God 412. This king besieged Rome and after burned it during which siege such famine was in the city that the mothers were constrained with hunger to eate their owne children It was besieged taken and sacked the second time by Gensericus the Vandal in the yeare of our Lord 456. It was besieged sacked and subuerted the third time by Totilas king of the Gothes in the yeare of our Lord 548. in the yeare after the citie was built 1300 in which siege as in the first the famine was exceeding great mothers were enforced contrarie to nature and kinde to kill and eate the flesh of their owne children Procopius Palmerius The same
he became seruant to the king of Babel 2. King 23. verse 34 and 36. 2. King 24. verse 1. The second obiection The scripture calleth Sedechias the brother of Iechonias therefore it is not consonant to the trueth to say hee was his vncle The answer I answer with saint Austen and saint Hierome that the custome of the scripture is to terme kinsemen by the name of brothers and therefore Sedechias is indifferently called vncle 2. King 24. verse 17. or brother 2. Par. 36. verse 10. 37 17 3 41 25 8 1 7 40 29 52 16 16 29 55 2 31 11 11 11 1 443 Make addition and the summe will be found 443. To the which adde three monethes for the raigne of Ioâ—chas The sixt age The sixt age from the beginning of the captiuitie till the sacred passion of Christ Iesus conteineth 660. yeares whereof let this be the demonstration The captiuitie in which are inuolued the eleuen yeares of Sedechias continued the space of 70. yeeres Ierem. 25. vers 11. and 29. Daniel 9. vers 2. Esdr. 1. verse 1. 2. Paralip 36 verse 22. This is confirmed by the raigne of the Monarchs for Nebuchad-nezzer from the beginning of whose eight yeare the second and chiefe captiuitie beganne reigned 45. yeeres Euilmerodach his sonne reigned 30. yeres And Balthazar reigned 3. yeares Al which put together make the 70. yeeres of the Iewish captiuitie For in the first yeare of king Cyrus who succeeded Balthazar the Iewes were set at libertie Esdr. 1 verse 1. S. Clement Eusebius and all approoued writers do constantly affirme the same The seuentie weekes in Daniel make iust 490. yeares as al writers do affirme Concerning which weeks because there is verie great varietie amongest historiographers I will here suppose that which by Gods grace I shal proue effectually when I come to the fourth chapter of the third booke of this first part whither I referre the Reader for his full resolution in this intricate and important controuersie In the meane season remember that the 490. yeares are but 475. yeares after the course of the Moone From the ende of the captiuitie vntill the twentieth yeare of Artaxerxes Longimanus inclusiuè where I hold that the 70. weekes doe beginne are iust 115. yeares and two moneths all which put together do make iust 660. yeres For the weeks make no more but 475. yeares after the course of the sunne which must be marked attentiuely and which shall be prooued hereafter accordingly 70 475 115 in al 660 Thus wee haue it perspicuously prooued euen by the testimonie of holy Writ that from the beginning of the world vntil the time that Christ suffered on the crosse for our sinnes be iust â—ure thousand foure score and seuenteene yeares three monethâ— and sixteene dayes The first age 1656 The second 353 The third 505 The fourth 480 The fift 428 The sixt 660 in all 4082. Now because the exact knowledge of the raigne of the kings of Iudah dependeth more then a little of the raigne of the kings of Israel I purpose in God to adioyne hereunto a manifest declaration of the same specially because without the knowledge thereof the bookes of the Kings and Chronicles can neuer be rightly vnderstoode The Kings of Israel Ieroboam raigned 21. yeares which I prooue thus Asa king of Iudah beganne to raigne in the twentieth yeere of Ieroboam 1. King chapter 15 verse 9. and Nadab the sonne of Ieroboam beganne to raigne ouer Israel in the second yere of Asa 1. King chapter 15 verse 25 therefore Ieroboam his father whom he succeeded in the kingdome raigned before his death 21. yeares Nadab raigned 2. yeares 1. King 15. verse 25. Baasha raigned 24. yeares 1. King 15. verse 33. Elah or Hela raigned 2. yeares 1. King 16.8 Zimri raigned 7. dayes 1. King 16. verses 15 and 16. daye 7 Amri or Omri raigned 12. yeares 1. King 16.23 Achab or Ahab reigned 22. yeeres 1. King 16.29 Ochozias or Ahaziah reigned 2. yeeres 1. King 22.51 Ioram or Iehoram raigned 12. yeeres 2. King 3. verse 1. both these two to wit Ochozias and Ioram were the sonnes of Achab. Iehu reigned 28. yeeres 2. King 10. verse 36. Ioachas or Iehoahaz reigned 17. yeeres 2. Kin. 13. ve 1. Ioas or Iehoash reigned 16. yeeres 2. King 13. verse 10. Ieroboam the sonne of Ioas or Ioash reigned 41. yeeres 4. King 14. verse 23. where we must note well by the way that the other Ieroboam was the sonne of Nebat 1. King 12.2 We must heere obserue as a necessarie rule that betweene Ieroboam and Zachariah was an inter-reigne of 23. yeeres I prooue it because we reade 2. Kin. 15.1 8. that Azariah king of Iudah beganne his raigne in the seuen and twentieth yeere of Ieroboam as also that Zacharias beganne his raigne in the eight and thirtieth yere of Azariah to which we must adde that Ieroboam raigned 41. yeeres and so the kingdome perforce was voide 23. yeres For if we make abstraction of 14. from 37. the remainder will be 23. yeres for the inter-reigne moneths 6 Zachariah reigned 6. moneths 2. King 15.8 moneth 1 Sellum or Shallum reigned 1 moneth 2. King 15.13 yeeres 10 Menahem or Manahen reigned 10. yeeres 2. King 15.17 Pekahiah or Phaceas reigned 2. yeeres 2. King 15.23 Pekah or Phasee raigned 20. yeeres 2. King 15.27 Osee or Hosheah reigned 9. yeeres 2. King 17. verse 1. In the dayes of this king about the yeare of the worlde 3304. beganne the captiuitie Of the ten Tribes whereof see more at large in the eight chapter next following in the sixt Section CHAP. III. Of the state of the Hebrewes The people of y e Iews the elect people of God liued vnder the protection and empire of Patriarkes Chiefetaines or Gouernours Iudges Kings againe Chiefetaines after the captiuitie Priests before the captiuity and Priests after the captiuity had to doe with the kings of the Persians Egyptians Syrians strangers and with the emperors of Rome The Israelites were gouerned 3. wayes by Iudges from Iosue to Saul Kings from Saul to the captiuitie Priests from the captiuitie to Christ. For exact vnderstanding of this chapter it is expedient to note well the fift booke of this first part from the second chapter to the end of the same booke CHAP. IIII. Of the Patriarkes â—he Patriâ—â—kes of the â—ebrewes were Abraham Isaac liued yeeres one hundred begat Isaac Ge. 21.5 threescore and begat Iacob Ge. 25.26 Iacob caled also Israel Ge. 35.10 he had 12 children with Lea Ruben Ge. 35.22 these were the heads of the twelue Tribes Simeon Ge. 35.22 these were the heads of the twelue Tribes Leui Ge. 35.22 these were the heads of the twelue Tribes Iudah Ge. 35.22 these were the heads of the twelue Tribes Isachar Ge. 35.22 these were the heads of the twelue Tribes Zabulon Ge. 35.22 these were the heads of the twelue Tribes Zilpha the handmaid of Lea Gad Ge. 35.22 these were the heads of the twelue Tribes Aser Ge. 35.22 these
partly in Egypt This answere is confirmed by the testimonie of S. Paul in his Epistle to the Galathians where he saith that the law was giuen 430. yeres after y â— the promise was made to Abraham For the law was giuen when the Iewes came out of Egypt as all writers agree with vniforme consent and the promise was made to Abraham in his sonne Isaac The sixt Section Of the captiuitie of the ten Tribes About the yeare of the world 3292. the Israelites or the ten tribes that were in Samaria were carried away captiues in the third yeare of the siege vnto Ashur or Assyria in the ninth yeare of Hoseah or Osee the sonne of Elah king of Israel in the fourth yeare of Ezechias king of Iuda At this time ended the race of the kings of Israel for after this captiuitie did the ten tribes neuer returne see the 12. chapter in the end of the first section The captiuitie of the tenne tribes saith Iosephus endured 240 yeares seuen monethes and seuen daies after their reuolte from king Roboham their lawfull Soueraigne For they would neither be subiect to law nor obey their Prophets of God that reprooued their sinnes and therefore were worthily afflicted by the Assyrians see the second chapter in the end thereof In the daies of king Osee was the kingdome of Samaria that is of the ten tribes ended For then was Samaria vtterly destroied which afterward the Assyrians did inhabite of whom came the Samaritans those wicked heretiques Which subiection of the said ten tribes may be a parpetuall document to all christian people euer to exhibite loyall seruice to their Soueraignes and due reuerence to Gods ecclesiastical messengers the preachers of his sacred word which thing notwithstanding is little regarded in these daies through the antichristian doctrine of seditious semenaries CHAP. VIII Of the Prophetes and Priestes of the Hebrewes vntill the captiuitie The Prophets and priestes of the Iewes Prophetes Ionas who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Oseas who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Abdias who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Amos who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Esaias who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Iohel who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Michaeas who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Nahum who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Abacuc who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Hieremias who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Baruch who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Sophonias who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Ezechiel who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Daniel who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Aggaeus who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Zacharias who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Malachias who liued in the time of both kingdomes that is to say of Iuda and of Israel especially in the time of the captiuitie of Babilon Priestes Sadoch in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Achimaas in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Ioram in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Auxieramus in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Nidaeas in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Sudaeas in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Hilus in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Ioathan in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Vrias in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Nerias in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Odaeas in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Sellum in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Helchias in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Zara in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise Iosedech in the time of all these the children did euer succeede their fathers vntill the captiuitie but after the captiuitie it was otherwise CHAP. IX Of the Actes and times of the Prophetes iâ— briefe maner A. M. 3180. The Prophets of the old testament A. M. 3504. Ionas prophesied to the Niniuites in the time of Ozias Osee prophesied against Samaria in the time of Ioatham Abdias prophesied against the Idumeans and other enemies of the Israelites in the time of
in the age of the worlde 2083. from hence must we reckon the foure hundred yeeres Gene. 15.13 Acts 7. verse 6. Galat. 3. verse 17. for the promised seede beganne in Isaac Genesis 21. verse 12. Abraham was appointed by God to sacrifice his only sonne Isaac in whome the promise was made Genesis 22. ver 2. whose faith was so strong that hee neither disobeyed Gods commandement neither distrusted his promise ver 9 10. The doubt How could Isaac bee his onely sonne since Ismael was borne before him and euen then liuing I answere that after Ismael was by Gods appointment put out of Abrahams familie he became as dead and had no place amongst Abrahams children Genesis 21. ver 12. An obseruation Although circumcision be called Gods couenant Gene. 17. vers 10. yet was it not the couenant indeede but a signe or feale of Gods couenant made to Abraham and to his seede after him Gen. 17. ver 7. It was called the couenant because it signified the couenant and had the promise of grace annexed to it as all sacraments haue And as circumcision was called Gods couenant and yet but a signe or sacrament thereof euen so in the Lords supper the bread is called his bodie albeit it be but a signe and sacrament of the same For which purpose S. Austen in his epistle to Bonifacius hath a very fine saying well worthie to be ingrauen in golden letters His expresse words be these For if sacraments had not a certaine resemblance of those things whereof they be sacraments they could be no sacraments at all By reason of the similitude or signification they oftentimes take the names of the thinges themselues as therfore in a certain maner the sacrament of the body of Christ is Christs body and the sacrament of the blood of Christ is Christs blood euen so the sacrament of faith is also faith The seuenth Section of Iacob Iacob was 130. yeeres olde when he went into Egypt and came before king Pharaoh Genesis 47. verse 7 9. Iacob and his sonnes in the time of famine came from Canaan to soiourne in Egypt and they dwelt by Pharaohs grant in Ramesis a citie in the countrey of Goshen Genes 47. verse 4 11. Iacob died in Egypt Gen. 49. verse 33. he was buried honorably in his owne countrey Gen. 50. he liued 17. yeares in Egypt Gen. 47. verse 28. The children of Israel the posteritie of Iacob went into Egypt together Genes 46. verse 6. they were all 70. in number Genes 46. verse 27. Deuter. 