euery man shal be geuen a mayde or two that is the praye of the rascall souldiours shal be bondmen or bonde women be geuen But to our Sisera shal be geuen the most worthiest thinges garmentes I say of diuers colours and nedle worke Plini in his 8. booke the .48 chap writeth that the men in the old time vsed to dye their wolle and garmentes with such sundry and pleasaunt colours Plinius bicause they would imitate the most beautifull coloures of floures and herbes And the same writer attributeth vnto the Babilonians the inuention of diuers coloures in garmentes and euen as garmentes of siluer which were found out in Asia vnder Attalus the king were called Attalical so those garmentes whiche were by the Phrigians wroughte with the nedle beinge set out with golde and sundry coloures and pictures wer called Phrigionical And for that these workmanshippes wer in the old time had in estimation god would haue the holy tabernacle and the high priestes garmentes wrought with nedle worke And this is not to be passed ouer that by the ciuile lawes it was not lawefull for euerye man to weare such precious garmentes Wherfore it is sayd now in this song that garmentes of sundry coloures and such as were wrought with the nedle ar attributed only to the prince In the Code de vestibus oloberis lege Auratas It is prohibited vpon great punishmente that any other men shoulde were precious garmēts Lawes for apparell And it is no doubt but that in the old time there wer lawes for apparel which at this day lye vtterly voide These womē spake as they knew the maner then vsed for they were not ignorant of the custome in war wherby princely garmentes wer not distributed to priuate men but vnto captaynes and emperors Discipline of warre amonge the elders Farthermore we muste consider that the elders vsed greater discipline in their camps than at this day our men do For when a town or city was sacked euery man had not that which he by violence tooke al thinges wer brought vnto the king or Emperour and not vndoubtedly that he only should haue them but that he should part them according to the labor dignity and quality of the souldiors which manifestlye appeareth in the decrees 23. question the .5 chapter Dixerit aliquis They are the woordes of Ambrose in his booke of Abraham the Patriarche And the same thing is most playnly taught Dist the .1 chap. Ius militare This hebrew word Tsoari signifieth properly a necke or neckes in the plurall number but in this place by translation it signifieth a captayne or prince 31 So let al thine enemies perish O Lord But they that loue thee let them be as the Sunne when he riseth in his strength And the land had rest .40 yeares The thinges which are now mencioned the holy Ghost doth therfore speake them by Deborah to expresse with a great emphasis and signification that those thinges do happen vnto the vngodly which they be afeard of the things which they hope happen cleane contrarye Therefore the songe is nowe concluded with an elegant exclamacion and consisteth of thinges contrary So let all thine enemies perish O Lord as Sisera hath fallen This her Apostrophe or turning to God stirreth vs vp that we shuld with a singular affectiō embrace God the author of so great notable acts Deborah also in this speaking declareth that she setteth not forth her own cause for she sayth not let my enemyes perish but thine But they that loue thee let them continually encrease in al kind of good things as the sunne increaseth from his rising vntil it be none wherin he is most strong ether from the spring time to the highest of sommer She addeth not Let them that loue him be saued as the Antithesis or cōtrary position required For these two are contraries namely to be saued and to perish But let them be encreased saith she strengthened as the sunne increaseth from his rising vnto his strength By thys conclusion the vse of example is taught vnder the forme of a prayer Sisera is ouerthrowne but the people of Israel is encreased with a notable victory so therfore shall it come to passe and happē vnto vs. We shal be deliuered if we be godly they which do persecute vs for Christs cause shal perish Wherfore it is profitable by exāples to gather out rules of the gouernmēt of God which rules with frute let vs apply vnto our own things This performed Dauid as touching this selfe same historye in his psalme where he sayth do vnto them as vnto Middian as vnto Sisera Iabin at the riuer Kyson Wherfore the some of this hystory is to set before vs the seuerity of god toward his enemies again his clemēcy towards the godly And therfore it behoueth that the seuerity of his iudgements breath in vs a fear and that by fayth we take hold of his goodnes and clemency The syxt Chapter ANd the children of Israell did euill in the syghte of the Lorde and the Lorde deliuered them into the hands of Middian seuen yeres 2 Wherfore the hand of Middian preuailed against Israel frō the face of Middiā the children of Israel made them dennes in the mountaines and caues and stronge holdes 3 For when Israell had sowen Middian came vp and Amaleke and the sonnes of Kedem came vp agaynst them 4 And camped against them and destroyed the fruite of the earth euen till thou come to Haza neyther lefte they anye foode in Israell neither cattell nor oxen nor asses 5 For they went vp and theyr cattell and came with theyr tents as greshoppers in multitude so that they and theyr camels wer without number they came I say into the land to destroy it Deborah and Barac were deade by the authority of whiche princes the people of the Hebrewes were kepte in their dutye and religion But after theyr death they fell agayne vnto sinnes and especially vnto idolatry But yet they are not counted to haue turned so heynously from God as they did before for it is not written And they added to do euil Farther their punishment was not so long for they serued the Madianites onely seuen yeares Moreouer it is not sayde that God sold them as he did before but that he deliuered them I confesse that these coniectures are but small but yet not so small that they shoulde seeme vtterly to be despised Two thinges are principally entreated of in this hystorye The principall pointes of thys history The ordre of thinges to be spoken of the affliction of the Hebrewes and theyr deliuery by Gidion But bicause eche of these partes haue their causes therfore we must also entreate of them For euen as affliction springeth of sinne and deliuery beginneth of repentance so was it mete that first it should be declared that the Israelites had sinned before mention be made that they were deliuered vnto the Madianites and theyr repentaunce must
I answere that all these are so farre forth to be obserued as long as the othes and promises be not agaynst the worde of god and good lawes Which thing if it be afterward knoweÌ„ theÌ„ are they of no force yea they are theÌ„ vtterly voyde To these I adde that it manifestly appeareth by the cautions now alledged that we must neither for sweare nor lye wherby a laudable good proditioÌ„ should succede Wherfore they which sweare vnto their magistrates The prodition of the Counsel holden at Constantia promise to defeÌ„d the citie caÌ„ not be excused when their minde is to betraye to deceaue This haue the Antichrists done in the counsel holden at Constantia For that they might theÌ„ eassier allure thither Iohn Husse Ierome of Praga they promised him safety by publique fayth And therefore they can not defend their prodition admitte it were nothyng els as iust and honest But they were without doubt treacherers and wicked betrayers in swearyng promysing that by their letters whiche they would not performe But now we must returne to the history Howe the Luzite might be suffered of the Israelits to go in safety It is not certain as it is sayd whether this Luzite had faith or whether he wer an infidel If he had faith his prodition is to be commended otherwise it is to be discommended But if he beleued not neither cleaued vnto the true God why did the Israelites let hym go Forsooth bicause he of his own wil went into banishment Neither seemed this to be against the counsel of God For God woulde therefore haue those people cut of least they dwelling together with the Hebrues should haue geuen them an occasion of falling and offence Wherefore when they departed and chose wylful banishment that came to passe which God would haue to be done But thou wilt say By this meanes might al those nations haue bene sent away Why the Chanaâ—it s departed not giue place to the Israelites neither ought they to haue ben slain as god had coÌ„mauÌ„ded What might haue ben done I nede not to answer for as much as that is demaunded which coulde not be done For so manye and so great were the sinnes of those nations that they vtterly deserued death Wherfore god taking away his spirite from them dyd so harden their hartes that they endeuoured not them selues to depart but rather to resist the Israelites as much as in them lay They made many battailes therfore in which as god had ordained and as they had deserued they came to vtter destruction although a very few of them were saued in departing or els in embracing the true religion And they smote the cyty wyth the edge of the swoorde This is not to be ascribed to cruelty but rather to obedience and religion towarde the true god for so was it his wil to be done and so had he commaunded But they let the man and his houshold go free Howe they coulde discerne this mans family from the rest it is not writteÌ„ But it is most lykely that either he entred with the Israelites into the city or els he shewed vnto them his house by some token wherby they might leaue it safe and vntouched according to their purpose Rahab certainly in Iericho hong a purple corde in the window of her house to auoid the misery and sacking of the souldiours And the man went into the land of the Hithites Kimhi wryteth that these Hithites were none of those seauen nations which were commaunded to be destroyed in the land of Chanaan But he declareth not what these Hithites wer And these are the names of those nations which should haue bene destroyed of the Israelites The Chananites the Iebusites Hemorrhites Gergesites Pheresites Hithites and Hiuites These are the nations which god commaunded to be weeded out of the land promised vnto the Israelites But this is to bee noted by the way that there is a difference betwene these woordes Kethim and Chethim for that which is written by Kaph signifieth as they interprete the Italians or such as dwel in Ilandes or the Macedonians and that woorde is found in Esay Ieremy and in the booke of Num where the prophecies of Balaam are mentioned But that woord which is written with this letter Cheth signifieth either one of the seauen nations of the country of the Chananites or els those to whom it is sayd that this Luzite went And he built a City and called the name of it Luz The maner of banished meÌ„ in buildyng or adourning of citiâ—s So men that wer driuen out of their countrey wer wont to do that being moued with the loue of their country to cal the places which they did build either by the name of their country which they left or els to builde them as neare as they coulde in forme like the other So it is said that Aeneas dyd in Italy buyld Troy the city of the Pisites was in the same country built by the Graecians Like wise the Israelites leauing the land of Palestine decked vp a city graunted vnto them in Egipt like vnto Ierusalem building a temple there ordaining also Priestes and sacrifices as they had before in Ierusalem In which doing they synned most haynously although neuerthelesse they were moued thereunto by the loue of theyr countrye whych they had forsaken Vnto thys day The tyme of Samuel is by those woordes noted who is thought to be the writer of this history And by this sentence the Hebrues do gather that that City and the name therof endured to the time of Samuel 27 But Manasses did not expel Beth-Sean with her townes and Thaanach with her townes the Inhabiters of Dor wyth her townes the inhabiters of Iibleam with her townes nether the inhabiters of Megiddo with her townes And the Chananites began to dwell in the land 28 And it came to passe that as sone as Israel was waxed mighto they put the Chananites to tributes and expelled them not 29 In lyke maner Ephraim expelled not the Chananites that dwelt in Gazer and therefore the Chananites dwelt styll in Gazer among them 30 Neither dyd Zebulon expel the inhabiters of Kitron neyther the inhabiters of Nahalol wherfore the Chananites dwelt among them and became tributaries vnto them 31 Aser also dyd not cast oute the inhabiters of Acho and the inhabiters of Zidon of Achlab Achzib Helbab Aphik and Rehob 32 And the Aserites dwelt among the Chananites the inhabiters of the land for they did not driue them out 33 Neither did Nephtalim driue out the inhabiters of Beth-Semes nor the inhabiters of Bethanath but dwelt amoÌ„gest the Chananites the inhabiters of the land and the inhabiters of Beth-Semes and Beth-Anath became tributaries vnto them The synnes of the Israelites In this place the holy history setteth foorth the synne of the Israelites in that they did not cast out and destroye those peoples as God had commaunded them but made them tributaries vnto them