10 verse 22. The first doubt In Genesis and Deuteronomie the kinred of Iacob surpasseth not 70. persons yet saint Lukes computation is 75. I answer that as saint Austen saith lib. 16. ciu cap. 40. Saint Luke speaketh not precisely of the time when Iacob went into Egypt but of the whole time during Iosephs abode there in which time Ioseph had children to supply the number The second doubt The persons that came into Egypt if they be reckoned particularly are onely 66 which descended of Iacob Genes 46. I prooue it because Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan and so could not come with Iacob into Egypt No more could the two sonnes of Ioseph Manasses and Ephraim who were borne in Egypt and there continued I answere that the two children of Ioseph must be in the computation as I haue shewed out of saint Austen to whom we must adde Dina and the patriarke Iacob himselfe and so the number of 70. is accomplished The third doubt The children of Israel were but 70. persons when they went into Egypt and yet they came out of Egypt about sixe hundred thousand men of foote besides children and women which multiplication is not possible by the course of nature I answer that the multiplication is possible euen by the course of nature First because they were in Egypt about 215. yeares Secondly because perhaps the men had many wiues as which was in those dayes an vsuall thing Thirdly because one woman might haue many children at once for women in Egypt as writeth Trogus haue seauen children at one birth Plin. lib. 7. cap. 3. Fourthly because God promised to multiplie the seede of Abraham Gene. 17. The fourth doubt The Israelites were 400. yeares in Egypt as we reade in Genesis and in other places of the scripture therefore it is false to say that they were there but 215. yeeres I answer that those 400. yeeres must be reckoned from the birth of Isaac or from the expulsion of Ismael because euen then that seede beganne to be afflicted See the eight chapter in the fift section where this difficultie is handled at large The fift doubt God is not the author of sinne neither tempteth he any man Iames 1. ver 13. but to spoile our neighbours of their owne goods is a great sinne and flat theft which thing for all that God commaunded the Israelites to do Exodus 12. verse 35. Exod. 3. verse 22. I say first that as the schooles truly teach the law negatiue bindeth alway and at euery instant so that whatsoeuer is prohibited by a precept negatiue can at no instant be lawfully done although that which is commanded to be done by the law affirmatiue may at some instant be omitted without sinne I say secondly that sinne hath no positiue cause but onely a cause deficient and consequently God being voide of all imperfections and defects as who is not onlie good but the high goodnesse it selfe can not be the authour of sinne I say thirdly that theft as all learned diuines graunt with vniforme consent is the taking or detaining of an other mans goodes against the will of the owner Whereuppon it followeth that since God almightie is the chiefe lorde and owner of all riches goods lands and possessions God commanded not the Israelites to take frō the Egyptians their goods but that which was his owne and by best right due vnto him Yea as a most iust iudge he appointed them so to doe in recompence of their labours The eight section of Moses Moses was sonne to Amram the Leuite his mothers name was Iochebed the daughter of Leui. Aaron was his brother Miria his sister Numer 26. verse 59. Exod. 2. verse 1. The king of Egypt commanded the midwiues of the Hebrew women that when they did the office of a midwife then they shuld kill all sonnes but suffer daughters to liue This notwithstanding the midwiues feared God and therefore preserued aliue the men children Exod. 1. verse 15 16 17. A great doubt God rewarded the midwiues for telling a lie to the king therefore to lie is no sinne I say first that to lie is neuer lawfull neither for one respect nor other I say secondly that as God rewarded the midwiues Shiphrah and Puah so did hee Rahab but he rewarded them not for the telling of a leasing I say thirdly with Austen that God rewarded them because they loued and feared him which are the true
fruits of a liuely faith which solution is effectually comprised euen in the text it selfe Exod. 1. verse 21. neither could an officious lie committed by humane frailtie make frustrate their liuely faith Moses when he was fortie yeres olde fled from king Pharaoh and was a stranger in the land of Madian Acts 7. verse 23. verse 29. Moses being a faire childe was hidde three moneths in his fathers house Acts 7. verse 20. After three months the mother of Moses because she could hide him no longer from the tyranny of the king made a basket of reedes and laide the child therein and put it among the bulrushes by the riuers brincke where Pharaohs daughter espied him and caused him to be brought vp as her own child Yea by Gods prouidence his owne mother became his nurse Exod. 2. verse 3.7 10. The Egyptians made the Israelites wearie of their liues by sore labor in clay and in bricke and in all maner of bondage which they laide vpon them most cruelly Exod. 1. verse 14. but God whose prouidence is neuer wanting to his children raised vp Moses who in the 40. yeere of his age auenged the cause of his brethren the Israelites and slew the Egyptian that smote an Hebrew Exod. 2. verse 11. Act. 7. ver 23. The children of Israel were 40. yeeres in the wildernesse by the holy and valiant conduction of Moses in which time neither their clothes waxed old vpon their backes neither their shooes vpon their feete such was the omnipotent power and mercifull goodnes of their good God and ours Deut 29. vers 5. They were fed with manna fortie yeres in the wildernesse vntill they came into the land of Canaan Exod. 16. verse 35. The law was giuen 430. yeares after the promise made to Abraham Galat. 3. verse 17. in the age of the worlde 2513. which was 480. yeares before Salomon built the temple 3. King 6. verse 1. It was giuen in mount Sinai which was al on a smoake the Lord came downe vpon it in fire and all the mount trembled exceedingly Thunders and lightnings were vpon the mount and the sound of the trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people in the campe was afraide Exod. 19. ver 16 18. which fearefull signes God shewed in exhibiting his law as well to cause it be had in greater reuerence as also to make his maiestie more feared The law written with the finger of God in tables of stone was giuen the third day of the third month after the comming of Israel out of Egypt so that from the 14. day of the first moneth in which the Israelites eate the passeouer vntill the day in which the law was giuen are reckoned iump 50. daies First 17. of the first moneth then 30. of the second moneth lastly three dayes of the third moneth The law therefore was giuen the 50. daie after the departure of the Israelites out of Egypt August tom 4. libr. 2. quaest supr Exod. cap. 70. pa. 103. Moses died when he was 120. yeres olde neither was his eie dimme nor his naturall force abated Deuteronomie 34. verse 7. Moses was buried in a valley in the land of Moab but no man knoweth of his sepulchre vnto this day Deut 34. ver 6. least the Iewes shoulde thereby haue occasion to commit Idolatry as people most prone thereunto euen as they adored the Serpent which he had made Aug. lib. 1. de mirab S. Script cap. 35. The whole life of Moses is deuided into three quadragenaries For he learned fortie yeares in Egypt in the house of king Pharao He was fourtie yeares in exile in Egypt in the house of a priest of Madian and he was 40. yeares in the desert leader to the Israelites Aug. vbi supra There was not a prophet since in Israel like vnto Moses whom the Lord knewe face to face He did miracles and wonders before Pharao in the land of Egypt and before all his seruauntes Deut. 34. verse 10. The blessed man Moses in his infancie was put in a basket daubed with clay and so exposed to Gods prouidence vpon the water Whereupon he was so called for Mo in the Egyptian tongue signifieth water and Yses signifieth saued So that Moyses in the Egyptian language signifieth saued out of the water Iosephus lib. 2 antiquit cap. 5. The ninth section of Ioseph Ioseph was the sonne of Israel otherwise called Iacob beloued of his father aboue all his brethren his brethren hated him mortally because he cōplained to his father of their naughtie dealing they consulted to slay him and to tell their father that a wicked beast had deuoured him But Ruben being more mercifull then the rest willed them not to shed his bloud but to cast him into a drie pit in the wildernesse thinking by that meanes to redeeme him After by the aduise of Iudah they sold him to the Ismaelites who sold him to Putiphar steward to Pharao king of Egypt Gen. 37. The doubt In the 37. of Genesis verse 28. and in the 39. of Genesis verse 1. It is said that the Ismaelites bought and sold Ioseph but in the 37. of Genesis verse 36. it is said that the Madianites sold him into Egypt I answere that Moses speaketh indifferently of the Madianites and Ismaelites vsing them both for one and the same people Ioseph was blessed of God and all thinges prospered vnder his handes Which when Potiphar saw he made him ruler of his house and put al that he had in his hand Yet by the naughty dealing of Potiphars wife he was cast in prison Gene. 39. verse 2.3.20 Ioseph expounded Pharaoh his dreames for which cause he was deliuered out of prison highly honoured of the king and made the chiefe gouernour of the land of Egypt Gen. 41. ver 25.43 Ioseph was a figure of our Sauiour Christ liuely declared by S. Austen For as Iosephes brethren when they saw him consulted to put him to death euen so the Iewes when they saw Christ tooke counsell him to crucifie Iosephes brethren tooke from him his motly coat and the Iewes took from Christ his corporall coate Ioseph spoiled of his coate went downe into the pit and Christ spoiled of his body descended into hell Ioseph comming out of the pit was bought of the Egyptians and Christ arising from the dead was bought of the Gentiles by faith Ioseph was sold for 30. pence by the counsell of Iudah his brother and Christ was solde for 30. pence by the trecherie of Iudas his Apostle Ioseph saued Egypt from famin and Christ saued the world from sinne If Iosephs brethren had not sold him Egypt had starued euen so if the Iewes had not sold Christ the world had perished Aug Serm. 81. de temp Ioseph was 80. yeres ruler in Egypt Gen. 41. verse 46. Gene. 50. verse 22. He liued a 110. yeares he died in Egypt was there enbalmed and chested Gene. 50. verse 22.26 But he was carried thence and buried with his auncestors Exo. 13. verse 19. The
Anno mundi 3197 32 Kings 36 Tantens Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 40 Kings 36 Thineus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 30 Kings 36 Dercilus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 40 Kings 36 Eupales Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 38 Kings 36 Laosthenes Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 45 Kings 36 Piriciades Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 30 Kings 36 Ophrateus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 20 Kings 36 Ophratanes Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 50 Kings 36 Ocrazapes Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 41 Kings 36 Sardanapalê° Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 20 Kings 36 Sardanapalus was the last king of the Assyrians that possessed the whole monarchie he was a man of very bad behauiour and being â—â—ercome in battell by Arbaces hee burnt himselfe to death by fire This monarchie indured 1240. yeeres after Eusebius but see the fourth section following and marke it attentiuely After that Sardanapalus the vicious and effeminate monarke had burnt himselfe together with his riches Phul Belochus the president of Babylon and Arbaces ruler of the Medes diuided the monarchie betweene them Phul Belochus had Babylon and Assyria Arbaces enioyed Media and Persia. The kings that took part with Arbaces were termed the Kings of the Medes Such as followed Belochus the Kings of the Assyrians Chaldeans or Babylonians The court lay first at Niniueh after at Babylon Arbaces the Mede subdued the Assyrians and translated the Empire to the Medes From hencefoorth many alterations chanced in the monarkie After Herodotus the Assyrians held the monarchie 500. yeeres from which time now the Assyrians now the Medes now the Chaldeans had the vpper hand At the length the Medes being more mightie then the rest subdued Babylon and quietly enioyed the whole empire The kings of y e Medes Arbaces Anno mundi 3195 raigned yeres Anno mundi 3456 28 Sosarnus Anno mundi 3195 raigned yeres Anno mundi 3456 30 Medidus Anno mundi 3195 raigned yeres Anno mundi 3456 40 Cardiceas Anno mundi 3195 raigned yeres Anno mundi 3456 15 Diôcles Anno mundi 3195 raigned yeres Anno mundi 3456 54 Phaortes Anno mundi 3195 raigned yeres Anno mundi 3456 24 Cyaraxes or Cyaxares Anno mundi 3195 raigned yeres Anno mundi 3456 32 Astyages Anno mundi 3195 raigned yeres Anno mundi 3456 38 The monarkie of the Assyrians which is also called the monarkie of the Chaldeans and of the Babylonians because they sometime inioyed it though with small felicitie beganne about the age of the world 2008. and continued about 1470. yeeres at what time Darius king of the Medes with Cyrus his sonne in law wanne Babylon and killed Balthazar Dan. 5. verses 30 31. The third section of Balthazar Balthazar king of Babylon when hee was drinking wine commanded the golden vesselâ—es which his father had brough from the temple in Hierusalem to be set before him that hee his princes his wiues and his concubines might drinke therein they drunke wine and praised the gods of gold siluer brassâ— and stone But what followed al this idololatricall ioy in the very same houre there appeared fingers of a mans hand writing vpon the wall of the kings pallace so that the kings countenance changed and his thoughts troubled him The ioynts of his loynes were loosed his knees smote one against the other and he cried mightily Dan. 5. verse 2 3 5 6 7. Behold here the end of idolatrie and superstition Balthazar foorthwith after he had adored his false gods was tormented as is said the same night he was staine and Darius the Mede inioyed the kingdome verse 30 31. A wonderful example for al kings and monarkes euer to serue the liuing God and to set foorth his pure religion The fourth section of the diuersitie in computation Eusebius and some others reckon the monarchie of the Assyrians from Ninus and so it continued 1240. yeeres as is saide in the second section Yet others who seeme to followe Philo and Metasthenes beginne the monarchie in the 8. yeere of Nabuchodonosors reigne and then it indured onely seuentie yeeres for Nabuchodonosor raigned 45. yeeres Euil-merodach his sonne 30. yeres and Balthazar his sonne 3. yeres Such as will in this maner make their supputation must reckon the first monarchie to be of the Babylonians not of the Assyrians Genebrardus reckoneth the monarchie to haue continued 78. yeares that is eight yeares before the captiuitie because the first yeare of Nabuchodnosor fell in the end of the third yeare of Ioachim Dan. 1. and was the fourth of Ioachim Iere. 25. but so the veritie of the historie be granted it skilleth not much to varie the name CHAP. II. Of the kings of the Assyrians and Babilonians after the death of Sardanapalus and the diuision of the monarchie PHul Belochus was the first king of the Assyrians after the diuision of the Empire and death of Sardanapalus hee was a magnificall and fortunate Prince and Niniue was his pallace he was president of Babilon in the time of Sardanapalus after whose miserable death he enioyed halfe of the monarchie as I haue shewed in the first chapter and second section he ruled 48. yeares in all Phull Assar surnamed Tiglath was the second king of the Assyrians he was a verie bad king he destroyed Galile and led some of the tribes into captiuitie he raigned 23. yeares Salmanasar was the third king of the Assyrians hee was a tyrannicall and cruell king this Salmanasar destroyed the kingdome of Israel besieged Samaria tooke it battered it downe slew the king and led away into Media the people that remained after the slaughter for hee was ruler in that countrey and he raigned eleuen yeares Sennacherib the fourth king of the Assyrians was an arrogant wicked godlesse man he bent himself against god with sacrilegious and blasphemous speeches he sent a great host against Hierusalem but Gods Angell smote in his armie an hundred foure score and fiue thousand insomuch that he was enforced to retire and to dwell againe in Niniue For his blasphemie against god an horrible death befel vpon him for as he was in the temple worshipping his God Nisroch Adramelech and Saresar his owne sonnes smat him with the sword and they escaped when they had slaine him into the land of Armenia 4. King 18 19 chap. so was he murdered euen before the idoll whom he adored for God and by them by whom he ought by nature to haue bin defended he raigned 15. yeares That the wickednes of this Senacherib might be noted of all posterities his image was set vp in Egypt with this inscription ouer it as writeth Herodotus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say Whosoeuer shall behold mee with his corporall eies let him learne by my calamitie to honour
difficultie In Ester the Prouinces are reckoned to be 127. but in Dan. cap. 6. verse 1. reckoning is made onely of sixe score seuen wanting of the number in Ester The answere I answere that the vsual maner and course of the holy scripture is this to recite the perfect number and to omit the odde and vnperfect Euen so Daniel expressing the perfect number was carelesse for the odde CHAP. IIII. Of the weekes mentioned in Daniel The first section The Monarchie of the Persians conteined the kingdomes of the Persians of the Medes of the Assyrians of the Chaldeans a great part of Asia and of other regions adiacent It began in the age of the world 3425. In the 20. yere of Darius Longhand aliâs Darius Artaxerxes beganne the seuentie weekes foreshewed by Daniel cap. 9. See the fourth section No place of holy scripture is more excellent more worthie or more necessarie to be vnderstood of euerie christian man then the 70. weekes reuealed by the angel to Daniel For no place in all the old testament doth more cleerely set Christ with al his glory and manifold giftes before our eies no place doth more firmely strengthen our faith no place doth more effectually conuince the Iewes no place doth more strongly confute all heresies all phantasticall opinions and all pestilent errors against our Sauiour Christ then this place of Daniel Worthily therfore ought we to employ our whole care studie and industrie for the exact vnderstanding of the same The second section All writers agree in these two points First that weeks in the ninth chapter of Daniel are not taken for common weekes but for weekes of yeares euen as we finde in Leuiticus cap. 25. verse 8. where it is thus written Thou shalt number seuen Sabbothes of yeeres vnto thee euen seuen times seuen yeare and the space of the seuen Sabbothes of yeares will be vnto thee nine and fortie yeares Secondly that the 70. weekes make seuentie times seuen according to the phrase of Leuiticus and so the iust number must be 49. yeares In this point the very Rabbins of the Iewes doe agree with our Christian interpreters and historiographers And necessitie without more adoe enforceth vs to admit this glosse and exposition of the weekes because otherwise the assertion of the angel of God notified to vs by the Prophet Daniel shoulde be absurd and vtterly swaruing from the trueth The third section Of the probation for the exposition of the seuentie weekes Dan. 9. verse 24. That 70. weekes doe neither signifie weekes as a weeke importeth seuen daies neither yet 70. weekes only as weekes be taken for yeares I prooue sundry waies First because an angel needed not to haue been sent from heauen to instruct Daniel if the 70. weekes had no mysticall nor secret meaning far aboue the common and literall signification of the wordes Secondly because the vision which Daniel had and which the angel came to expound conteined the duration of the second and third monarchies as appeareth in the eight of Daniel Which farre exceedeth both the number of 70. weekes and 70 yeares Thirdly because Gods mercie doth seuen fold exceed his iudgment which mercy he promiseth to his people who were 70. yeares in captiuitie and that it shalbe accomplished in the aduent of the true Messias Christ Iesus By whom and through whom wickednesse shall be finished sinnes sealed vp iniquitie reconciled and our righteousnesse purchased euerlastingly Fourthly because no other interpretation of the 70. weeks can possibly accord the wordes of Daniel Fiftly because albeit S. Hierome Clemens Alexandrinus Tertullianus Africanus and others doe muche dissent in determining the beginning of the 70. weekes that is in what yeare of what king we must beginne the supputation yet doe they all iumpe in the signification of the 70. weeks as who al do constantly write that they connotate 490. yeares Sixtly because the supputation of euerie writer bringeth vs to Christ which is the scope intended and plainly expressed in Daniel and consequently no other exposition can be true Obserue well the second section The fourth section Of the varietie in writers touching the time of the 70. weekes Some writers beginne the supputation of the 490. yeares in the second yere of the 80. Olympias which was in the 7. yeare of Darius Artaxerxes Longimanus Some beginne in the 32. yeare of Darius Histaspis Others begin in the first yeare of Cyrus Others sooner others later Some end their supputation in the birth of Christ some in his baptisme some in his preaching some in his death So that all agree in the substance of the thing though they dissent in the modification of the same Affricanus whose opinion I preferre beginneth the supputation in the twentieth yeare of Artaxerxes Longhand because then receiued Nehemias commandement to build vp the walles of the Citie of Hierusalem and to consummate the whole worke of the temple walles and cittie Nehe. 2.1.8 from which time if we reckon saieth he vntil Christ we shall find the 70. weekes But if we beginne out computation from anie other time neither the times wil be consonant and many absurdities wil insue thereupon And we must saith Affricanus reckon our yeares after the supputation of the Hebrewes who doe not reckon moneths after the course of the Sunne but of the Moone for from the 20. yere of the said Artaxerxes that is from the fourth yere of the 83. Olympias vnto the 202. Olympias and second yeere of the same Olympias and 18. yeare of Tyberius Cesar in which yeare Christ was crucified are gathered 475. yeares which doe make 490. yeares after the supputation of the Hebrewes and course of the Moone Whoso listeth may reade this matter handled at large in Saint Hierome in his excellent Commentaries vppon the ninth of Daniel where hee citeth the variaable opinions of Hippolitus Tertullianus Clemens Affricanus Eusebius and others and seeing the difficultie to bee great referreth the iudgement to the reader although hee seeme indeede to preferre the opinion of Affâ—icanus before the rest That this opinion of Affricanus is grounded in the true meaning of the prophecie of Daniel I will prooue by sundrie important reasons First because it agreeth verie fitlie with the supputation of the Persians and Romain monarchie Secondly because from the twentieth yere of Artaxerxes Longimanus vntill the passion of Christ be iust 490. yeares according to the course of the Moone or after the supputation of the Hebrewes Thirdly because no other opinion doth either iumpe with the death of Christ or with the computation of the monarchies Fourthly because the prophet speaketh expressely of the death and passion of Christ Iesus These are the words And after threescore and two weekes shall Messiah be slaine so then the true account of the weekes must so beginne as they may end iust with the death of Christ but so it is that no account saue onely this of Affricanus which I preferre doth or
these expresse words Mens namque fuit Apostolorum non de diebus sancire festiuitatum sed conuersationem rectam dei praedicare culturam mihi ergo videtur quod sicut multa alia per prouincias ad consuetudinem venerunt sic Paschae festiuitas tradita sit eó quod nullus Apostolorum aliquid huic sanxisset For the meaning of the Apostles was not to make lawes for keeping holidaies but to preach the word of God and holy conuersation I therefore thinke that as many other things grew to a custome in diuerse countries so did also the keeping of Easter because none of the apostles made any lawe for the same Out of whose wordes I do note first that the scope of Christs apostles was this to preach the word of God not to appoint holidays Secondly that the keeping of Easter which is our sabbaoth was after the custome of the countrey Thirdly that the apostles made no lawe for the same Yea the first man in the world that made any positiue lawe for the christian sabbaoth was Constantine surnamed the Great who within three hundred and thirtie yeres after Christ about the 20. yere of his reigne to take away all contention in the church made a flatte Edict for the keeping of Friday and Sunday throughout the yeere Of this none can stand in doubt that shall pervse that fine Oration which Eusebius made de Laudibus Constantini the three and thirtieth yeere of his happy raigne This controuersie by the Emperours appointment was handled in the councill of Nice and immediatly after his decree which thing is euident by the saide Eusebius in his third booke de vitae Constantini and in his fourth booke hee affirmeth plainely that all subiect to the Romane empire were commaunded to abstaine from all bodily labour vppon the sundayes and fridayes Cassiodorus doeth prooue the same out of Sozomenus in these expresse wordes Die verò qui Dominicus vocatur quem Hebraei primam vocant Graeci autem soli distribuunt qui ante septimum est sanctuit à iudicijs aliÃsque causis vniuersis habere vacationem in eo tantum orationibus occupari The Emperour Constantine decreed that all people should cease from al sutes and other ciuil causes and consecrate themselues wholy vnto prayer vppon the Lordes day which the Iewes doe call the first day of the weeke and the Greekes doe terme Sunday as also vpon the friday The learned diuines in Germanie affirme directly that the Sunday may be altered These are their words Nam qui iudicant ecclesiae authoritate pro sabbato institutam esse diei Dominici obseruationem tanquam necessariam longè errant for they that thinke the church appointed the sunday to be kept for the sabbaoth of necessitie are deceiued grossely My third proofe is this Philippus Melancton Erasmus Roterodamus Iohannes Caluinus Petrus Martir Bullingerus and Vrsinus do all with vniforme consent yeelde so manifest testimonie to mine assertion as none doubtlesse that reade them attentiuely can without blushing deny the same Petrus Martir hath these words Quòd vnus dies certus in hebdomada cultui diuino mancipetur stabile firmum est an vero hic vel alius constituatur temporarium est ac mutabile That one day in the weeke must be assigned for diuine seruice it is constant firme and perpetuall but whether this or that day ought to be appointed for that purpose it is a thing that respects the time and may be changed Caluin in his Institutions after he hath commended the alteration of the saboth in the primitiue church affirmeth flatly that the day may yet be changed these be his wordes Neque sic tamen septenarium numerum morâ—r vt eius seruituti ecclesiam astringam neque enim ecclesias damnauero quae alios conuentibus suis solemnes dies habeant modò à superstitione absint Quod erit si ad solam obseruationem disciplinae ordinis bene compositi referantur Neyther do I for all that make such accompt of the seuenth day that I will haue the church tyed to keepe the same for I will not condemne churches which appoint other solemne dayes for their meetings so they be voide of superstition Which shal bee done if they appoint such tdayes onely for discipline and for comely order sake Vrsinus hath these words Summa est alligati sumus sabbato moraliter ceremonialiter in genere sed non in specie Hoc est ad aliquod ministerii publicè exercendi tempus sed non ad septimum vel aliquem alium certum diem This is the effect we are tied to the saboth morally and ceremonially in generall but not in speciall that is to say we are bound sometime to exercise the publike ministerie but wee are neither tied to the seauenth nor to any other certaine day And againe hee saith that all ceremonies appointed by the church may be altred againe by the counsell of the church Againe in another place he hath these expresse words Ecclesia christiana primum vel aliumdiem tribuit ministerio salua sua libertate the church of Christ hath libertie to appoint either the first day or some other day for Gods seruice To what end shoulde I alleage moe authorities for nothing can be more plainely spoken And as the church hath authoritie to alter the sabboth day so hath it power also which Bâ—llinger hath well obserued to appoint for the seruice of God certaine other festiuall dayes as the feast of the birth of our Lord of his incarnation circumcision passion resurrecâ—ion ascension and such like All which is this day verie prudently and laudably practised in the church of England An obiection If this your doctrine were true as you beare the world in hand it is then would it follow necessarily that there shoulde be no difference betweene the ordinance of God and man the reason seemeth euident because they both should be of like authoritie The answere I answere that they are not of like authoritie and I yeeld a double disparitie thereof for first the sabboth day is de iure diuino in generall albeit the determination thereof to this or that day in speciall be de iure humano but the other holidayes are both in generall and in speciall de iure humano Secondly because other holydaies are as well generally as specially appointed by man and therefore may be wholly abolished by the power of man But the sabboth day is generally appointed by God although the limitation thereof be reserued to his church and therefore notwithstanding that the church can limit the obseruation to this or that day yet can no power vpon earth wholly abolishe the same The fourth booke conteineth the description of the third Monarchie that is of the Greekes from Alexander vntill the Machabees CHAP. I. Of the originall of the monarchie and the circumstances of the same ALexander king of the Macedonians for his martiall