of Gideon That must needes be cutte of which was done neither coulde the author of so greate an enterprise be hidden This is true but he iudged that in the mean time this daūger was to be auoyded lest in the day time in the acte doing he should be taken For he should haue bene letted both by his fathers houshold and also by the men of the citye from executing the commaundementes of God and peraduenture in accomplishinge the worke shoulde haue beene slaine The name Baall agreeth very well with the true God Thys Baal as in an other I haue declared had his beginninge of Bel the father of Minus But as touchinge the name we must know that by it an excellent propriety of God is expressed For Baal in hebrew signifieth a Lord a maister a husbdā al which things in very dede agree with God For he is Lorde of all thinges and the teacher of all true wisedome the onely husband of the churche Wherefore these men erred not in iudging the proprieties of God Neyther erred the Grecians whē they called him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For by that title they declared that God is the author of lyfe The Romaynes also called God Iubiter as though they should say Iubiter father Wherfore these words are for god most worthy and it may be that the old mē which so spake had a respect vnto the true god the chief of all But that was vtterly vngodly and detestable which afterward was committed namely to ascribe these proprieties as well to starres as to men and also to brute beastes and idoles wherby all thinges were filled with idolatry Farthermore the Hebrewes although God had taught thē his name by which he would haue them call vpon him and praye vnto him yet they forsoke it vsed the names holy seruices inuented by the Ethnikes neglecting the rites commended vnto the both by the law and also by their elders they receaued prophane ceremonies Wherfore they had an altare dedicated vnto an idole a groue about it and certayn yeares they fed and fatted some certayn bullockes for the sacrifice And at the length they became not the worshippers of the true god but the true worshyppers of Baal in all thinges Gideon in the night ouerthroweth the altar cutteth down the groue buildeth an altar vnto the Lord as he was cōmaunded offred a burnt offring Al these things wer testimonies of his fayth whereby he confessed and that frō the hart that he detested idolatry and perfectly beleued in the only lord the god of the Hebrewes and sacrificed vnto him Some thynges are here mencioned which were not done by an vniuersall law but by a certayne prerogatiue and priuelege Gideon being of the tribe of Manasses sacrificeth when as sacrificing belonged only vnto the Leuites This if he had done of his own brayne he shoulde not haue wanted blame Secondly a priuate man ouerthroweth the aultare and cutteth downe the groue in whiche thinge he tooke vpon him the office of a magistrate But in these things we must haue a regard to the word of god by which he was peculiarly stirred vp to do these things Wherfore they which to these works ar not in like manner called ought to kepe thēselues vnder the common law But as I haue in an other place admonished idolatry is of all men to be taken away but yet of euery man according to his state condition Let magistrates by outward violence ministers by the word and priuate men by abstayning and gainsaying take away vngodlynes 28 And when the men of city rose rose earely in the morning they saw the altar of Baall destroyed the groue that was by it was cutte down and the second bullocke offred vpon the altar that was made 29 And they said one to an other who hath done this thing whē they enquired and asked they sayd Gideon the sonne of Ioas hath done this thinge 30 Then sayd the men of the city vnto Ioas Bring out thy sonne that he may dye because he hath destroyed the aultar of Baal and hath also cut downe the groue that was by it 31 Ioas aunsweared vnto all those that stoode by will ye pleade Baals cause Or will ye saue him He that will pleade for him let him dye ere the morninge If he be god let him pleade for himself against him that hath cast downe his altar 32 And he called him in that day Ierubbaal saying Let Baal pleade with him bicause he hath broken down his altar They most grieuously prosecute the matter against him which had inuiolated the sacred thinges of Baal and yet they suffred the worshipping of the true god to lye neglected and despised It is the maner of humane wisedome with earnest labour to defend theyr owne inuentions and obstinately to resiste those thinges which god hath commaunded They will kill Gideon as a sacrileger and moste pernicious heretike they behaue themselfes sediciously against the Magistrate they shew forth no lawes but in a certayne blinde fury they iudge the crime cōmitted to be vtterlye worthye of death when as they themselues rather should haue bene condēned worthy of death bicause they had violated the worshipping not of an idole but of the true God What he was the shewed that Gideō did these thinges the history expresseth not God suffreth not such thinges to be hidden therfore he had means and ways in a maner infinite whereby he would make them open But to know what were the tokens of the thyngs done it is no skil to vs but let vs diligently marke the impotency of idolatrers Idolatrers can not abide to haue vngodlye worshippinges taken away They cannot by any meanes abide to haue wicked worshippinges taken away The Hebrewes sayd vnto Ieremy that they would vtterly worshippe the queene of heauen that is the moone and other starres The Ephesians being as it were in a rage cried without meane or reason Great is Diana of the Ephesians The Romaines whilest Italy was wasted by the Gothes Vandales and Lombardes neyther cried nor desired any other thing but that the alters and temples of idoles might be restored That said they was the hed of euils bicause the holy seruices of country were abolished The like example do we no see in these men they neither wil nor can not abide that Gideon shuld escape whō they saw had cut down theyr idolatry Now is Gideon counted a seditious fellow which hath committed such thinges as we at this day of the gretest part of christendome ar accused of sedicion which haue disturbed false worshippinges now being receaued And we graunt indede that seditions ar to be auoided as much as may be bicause ciuile peace is a good thinge which wise and quiet mindes ought to desire Obedience to the word of god is to be preferred before euil◠peace But contraryly the truth is not to be suppressed nether must we sin against the worshipping of God and it is much better to defēd
owne woorkes But to beleue to pray to acknowledge sinnes to bewaile them with an earnest repētāce are the woorkes of God and therfore are not forbidden on festiuall dayes but rather commaunded The Ethnikes acknowledged a Religious fast These thynges haue not onely the Hebrues learned out of the lawes of God but also the Ethnikes by the instincte of nature For when Ionas preached vnto the Niniuites that their City should within .40 dayes be ouerthrowen they dispayred not of the mercy of God but got themselues to repentaunce and euery one of them euen from the kyng vnto the lowest Citezin with their beastes also and cattell fasted And when they vehemētly and with a feruent zeale cried vnto the Lorde Augustine Porphyrius they were heard Augustine de ciuitate dei writeth that Porphyrius taught that abstinence from flesh and grosse meates doth purify the myndes of men wherby they are made the more prompt to thinges deuine and to familiarity with good spirites Plutarche Plutarche also in his litle booke de Iside Osiride sayth that the Priestes of Heliopolis vtterly absteyned from all meates whiche might noorishe and augment the wantones of the fleshe and that they neuer brought wyne into the temple of their God For they counted it a vilany to drinke wyne in the day tyme in the sight of their God other men sayd he vsed wyne but not much and they had many purifications without wyne The same Plutarche de cohibenda Iracundia sheweth Holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that among the Athenienses wer certayne holy sacrifices which were done onely with water without wyne And this is notable which is written in the same booke Empedocles Titus Liuius that Empedocles was wont to say that a mā ought most of all to fast from malice Titus Liuius maketh mention that when at Rome there happened many portentuous thyngs which seemed to foreshewe some great euill the decemuiri were sent to looke into the bookes of the Sibilles and that there was aunswere made that they should institute a publique fast in the honor of Ceres whiche fast should also be repeated agayne euery .5 yeare And that by that meanes the anger of the gods should be pacified Wherfore the Ethnikes beyng smiten with the feare of the euils whiche hoonge ouer their heades fled vnto the oracles fasted and prayed the gods to turne away their anger But Christians not onely seyng so many so great euils but also hearyng them told from all parts of the world yet turne they not vnto GOD by prayer neither are they any thyng moued in mynde But peraduenture some man will say that Fastes Fastes are commended in the new Testamēt bycause they are partly Iewishe and partly Ethnike seeme to be farre from our Religion But that it is not so may easely be proued by the new Testament In the Actes of the Apostles the .13 chap. the Church beyng admonished by an oracle that Paul and Barnabas should be chosen to visite the Cityes and Townes where the Gospell had ben preached first decreed a fast then they layd their handes vpon them And in the .14 chap. when they after they had accomplished their matters thorough Iconium Listria and Antioche returned home they instituted a fast and created ministers and Priestes in euery City Augustine in his Epistle to Cassulanus sayth Augustine When Peter should at Rome haue talke with Simon the sorcerer vpon the Son day the Churche of Rome vpon the Sabaoth day denounced a faste whiche custome was alwayes afterward retayned Ierome Ierome in his prologue vpon Mathew sayth that Iohn beyng desired of the Churches to write the Gospell agaynst Ebion and Cerinthus who denyed the deuine nature of Christ aunswered that he woulde so doo if the whole Churche woulde before indicte a publique faste Whiche thyng Eusebius also in his Ecclesiasticall Hystory testifieth Eusebius Paul also in the .1 to the Corinthians the .7 chapter admonisheth those that are ioyned together in matrimony not to separate themselues a sonder but for a tyme to geue themselues to fastyng and prayers In whiche place I thynke he vnderstādeth publique prayers and also a publique fast For fellowshyp with the wife nothyng letteth but that they may be vsed priuately but whether he vnderstood publique fastes or priuate it skilleth not much Farther Christ being asked of his Apostles why they could not heale the dōme and cast out the deuil He answered Bycause of your incredulity And he added This kynd of deuils is cast out onely by fasting and prayer That place is somewhat darke and therfore it shall not be vnprofitable briefly to expounde it Is it to be thought that by the merite of fastyng and prayers as they vse to speake deuils are cast out by vertue of the worke wrought Not so What thē signified the woordes of Christ First he said Bycause of your incredulity for if ye had fayth euen so muche as a grayne of mustard and should say vnto this mountayne Take vp thy self cast thy self into the sea it should obey you And together with a fayth is necessary a vehement and feruent prayer and also fastyng bycause a fixed and earnest prayer which draweth the mind not onely frō meate and drinke but also from all other humane cogitacions and pleasures Wherefore Christ by the effectes describeth the cause namely fayth by prayers and fasting and he speaketh of those deuils to whom god gaue more liberty as though he should haue sayd ye must not lyue easely or idely if ye will cast out this kynd of deuils Ye must haue a sure and strong fayth whiche thyng he expressed by the effectes by prayers I say and fastes By these reasons and testimonyes may fastes also be commended in the new Testament But in them are faultes to be taken heede of What vices in fasting ar to be taken heede of whiche very often are many and those greuous First bycause in the Papacy are obserued fastes vpon certayne appoynted dayes without consideration of persons or occasions Faste brought in without measure as an yearely ceremony whiche at this day is vtterly of no strength is as if it were Iewishe Moreouer euery man hath added heaped vp of his owne whatsoeuer pleased him and not that which calamity of tymes or feruent prayers required For one man brought in Septuagesima an other Sexagesima an other Quinquagesima another Quadragesima which is Lent an other Rogatiō dayes an other Imber dayes an other the euēs of the Apostles an other Friday an other Saterday an other brought in fastyng on the Wēsday But of so many fastes what vtility hath there at the length followed Many contentions and questions concernyng fastyngs A great many questions contentions For a man will scarse beleue howe many question 's the elders haue had concernyng fast Augustine ad Cassulanum writeth that therfore we must fast on the Wensday bycause Christ was sold that day and on