prowesse and heroical vertues surnamed the Great began to reigne in Macedonia when Darius Arbelas was made king of the Persians He made warre with the said Darius he conquered and slew him in Asia and so translated the Monarchie from the Persians vnto the Greekes The monarchie of the Greekes began in the seuenth yeare of Alexanders reigne in the age of the world 3641. The histories of the Greekes are much more recent then the stories of the Iewes For all their histories are after the first monarchie of the Babylonians and Assyrians neither haue they any thing certaine which is more auncient then their Olimpiades Which Olimpiades had their beginning in the first or second yeare of Ioatham king of Iuda as Glareanus Paulus Phrigio Bibliandâ—r and others doe write though some writers otherwise of credite holde the contrary in the age of the world 3251. which was about 230. yeares before the monarchie of the Persians This Monarchie tooke the name of king Alexander and was termed indifferently the monarchie of the Greekes or of Alexander because he so excelled all others in power valure fortitude and other vertues as none in the world were deemed comparable to him He is highly commended by the prophets Iâ—remie and Daniel as a most valiant and happie emperour Daniel describeth a Goate which ouercame the Ramine and hee declareth manifestly that the goate was the king of the Greekes the Ram of the Persians His fathers name was Philip his mothers name Olympias Olympias was the mother of Alexander and was also taken for the space of 4. yeres as I haue already proued But Olympias is a mountaine in Greece between Thessalia and Macedonia aboue the which there appeareth no cloud In regard whereof it is vsurped of the Poets for heauen This hill as Plutarchus writeth is tenne furlonges in height The prophet Daniel speaking of the goate that is of Alexander foretold that his Empire shoulde be deuided into foure kingdomes and so it came to passe For Cassander had Macedonia Seleucus Syria Antigonus Asia the lesse and Ptolemeus Egypt For the exact vnderstaÌ„ding of Daniels prophesie it is necessarie to vnderstand the succession of the kings and their reignes especially of the kinges of Syria of whom the Scripture maketh precise mention King Alexander reigned sixe whole yeares and died in the seuenth after his death the nobles had mortall domesticall warres amongst themselues striuing for the space of thirteene yeares who should haue dominion This chaunced after that the Empire was deuided as is already said and shall appeare more at large in the third chapter following CHAP. II. Of the kinges of Syria succeeding Alexander The kings of Syria and Asia 1 Seleucus Nicanor Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 31 yeares 2 Antiochus Soter Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 19 3 Antiochus Theos Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 15 4 Seleucus Gallinicus Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 20 5 Seleucus Ceraunus Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 3 yeares 6 Antiochus Magnus Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 36 7 Seleucus Philopator Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 12 8 Antiochus Epiphanes Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 12 9 Antiochus Eupator Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 2 yeares 10 Demetrius Soter Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 10 11 Alexander filius Epiphan Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 5 12 Demetrius Nicanor Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 2 13 Antiochus Sedetes Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 3 14 Tryphon Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 3 15 Antiochus pius Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 12 yeares 16 Demetrius Nicanor Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 4 17 Alexander Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 2 18 Antiochus Gryphus Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 29 19 Seleucus sonne to Gryphus was at strife with his vncle and others of his kinred for the space of ten yeares Anno Mun. 3647 the reign of euerie king of Syria and Asia Anno Dom. 3877 10 yeares The first obseruation Seleucus the sonne of Gryphus king of Syria warred against Cyzicenus the sonne of Antiochus Sedetes whom after hee had taken him hee put to death By and by mortall wars arose between the brethren Wherwith the Syrians were so grieued and so annoyed with the ciuill warres that they knew no other fitter meanes to redeeme their vexation then to yeeld vp the kingdome to Tygranes the king of Armenia Which Tygranes enioyed Syria vntill such time as hee was ouercome of Pompeius who deliuered Syria vp to the Romaines This kingdome of Syria continued about 240. yeares and was deliuered into the handes of the Romaines 17. yeares after Iulius Cesar was first Emperour of Rome The second obseruation Seleucus Callimcus the sonne of Antiochus hadde two sonnes to wit Seleucus surnamed Ceraunus and Antiochus Magnus Seleucus Ceraunus liued but three yeres and then left y e kingdom to his brother Antiochus Magnus Which Antiochus made warre against Ptolemeus Philopator the king of Egypt and his sonne Epiphanes by meanes whereof the Iewes and church of God was in continuall affliction This Antiochus had the repulse in his first attempt yet after y e death of Ptolemeus who before his death commended his sonne to the protection of the Romaines he returned with a great armie into Egypt By this occasion long warres were betweene the Romaines and Antiochus Hanniball and many Regions in Greece ioyned themselues to Antiochus Neuerthelesse hee was so often discomfited in battaile that he was enforced to seek for conditions of peace And besides this hee was glad to send his sonne Epiphanes to Rome for an hostage In the end when he went about the sacking of the rich Temple of Belus in Syria the multitude of the Citizens slewe him and all his guard The Iewes saith Carion liued in great peace from the time of Alexander to Antiochus Magnus But when warres beganne betweene the Assyrians and Egytians then y e Iewes being seated in the middes were oppressed on both sides At length saith Iosephus Antiochus was victor and brought the Iewes vnder his
of the Iews was at an end about 30. yeeres before Christs incarnation Herode the stranger was successor to this Aristobulus in the kingdom and priesthood of the Iewes In the third yeere of the 186. Olympiade and in the age of the world 3937. yeeres then in the 32. yeere of Herod was our Sauiour borne The fourth obseruation Herod the great had many children Aristobulus Alexander Antipater Antipas Philippus and Archelaus Of which Aristobulus and Alexander were his children by his beloued wife Mariamne which Mariamne he put to death causing his children Alexander and Aristobulus to be strangled in Samaria Archelaus Herodes called Antipas Antipater and Philip yet liued amongst whom the kingdome was diuided Herodes the Great designed his sonne Archelaus to be king by his last will and testament but the Emperour Augustus would not confirme Herodes will and so hee was not king at the first yet Augustus was content that he should be Tetrarke and vpon hope of his good regiment to be king afterward This Archelaus saith Rhegino did reigne in Iudea when our Sauiour was brought out of Egypt for feare of which king he returned into Nazareth a towne in Galile where hee abode till his baptisme This was done in the seuenth yere of Christ and in the 15. yeere of his birth Archelaus being accused of treason before Augustus was banished out of Iewrie the kingdome was diuided among his 4. brethren Herod Antipater Lysanias and Philip. Yet this Antipater after Carion was slaine long before The first obseruation Whether Antipater was slaine as writeth Carion or liuing stil with Philip and the rest as saith Eusebius certaine it is that foure only are mentioned in the holy scripture to wit Archelaus who raigned in Iurie after Herod the great Antipas whom S. Luke calleth Herod who was Tetrarke of Galilie Philip who was Tetrarke of Iturea and Trachonitis Lysanias who was the Tetrark of Abilene Pilate being then president in Iewry which Lysanias after Eusebius was one of the brethren albeit other writers affirme no such thing CHAP. III. Of the 2300. daies Daniel had a vision of great persecution that shoulde come vnto the church that the daily sacrifice should cease and Gods trueth be troden vnder foote And that the sinnes of the Iewes were the cause of such horrible afflictions Yet for the solace of Gods children whom he neuer forsaketh finally the time of the desolation is appointed and pronounced in these obscure words Vnto the euening and morning two thousand and three hundreth then shall the sanctuarie be cleansed Sundrie as S. Hierome witnesseth trouble themselues miserably about the exposition of this place Some for 2300 read 2200 least sixe yeares and three monethes abound Other some vnderstand the place of Antichrist and that this shalbe reallie complete in him which was spoken typically of Antiochus And this childish imagination doe our late Iesuites and other papistes imitate whose fantasticall interpretation was confuted by S. Hierome before they were borne But the meaning is plaine and easie that is vntill so many naturall daies be past which in all make sixe yeares three monethes and an halfe For so long was the temple prophaned vnder the wicked king Antiochus And that this is the true sence of the place I prooue by two reasons First because that vnto the morning and to the euening cannot possibly be vnderstood of either yeares or monethes and yet can the same be truely and simply verified in so many natural daies Secondly because the prophet of God doth expound the rest of the vision euen of the kinges of Syria And my reasons are confirmed by S. Hieromes testimonie whose expresse words are these Vespere autem manè successioneÌ„ diei noctÃsque significat The euening and the morning doth signifie the succession of the day and the night And in the very same place hee prooueth by Iosephus and the bookes of the Machabees that the setting vp of Iupiters Image in the Temple and the time of the desolation wrought by Antiochus is correspondent to the 2300. daies CHAP. IIII. Of the priestes of the Iewes after the captiuitie vnto Alexander the Great The names of the priests Iesus Filius Iosedech Anno mun 3427 the time that they liued Anno mun 3645 72 yeares Ioachim Anno mun 3427 the time that they liued Anno mun 3645 30 Eliasib alià s Nechasib Anno mun 3427 the time that they liued Anno mun 3645 40 Ioiada Anno mun 3427 the time that they liued Anno mun 3645 24 Ionathan alià s Ioannan Anno mun 3427 the time that they liued Anno mun 3645 52 Iaddo alià s Iaddua Anno mun 3427 the time that they liued Anno mun 3645 28 yeares Iesus or Ieshua was the high priest in the returne euen as Zorobabel or Zerubbabel was the ciuill gouernour Diuers thinke diuersly of this succession but I deliuer plainly what I iudge most probable CHAP. V. Of the priests of the Iewes from king Alexander vnto the Machabees The names of y e priests Onias Priscus A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 25 yeares Simon Priscus A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 13 Eleazar A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 20 Manasses A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 27 yeares Simon Iunior A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 28 Onias Iunior A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 39 Iason A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 3 yeares Menelaus A. M. 3643 the time that they liued A. M. 3805 7 yeares This Menelaus was a very wicked priest whom Antiochus put to death at Berytus Antiochus moreouer inhibited Onias his sonne to succeed him and appointed Alcimus aliâs Iacimus the high priest which Alcimus was of the race and petigree of Aaron but not of the same familie Onias therefore sonne to Menelaus went into Egypt and insinuating himselfe into the amitie of Ptolomee Philometor and Cleopaâ—ra his wife perswaded them to build a temple in Heliopolis like to that of Hierusalem and to make him priest in the same place Iacimus after he had been high priest three yeares died leauing no successor behinde him and so the citie of Hierusalem was seuen whole yeares togither without a priest Afterward the gouernment of the Iewes was committed to the familie of the Assamoneans and then they rebelled against the Macedonians and made Ionathan the high priest These points and specially the case of Iacimus or Alcimus ought diligently to be marked against the mangled and fondly commended popish succession whereof by the power of God more shalbe said hereafter From about this time vntill Herod the great Iudas Machabeus and others of his race had the gouernment and priesthood among them From Herode vntill Christ our redeemer were yeares 32. plus minus During which time priests were not made of the line of the Assamoneans
and nouices of whome all and their liuings they are to dispose at their pleasures Thirdly albeit cardinalles be next to the pope and aboue all but the pope and albeit also that our Allen was made cardinall by their procurement that so he might aduance them at the recouerie of England which they thought certaine by their politike intended inuasion yet were and are they so hie minded that such Iesuites as they odly send into this realme must haue greater priuileges then any that he can procure although there be neuer so great oddes in the persons yea the Iesuits do this day so rule in this realme among the papists as they may rather seeme Cardinalles or Popes then humble friers professing pouerty For they place and displace the rest of the Seminaries at their good pleasures They haue their intelligencers their spies their collectors their spare and fresh horses their fine lodgings their secret places their sanctuaries in euery shire good towne and citie They sease and tax the richer sort of papists to whom when and how much they shall contribute Of their cruell dealing and pride intollerable I haue spoken more at large in my Motiues The names of the Kings that continually afflicted the Iewes Antiochus Magnus Filius 2 Antiochus nobilis vol Epiphanes Antiochus filius Antiochi Eupator Alexander filius Eupatoris Antiochus adolesceus Alexandri filius Tryphon Filius 1 Seleueâ—s Philopator Demetrius filius Seleâ—â—s Demetrius secundus fâ—lius Dâ—mâ—trii Antiochus filius Demetrii Here endeth the first part containing the state of Gods Church from Adam vntill the monarchie of the Romanes THE SECOND PART Containing the state of the Church from the beginning of the Monarchie of the Romans vntil Christs ascension The first Booke of the Monarchie of the Romans being the fourth in number The first Chapter of the originall of the Roman Empire and fourth Monarchie ALexander by testament assigned the administration of the kingdom of the Iewes vnto Queene Alexandra his wife After whose death Aristobulus rose vp in armes against his brother Hircanus and dispossessed him aswel of the priesthood as of the kingdome Hircanus therefore by the perswasion of Antipater father to Herod the great a very factious and cruel man whom king Alexander had highly aduanced fled into Arabia there humbling himself to the king who through the faire speeches and large promises of Antipater prepared a strong army and by that meanes placed Hircanus againe in his kingdome But Areta king of Arabia was no sooner departed then Aristobulus came vppon Hircanus with a fresh mightâ—e supplie At that time Pompeius that worthy and valiant captaine being then Consull of Rome and hauing conquered Tigranes the king of Armenia thought the cruell warres betweene the two brethren to be a fit occasion to dispossesse them both of the kingdome Hee therefore came with a mightie power to Hierusalem where he slew 1200 Iewes restored the pristhood to Hircanus carried away Aristobulus prisoner to Rome for a triumph and made the Iewes subiects and tributaries to the Romanes This was done in the age of the world 3909. after Rome was built 691. yeares in the third yeare of the 179. Olympiade Pompeius surnamed the Great for his incomparable victories for he subdued Armenia Spaine Affrica Judea Colchis Albaina Syria Iberia Arabia did wonderfully enrich the Romaines bringing at one triumph into their common treasurie 2000. talents of gold and siluer It is written of him that hee excelled in martiall prowesse hee subdued the valiant captaine Sertorius and vanquished Mithridates the mightie king of Pontus This Pompeius tooke to wife Iulia the daughter of Iulius Cesar who liued not long after her death the amitie betweene Pompey and Cesar decreased and by reason of their insatiable ambition ciuill warre brast out in which Cesar vanquished Pompey and Pompey fleeing into Egypt was there slaine deceitfully After whose death Iulius Cesar enioyed Asia Affrica and all the Romaine empire in the yeare of the world three thousand nine hundred and foure and twentie which was fiue and fourtie yeares before the birth of Christ 706. yeares after the citie of Rome was built in the second yeare of the 183. Olmypiade Yet for the space of fiue yeares or more he was grieuously molested with warres and coulde not quietly enioy the Empire hee liued in peace little more then fiue moneths Iulius Cesar was a verie vertuous valiant and mercifull Prince When he came out of Egypt to Rome he brought an excellent and skilfull mathematician with him hee caused the yeares to be obserued after the course of the sunne and procured the mathematicall science to bee taught throughout all Italy After the death of Iulius Cesar Octauius Augustus succeeded and raigned as Emperour after him and was surnamed Cesar. From henceforth all Emperours of Rome were called Cesars of Iulius Cesar and Augusti of Octauius Augustus their two first Emperours CHAP. II. Of the Emperour Nero. NEro was the sixt Emperour or Cesar of the Romaines in whome ended al the family of Augustus In the beginning of his empire he liued for some yeares honestly afterward he became horribly vicious he exceeded in all naughtie dealing and tyrannie yet had his education vnder the graue reuerend and wise Seneca Nero was adopted into the empire by Claudius who married his mother Agrippina He was so blodthirstie and cruel that he caused his owne mother his wife his brother and his deare friend Seneca to be murthered cruelly In the dayes of Nero a comet appeared for the space of sixe moneths which was a rare and wonderfull thing Nero was the first Emperour of Rome that by publique edict caused the christians to be tormented about the tenth yere of his raigne saint Peter and saint Paul were put to death at Rome Saint Peter was crucified with his head downward and saint Paul was beheaded with the sword Nero besides all other his wicked actes burnt Rome and in the foureteenth yeere of his raigne which was the two and thirtieth yeare of his age hee receiued condigne punishment for his due deserts He cutte his owne throate with his owne knife and vttered these most execrable wordes Haec est fides This is my faith and beleefe CHAP. III. Of the ten persecutions of the christians made by the ten Emperours of Rome THe first persecution was made by Nero as is alredy said the second by Domitianus the third by Traianus the fourth by Antoninus the fift by Seuerus the sixt by Maximinus the seuenth by Decius the eight by Valerianus the ninth by Aurelianus the tenth by Dioclesianus The tenth and last persecution exceeded al the rest as ecclesiasticall histories make relation the persecution was furthered by Maximianus and continued by Maximinus Maximianus in the east and Dioclesianus in the west made such hauocke of the church as the christiaÌ„s could abide no where without most bloody persecution the temples were set on fire the bookes of holy scripture were burnt and many thousands slaine within the space
credite For the verie inscription it selfe auoucheth roundly and boldly that that which followeth is but chaffe Out of which wordes I note first that the pope hath a long time seduced the worlde with fabulous vanities in printed bookes I note secondly that the foundations vpon which all poperie is built is nothing els but chaffe For to these foundations set downe in the 96. distinction of their owne decrees I doe not belie them reade the place who listeth and he shall finde it to be true the popish Canonists make this plaine inscription Palea Chaffe as if they should say Gentle reader be no longer seduced with such doctrine for that which followeth is but chaffe If any liuing can yeeld a fitter exposition I desire to know his skill I note thirdly that since the papists are enforced by the spirite of God to acknowledge the counterfeite groundes of the very principal articles in their religion published to the viewe of the worlde in their owne decrees and canon lawe euery discreete and wise reader may easily perceiue what credite ought to be giuen to their popish written vanities Decretall epistles Edictes Canons extrauagantes the like wherwith they haue these many yeres bewitched and dazeled the eyes of many men I answere thirdly that although they would haue vs to beleeue as an article of our Creede that Constantine was baptized at Rome by Siluester whereupon they ground many absurd consequentes yet doe most holy learned and ancient writers S. Hierome Eusebius Socrates Theodoritus Sozomenus Pomponius and Cassiodorus affirme the same to be a fable and that Constantine was christened at Nicomedia CHAP. VI. Of the warres betweene Constantine and Maxentius The most religious Emperour Constantinus preparing for warres against Maxentius who had thirsted the bloud of christians and fearing greatly the danger of the battell imminent did often lift vp his eies towardes heauen and humbly requested helpe at Gods hands Being at that time a great fauourer of christian religion and a zealous worshipper of the euerliuing God albeit hee had not as yet receiued the signe of Christes passion he saw in the firmament the euident signe of the crosse which so glistered with fierie brightnesse as he was astonied at the sight thereof While he was doubting with himselfe he beheld the angels of God standing by him and saying thus vnto him Constantine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Constantine in this signe get thou the victorie Constantine beeing ioyfull with this vsion and assuring himselfe of the victory against Maxentius made in his owne forehead the signe of the crosse which before he had seene in the firmament So write Eusebius Caesariensis Socrates Sozomenus Cassiodorus and many others of approoued antiquitie Whereupon the papistes would infer that it is lawfull to make images to set them vp in churches and to adore the same religiously For perspicuous confutation whereof with a manifest declaration of the state of the controuersie because it is maliciously defended by some vnsoundly impugned by others of others not throughly vnderstood I purpose to set downe these few conclusions The first conclusion The signe of the crosse appeared to the Emperour Constantine in the firmament at what time as hee was afraid to ioyne battell with Maxentius This conclusion is graunted and approoued by the vniforme consent of all learned writers Constantinus himselfe as Eusebius reporteth affirmed the same to Eusebius confirmed the veritie therof with an oth not only Eusebius but all the world for many hundreth yeares gaue credite thereunto Heereupon Constantinus and other christian kings generally vsed the signe of the crosse vpon the garments of their souldiers so often as they had warres with Infidels and such as were enemies to the name of Christ Iesus For then there was great cause so to doe as since iust occasion hath been giuen to take the same away which thing heereafter by Gods assistance more planly shall appeare The second conclusion Simplie and absolutely to make images for ciuill vse is not prohibited by the word of God This conclusion is to be prooued three speciall waies By the authoritie of holy writ by the testimonie of learned writers and by the generall practise of christian kinges Touching the first God himselfe indued Bezaleel with the spirite of wisedome vnderstanding and knowledge that he might worke curiously in gold siluer brasse in grauing stones and in caruing woode and in all maner of fine worke In the temple of Salomon were grauen Lillies Pomegranates Cherubins Lions and Palme trees God commaunded Moses to make two Cherubines aboue the mercie seate He also commanded to make a fierie or brasen Serpent and to set it vp for a signe Touching the second S. Basill is so farre from condemning the ciuill vse of images that he hath commended the making and the vtilitie thereof These are his expresse wordes Nam magnifica in bellis gesta oratores saepenumero pictores pulcherrime demonstrant Hi oratione illi tabulis describentes atque ornantes amboque plures ad fortitudinem imitandam inducentes Quae enim sermo historiae per inductionem praebet eadem pictura tacens per imitationem ostendit For not onely Oratours oftentimes but euen painters also doe finely pourtray worthy martiall exploites the one sort by their fine oratiōs the other by their fitly pourtraied tables both perswading many to the imitation of fortitude For whatsoeuer the historie doth performe by perswasion the same doth the silent picture declare by imitation In which wordes it is cleere that S. Basill approoueth the ciuill and historicall vse of images Eusebius Caesariensis maketh mention of the images of our Sauiour of Peter and Paul which were not only in his time but long before his daies The historicall vse whereof he neither reprooueth nor condemneth S. Ambrose Gregorius Magnus and many auncient fathers holde constantly the same opinion Touching the third Constantinus the first Christian Emperour surnamed the Great caused after his couersion his owne image to be engrauen in his coyne whose example therein all christian kinges at all times in all ages haue de facto approoued to be good For all kinges no one or other excepted haue their inscriptions and images vpon their gold and money neither were they at any time in any age reprooued by anie learned writer for the same Yea our Sauiour Christ himselfe seemeth to approoue the same when hee requiring to know whose inscription the money had charged to giue to Cesar that which was his owne In fine the reformed churches in Germanie this day allow thereof and the church of England approoueth the making of the signe of the crosse in the forehead of baptized infantes The third conclusion To worship and adore images religiously is superstitious and idolatricall This conclusion is prooued by the expresse commaundement of God For in Exodus it is written thus Thou shalt not make any grauē image thou shalt not bow downe to them nor