such dishonor and thincking with thē selues by that meanes to stay the flight they thrust them selues into the thickest of their enemies setting before them the shewe of their vowe and religion So that by that meanes the harts of the soldiours in maner discouraged might be called agayne more fiersly to fight with their enemyes But we are taught by the holy Scriptures that when we either see or heare of any that are conquerours or els are slayne in battailes we must by and by ascribe vnto God al that whiche is or hath ben done who after the most accustomed phrase of the holy Scriptures is sayd to deliuer them whiche are ouercome into the handes of their enemies God without any iniury deliuereth some in to the hādes of their enemies The Chananites were defiled with moste detestable wicked dedes When it is sayd that any are deliuered of God into the handes of their enemyes we must thincke that that is done without any iniurye And as touchyng this place we know that those nations of the Chananites were full of most heynous wickednesse and for that cause god punished them most iustly Whiche cause is confirmed by that whiche we read in the booke of Genesis where God bringeth a reason why he held the posteritie of Abraham so lōg tyme in Egipt namely bycause the sinnes of the Chananites were not yet full God punisheth the vngodly with two kindes of punishmentes And this is not to be forgottē that God vseth according to his iustice to deliuer synners to be punished two manner of wayes or to two sortes of enemies For sometymes he doth this in geuing them ouer to be vexed with lustes and filthy affections as to certein furyes of hell Augustine God punisheth synnes with synnes And that is it which Augustine oftentimes sayth that sinnes are punished with sinnes So Pharao hys vnfaythfulnesse and cruelty was punished by hardning stubbornesse of harte And Idolaters as Paul teacheth to the Romaines were geuen ouer of god to their owne filthy lust so that they most vylie contamined thē selues with most horrible sinnes But bycause this kynde of punishement is not sene nor felte of mad men as it is mete god therfore deliuereth the vngodly into the handes of straunge enemies to be vexed and at the length vtterly to be destroyed And that this order was obserued with the Chananites the Scripture manifestly teacheth for they were not onely addicted to Idoles but as it is written in the xviii xx chap. of Leuit They miserably defiled them selues with incestes most filthy lustes They were first therfore deliuered of God into a reprobate sense and then were they deliuered to theyr enemies the Hebrues of whō they were spoyled both of their life and also of their most riche kingdome God deliuered them into their handes That is into their power This is not onely an Hebrew phrase but also a latine for we say This is my hande that is it lyeth in my power And they smote them in Bezek to the number of ten thousand men To smite is here to kill And seing that the hoste of the Chananites was great there were nowe slayne of it but onely ten thousand men we must thincke that the rest fled awaye in whiche flight as afterwarde shal be declared Adonibezek was taken But where as these two wordes Chananites and Pherezites are ioyned together in this place They are thus to be taken that if thou vnderstande the Chananites after the common signification wherin were cōprehended those 7. or 9. nations then this name Pherezites should be added bycause of interpretation that by it might be expounded that whiche before was not expressed in the word Chananites But if by this word Chananites we shall vnderstand any one especial or peculiar people of those nations then must we say that that host was gathered of both the peoples of the Chananites I say and the Pherezites 5 And they founde Adonibezek in Bezek they fought agaynste him and slewe the Chananites and Pherezites 6 And Adonibezek fled and they followed after him caught him and cut of the thombes of his handes and of his feete 7 And Adonibezek sayd 70 kynges hauing the thombes of theyr handes and feete cut of gathered their meat vnder my table As I haue done so God hath done to me agayne and they brought hym to Ierusalem and there he died c. After mencion made of the victorye it is here more expressed by partes for the place of the battaile is expressed namely Bezek Bezek but where this Bezek should lye it is not very certain For there was a certaine Bezek whiche was a city belonging to the tribe of Manasses whiche was situate 17. myle from Sichem as ye go to Bethsan Ierome And Ierome testifieth that in his tyme there were two Townes which were called by this name And it is not very likely that Iuda and Symeon would passe with their hoste to the tribe of Manasses whē their purpose was only to ridde the Chananites out of their owne lottes Vnlesse peraduenture that king whiche was called Adonibezek althoughe his kyngdome were in the tribe of Manasse claymed and vsurped by violent tyranny many places in the inheritaunce of Iudah and Simeon This kyng had prepared an hoste to go agaynst Iudah and Simeon and to let them from recouering of their own Which thing being knowen Iudah and Symeon made towarde him that he should not entre into their borders Wherfore it chaunced that they fought with him not farre frō his kingly citie Bezek or els it is to be thought that this Bezek was a certain citie either in the tribe of Iudah or els of Simeon wherof is no mencion made in any other place Malchisedech Adonisedech This kyng was called Adoni-bezek whiche is a compounde name wherin the leter Iod is placed betwene two wordes as Malchi-sedech Adoni-sedech euē as R. Selomo testifieth This king semeth to haue fled for that he sawe his hoste both slayne to the number of ten thousande men and to turne their backes and flye he would therfore saue him selfe by flight but he was brought backe agayn by the Israelites and suffred most grieuous punishement as he had iustely deserued Bohan Behonoth For they cut of the thombes both of his handes and of his feete This word Bohan signifieth in the Hebrew a thombe it is in the feminine gender wherfore it is said in the plurall nomber Behonoth Although R. Dauid Kimhi do interprete that worde into fyngers and the Chaldey paraphrast doth interprete it anckles And Adoni-bezek said 70 kings This tyranne acknowledgeth the iudgement of God but whether he spake this of true faith or pure repentaunce it can not be knowen by the wordes of our history But it is most lykely bycause he called not vpon God implored not his mercy neither shewed any tokens of true conuersion The law of rēdring lyke for lyke that rather anguish did extorte from him
they say by anticipatiō For it is written in the .11 chap. And Iosua came at the tyme destroyed the Enakims from the mountaynes namely Hebron Debir and all the mountaynes of Iudah If these things should haue ben mencioned in the place as things whiche should come to passe sone after the death of Iosua then had it not ben well spoken to haue sayd And Iosua came at that tyme. And this I thincke the reader shall playnly see proued if he will not thincke it paynfull diligently to read ouer the 10 and 15. chap. of Iosua 12 And Caleb sayd He that smyteth Kiriath Sepher and taketh it to him will I geue Hacsah my daughter to wife 13 And Othoniel the sonne of Kenatz Chalebs yōger brother toke it and he gaue him Hacsah his daughter to wife Here is wont to be demaunded how these cities Hebron and Debir should be written in the booke of Iosua to haue ben taken of Iosua when as it is here put that Chaleb conquered them Chaleb desired to haue these regions assigned him for his inheritaunce whereunto I aunswere that all that warre was gouerned by the conduicte of Iosua who was the chief and principall gouernour of the whole hoste but the principall settyng forward agaynst Hebron and other places adioyning thereunto was committed vnto Chaleb the chief of the tribe of Iudah and that not without a cause For he as it is written in the xiiii chap. of Iosua desired to haue that parte assigned peculiarly vnto hym for hys inheritaunce whiche requestes he easely obtayned For he required the same trusting to God hys promises Chaleb was a faithfull espye for when he was sent with other spyes to view the lande of Chanaan he faithfully made relation of the things as they wer in dede not vnfaithfully as his fellowes did Neither was he an author of the peoples seditiō as the other were yea he rather encouraged the peoples myndes and diminished those thinges whiche his fellowes had amplified concerning the fence of the cities of the giaūtes also and of the strength of the Chananites For he regarded not mās strength but with a singular faith most constantly remembred the power the goodnesse promises of god Wherfore god being angry with the rest destroyed them in the wildernesse so that they came not to the promised lande But he promised Chaleb for his faithfulnesse this inheritaunce whiche when he afterward demaunded he put Iosua in remembraunce of the thyng before done and of the promises of God God promised Chaleb the lād whereon he should treade And the place where the promise is contayned is in the 14. chap. of Num. there God promised him that land wheron his foote should treade whiche wordes the Iewes thincke thus to be expoūded The rest of the spyes being amased for feare of the giauntes and putting small confidence in god durst not entre into the citie of Hebron whiche Chaleb him selfe searched with a valiaunt courage The promise therfore of this possession was made vnto him in the second yeare after the deliuery out of Egypt Chaleb surely declared a valiaunt noble hart when as he did not only require the possession of these places but he enterprised also to conquere thē for al that they were fenced inhabited with most strong giaūtes Wherfore we must beleue that he tooke in hand such so great an enterprise not by his owne power but by gods promises And here ariseth no small doubt howe Chaleb being of the tribe of Iudah Hebron was one of the Cities of refuge could obtayne the citie of Hebron which by lotte belonged to the Leuites For god had cōmaunded that certain cities as wel beyond Iordane as on this side should be had for refuge sake The cities of refuge belōged to the Leuites that thither might flye as many as had slayne any man by chaunce and not of pretensed purpose And the possession of those cities whiche were therfore appoynted belonged to the Leuites Wherfore it was not lawfull that Hebron should be geuen to Chaleb The Leuites had the citie of Hebron but Chaleb had the grounde and Lordship seing it was numbred amōg the cities of refuge These thinges are true but we must vnderstand in the meane tyme that the Leuites myght possesse but their cities only the suburbes adioyning to the walles of them But as for the grounde or dominion whiche they call at this day Lordship it was not graunted them to haue Chaleb therfore desired to possesse the grounde but as for the citie whiche he had in his handes he let to the Leuites as the lawe commaunded It is most certein that there is mention of the citie Hebron in the booke of Gen. when as it is there written that Abraham liued in the groue of okes of Mamere the same had if we may beleue Ierome a precious turpentine tree which grew there from the beginnyng of the world and continued till the time of Constantine the great It is said to be 12000. paces distaunte from Ierusalem Dauid reigned in it some while before he was anoynted king ouer all Israel Neither haue we any thyng to do to write nowe of the auncientnesse therof seing I haue somewhat spoken of it before And Chaleb sayd he that smiteth This whole history is declared in the 15. chap. of the booke of Iosua word for word wherby it appeareth that that is most certain whiche I before admonished you of The conqueryng of Debit was harde namely that all these thinges are now mencioned by a certain repeticiō The conquering of Debir semeth to haue ben paynefull and daungerous and meruelously much desired of Chaleb when as he offreth so ample noble a gift to the conquerour therof namely his owne daughter to wyfe being him selfe the prince of the most noble tribe of Iudah And Othoniel the sonne of Kenaz Chalebs younger brother tooke it It is certain that Othoniel obtayned the victory but whether be were Chalebs brother or his brothers sonne or some other kinne to him it cānot be gathered by these words But how they were kinne it wer good to know partly for the knowledge of the history partly to vnderstand whether the matrimony which followed betwene Othoniel and Achsah were lawfull In the first booke of Paralip Hefron was called also Iephuna and second chap. the father of Chaleb is called Hesron whiche man was the third frō Iudah for Iudah had Pharez by Thamra his sonnes wife and Phares begat Hefron which was called by an other name Iephuna for which cause Chaleb is very often written the sonne of Iephuna R. Salomoh Of whiche thing I can not tell what fonde inuētion R. Salo. writeth namely that he was so called bycause he disagreed from the mynde and counsell of the other spyes Panah signifieth in Hebrew to depart or to decline wherfore he thincketh that this surname was geuen to Chaleb for the cause now alledged Neither maketh that any
history retourneth to that setting forward to battaile which they of Iudah and the Symeonites tooke in hand styrred vp by the oracle of God And therfore it is written And Iudah went wyth Symeon hys brother and smore the Chananites dwellyng in Zephat and vtterly destroyed it and called the name of the Citye Horma The vowe of Cherem that is of the curse The Hebrues did not vtterly throw downe nor destroy certain cities which they possessed but dwelled in them Howbeit som they cursed and cleane defaced And their vowe was called in Hebrew Cherem of the thing that was promised deriued from this woord Charam which is to waste to destroy to kil to deface to geue vnder curse The Grecians called that woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as thinges consecrated and put apart And it may be that so they called them bycause they were hanged vp in temples and were seperated from the vse of men neither was it lawfull to remoue them out of that place Yea and men somtymes wer called by that name Paule also vsed that woord many tymes for he saith to the Galathians Let hym be accursed whosoeuer shal preache any other Gospel And to the Romanes he wished him selfe to be made a curse for the brethren And to the first of the Corinthians he saith he the loueth not the lord Iesus let him be accursed Maranatha wher he taketh this woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this woord Cherem that is a thing seperated and seioyned vtterly from mans occupying or vse so that it was wycked either to touch it or to put it to any vse Wherfore we haue a testimonye in the booke of Iosua Why the cytye of Iericho was made a curse the .6 chap. of the city â—â—â—â—cho And it semed to haue bene so accursed bycause it was after a sorte th◠〈◊〉 fruites of the Cities that were taken For after they were passed ouer Iordane it was the first of al the cities that was conquered and that by no mans helpe for that the walles therof fel downe of their owne accorde and through the woorking of God And therefore it was mete that the spoyles therof should altogether bee consecrated vnto God Whether the destruction of cities pertayne to the worshipping of God But that semeth to be vtterly farre from the worshipping of God to destroy both cities and men and these seme to haue a shew of cruelty rather than of religion To that I answer that the destruction of townes in dede of their own nature belong neither to religion nor yet to godlynes but so farre forth as they ar referred to the glory of God And that may happen two maner of wayes As wheÌ„ that destruction is counted as a certayn monument of the seuerity and iustice of God against those nations which he for their wickednes would haue destroyed or as a certain testimony of Gods goodnes and mercy towards the Israelites whom in that expedition he mercyfully helped Therefore the ouerthrowing of the city houses men and beastes did shew the iustice and seueritie of God And the consecration declared the goodnes helpe and mercy shewed to that people Moreouer God would by that meanes proue the obedience of his people in abstaining from the spoiles which wer consecrated vnto God God by these curses proued hys people For we know that souldiours when they haue gotten the victory are hardlye restrained from the pray But they which obeied not the curse published wer most grieuously punished which the holy history of Iosua declareth to haue happened vnto Acham bicause he vsurped vnto him selfe some of the spoiles of Iericho We know also that Saul for this cause was depriued of his kyngdome bicause he had reserued Agag the king and certain oxen and fat cattel of the pray which wer bound before to the vow of the curse The forme of the curse Of the forme and end of the curse we haue spoken enough For the forme is the destruction of cities men and beastes and the consecration of gold siluer yron brasse precious stones and costly things which wer appointed onely to the vse of the tabernacle But the end was that they might be monuments of Gods goodnes and iustice The end of the same and also an exercise and trial of the Israelites Now resteth somewhat to speake of the matter and efficient cause therof The matter was what soeuer was found on lyue in those cities for al that ought to be killed The matter of the same and the buildinges and other garnishinges of the city ought to be cleane destroyed but as for the ornamentes and riches they were as it is sayd consecrated vnto the worshipping of God But ther is to be marked that none wer vowed vnto so horrible a destruction but such as were already declared and knowen to be enemies of God for it is not lawfull to kyll Innocentes Wherfore they sinned most grieuouslye which so vowed Paules death that they would neither eate nor drinke tyl they had killed him And at this daye they behaue them selues more than wickedly Iephre which saye that they haue vowed them selues most cruelly to kil al the Professours of the gospel Yea and Iephte without doubt was deceaued Agamemnon which bicause of hys kynde of vowyng thought that his daughter should either be slaine or els compelled to perpetual virginity Agamemnon also is to be condemned which as Cicero declareth in his booke of offices vowed vnto Diana the fairest woman that should be borne in his kyngdome And to performe this foolish vowe he sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia The efficient cause of a curse But the efficient cause of the vow Cherem somtimes is God as it is written in the .vii. and .x. chap. of Deut. For ther it is commaunded that places dedicated to Idoles aulters ymages groues monumentes should be vtterly destroied and that was a perpetual curse in the land of Chanaan and to be alwaies obserued Somtimes the Prince made such a vow as we reade of Iosua and somtimes the people as we find in the .21 chap. of Num. The prophets also somtimes did this so Samuel coÌ„mauÌ„ded Saul cleane to destroi al things beloÌ„ging to the Amelekites The name of this city wherof we now entreate was afterwarde called Horma for it was not so called before and it was so called of the woorde Cherem For such a name were they wont to geue vnto such places as were wasted and destroyed by a curse In the booke of Num. 21. chapter a certaine portion of the Chananites which the Israelites possessed by violence was by reason of suche a vowe called Horma But some peraduenture wil aske These destructions of Cities are not agaynst charity Augustine whether these destructions of townes wer against charity To whom I answer no. Bicause such enemies were chosen to be vtterly destroyed of the Iewes by
A vehemente amplyfieng of synne is the greatnesse of the benefites of god which ought to stirre vs vp to the obseruing of the law Afterward is set forth the grieuousnesse of the punishmēts bycause the waight of the synnes cōmitted doth euidently declare the burtheu of thē Wherfore these two things are worthily alledged in the sermon to the end the Hebrues might fele the enormity of the wicked acte whiche they had committed whereas otherwise they would haue thought it but a light faulte Two Antitheses to be considered in thys oration Furthermore we must consider in this oration the contrary positions artificially ioyned together to augment the vehemency For to that benefite wherin God had brought them out of Egypt this is layde agaynst that they draue not the Chananites from the countrey geuen vnto them And to this benefite that God had geuen them an aboundant and fertile countrey this is contrary that the people suffred Idolatry to be no lesse vsed there than it was before And this was to rendre euill for good Wherfore God would not suffer that to be left vnpunished but caused it to happen otherwise vnto them than they thought For the nations whiche they for their cōmoditie had saued did them great hurte so that they are cōpared to thornes And the Gods of those nations which they had not abolished turned to a snare greuous stumbling blocke to the Hebrues Whether the people wer by this oratiō stirred vp to faith But this sermon may seme vnperfect enoughe for so muche as fayth is not set forth in it wherunto the mynde of the hearers should be erected onely the synne is declared and the punishement wherewith they should be punished is expressed And these thinges except fayth be mixed with thē breede rather desperation thā saluation so farre of is it that they should bryng a iust remedy To this I aunswere that that parte whiche semeth to wante is elegantly contayned in the sermon nowe alledged so that it be somewhat more diligently considered For when the benefites bestowed on them by God are expressed they make vs assured of the goodnesse and mercy of God whiche benefites also remayne still for the Israelites if they will repente For god is not chaunged but is perpetually of the selfe same nature and will And vnlesse he be resisted by sinnes he is towardes men very fauorable and louyng Furthermore fayth is stirred vp in the hearers when it is shewed vnto them that god would that his couenaunt made with them should abide for euer Wherefore it is manifest that this was his will that the impediment of synnes beyng by full repentaunce taken away his couenaunt whiche he had made might be of force for euer Wherfore there is no cause why we should complayne that fayth is left out when as both the promises and the couenaunt are mencioned whiche can not be conceaued and established but onely by fayth There yet remayneth a doubte whether God require the selfe same thyng of Christians whiche he woulde haue to be done of the Hebrues Wether it be required of vs that we should breake Idoles namely that they should by violence take awaye and breake in pieces the Idoles and superstitions both of the infidelles also of heretikes If thys should be demaunded as touchying Princes and Magistrates it is without controuersie that they ought to purge their dominions from such euils and to that end haue they receaued of God the sword and power But they which are priuate persons ought to abstayne from violence for so much as to them is not committed the sworde and power to constrayne Of thys thyng Augustine in the .x. tome and 6. Augustine sermon after this manner aunswereth that the Christians ought so to do as God commaunded the Hebrues in the 7. of Deut where he expressedly commaunded that these thinges ought then to be done of the Iewes when the lande was in their owne power Wherfore Christians ought also to do the same but yet in those landes cities and houses whiche they possesse namely they must there ouerthrowe Idoles and superstitious altars Howbeit it is not lawfull for them to breake into other mens houses landes and Townes and with violence to breake and ouerthrowe Idoles and altares This sayeth he is not to heale the synne of Idolatrye whiche lyeth chiefly in the hearte it ought chiefly be weyed out of the heartes of our neighbours by the worde and doctrine whiche beyng done as many as we shall wynne vnto Christ will helpe vs to take awaye outwarde Images when as they are persuaded by the worde of GOD and that by our diligence they haue first shaken away the same thinges out of their own heartes Cōsilium Eliberinum And accordyng to this meanyng the Counsell holden at Eliberium did decree in the 60. Canon By these thynges we muste note that this is the will of GOD that we should abstayne from traffickes We must haue no felloweshyp with the vngodly matrimonyes and fellowshippes with infidels and heretikes as by the lawe it was forbidden that the Iewes should make no league with the Chananites but this would I haue so to be vnderstande as I haue before and that largely declared Moreouer we are playnely taught that the commaundementes of GOD are simply to be obeyed The commaūdemēts of god are not to be mitigated by man his inuentions so that we may not go about either to mollefye or to mitigate them by mannes inuentions Seyng that GOD punished the Hebrues and that grieuously whiche peraduenture thought that they had sufficiently fulfilled hys precepte when they had made the Chananites tributaries But as touchyng their Idoles and superstitions he required nothyng elles of the Israelites but that they woulde not worshyppe them Wherefore suche interpretations are to be taken hede of whiche do either vtterly take away the worde of GOD or at the least do make it to be of small force This did the sonne of GOD sharpely reproue when he sayed that the Phariseys by their doctrine and humane inuentions did wrest the law of God as thoughe it had ben made of ware to their filthy lustes wicked desires This sermō is takē out of the holy scriptures We must also marke that this whole sermon is taken out of the holy Scriptures for there is nothing contayned in it which is not found in the bookes of Numb Deut and Iosuah Whereby we gather that preachyng is then of efficacy when it is drawen out of the worde of GOD and not of the inuention of man Sinners ar punished by the same thinges whereby they haue trāsgressed Neither is it to be passed ouer that it is a common thyng with the Iustice of God to punishe synners by the same thynges whereby they transgresse As nowe it is declared that the Israelites should incurre most great damages as well by the nations as also by the Idoles whiche they contrary to the commaundement of GOD had