worship them And in Mathew Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely thou shalt serue For which cause S. Iohn could not be permitted to adore the Angel but was bidden to worship God For which cause Moses cast the Tables out of his hands brake them in peeces beneath the mountaine burned the calfe in the fire and grounded it vnto pouder For which cause the holy ghost commendeth Ezechias for breaking in peeces the brasen serpent For which cause Marcellina was condemned as an hereticke who worshipped as S. Augustine recordeth the Images of Iesus of Paul of Homere of Pythagoras For which cause S. Epiphanius seeing the image of a saint hanging in the Church tare the same in sunder and aduised the wardens to bury some poore body with the vaile and that no more any such vailes should be hanged vp in the Church Yea the same Epiphanius will not haue the blessed virgine Mary to be adored much lesse her image And if her image must be excluded what image I pray you can be approued for which cause the councill of Elibertine decreed grauely that nothing should be painted on the church walles which is adored of the people For which cause Lactantius pronounced freely that where images are there is no religion Neither will it help the papists to answer after their woonted manner that Lactantius speaketh of such images as are adored for gods For Lactantius maketh the selfe same obiection in the person of the Gentiles and inueyeth against it bitterly as a vaine friuolous and ridiculous thing And because I wil proceed sincerely in this point as in all other matters I thinke it conuenient heere to alleadge his expresse words which are these Non ipsa inquiunt timemus sed eos ad quorum imaginem ficta quorum nominibus consecrata sunt nempe ideo timetis quod eos in caelo esse arbitramini neque enim si dij sunt aliter fieri potest curigitur oculos in caelum non tollitis â—â—ur ad parietes ligna lapides potissimum quam illò spectatis vbi eos esse creditis We feare not say they the pictures or pourtraies but them after whose images they be made to whose names they are consecrated Doubtlesse ye therefore feare them because ye thinke they are in heauen For if they be gods it cannot otherwise come to passe Why therfore do ye not lift vp your eyes to heauen why doe ye rather looke vpon the walles vpon stockes and stonâ—s then thither where ye think they are In which words I note first that the Gentiles did not adore the images but the persons represented by the same for of fearing and adoring Lactan. speaketh indifferently throughout the whole chapter yet are they sharply reproued for their fact I note secondly that we must not adhere and fix our minds vpon stocks stones and the images of saints but lift vp our hearts to heauen where the saints now are Worthily therefore doe we condemne the Papists who do not only make images but also adore the same and that with the selfe same worship which is due and proper to God alone for so much auoucheth their owne deare doctor and canonized saint Aquinas of the image of our Sauiour Christ. For which respect Gregorie surnamed the Great who himself was a bishop of Rome sharply reproued the adoration worship of images albeit he admitted wel liked y e ciuil vse therof The second Booke of Christs birth baptisme preaching passion resurrection and ascension into Heauen with other things coincident CHAP. I. Of Christs birth ABout the time that Elias the Cabbalist foretolde in the age of the worlde 3969. the eight calends of Ianuary in the third yeere of the 194. Olympiade the 32. yeere of king Herode and the 42. yere of Augustus Cesar was our Lorde and Sauiour Christ Iesus borne into this world For albeit the 4000. yeres were not complete fully ended yet was his prediction true as some report it because he added that God would shorten the time for his elect Our Lord and Sauiour was conceiued by the holighost taking flesh blood bone of the blessed virgin Mary made like vnto vs in all things sinne onely excepted true man and true God hauing two perfect natures subsisting in one diuine person by reason of which hypostaticall vnion his holie mother was truely called deipara and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well the mother of God as of man Christ assuming the perfect nature of man lost no part of his nature diuine and consequently he must haue two willes diuine and humane of God and of man Christ assuming the perfect nature of man must needs haue euery thing pertaining to the perfection thereof among which the sensitiue appetite is one which wee call sensualitie yet in Christ Iesus there was no motion of sensualitie which was not ordered by reason and wholy obedient to the same For the sensitiue appetite to be moued according to the course of it owne nature was nothing repugnant to the diuine and reasonable humane wil of Christ. The blessed virgin being 14 yeres of age conceiued Christ her son by the power of the holie ghost the 25. day of March He was before all worlds and by him al things were made yet was he incarnat in the end of the world borne after a new and miraculous maner of the virgin Marie who was Saint Iosephs lawfull wife Christ the sonne of the euerliuing God tooke vpon him the forme of a seruant was poorely borne in a stall and made him selfe of no reputation and all this he did for the loue of man to teach man humilitie and to abase himselfe as Christ his Lorde and master gaue him ensample In those dayes Cyrenius being gouernour of Syria Augustus Cesar sent out an edict to taxe all that were subiect to the Roman empire Then Ioseph being of the house and linage of Dauid went vp from Galile to be taxed in Bethlehem with Mary his wife being then big with childe where she brought forth Christ and wrapping him in swadling clothes laide him in a cratch bicause there was no roome for them in the Inne So soone as Christ was borne the angels of God nothing regarding the pride of mightie men declared to the poore shepheards the godhead and office of the childe lying in the cribbe how that he was borne to be the sauiour of the world After the departure of the angels the shepheards went to Bethlehem where they found Marie Ioseph and the sweete babe lying in the cribbe at their returne they published abroad that which was tolde them of that childe CHAP. II. Of the infancie of our Sauiour Christ. WHen Christ Iesus was but eight dayes olde he was circumcised euen then beginning to spend his blood for the loue of man for albeit he was the head of the church yet was he subiect to the law to
deliuer man from the curse of the lawe The 13. day after Christs natiuitie certaine wise men came a long iourney out of the East to adore the Sauiour of the world And albeit Epiphanius affirmeth constantly that this comming was the second yere after Christs birth yet S. Hierome S. Augustine and other learned writers receiue the former opinion as most authenticall and they haue great reason so to do because the scripture seemeth to say no lesse For first the wisemen or astronomers are said to come when Christ was borne Which phrase can not be fitly verified but of a thing present or lately done Againe the wisemen found the babe in Bethlehem and consequently they came before the day of the purification for after that time Christ is not knowne to haue bin in Bethlehem And though the papists hold by a vain tradition that these wise men were three kings of Cullen Gaspar Melchiâ—r and Baltasar yet is it neither certaine that they were kings neither yet that they were no more but three And their owne reason thereof is very friuolous because their bodies are chalenged to be as well at Millaine as at Colen But here I must answer to some obiections which seeme to fortifie Epiphanius his opinion The first doubt The parents of Christ were so poore at the day of purification that they were not able to offer a lambe according to the law for rich men but were enforced to offer a paire of Turtle doues or two yong pigeons and therfore doubtlesse they had not receiued the rich treasures which the wise men brought to Christ. I answer that the blessed and humble virgin as shee was free from all pride and ostentation so was she not willing to change her poore state and condition which she knew well pleased her sonne the sonne of God The second doubt King Herod slew all the male children in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof from 2. yeeres old and vnder according to the time which he had diligently learned of the wisemen Among the rest he slew his owne sonne as writeth Macrobius who therefore wished rather to be Herodes hog then his child which certes he would neuer haue done if there had bene but 13. daies betweene the apparition of the starre and the comming of the wisemen I answer which is the opinion of saint Austen and saint Chrysostome that the starre appeared so long before the natiuitie of Christ as was sufficient for the wise men to dispatch their iourney and to adore Christ shortelie after he was borne Neither is it of force to obiect as some do that the wise men could not come so farre in so short a space for first whether these wise men were of the posteritie of Balaam and so came from Mesopotamia as saint Chrysostome saint Ierome and saint Ambrose thinke or they came out of Arabia which is the constant position of Iustinus or they were Persians or Chaldeans which the very name seemeth to prognosticate yet might they haue dispatched their iourney in lesse then tenne dayes For Hierusalem is distant from Aram from whence Balak brought Balaam but 72. miles from Vr of the Chaldees 212. miles Againe the starre appeared long before Christs birth so that they might be there in time conuenient Thirdly in those countries they haue plentie of dromedaries one of which wil carie a man as writeth Philostratur 1000. furlongs in one day that is 125. English miles CHAP. III. Of the perfect age of Christ. IEsus Christ when he was 30. yeeres of age left Galilee and came to the floud Iordan where he was baptized of saint Iohn his precursor By which act he sanctified our baptisme in himselfe the outward signe whereof putteth vs in minde that we must change our liues and become better assuring vs as by a seale that we are ingraffed into Christ whereby our old man dieth and the new man riseth vp againe So soone as Christ was baptized a voice came downe from heauen saying This is my beloued sonne in whom I am wel pleased This done he was teÌ„pted in the wildernes of y e deuill Christ hauing fasted 40. daies and being tempted of the deuil returned by the power of God into Galile after that a great fame was spread abroad of him in all the region hee came to Nazareth where he had beene brought vp and as his custome was went into the synagogue on the sabbaoth day to expound the scriptures Christ the third day after he came to Cana a towne in Galile was present at a marriage where he made water wine the first myracle that euer he wrought After Christ was baptised he began to preach the Gospell being 30. yeares of age as is already saide Which holy exercise hee practised almost three yeares before his passion his preaching was in the yeare of Iubilee because he preached the glad tidings of the gospell the remission of sinnes the saluation of his people CHAP. IIII. Of Christs death and passion CHrist called twelue vnto him whom hee named Apostles and sent them into the whole world to preach the gospel to al nations that so they might be witnesses of his doctrine confirmed with many myrracles Which doctrine being accomplished hee offered vp himselfe an vnspotted sacrifice vpon the altar of the crosse for the expiation of the sinnes of the worlde And this he did the 18. yeare of Tiberius Cesar in the eight Calends of Aprill if wee follow Tertullians supputation against the Iewes Christs passion began not onely in his taking and deliuerie vnto death but euen from the verie instant of his conception and continued vntill hee yeelded vp the ghost For as Ludolphus writes learnedly when Christ as God foresaw in his diuine wisedome the cruell and bitter torments which hee was to suffer infallibly hee coulde not but naturally sorrow for the same as which were throughout all his body throughout all the members of his body and throughout all the inferior powers of his soule He suffered in all his time in all his body in all his works In time of his infancie basenesse of his mothers womb pouertie asperitie vilitie in the manger persecution of y e aduersarie flight into Egypt In time of his adolescencie frequent disputations painful peregrinations lothsome precipitations In his iuuenile age most bitter cruell death for in his whole body he sustained paines intollerable in his eies the effusion of teÌ„der teares in his delicate eares the hearing of contumelies and execrable blasphemies in his eie-lids the pangs of buffetting in his nostrils the stinch of vglie spitting in his sweete mouth the bitternesse of vineger and gall in his hands the prints of the nailes whipping and oft scourging throughout his blessed bodie What he sustained in his works cannot easily be expressed by the tongue of man For they reuiled his diuine preaching his most sacred conuersation his miraculous operation He was led as a lambe to
and his annointed magistrate for so much the rare inflicted punishment doth euidently conuince CHAP. XIIII Of Nestorius and his heresie NEstorius Bishop of Constantinople albeit hee denied not Christ to be god as Arrius did yet he affirmed pure man to be borne of the blessed virgin that she therefore ought not to be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother of God Whose heresie was condemned in the Ephesine councell vnder Theodosius iunior then Emperour of Rome Nestorius his heresie consisted in this that since the blessed virgin was a woman God could not be borne of her and consequently she ought not to be called the mother of God For although he neither denied in Christ the deitie nor the humanitie yet did hee place two persons in Christ together with the two natures and consequently he denied the wonderful hypostaticall vnion which our christian faith acknowledgeth Arrius held that Christ was only man wholly voide of the nature and person of God but Nestorius helde that Christ had both the nature and person of God as also both the nature and the person of man which last was the formalitie of his heresie and therefore ought well to be obserued of the reader For albeit there be two natures in Christ the nature of God and the nature of man yet is theâ—re but one onely person in Christ which is the person or subsistence of God for in that diuine person by vnspeakeable hypostaticall vnion the true nature of man subsisteth without the person of man By reason hereof it is truely saide and christianly beleeued the sonne of God was borne of the blessed virgin the sonne of God did suffer torments the sonne of God was crucified the sonne of God rose againe the third day the sonne of God ascended into heauen All which Nestorius denied because hee seuered the natures by multiplying persons in Christ Iesus Christ therefore taking vpon him the nature of man did single it from the person of man vniting it to himselfe and making it subsist in his diuine person by reason of which supernatural vnion Christ became perfect God and perfect man hauing two distinct natures subsisting in one indistinct person CHAP. XV. Of Macedonius and his heresie MAcedonius the Bishop of Constantinople denied the holyghost to be God he said the sonne was God indeed and equal with the father in substance but the holyghost with him was without honor and dignitie a seruant and minister little better then the Angels For the condemnation of this wicked heretike and heresie the second generall councell was holden at Constantinople vnder the Emperours Graâ—ianus and Theodosius where were assembled 150. fathers for that onely end and purpose CHAP. XVI Of Eutiches and his heresie EUtiches whose complices Dioscorus and Seuerus helde the same opinion was the Abbot of Constantinople who while hee sought to auoid the opinion of Nestorius diuiding one Christ into two sonnes and two persons fell into another mischiefe and taught more absurdly then Nestorius to wit that Christ had but one onely nature after the hypostaticall vnion was accomplished because the humanitie was absorpte of the diuinitie for so Christs diuinitie vncapeable of all mortalitie was peâ—force made partaker of the bitter death vpon the crosse as therfore Nestorius to auoide the confusion of natures multiplied the persons so contrariewise Eutiches to auoide the multiplicitie of persons admitted the confusion of natures These heretikes Eutiches Dioscorus and Seuerus were condemned by the fourth famous generall councel of Chalcedon celebrated vnder Ualentinianus and Martianus the Emperours where were present 360. Bishops CHAP. XVII