God euen then vseth by a certayne wonderfull manner to styrre vp great miseries and calamities out of ashes and sparckels which wer thought to haue bene long time quenched Iabin the king of Chanaan was kylled by Iosua as it is written in his booke the .xi. chap. and Hazor his kingly City destroied and burnt with fire Wherfore none would haue looked that war shoulde haue bene renued againe on that part But an other Iabin the sonne or sonnes sonne of him that was killed tooke courage againe and inuaded and oppressed the Israelites But least al that should be ascribed vnto his strength it is added that God intermedled in the matter when hee solde the Hebrues vnto him that is graunted vnto him to vse them as he thought good hymselfe euen to all most vile seruices and that as most abiect bondslaues And this calamity is amplified by many names First by the longnesse of the tyme for it continued .xx. yeares when as before Othoniels time they were afflicted onely .viii. yeares And before Ehud was stirred vp they serued .xviii. yeares It is declared that this seruitude was very cruell bicause Iabin oppressed the Hebrues by strength and violence And Iosephus writeth that it was in such sort that they durst not so much as to lift vp their head And the cause of his so great crueltye was Why Iabin was so cruel vnto the Hebrues bicause he remembred that the Iewes in the time of Iosua had killed his Father or Grandfather And had ouerthrowen the kingly City Hazor in wasting and burning it wyth sword and fyre Farther the violence and power of his tyranny is by this declared in that he had so great a number of yron or hooked chariots and if we may beleue Iosephus he went a warfare with three hundred thousand footemen Iosephus ten thousand horsemen and three thousand chariotes among which .ix. hundred of them were of yron Neither for al his great host had he ben able to haue brought the Hebrues vnder subiection vnles God as we haue before said had solde thē And vndoubtedly it is to be thought that Iabin vsed these .ix. hundred chariots which the history speaketh of by name to afflict the region of the Iewes which he had now conquered and to the end they should not fal from him And he dwelt in Hazoreth Howe raigned this man in Hazor whē as in the time of Iosua the City was ouerthrowen To this we answer first that after the ouerthrow which happened vnder Iosua the rest of the Chananites fled into a very huge wood which is called Of the Gentiles ther bi litle litle they so increased their power that thei set ouer thēselues a king which was of the surname of the first king namely his sonne or els his sonnes sōne which is therfore said to haue raigned in Hazor bicause he stil retained the title of the place as very many kings do at this day which keping the title of certain places do cal thēselues kings of the same places wherin in very dede they haue no possessiō at all But the Hebrue interpreters think the Hazoreth was a large huge wood which cōtained in it many cities Castels Vnto which sense the Chaldey paraphrast leaneth which turneth that worde munition of Castels This day also in Germany there is the wood of Hercinia wherin are both Cities and very many Castels And it is called Of the Gentiles either bicause a great number of diuers people resorted thither or bicause those places were built and fenced by the labour of manye Gentiles We might otherwise also answer that much more likely to be true namely that the citi of Hazor was after Iosua recouered reedefied by the Chananites so that it was the kingly city agayne wher Iabin either the sonne or els the sonnes sōne of the first Iabin raigned And to this reedefieng the times serued very aptly For from the burning of Hazor there wer passed .150 yeares more or lesse that is eight yeares of bondage which happened vnder the king of Mesopotamia .40 yeares of Othoniel .18 yeres of seruitude vnder Eglon king of Mesopotamia .80 yeres wherin Ehud peaceably iudged the Israelites and .20 yeres this Iabin afflicted the Hebrues Wherfore he might easily reigne in Hazor being againe reedified and this maketh with it bicause it is not writtē of this Iabin that he dwelled in the wood but that Sisara his captayne dwelt there For kinges vse not to kepe an house in their kingly citye but rather to haue them in their borders or in the fieldes wher they may be prompt and redy to accomplysh thinges to be done 3 And the children of Israel cried vnto the Lord for he had .900 chariottes of yron and .20 yeares he opressed Israel very sore 4 And Deborha a Prophetesse the wife of Lappidoth iudged Israel the same tyme. Both by the thinges before declared also by these which are now spoken of we may vnderstand the frowardnes of mans nature for vnles it be by troubles and aduersities brused and broken Men in desperate thinges call vpon God it regardeth not God yea as long as there is any hope of other helpes it neglecteth God and vseth them But whē thinges ar past all hope and do seperat then god is required as a certayne holy ankerhold Wherfore it is no maruayle though the Hebrues deferred their repētance 20. yeares long Surely I am persuaded that they did oftentimes grone and cry But bicause they lamented not that they had offended god and wickedly committed sinnes but only desired him to take a way the payne long punishment and paraduenture murmured against God therfore wer not their praiers heard But now at the last at the .20 yeares ende when with fayth and godlynes they prayed vnto God Though God deferre his help yet wee muste not dispaire he heard their prayer and graunted them their requestes By this example let vs learne that we must neuer dispaire of the help of god although it be deferred We all in deede desire to be strayghtwaye deliuered of our troubles but god in his counsel thinketh not good so soone to take away his punishments Wherfore that which he hath decreed we also must pacientlye suffer Deborah a Prophetesse God which before to deliuer Israel had chosen Ehud which had an impediment in his right hande and then Sangar a husbandman armed onely with the goade of an Oxe nowe choseth a woman by whose conduct the Iewes might be deliuered from a most grieuous enemy God vseth both stronge and weake a lyke Wherefore by these examples he aboundantly sheweth that his power is not bounde vnto noble men and to strong men but hee can easilye vse the weake and feable ones Yea and he sheweth forth his power rather in these than in the other Howbeit to declare that it is all one vnto him as touching both kynde of instrumentes sometimes he vseth the strong ones and other sometimes the weake ones And
This Hebrewe word Aim is a particle of one that sweareth and is very much vsed in the holy scriptures I haue sworne in mine anger if they shal enter into my rest Also Lorde if I haue done this or if there be iniquitye in my handes c. The reason of this kinde of speach is bycause they which do so sweare doo begin an execration and sometimes they performe it not If say they they should adde I do it let this or that happen vnto me let me perysh let me dye let me suffer cruell punishment and such like But sometimes they fully expresse it 9 My darte is set on the gouerners of Israell and on them that ar willing amonge the people prayse ye the Lorde 10 Speake ye that ryde on white asses ye that dwell by Middin and that walke by the way Deborah by an eloquent distribution turneth herself to diuers kinds of men exhorteth euery one of them to prayse the Lord. She maketh mention of princes before the other and sayth that her harte is set on them namely bicause she feruently desireth them to be thankful vnto God and to prayse him for the benefite which they haue receaued She calleth them Hokekei bicause to them pertained to make both decrees and lawes Afterwarde she speaketh of all those whiche of theyr owne will and accord had offred themselues vnto the battayle Ye which ride on white trim asses Almost al interpretours vnderstand this to be spoken of merchantes which ryde to and fro to fayres and marketes Asses are vsed in Siria And indeede asses are very much vsed in Siria for there the asses be stronge and mighty and of a good bigge stature and do go pleasauntly VVhiche dwell by Middin Some vnderstande it thus that they whiche are iudges shoulde be prouoked to prayse GOD. For saye they as shee had before stirred vp marchants and rich men to prayse God so now she calleth vpon iudges to do the same For as before marchants were hindred from their trades also were iudges letted from exercising iudgementes For they being oppressed of theyr enemies could not minister iustice But it is better that by this word Middin be expressed some certayne place which paraduenture was grieuouslier oppressed by the enemies thaÌ„ other places wer Or els bicause theyr marchandises wer wont to be much occupied which being now set at liberty in safety the inhabiters of that place are peculiarly stirred vp to prayse God And lastly this semeth to pertayne to the common people VVhich walke by the way Namely on fote For other either they did ryde or wer caried vpon asses for that they were rich and noble men All ye sayth she Schichu that is tel and shew But bicause that verbe signifieth also to meditate we will thus expound it with a redye and an attentiue minde tell or shew Or els it is sayd Ye which walke by the way to declare a certayne cause why they ought to geue thankes as though shee should haue sayd All ye which I haue mentioned therfore geue thankes vnto God bicause nowe ye may walke by the way freely 11 For the noyse of the archers appaised in the places wher water is drawen there shall they reherse the righteousnes of the Lorde hys righteousnes of his townes in Israell theÌ„ did the people of the lord go downe to the gates When she had nowe praysed God because he had restored the common highe wayes free vnto the Hebrewes she addeth now an other benefite which he had bestowed on them Water is a verye necessarye thing in Syria namely in that thei might with out feare draw water which before was in a maner wholy letted them This thing vndoubtedly althoughe in other places it seemeth to be of no greate value yet in Siria where is wonderfull greate scarecety of water it ought to be counted for an excellent gifte The welles or fountaynes whiche were without the cities by the streates and highe wayes could stande the Iewes in no steade by reason of the Chananites whiche kept away al thinges For the horsemen which were archers hidde them selues priuely neare such waters and assayled those which came forth to draw water there Many of them they led away captiues and with theyr noyse and cry they feared away in a manner all from drawinge of water Ye haue nowe escaped sayth Deborah the horrible and barbarous noises and cries of horsemeÌ„ which were archers vsed to crye with an horrible voyce when they assayle theyr enemies Ieremy in the .4 chap. testifieth And the whole city sayth he fled away at the cry of the horsemen which they made whilest they bended theyr bowes After that is setforth an other singular benefite namely that the little townes and villages which wanted fences and were not inclosed with walles and seemed to be desolate and emptye by reason of the enemies whiche besieged them ar now by the help of God reedefied and restored Wherfore she concludeth that for this cause also god must worthely be praised Lastly is added that the people of god might now assemble at the gates of the cities Why thei geue iudgements in the gates froÌ„ the which before they were altogether prohibited The iudgement place in the old time was wonte to be in the gates wher thei executed lawes But by reason of warres and oppressions it seemeth that iudgements ceased which thing how great a misery it bringeth to the publike wealth they do manifestly vnderstand which are not ignorant that in iudgementes in a manner the whole power of the publike wealth is contayned But why the Hebrewes executed these thinges in the gates thys seemeth to me to be the cause bicause they thought those places most meete to be chosen vnto which not onely the citizens but also the rusticall and husband men might easely come And the vndoubtedly could not be better done in any other place then in the very gates of the cityes Geue thankes therfore vnto God sayth Deborah bycause all these thinges by his ayde haue nowe recouered theyr olde forme and order 12 Arise arise Deborah arise arise singe a songe Vp Barak and leade thy captiuity captyue thou sonne of Abinoam Forasmucch as Deborah studied to inflame all the Israelites to geue thanks vnto god by an eloqueÌ„t figure she now stirreth vp herself that therby others might be pricked forward and endeuour themselues by her example to prayse God Go to Go to Deborah go to go to sing a songe This without doubt is the manner of sainctes in their Psalmes and songes that they neuer satisfie themselues in praysing God they alwayes thinke that they are to colde and for that cause euery where they vse suche stirringes vp of themselues Here R. Salomon doteth A fayned â—â—sition of R. â—â—lomon when he writeth that Deborah did to much boast of her selfe and therfore when her spirite began to waxe faynte she endeuored her selfe by such stirryng vp to kindle it agayne If these thinges are spoken by the
of Reuben were greate thoughtes of harte 17 Gilead abode beyond Iordane but why doth Dan remayne in shipes Aser sat on the sea shore and taried in his decayed places Ruben is described both by the arte of a shepheard which he exercised and also by the places of Pastors whiche he inhabited and therwith all it is shewed that they were great men and men of a wise vnderstandyng peraduenture to reprehend their swelling and pride as though they would not obey the commaundementes and conduct of Deborah being a woman This is the nature of hyghe mindes that they thinke that al things that they do are wel done But in that it is added To heare the bleatinges of flockes it may be vnderstande plainely as though the Rubenites had more minde to the bleating of cattell than they had to the regarde of the publicque wealth but some vnderstād Allegorically saying that the Rubenites sat styll among the shepefoldes by the fertile pastors of Iordane althoughe they heard they lamentations and complaintes of the flockes of Israel that is of the people of God with whiche lamentations and complayntes they earnestly implored theyr ayde Gilead abode by the riuer of Iordane or beyond Iordane Some thinke that the Galaadites were reprehended together with the Rubenites bycause they also with their cattell abode by Iordane and neglected this battayle Halfe the tribe of Manasses vnto which the Galaadites pertayned when the land of Chanaan was deuided obtayned the region beyond Iordan together with the Rubenites They which thus expound it are encombred with a certain doubt bycause it is before sayd that Machir came and he was both the sonne of Manasses and also possessed the mount Gilead Therfore if Gilead came as it is before sayd why is he here reproued as thoughe he came not Peraduenture they will aunswere Two sonnes of Manasses that Manasses had two childrē Machir Iair of which childrē wer two families deriued of whiche either possessed parte of Gilead Wherfore it might be that Machir of whom before is mencion had came but Iair is nowe reproued whiche together with the Rubenites neglected this battayle But other with whom I agree do thus thinke that the thinges which are now spoken serue to aggrauate the crime of the Rubenites as though it should haue ben sayd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou Ruben without doubt dwellest by the riuers of Iordane and there dwelleth Gilead also who came for all that to the battayle Therfore all excuse both of dwellyng and place is cut of from the Rubenites And it semeth that this sentence should be spoken by a certaine interrogation Did not Gilead also dwell by the riuers of Iordane Wherfore cease Rubē to excuse that whiche thou hast naughtly cōmitted VVhy doth Dan go to the shippes The situation of the Danites This can not be vnderstand of shyppes lōging to the sea for as much as the lot of the Danites fell not by the sea side but we must vnderstand it of the shippes of Iordane Not as though Dan did altogether dwell by Iordan but as they say this tribe was so feared with the sight of the hostes that they fled vnto their shippes to passe ouer to the Rubenites And that euen as it was filthy and vncomely so also is it nowe iustly worthily blamed Aser sat on the sea shore and in his decayed places Aser is also blamed who semeth to haue excused his absence first bycause he dwelled far of that is by the sea shore secondly bicause his Cities and Townes were decayed and vnfensed And therfore would he tary at home for feare lest if he had gone his enemyes should easely haue had occasion to inuade his borders For for as much as he possessed places whiche were weake he thought that if he were absent his neighbours would easly beriue him of them I do not doubt but that it was greuous and troublesome to those tribes so to be reprehended which yet the holy ghost would haue done partly that they beyng admonished might repent partly the other and we also beyng by this example stirred vp myght not refuse to obey the worde of God yea thoughe it be with daunger whiche if we shall not performe as these men are now reproued so also shall we in the last day of iudgement not onely be reproued with ignominie and irrecouerable hurte but also we shal be damned for euer 18 But the people of Zebulon haue ieoparde their soules vnto the death and Nepthalim in the high places of the field She praysed the tribe of Zebulon and Nepthalim for theyr desertes bycause they had put forth to reproche their soule that is their life For other men counted thē fooles bycause so few and vnarmed men durst rashly take in hand warre agaynst so many and well appointed souldiers as they thought Or They put their soule to reproche bycause they nothing estemed their life and in a manner counted it as a vile thing putting themselues forth into most certaine daunger of death if they should looke vpon mans iudgemēt Howbeit they are for the same cause very much to be commended bycause they preferred both God and also his worde before their owne life And it is added In high places of the fielde or els in high fieldes bycause those were souldiers led vnto mount Thabor from whiche place they might easely behold the whole host of their aduersaries But although they beholde them yet were they not so feared to leaue of their enterprise 19 The kinges came and fought then fought the kinges of Chanaan in Thaanach and by the waters of Megiddo they receaued no gayne of money Nowe is described the forme of the battayle or victory She sayth in the plurall number that kinges came and fought bycause peraduenture Sisera had very many other rulers ioyned with him who although they were not there in person they had for all that their hostes there Or els by a figuratiue kinde of speach the plural number is put for the singular number as is this sentence of the Poet. But we haue gone a great space of the sea Virgil. Cicero Cicero also sayth we haue deceaued the people we semed to haue bene orators Thaanah and Megiddo semed to haue ben riuers in the tribe of Manasses whiche had by them two Cities of the same names not farre from mount Thabor We must thinke therfore that the hoste of Sisera possessed all the playne grounde whiche laye betwene these two Townes Cicero And those repeticions for one verbe serue to adorne the sentēce or song Nilchamiu Are Nilchamiu that is they fought then they fought as Cicero also sayth No man looketh vpon the matter no man considereth the reason c. so that betwene two wordes repeted he putteth this one worde no man This word also Melachim that in kinges is repeted Cicero For it is sayd that the kynges came and that they fought as Cicero also sayth This O fathers appoynted is found to be your acte
And that second is specified to be vii yere olde in at which time being made fat at the leÌ„gth to be offred to Baal this bulloke god would haue offred vnto himselfe for aburnt offring And bycause there is no farther mencion made of the first bulloke neither did god coÌ„maunde what he would haue done with it therfore I thinke we must vnderstaÌ„d but one the self same bullok which before is put absolutly theÌ„ by exposition repeted that he might be by some certaine tokeÌ„s knowen froÌ„ other bulloks wherof peraduenture his father had many so that it was vii yeares fatted stood in the secoÌ„d stalle And as touching the vii yeres fatting there is no cause why we should meruaile at it Apis the oxe was loÌ„g fatted forasmuch as the oxe called Apis or Serapis which was wont to be sacrificed was fatted certain yeares before And it is not hard to beleue The Hebrues vsed the superstitions of the Egyptians but that this custome of the Egyptians was supersticiously kept among the idolatrous Hebrues for that they were not onely neighbours vnto Egypt but also they came out of it into the land of Palestine God would haue an alter erected vnto him vpon a hard and stronge rocke namely vpon that wherout fire was stricken to burne those thinges whiche Gideon brought as though God by the miracle had appointed it for himselfe He coÌ„maundeth an alter to be raised vp in a place apt for the stone or rock as it is to be supposed was great Wherfore he willeth Gideon to chose one certain euen part of it aboue the rest which was most fit to build an alter vpoÌ„ And this is chiefly to be noted the god when he would deliuer the Israelites from the Madianites coÌ„mauÌ„ded aboue all things the idolatry should be ouerthroweÌ„ For vntill as long as religioÌ„ is not restored Nothing goeth forwarde well in a plub welth except religion be first restored nothing goeth forward well luckely in the pub wealth Farthermore faith is the grouÌ„dsele fouÌ„dation of actioÌ„s to come And that caÌ„ not be had where the worshipping of god is turned into superstitioÌ„ impiety Which thing if god in a maner in al expeditions doth obserue let Magistrates therby gather what they ought aboue all things to do among the people whoÌ„ they gouerne Priuate meÌ„ also by this exaÌ„ple ar admonished chiefly to frame piety in their minds It is not sufficient to build an altar vnto the Lord vnles the sacrilegious altare be cut downe neither is it inough to ouerthrow that vnles vnto the true god be his altare builte There are whiche fall from the Pope but they so fall that they will not follow the Gospell And some there are which do in such sorte receaue the true doctrine that for all that they wil not depart from the pernicious masses and other papisticall impietyes God hathe not so not so I saye commaunded whiche soeuer of these thou neglectest thou breakest his commaundemente That there were groues by the temples of the idoles none About idoles were groues whiche hath red Poetes or hystoryes doubteth That was a certayne mutacion of the Patriarches which offred sacrifices vnder okes or in hilles which they called high places They delighted as I thinke in close places wherby theyr mind when they sacrificed was more voyd of worldly cares and affayres And for the most parte experience teacheth vs that in darke places where high trees grow a certain admiration commeth vnto the mindes by which admiration they applye themselues the more to the meditation of thinges deuine God coÌ„maundeth the groue to be cut down bicause it was together with the altare dedicated vnto the god Baal Yet he commaundeth his wood and the oxe appoynted for him to be transferred to his own sacrifice least any man should think that the true god is not lord of all thinges For there is nothing so vnder the power of the deuill but that it may be turned to the glory and honour of god Yet the godlye oughte not by this example to eate thinges offred vnto idoles when they know that they are suche in dede Not vndoubtedly bcause the nature of that flesh is chaunged or ceaseth to belonge vnto god but bicause of the conscience of the weake ones and leaste it shoulde seeme that we woulde be made pertakers of the table of the deuilles But such lawes God hath prescribed vnto vs not vnto him selfe Wherefore he maye vse thynges dedicated vnto idoles for hys owne burnt offringes The groue the altar and the bullock are mencioned to belong vnto Ioas the father of Gideon because he had the office of a Magistrate in Ophrath whatsoeuer was the cause it is to be thought that he mayntayned idolatry there And forasmuch as sacred places sacrifices are appointed to the possessioÌ„ of priuate men therfore magistrates are wonte to haue the rule disposition of them Gideon is chiefly commaunded to do these things that euery man might vnderstand that in purging of religioÌ„ or amending any other sin we must first begin at our own famely and at such as are niest of kinne least any man should seme to correcte other and in the meane time leaue his owne neglected and vnamended 27 Then Gideon tooke tenne men of his seruantes and did as the Lorde badde him But bicause he feared to doo it by daye for hys hys fathers householde and the menne of the Citye he dydde it by nyghte The feare of Gideon resisteth nothyng agaynst hys fayth God wil haue euery man to fulfil his vocatioÌ„ but yet he forbiddeth not to adde prudence We must take place time and occasion vnlesse God appoynt these thinges also Howbeit we muste beware that in adding these cautions we goe aboute nothinge that is agaynst the precepts of God for that prudence is praysed which with thinges well done neglecteth no sinne Supersticions are more set by oâ— men â—hâ—n pure religion Hereby also we gather that Gidion was not oâ— toâ— basest sort forasmuch as out of his famely he could take out ten seruantes He feared and so feared that in the day time he durst not do that whiche the Lorde haâ— commaunded For the worshippinge of Baal was nowe confirmed and superstitions once established by takinge deepe rootes are wonte to haue more authority than perfecte pure and sincere worshipping of god can euer obtayne Such vngodlines is there grafted in the hartes of men that at this day if a man in the papacy detest the masse or deride a pece of bread which the wicked sacrificers both worshippe and cary about he shal be much more cruellye punished and tormented than if he shoulde with horrible blasphemies defame the true God and our Lord Iesus Christ So at that time he was counted as a most detestable heretike worthy to be killed which had done any contumely vnto the holy seruices of Baal Whereunto the feare of Gideon tended But wherunto tended this pollicy
somewhat vnto kinsfolkes and friendes For these kind of men haue very many dreames when they slepe For pratlers and idle persons are wholy voyde of cogitations wherefore they at inwardly fylled with images and formes The melancholike also by reason of the power and nature of melancholy do dreame very many thinges Farther they ar very much geuen vnto cogitatioÌ„s The phrantike also bicause their mind is void both of the knowledge of the outward senses and also of the vse of reason therfore they ar vtterly geuen to imaginations Lastly frends do for that cause se many things of their frends in theyr dreames bicause they ar very much careful and pensiue for them Al these men now rehearsed are wont by dreames to foretell many thinges bycause in diuerse dreames and in a manner infinite it is not possible but that some true thinges happen sometymes They whyche the whole day excercise themselues in shootynge do much oftner bit the marke then they which do very seldom shoote And they which play al the day at dyse or tables do much oftener throw good castes then they which little or seldome vse that kinde of play Howbeit we must vnderstand that those signes which ar attributed to dreames as touching the fyrst kynde alredy declared are not necessary Of dreames which ar signs there is no necessity of the effectes to be gathered for asmuch as they may be letted And yet this hindreth not but that they may be signs For this is so also in the clouds which vndoubtedly ar signes of rain when as for al that sometymes they are discipated by the wind before it rayn And vrine hath tokens either of sicknes or helth when yet the effect may be letted by vehementer causes the same also happeneth of the pulses Yea and those counsels which we haue appoynted and which with great deliberation decree to do very oftentimes are not accomplished bycause some other thinges happen betwene wherby we can go no farther which self same thinge if it happen in dreames it is no maruayle forasmuche as they are signes of thinges not perfecte but rather of the beginninges of thinges and those weake and feable mouinges of humors maye yet be easely letted of many other causes Democritus thus expoundeth those dreames Democritus which resemble thinges coÌ„ming by chaunce and farre distante There are alwayes saythe he defluctions from things themselues which ar caried to the bodies of those that slepe and do affect them with the quality and symilitude which they bring with them