Of Mahomet and the Saracens MAhomet descended of the Image of Ismael and Agar and being a very poore orphane ioyned himselfe to his kinswoman Chadiga first as an hired seruant afterward as her betrothed husband so was greatly enriched by her as who was a woman of exceeding wealth Which Chadiga when she took very heauily that Mahomet was troubled with the faling euil he told her it was no disease but that the archangel Gabriel then appeered to him whose wonderfull maiestie because he was not able to behold he fell groueling vpon the ground This Mahomet professed himselfe to be the mighty prophet of the euerliuing God by that meanes stirred vp to sedition great troupes of men aswel in Asia as in Africa which people he infected with a new kind of religion perswaded them that they were called Saracens by Gods holy decree of Sara the wife of Abraham that they were the lawful successors of that diuine promise that was made to Abraham his seed for euer The form of the aforesaid mangled religion Mahomet who was borne and buried in Mecha a citie in Arabia composed by the help of the Arrian monke Sergius and called it the Alcoran which word Alcoran in the Arabian language signifieth law or doctrine In which Alcoran they professe that Christ is a prophet and an excellent doctour but withall they deny him to be God and the true Sauiour of the world The Saracens called Arabians of the place Ismaelites of Ismael and Agarenes of Agar being in wages vnder Heraclius the emperour rebelled for want of pay about the yere of Christ 628. and within 38. yeeres they conquered all Syria Damascus Ierusalem much of Assyria and the greater part of Asia al which they subdued to the religion of Mahomet at that time but newly broched and of the Arabians or Saracens first of all receiued For so soone as the Agarenes dwelling in Arabia and seruing in wars vnder Cesar vnderstoode by proclamation that they could no longer haue the emperours pay they stirred vp sedition against the Romane captaines by the meanes whereof the power of Mahomet encreased to whome the common people being destitute of an head and in some distresse for want of mony did submit themselues aswell for his great riches as for other his singular gifts The Iewes Arrians and pseudochristians did al embrace Mahomets Alcoran and mangled religion they first subdued Arabia and part of Syria for in Damascus Mahomet had his pallace The Saracens hauing mightily enlarged their dominions diuided themselues into seuerall gouernements they termed their chiefe lord Caeliphae their next gouernour Seriphes next to him a Sultan who was ouer euery prouince at length the empire was translated to the Turkes CHAP. XVIII Of the originall of the Turkes THe Egyptians wearied with the yoke of the Romans submitted themselues to the Saracens and receiued their religion They continued Saracens aboue 400. yeres vntil such time as the Sultan of Syria conquered them which was about the yeere of our Sauiour Iesus 1170. at which time he made himselfe Sultan of Egypt also at length the multitude of captiues which the Sultan had brought from the Tartarians for his warres growing mighty killed the Sultan took to themselues the kingdome of Egypt They called their king Turquemenius and conquered al Asia the lesse from the Sultan of Asia
concerning your owne proceedings especially since sundry of them be your owne holy friers I say fourthlie that this storie of Pope Iohn is publikelie painted and this daie to bee seene in your owne Cathedrall churches of Syenna Which painting our newly hatched Iesuites sought earnestly to haue had defaced in the late repairing of that church but the bishop would not suffer them to preuaile I say fiftly that these seuen writers who were all papists and liued so long one after another would neuer haue published one and the selfe same thing to the world if any one of them could in his life time haue learned the contrary to be the trueth The 2. replie They say onely and barely vt ferunt as men say And other graue writers that liued before them all and neerer the time of pope Iohn make no mention thereof The answere I say first that to reason ab auctoritate negatiue is not holden good in schooles and your selues doe often condemne in others that kinde of disputation I say secondly that if these writers had not been perswaded of the trueth of the storie they would neuer haue published it to the worlde because it maketh so much against Romish Religion to which they were addicted whollie I say thirdly that the said authors write of this matter euen as they doe of other thinges Palmerius and Segebertus both haue these expresse wordes Fama est hunc IohanneÌ„ faeminam fuisse vni soli familiaritantum cognitam qui eam complexus est grauis facta peperit papa existens Quare eam inter pontifices non numerant quidam ideo nomini numeruÌ„ non facit The report is that this Iohn was a woman and knowne onely to one that was her familiar friend By whose familiaritie she became with childe and was deliuered euen while she was pope of Rome For which cause some doe not reckon her amongst the popes and so shee maketh not vp the number Marianus Polonus Bergomensis Platina and Carranza alreadie named teach the same doctrine writing vpon the same Iohn And note wel that M. Scotus affirmeth the storie constantly without al ands or ifs And so doth also M. Polonus who was the popes owne penitentiarie To these I may fitly adde that which your L. Abbot Bernard saith the beast saith he mentioned in the reuelation to whom was giuen a mouth speaking blasphemies and to make warres with the Saintes sitteth in Peters chaire His wordes are cited verbatim in the preface to my booke of Motiues The third replie S. Austen auoucheth plainly that the succession of the Bishops of Rome was one of the chiefest motiues that kept him in the catholicke church The answere I answere that succession is of two sorts materiall and formall Materiall is the succession of persons one after another in the same place Formall is the succession of persons one after another in the same doctrine in what place soeuer Now S. Austen in deede writing against the Manichies saith that succession of priestes from S. Peters seate kept him in the vnitie of the church And no maruell because the Bishops of Rome vntill the daies of S. Austen and long after were verie godly men and taught the same doctrine that S. Peter had done before them and so they ioyned succession formall with materiall which if the bishops of Rome would this day performe all godly christians would now ioyne with them as S Austen did in his time For as S. Irene saith wee ought to obey those priestes that with succession keepe the word of trueth The third obiection S. Paule saith plainly that there must be bishops and pastors in the church euen vntill the worlds end Whereupon it followeth that you protestantes haue no church at all For before Luther departed from vs all bishops and priestes for many yeares togither as your selues can neuer denie imbraced our Romish religion This obiection doth so gall you all as ye cannot tell in the world what answere to frame thereunto The answere Gentle wordes I pray you the matter is not so daungerous as ye thinke I therefore say first with saint Paul that pastors and doctors haue euer been in the church since Christs ascension are at this present and shall bee vnto the worldes end I say secondly that albeit the visible church cannot want materiall succession yet cannot that succession without formall yeelde anie sound argument of true faith and religion In regard hereof your owne doctor Nicolaus de Lyra after he hath told vs that many Popes haue swarued from the christian faith and become flat apostataes concludeth in these wordes Propter quod ecclesia consistit in illis personis in quibus est notitia vera confessio fidei veritatis by reason whereof the church consisteth in those persons in whome there is true knâ—wledge and confession of the faith and of veritie So then by the confession of your owne approoued doctor not they that sic in saint Peters chaire at Rome are the true and lawfull successors of Saint Peter but they that confesse and preach saint Peters doctrine I say thirdly that our reformed churches in England are this day able to shew succession both materiall and formal euen from the apostles themselues And therefore our succession is and ought to be reputed farre better then yours The first reply Howsoeuer you wrangle about your formall succession yet is it cleare to all that haue eyes that you haue no materiall succession at all vnlesse you tearme it materiall succession when lay persons possesse the roomes of lawful Bishops For I pray you good sir who ordered your Bishops and Priests in king Edwardes dayes Who sent your Ministers that this day preach and minister your sacraments Can you for shame deny that they were ordered by such as were runnagates from vs in Queene Maries time All the world knoweth yee cannot doe it And yet must you bee sent by ordinary vocation or else confesse that you most shamefully vsurpe that holie function For as saint Paul saith How shall they beleeue in him of whome they haue not heard And how shall they heare without a preacher And how shall they preach except they be sent The answere Our succession is both materiall and formall christian and apostolical as which is consonant to the holy scriptures and to the vsual practise of the primitiue church For first our bishops can proue their doctrine by the scriptures and by the testimonies of best approued writers as I haue alreadie proued in my Motiues and shall by Gods assistance proue more at large in this discourse Secondly our bishops haue mission and imposition of hands according to the practise apostolicall and of all approued antiquitie Thirdly our bishops are made in such forme and order as they haue euer beene accustomed a few popish superstitious and beggerlie ceremonies omitted which of late yeeres had crept into the church that is to say be free election of the Chapiter by
and not of the pastors as you papists doe these are his expresse words quippe veritas ecclesiae columna firmamentum est for the veritie of the church is both the piller and the firmament And Anselmus holdeth flatly the opinion of Saint Austen expounding the words of Saint Paul so plainly of the elect as no papist is able to auoide the same vnlesse they will reiect Anselmus because they cannot answere him and yet they cannot so do without blushing because they haue hitherto reputed him for their owne these therefore are his expresse words Domus in qua Deus habitat ecclesia est ex multis collecta fidelibus qui variis modis sunt docendi ipsa eius ecclesia est in perfectis columna id est sublimis recta inconcussibilis sustentans iuniores atque sustollens in eisdem perfectis est ipsa firmamentum veritatis quia verbis exemplis firmat in cordibus infirmorum veritatem fidei mandatorum Dei. The house in which God dwelleth is the whole congregation of the faithfull who are to be taught diuersly and the same church is in the perfect a piller that is sublime straight inconcussible supporting and lifting vp the yonger sort and in the same perfect it is the firmament of truth because both by words and examples it confirmeth in the hearts of the weake the veritie of faith and Gods commandements Out of these words I gather first that the house of God whereof the Apostle writeth to Timothy is not the rable of Popes and popish prelates but the congregation of the faithfull I gather secondly that it is meant as well of the laytie as of the clergy and my reason is founded in these words of Anselmus who are to be taught for the pastors ex officio must teach the flocke and not bee taught of the flocke I gather thirdly that it is meant specially of the elect my ground is this because Anselmus saith it is a piller in the perfect For if there be anie perfection it is doubtlesse in the elect and none else The Popes owne Doctours Panormitanus and Syluester doe tell vs in plaine and manifest tearmes that it is the whole congregation of the faithfull that cannot erre these are Syluesters words Et sic intellige glossam dicentem quòd ecclesia quae errare non potest dicitur non papa sed congregatio fidelium quae scilicet tenet fidem quam Petrus cum aliis populis docuit And thus must the glosse be vnderstood which saith that the church which cannot erre is not the pope but the congregation of the faithfull that is such as hold firmely that doctrine which Saint Peter with other godly people taught Panormitan writeth thus Ecclesia vniuersitatis errare non potest scilicet in fide vel articulis fidei pro hac tantum Christus in Euangelio orauit ad patrem in aliis autem non solum ecclesia particularis verum etiam vniuersalis id est collectiâ— fidelium seu concilium generale errare potest The church vniuersall cannot erre that is to say in the faith or in the articles of our beliefe and for this church onely was Christs praier when he prayed to his father in the gospel yet in other things not onely the particular church but the vniuersal likewise may erre that is to say the collection of the faithfull or a generall councell Yea the Popes own decrees affirme so much to wit that the church is catholicorum collectio the congregation of the faithfull catholickes And the popes own deare glosse vppon his own decrees doth most liuely describe that church which cannot erre to be the congregation of the faithful thus is it there written in expresse tearmes Quaero de qua ecclesia intelligas quod hic dicitur quod non possit errare si de ipso papa certum est quod papa errare potest respondeo ipsa congregatio fidelium hic dicitur ecclesia talis ecclesia non potest non esse I aske thee O Pope Luci of what church thou vnderstandest that which thou tellest vs in this place to wit that the church cannot erre For if thou vnderstandest it of the Pope himselfe it is verie certaine that the Pope may erre I answere therefore that the church is heere taken for the congregation of the faithfull and such a church can neuer erre indeede Out of these words of Pope Lucius I note first that when the Pope affirmeth that the church cannot erre then his own deere and faithful interpreter answereth roundly that that priuiledge is not granted to the Pope but to the whole congregation of the faithfull I note secondly that the saide glosse proueth by sundrie chapters of the Popes owne cannon-law that the Pope both may erre and hath alreadie erred de facto I note thirdly that that church in which the truth alwaies abideth is the multitude of the faithfull I therefore conclude with S. Paul S. Augustine Saint Chrysostome Anselmus Syluester Panormitanus the Popes owne canon-law and popish interpreters vpon the same that the congregation of the faithfull is the piller and ground of truth and that church which cannot erre The seauenth replie Christ promiseth to bee with his disciples vntill the worlds end but the Apostles departed hence long sithence therfore as the fathers truely gather he meaneth of being with the catholike byshops the true successours of the Apostles The answere I say first that your popish Bishoppes of late yeares are neither catholike bishops nor successours of the Apostles as I haue alreadie proued I say secondly that Christ promiseth his spirituall and inuisible presence not onely to the Apostles for their time but also to the congregation of the faithful til the worlds ende and I proue it by the testimonie of the holy fathers Saint Chrysostome and Saint Augustine Saint Chrysostome hath these expresse words Nam cum dicit ecce ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus vsque ad consummationem seculi noÌ„ ad eos tantummodo loquitur sed per eos ad vniuersum prorsus orbem For when he saith behold I am with you alwaies vntil the ende of the world hee speaketh not onely to them but to all doubtlesse that are in the whole worldâ— which assertion he hath in many other places of his works Saint Augustine hath words so important for this end and scope as more shall not neede to be alleaged Thus doth hee write in flat tearmes Non itaque fiâ— dictum est apostolis eritis mihi testes in Hierusalem in tota Iudaea Samaria vsque in extremum terrae tanquam ipsi foli quibus tunc loquebatur tantum munus fuerint impleturi sed sicut eis solis videtur dixisse quod dixit ecce ego vobiscum sum vsque in consummationem seculi quod tamen eum vniuersa ecclesiae promisisse quae aliis mortentibus aliis nasâ—eâ—tibus hic vsque in