And the same he affirmeth to be for two causes more felt sleping then waking First bicause the ayre by night is easlyer moued as we see done when the water is smitten with a little stone very many circles ar with that stroke multiplied and driueÌ„ a great way vnlesse some other contrary motion resiste it But in the nighte the ayre is more quiet then in the day time bycause it is not driuen into sundry parts by the course of creaturs which moue themselfes An other cause is bicause they which slepe do easlier receaue light mouings And lastly the same author also referreth not the causes of dreames to god Galene Galene also in his little booke whiche he wrote de presagiis in somniorum aboue other thinges maketh mencioÌ„ of this wheÌ„ in dreames we se those thinges which when we were waking we neither did nor thought they ought not to be referred neither to artes neyther to qualities or custome of those things which happened when we wer wakinge but vnto humors This rule seemeth to tende to thys end that we might vnderstand of what thinges dreames are to be counted signes And he graunteth that these things are better knowen in the night then in the day bycause then the soul withdraweth it self into the inward parts wher it easilier feleth those things which ar ther. An history of a certayn dream And he maketh mencion of one who thought in his dreame he had a thigh of stone which many thought to pertayn to his seruants but wtin a few dayes after that his legge fel into a palsey An other thought that he was vp to the throte in a cesterne full of bloude out of which he could by no meanes escape And that declared that much bloud abounded in hym and that he had very great neede to be let bloud He maketh mention also of an other which in his dreame thought that on his critical or iudiciall day he was washed in a bath wyth great aboundance of water who afterward fell into a great sweat Farther sayth he they which slepe do thinke sometimes that they are greuousely laden so that they ar not able to beare the wayght sometimes so light and nimble that they run in a manner fly Al these things saith he are â—okens of excesse or defecton of humors Hippocrates also of these thiÌ„gs in a maner writeth the same namely that the mind in the day time destributeth his powers into the senses other faculties Hippocrates And in the night it draweth theÌ„ to the inward parts therfore it doth the better know them Howbeit he maketh mencion that there are certayn dreames which come by god wherby calamities are foreshewed to come vnto cities people and other certayne greate men for the expounding of which dreames some do professe certayne artes Vnto which neuerthelesse he semeth to geue but very small credite When by dreames it is noted that the humors do offend he sayth that they which are in daunger must be holpen by diete exorcist and medicine And whither the dreames be good or euil he will haue prayers added When helth is by dreames signified we must pray sayth he vnto the Sunne vnto Iupiter celestiall Iupiter possessor to Minerua rich Mercury and to Apollo But if the dreames be vnlucky we must pray vnto the goddes sayth he which turne awaye ill namely vnto the goddes of the earthe and to the Heroicall men c. Wherfore eyther Hippocrates was supersticious or els he would seme so But to me as touching sincere godlines that I mislike not Yea it is very much commended that if at any time wee be vexed with troublesome and terrible dreames we muste praye vnto god that it would please him to turne away those euils if there be anye whiche hange ouer our heddes What is the outward cause of dreames There is an other kinde of dreames whiche procedeth of an outward cause namely from the power of heauen or as it is commonlye called the influence which altereth the ayre For this ayre touching our bodies affecteth them with a new quality Wherby sundrye images and dreames are stirred vp vnto those which are on sleepe Wherfore there are manye effectes wroughte of heauen of whych it bringeth forth some in the phantasy and power or faculty of imagination and other some in deede And that may easely be shewed by an example In dede in the ayre or cloudes there are raine and in the
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a turnyng of a speache to some person And he sayd vnto Abimelech Increase thyne army He vseth an Apostrophe to Abimelech beyng absent for it is easy to rayle vpon one being absent He speaketh very Thraso lyke It is as thoughe he should haue sayd increase thy power how thou wilt I set nothing at all by it 30 And when Zebul the ruler of the Citye hearde the wordes of Gaal the sonne of Ebed he was very angry 31 And he sent messangers vnto Abimelech guilefully saying Behold Gaal the sonne of Ebed and his brethren be come to Sechem and beholde they fortefy the City agaynst thee 32 Nowe therfore aryse by night thou and thy people that is with thee and lye in wayte in the fielde 33 And ryse vp early in the mornyng as soone as the Sunne is vp and thou shalt assaulte the Citye and when he and the people that is with hym shall come out agaynst thee do vnto them what thyne hande can finde Zebul was ruler vnder Abimelech when he heard these reproches agaynst his Lorde he could not suffer them Hereby let vs marke how foolishly the Sechemites behaued themselues when they go about to fall from Abimelech they retayne yet still his ruler in the City So god oftētymes striketh men with madnes Neither want there exemples of this thing euen in our tyme. He sent messangers guilefully The Hebrew word is Miremah or Tomah and it signifieth nothyng els but that he sent letters priuely the summe whereof was Gaal is chosen captayne agaynst thee the Sechemites fence the City that they may both defend thēselues within and also exclude thee without And such is the subtility of Zebul that he not onely telleth what was done in the City but also geueth Counsell what Abimelech should doo VVhen it is mornyng The Hebrewe worde Tischim in the coniugation Hiphil from the roote Schacham signifieth to ryse early the Grecians say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And where in Luke the 21. chap. toward the end it is sayd Turba mane conueniebat ad eum that is The people gathered vnto him in the morning the old translation was as Augustine also hath noted vpon this place of the Iudges Populus manicabat ad eum But that worde is barbarous and straunge Augustine Manicare In Greeke it is rede 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And assalte the City This is the Counsell of the ruler that early in the mornyng he should besiege and assaulte the City by guile Do as thine hand shal find By this Hebrewe phrase is signified nothyng els but that so do thou as occasion shall serue 34 And Abimelech rose vp early and all the people that were with hym by nyght and they laye in wayte agaynste Sechem in foure bandes 35 Then Gaal the sonne of Ebed came out and stoode in the entryng of the gate of the City And Abimelech rose vp and the people that were with him from lying in wayte 36 And when Gaal sawe the people he sayde to Zebul Beholde there come people downe from the toppes of the mountaynes To whome Zebul aunswered The shadowe of the mountaynes semeth men vnto thee 37 And Gaal spake agayne and sayde Beholde there come people down from the nauel of the earth and one Captaine commeth by the waye of the playne of Moonenim Their lying in wayte was distributed into foure bandes when Gaal should go forth of the city Zebul was together with him as far as we may coniecture Zebul vsed double fraude for first he sent a messanger vnto Abimelech signified vnto him what he thought good to be done afterward he ioyneth himselfe deceatfully vnto Gaal as though he would be on his side that he might the safelyer do those thynges whiche he thought to doo that Gaal should not mistrust hym Wherfore Gaal goeth forth being nothing afeard of priuy enbushements and together with hym went Zebul Thou seest the shadow of montaynes Zebul derideth him saying They be shadowes whiche thou thinkest to be men Out of the nauel of the earth This is a metaphoricall kynde of speache for as the nauell appeareth aboue the belye so are the mountaynes aboue the earth Wherefore by the nauell he vnderstandeth the mountaynes from whence Abimelech descended with his company And when he came from the mountaynes it is very lykely whiche thyng yet is not here mentioned that he ouercame the guarrisons whiche the Sechemites had put in those places 38 And Zebul sayd vnto him Where is nowe thy mouth that sayd Who is Abimelech that we should serue hym Is not thys the people that thou haste despised Go out nowe I praye thee and fyght agaynst them 39 And Gaal went forth before the men of Sechem and fought agaynst Abimelech 40 But Abimelech pursued hym after he began to flye before hym and many were ouerthrowen and wounded euen to the entryng of the gate 41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren that they should not abide in Sechem 42 And on the morowe the people went out into the fielde And it was tolde Abimelech 43 And he tooke the people and deuided them into three bandes laid wayt in the field and looked and behold the people were come out of the City and he rose vp agaynst them and smote them 44 And Abimelech and the bandes that were with hym rushed forwarde and stoode in the entryng of the gate of the City and the two other bandes ran vpon al the people that were in the field and slewe them 45 And when Abimelech had fought agaynst the City all the day he tooke the City slew the people that was therin and destroyed the City and sowed salt in it Zebul coulde not holde hymselfe but that he must nippe that Thraso Thou didst contemne sayeth he Abimelech nowe come out agaynst hym and shewe howe valiaunt thou art VVhere is thy mouth This worde Aphoh is ambiguous for it signifieth where and sometymes it signifieth now But bycause it is before sayd where it is mete to be taken here for Now so let vs say Where is now thy mouth vnles we will haue it a repetition to say Where where is thy mouth by the figure Metonumia a mouth signifieth wordes The manner of feareful men for we speake with the mouth He vp braydeth him with the maner of feareful men for cowardes are wont before the daunger stoutely to bragge but when they come to the daunger they are wonfully afrayd but contraryly stoute men bragge not much neither do they rashely thrust themselues into daungers But in daungers they are most constant He went forth before the princes of Sechem Gaal fighteth but peraduenture not prepared for Abimelech came vpon him vnlooked for Yet Gaal goeth forth agaynst him least peraduenture he should seme to be a coward And he fled before him Abimelech followed hym when he fled euen to the gates of the City where he slewe many Gaal thought he
of Isaschar That tribe was the lowest and obscurest tribe but god hath no respect to persons The state of this pub weal was most excellent namely Aristocratia wherin god chosed Iudges indiffereÌ„tly out of all the people And there was none which could iustly complayne that his famely could not be exalted to the highest dignity of rule which thing happeneth not in a kingdom For all the kinges came of the famely of Dauid The sonne of Pua Ben Dodo That word is ambiguous darke for it may be both a nowne proper and a nowne appellatyue If it be a proper nowne as the Chaldey Paraphrast supposeth we must say that Thola had to father Pua that Pua was the sonne of a certaine man named Dodo But other thinke that it is a nown appellatiue and that signifieth an vncle and hath a pronowne affixed vnto it of the third person And some vnderstand that by that pronown is referred or signifyed Abimelech as though it were noted that Pua was the vncle of Abimelech which sentence som of the Hebrewes allow Yea and the lattin interpreter to expresse that sentence and that there might be no darkenes therin addeth the name of Abimelech But how Pua shoulde be vncle vnto Abimelech and so the brother of Gideon beinge of an other tribe it seemeth meruellous bicause tribes were not mingled one with an other Some aunsweare that it mighte be that they were brethern on the mother side but yet not on the fathers side For such womeÌ„ which had no inheritaÌ„ce maried ofteÌ„times in other tribes but so did not they which had inheritance that the lands and inheritance should not be confouÌ„ded wherfore it might easly come to pas that ether her husband beyng dead or she by him repudiated maried agayne in an other tribe And by this meanes Gidion Pua may be bretherne although they came of suÌ„dry tribes But that those daughters whych were inheritors might not mary in an other tribe it is by many examples confirmed Saule otherwise a Beniamite gaue his daughter to wyfe vnto Dauid who was of the tribe of Iudah Iehoida a prieste of the tribe of Leui maryed the daughter of king Ioram whych was of the tribe of Iuda as it is written in the latter booke of Paralip the .22 chap. Aaron a Leuite maryed Elisaba the daughter of Aminadab of the tribe of Iuda Wherfore there ar two opinioÌ„s one is of them which thynke that Dodo is a proper name Now a maÌ„ mai be the sonne of his vncle and the other of those which say it is a name appellatiue The third opinion is that that annexed pronown namely of him is to be turned his so that this Thola had one and the self name to his father to his vncle which bi the ordinary meanes was not lawful yet was it detested when a man dyed without children for then the brother maried his wife namely him of whom he was begotten and the other which was dead whose name he bare and was made his heyre This sentence lyketh mee well for it very aptly declareth how a man might be the sonne of his