still the naturall dimensiue quantitie Ergo it is impossible that it bee conteined vnder the forme of a little round cake For the manifestation of this argument I note first that all learned men aswell papistes as others agree in this that God by his absolute power cannot doe those thinges which implie contradiction in the doing the reason wherof I haue yeelded in my booke of Motiues in the 12. preamble I note secondly that it is essentiall to quantitie to haue one part without another as the great philosopher Aristotle doth auouch See the 2. part book 2. chap 6. and note it well I note thirdly that the whole demensiue quantitie of Christes naturall body which he had here visibly on earth and still retaineth in heauen is togither with his body in the eucharist as all learned papistes graunt And so by popish docrine a body being foure cubites long and two cubites broad remaining stil so long broad must perforce be conteined vnder another body which is neither two cubites long nor one cubite broad but it is impossible as implying flat contradiction When occupatiō of place is taken away from a body it then ceaseth to be and is no body at all But Christes body occupieth no place in the Eucharist as learned papistes graunt Ergo Christes body is not corporally there And least any man distrust the proposition Saint Augustine hath these expresse wordes Cum ergò sit corpus aliqua substantia quantitas eius est in magnitudine molis eius sanitas vero eius non quantitas sed qualitas eius est Non ergo potuit obtinere quantitas corporis quod potuit qualitas Nam ita distantibus partibus quae simul esse non possunt quoniam sua quaeque spatia locorum tenent minores minora maiores maiora non potuit esse in singulis quibusque partibus tota vel tanta sed amplior est quantitas in amplioribus partibus breuior in breuioribus in nulla parte tanta quanta per totum Infra Nam spatia locorum tolle corporibus nusquam erunt quia nusquam erunt nec erunt When therfore any substance is a body the quantitie therof is in the magnitude of the bignesse but the health is not the quantitie but the qualitie thereof Therefore the quantitie of the body could not attaine that which the qualitie could For y e parts being so distant which could not be togither because al seuerally keepe their spaces of places the lesse lesser places and the greater greater there could not be in al the places seuerally the whole or so much but there is a larger quantitie in the larger partes a shorter in shorter partes and in no part so much as in the whole For if spaces of places be taken from bodies they shalbe in no place and because they shalbe in no place neither shall they haue any being at all Out of these wordes I note first that euery quantitatiue bodie hath one part distant from another I note secondly that the same partes occupie distinct places I note thirdly that two quantities cannot be in the same place at one and the same time I note fourthly that a greater quantitie must haue a greater place and that it cannot be conteined in the lesser I note fiftly that no one part can conteine so much as the whole I note sixtly that when bodies are without places they lose their natures and beings I therefore conclude that it is impossible for Christs natural body to be contained in a little round cake and his whole bodie in euerie little part thereof all which the papists impudently and blasphemously do auouch Guiliel Ocham and Durandus two popish doctours do both subscribe to S. Austens reason If it were possible for Christs bodie to be in diuers places at once the angel of God should haue made a foolish reason to the women that came to see Christ in the sepulcher for the angell prooued Christ not to be there bicause he was risen These are the words Hee is not here for he is risen as he said But if Christs body could bee in many places at once as the papists would haue vs beleeue then doubtlesse did the angel reason childishly For the women might haue said though he be risen yet may hee be here also Yet the angel who was not to be instructed of the papists but from heauen affirmed that hee could not be there because he was risen For he said not Christ is risen and is not here but he is not here because he is risen Lo his rising is the cause that he coulde not be there Marke this reason well for it doth conuince Peruse the twelfth preamble in my first booke of Motiues and the first replie of the seauenth obiection in the first paragraph The fourth Paragraph Of the originall of transubstantiation Transubstantiation is not onely repugnant to all philosophy but so absurd also in al christian speculation as it was vnknowne to the church of God and to all approued writers the space of one thousand two hundred yeres after Christs sacred incarnation For it was first hatched by pope Innocentius the third of that name in the council of Lateran which was holden 1215. yeeres after Christ. Yea the determination of this synode was reputed of so little force that the zealous papist and famous schoole-doctour Durandus boldely published the contrarie doctrine euen after the flat resolution of the same councell Whose doctrine doth so gall the papists that the Iesuite Bellarmine vnwilling on the one side to oppose himselfe against Durand rigorously and on the other side not knowing what to say in defense of the Romish synode maketh as it were this mitigation betweene them Itaque sententia Durandi haeretica est licet ipse non sit dicendus haereticus cum paratus fuerit ecclesiae iudicio acquiescere Therfore the opinion of Durand is hereticall though himselfe may not be called an hereticke because he was readie to giue place to the decree of the Church thus writeth our Iesuite Out of whose words I note first that a man may steale an oxe proclaime the same to the world without any remorse and yet be no theefe at all for Durand held an hereticall opinion published the same in print constantly and yet as the Iesuite telleth vs was no hereticke for so doing I note secondly that Durand liued more then threescore yeares after the popish Councell of Lateran I note thirdly that he neuer retracted his opinion notwithstanding the decree and censure of the popish Synode and therefore vainely and without reason sayth our Iesuite that Durand was willing to obey the decree of their Church for if he were willing to obey their church heerein how came it to passe that he liuing so long after he knewe their Churches minde did commit that to print wittingly and willingly which is altogether against the same for no man doubtlesse impugneth
haue it seene Pope Bonifacius the 8. made a constitution in which he called himself Lord spirituall and temporall of the whole world Whereupon he required Philip the French king to acknowledge that he held his kingdome of him which when the king refused to doe hee gaue his kingdome to another This was done Anno. 1302. This pope entred as a foxe reigned as a Wolfe and died as a dog so doe they write of him CHAP. XV. Of certaine popish sects which they terme the orders of religious men WHatsoeuer I shal set down of these sects or religious orders as the papistes must needs haue them termed shal be truely and sincerely collected out of these popishe historiographers to wit Martinus Polonus Philippus Bergomensis Polyd. Virgilius Palmerius Platina and Ar. Pontacus Burdegalensis Which I here for once admonish least the often repetition thereof should be tedious Benedictus an Italian the father of all monkes erected an Abbay in the mount Cassinum and instituted the sect of the Benedictines about the yeare 527. These monkes in a short time began to be dissolute and were deuided into many new sectes whereof same were called Cluniacenses some Camalduenses some Vallisumbrenses some Montoliuotenses some GrandimonteÌ„ses some Cistertienses some Syluestrenses Al which being most variable in life maners obseruations wil for al that be right Benedictines EueÌ„ forsooth as our late popes must needs be S. Peters successors thogh they be as like as York foul SuttoÌ„ This sect of the Benedictines far altered from the first institutioÌ„ was reformed in y e yere 1335. For as Polydore grauely reporteth monks do not loÌ„g obserue their monastical institutioÌ„ The sect of the Carthusians was ordained by one Bruno in y e yere 1084. How this sect had the first originall it is worthy of due attention This is the story While Bruno was the reader of philosophy at Paris in France it chanced that a friend of his being a man of good external life died who lying dead vpoÌ„ the coffin in the church soundeth out these words in the eares of the said Bruno I am damned by the iust iudgment of God By which miracle Bruno was so terrified y t hee knew no way how to be saued but by inuenting the sect of the Carthusians Behold here the subtletie of the deuil who wanteth no means how to set vp superstition idolatry For if the story be true as I think it was in deed then doubtlesse the voice came from the diuel as which brought forth y e spirit of pride not of humility I proue it because this Bruno could not be coÌ„tent to be a monk amongst the Benedictines but he must be Lord Abbot of a new sect For since the order of the Benedictines was the ready way to heaueÌ„ as popery taught him either he condemned his own religion consequently his own institutioÌ„ or my consecution must be admitted Let what papist as list reply my reason can not be coÌ„uinced And here I note by the way the formal deformitie of al the sects or orders in poperie to wit that the papistes ascribe merite and saluation to the same Let therefore this story of our holy father Bruno neuer be forgotten The order called â—raemonstratensis began the yeare 1119. The first authour thereof was one Norbertus by name Who doubtles either conâ—emned the former orders at the least of imperfection or els was puffed vp with the spirit of pride as were his predecessors his fraterculi before him The sect of the Carmelites began in y â— yere 1170. was instituted by one Almericus y e bishop of Antioch This sect though it had the original in the time mentioned yet was it not in full perfection for the space of 40. yeres to come The sect of Dominicans whereof Tho. Aquinas surnamed Angelicus was one began in the yere 1198. The authour of this sect was one Dominicus Calaguritanus a Spaniard borne The sect it selfe was termed Ordo fratrum praedicatorum The sect of the Franciscans began in y e yere 1206. Of which sect was Io. Scotus surnamed D. Subtilis The author of this sect was one Franciscuss Asisiates an Italian born The sect it self was termed Ordo fratrum minorum Thus we see y t these Romish sects were multiplied as if it were swarmes of Bees The sect of the Iesuates began in the yeare of our Lord 1371. the author of this sect was one Ioannes Columbinus Senensis the sect it selfe was termed ordo Iesuatorum The sect of the Iesuites began in the yeare of our Lord 1540. The author thereof was one Ignatius Loyola a souldier and a Spaniard borne The moonkes of this sect as they were hatched after al others so doe they in pontificall pride exceed al the rest This sect is termed ordo societatis Iesu the verie name expressing their proud and hauty mindes For no name of so many sectes before them nor any other appellation could content them vnlesse they be termed fellowes and companions with Iesus Christ. They are indeede so proud and stately that where euery other Romish sect hath some cardinall to be their protector they only to die for it wil haue none at al. And why because forsooth they will depend vpon none neither submit themselues to any saue to the pope alone to whom I weene they wil be subiect because they can no other doe They are not only proud but very factious people They are hated generally of all sortes of men they cherish themselues and seek to ouerrule all others They employ some of their sect to no other end but only to looke into matters of state that so by parasiticall informations made to the pope they may leade all the world in a string The Perioch First therfore since popish primacie began in the yere 607. Secondly since priests marriage was neuer prohibited til the yere 385. Thirdly since popes pardoÌ„s were neuer heard of til the yere 1300. Fourthly since popish purgatory tooke no root in the Romish church til the yere 250. Fiftly since inuocation of saints adoration was not known til the yere 370. Sixtly since popish pilgrimage began in the yeere 420. Seuenthly since the merite of works de condigno was disputable about the yere 1081. Eightly since the communion vnder both kindes was neuer thought vnlawful til the yere 1414. Ninthly since the popes buls were not authenticall til the yere 772. Tenthly since auricular confession was not established till the yeere 254. Eleuenthly since general councels were euer summoned by the emperours many like matters of importance as may appeare by this smal volume I may reasonably conclude that al men careful of their saluation wil detest from their hearts al popish faction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Table containing the texts of holy scripture which are handled in this Volume Necessary at the least for the simple Reader