vncle c. 3 After hym rose vp Iair a Gileadite and hee iudged Israel .xxii. yeares 4 And he had .xxx. sonnes that rode vpon .xxx. Coltes and they had .xxx. Cities whych are called Hauoth-Iair euen to thys day are in the land of Gilead 5 And Iair dyed and was buryed in Camon Of what tribe this Iair was appeareth by this woord Gilead which is repeated for Manasses had Machir to his sonne who begat Gilead And his name was coÌ„mune with the mount wherein Iacob and Laban made a league and named the place Gilead bicause there they raised vp a heape of stones for a wytnes Eusebius Câ—sâ—riensis Eusebius saith that the backe of this mount tendeth to Arabia and Phenicia and is ioyned with the hyls of Libanus And this mount hath a City of the same name Machir conquered that City and gaue vnto it a name which was coÌ„mon both to his sonne and to the mount Wherefore Iair was of the Tribe of Manasses a man hauing plenty of children for he had .xxx. And no maruaile when as then they vsed to haue many wyues His children was no Rascals or coÌ„mon people yea they were horsmen which is thus described which rode vpon .30 Asse colts This Hebrue woord Air signifieth either a Colt or an Asse Dauid Kimhi according to which sence are signified .xxx. Mules or the colt of a Mare as R. D. Kimhi expoundeth it Neither were they onely horsmen but also riche for they possessed .30 Cities bicause euery one of them was ruler of a City wherfore their father must nedes be very noble They were called Hauoth-Iair Bicause they wer not enuironed with a wall And were so called euen to this day namely euen vnto Samuels tyme who they say was authour of this booke In the booke of Numbers the .xxxii. chap. it is written Iair tooke many Cities from the Chananites and they were called Hauoth-Iair Wherefore it is demaunded whither he were the same man of whom we now speake or whether he were an other I doo not thinke that he was the same forasmuch as betwene them both there were .300 yeares passed He was a certaine other man distinct from this Iair of whom we nowe speake but yet hee was of the same famely and paraduenture this was his Neuew for they which are of the same famely doo for the most part retayne the names of their kynred Vnto this Iair came those Cities whych that other Iair tooke from the Chananites Wherfore the places agree but that it is not the same man This Iudge therefore is noble when as the twoo former were but of a base famely Neither doth Nobility anything hinder to gouerne a publike wealth if self trust and insolence be taken away yea rather they haue examples of their Elders excellent stirringes vp to vertue and very many helpes to gouerne thinges well And it is not vnlikely but that the people vnder these two Iudges rightly worshipped God in long and quiet peace otherwise God would not haue geueÌ„ them so long a time of rest But after them the Hebrues turned againe vnto Idolatry 6 And the chyldren of Israel wroughte wickedlye agayne in the sight of the Lord and serued Baalim and Astharoth and the gods of Aram and the gods of Zidon and the gods of Moab the gods of the children of Ammon and also the gods of Pelisthim and forsooke the Lord and serued not hym 7 Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was kyndled against Israel and he delyuered them into the handes of Pelisthim and into the handes of the chyldren of Ammon 8 Who from that yeare vexed and oppressed the children of Israel xviii yeares euen all the children of Israel whyche were beyonde Iordan in the land of the Amorrhites whych is in Gilead 9 Moreouer the chyldren of Ammon went ouer Iordan to fyght also against Iuda and
I graunte that but we ar not now bound to that law it was made onely for the detestation of aduoutry But nowe if they can much profite the churche theyr election is not to be prohibited And it is vayn which is writtē in the decretals that legitimates maye be chosen A trifling diuision of the decretals but bastards oughte to be reiected except with dispensation as it is had in the title de electionibus For these couloures and deceates the Romayne Byshoppes haue inuented to amplyfye theyr dominion But the sentence whiche I haue allowed agreeth with charitye and we may gather the like of it out of the ciuil law wher it is entreated of Decuriones for these wer ciuill Iudges for priuate cities and townes Bastardes might be made Decuriones Wherfore it is decreed that bastardes might be made Decuriones if necessity so required In the Digests de Decurionibus in the lawe generaliter paragrapho Debet enim The lawe therefore woulde haue that order namely of Decuriones to be ful Howbeit if an other legitimately borne were a suter to gether for the same he shoulde be preferred before the bastard So thinke I must we do in the churche that if anye man be as good and as apte for the ministery being legitimately borne let vs haue no regard vnto the bastarde who muste geue place in that lawefull case It is added in the lawe If they be honest and good the faulte of the byrth nothinge hindereth them In the same tytle in lawe Spurios and in the lawe followinge These thynges haue I therefore mencioned that we myghte vnderstande by what ryghte Iiphtah was of hys bretherne thruste oute and to see howe the Cyuyll lawes agree with the law of God ¶ Whither the sonne shall beare the iniquity of the father BVt in this place ariseth a question wayghtier and farre more hard bycause it seemeth that the sonne beareth the iniquitye of the father For he that is borne playd not the whoremonger but the father whom he could not let More ouer in Deutronomy the .5 chap. it is writen and also the same thinge is founde in Exodus I wil visite the sinnes of the fathers vpon the children vnto the third and fourth generatiō And the same did God repeate vnto Moses when he passed before him For among his Prophetes this also is added visiting the iniquity of the fathers vpon the children vnto the third I say and fourth And it semeth meruelous by what meanes that may be numbred among the titles of mercy This thing the Heretikes as the Martionites Valentinians and Carpocratians What the Heretikes reproue in the old testament left not vnspoken of who for that cause reiected the old testament and affirmed the author therof to be an euil God as he whiche spared the fathers that sinned and punished the innocent children being so far from mercy that he can not forget sinne but reserueth anger euen to the third and fourth generation The Iewes also tooke that in euill parte who in Ezechiel the .18 chap. sayd Our fathers haue eaten sowre grapes the childrens teeth are set on edge That was as much as if they should haue sayd Ieroboam erected calues Manasses setforth idolatry must we be punished for them But the Lord aunswered by the Prophet Al soules are mine both the soule of the father also the soule of the sonne The soule that sinneth it shall dye and the sonne shall not beare the iniquity of the father These thinges seme not very well to agree together Some thinke that here must be vsed a distinction of euils and punishmentes A distinction of punishmentes For there are some punishementes say they whiche pertayne vnto eternal damnation and there are other whiche dure but for a tyme. And they vnderstand the place of Ezechiel before alledged of the first kinde of punishementes for as touchyng eternall saluation or damnation euery one shall beare his owne burthen And agayne the soule whiche hath sinned it shal dye Neither do they otherwise vnderstād a place of Ieremy in the .31 chap. But as touchyng punishments which dure but for a tyme as are sicknes pouerty banishement death c. they affirme that it is not agaynst the iustice of God but that with these kinde of punishmentes he maye punishe the sonne together with the father and the people with the princes And in that sort they expounde that which is sayd in the law I will visite the sinnes of the fathers vpon the children vnto the thirde and fourth generation Augustine semeth sometymes to haue allowed this distinction Augustine For in his questions vpon Iosua the 8. question when he reasoneth concernyng Achan whiche had hidden some of the thinges that were cursed for whose sinne all the Israelites were miserably afflicted and for the same cause not onely Achan was punished but also his sonnes and daughters were put to death together with him Augustine I say sayth there that those punishmentes may both profit and also hinder which thing God hymselfe knoweth and therfore he tempreth them accordyng to his iustice For god so moderateth thē that they do both afflicte the wicked and are not hurtfull to the good For such is his prouidence that those thinges whiche seme euill he can make good but as touching eternall punishementes bycause they alwayes are hurtfull euery man worthily suffreth them according to his euil desert No man saith he suffreth these punishments for an other mans faulte The same Augustine writeth agaynst the aduersary of the lawe and the Prophetes in his .1 boke and .16 chap. A diuision of men into regenerate and into those that are not yet regenerate There is no doubt sayth he but that in this life one is vexed for an other And agaynst Iulianus the Pelagian is his .6 booke the 12. chap. he maketh a diuision of the estate of people and sayth that some are regenerate in Christ but other some are not yet regenerate And the sinnes of those that ar regenerate are visited vnto the third and fourth generation that is vpon all their posterity And he alludeth it vnto originall sinne whiche was by Adam sowed into all his posterity But thou wilt say why is it visited vnto the third and fourth generation The same father aunswereth in his 42. question vpon Deut. bycause thre ioyned with fower make seuen whiche is a number of fulnes so that to say vpon the third and fourth generation The nomber of seuen is a tokē of fulnes is all one as if he had sayd vpon all generations Which kind of speakyng Amos vsed saying For three transgressions and for foure I will not turne to it Wherfore Augustine vnderstandeth these woordes of the lawe for visityng the iniquityes of the fathers vpon the children vnto the thirde and fourth generation as touching those that are not regenerate For the lawe sayeth he entreated of those whiche were vnder the lawe But Ezechiel and Ieremy entreate of menne
Iosua whom when he had vanquished returned with the victory he built in the same place an aultar to the Lord. Whefore it was a custom frō that time that they which should take warre in hand should assemble thither wherevnto this also is to be added that Iiphtah as we shal afterward vnderstand dwelled there He would also haue them to sweare that the promises might be the more certayne as by that appeareth whych foloweth God heare betwene me and you For to sweare is nothinge els then to call God for a witnesse of those thinges which eyther we affirme or deny But the requeste of Iiphtah is not ambicious For that vice then hath place when the office of a magistrate is sought by bribery Iiphtah is not guilty or ambicion deceite corruption and euil artes But when a man seeth himselfe to be called vnto it and that he may profite the pub wealth and vnderstandeth that he can obtayne the office of a magistrate vpon an honest condicion it can not be sayde that he doth it ambiciouslye Iiphtah is now chosen to endaunger himselfe for his country to fight agaynste the enemies of god A comparison betwene Abimelech and Iiphtah he vseth no bribery nor deceat Wherfore he is far from ambition But Abimelech did far otherwise behaue himselfe he slew his bretherne did violence vnto the Sechemites and tooke away the holy mony But Iiphtah although he were reprochfully handled of his owne friendes yet he slayeth them not neyther didde he sollicyte the Gileadites to create him ruler onely he promiseth that he will go to the battayle so that they woulde performe that which of theyr own accord they offred A question whether these mens doyinges were lawfull But here may iustly be demaunded how it was lawfull for them to geue the principality vnto Iiphtah or for him to take it vpon him being Mamzer For the law commaunded that no Mamzer should not enter into the congregation of god which was eyther to take vpon him any sacred ministery or els the office of a magistrate Vndoubtedly none of the Hebrewe Greke and lattin interpreters that I know of once marked this doubte But I thinke herein may two reasons be alledged Firste although the lawe seemeth to be violated yet god who was the author of the law would at thime time by this priueledge haue infringed And we may vnderstand that they wer admonished by an oracle to chuse him prince which should fyrst set vpon the enemies whatsoeuer he were This if they receaued by the inspiration of god then were they free from the lawe for they myghte thinke with themselues that God made the lawe for men and not for hymselfe This is a singular priueledge of god wherein he commaunded that whosoeuer fought first should be made the head Iiphtah fought Wherfore by the couenant and iudgemente of God it was necessarye that he shoulde be chosen the heade But what if without any oracle they had determined this thing onely by iudgement among themselues Sinned they or no in making a bastard their captain No verely For this is to be obserued in all preceptes What is to be done when two preceptes for one time are cōtrary one to an other aswell ceremoniall as iudiciall and morall when two preceptes of god do seme to be contrary one to an other so that the one is a let vnto the other that they cannot both be obserued at one time yea rather it is necessarye that the one of thē be for that time omitted then that which shal be iudged to be more weyghtye and better is to be retayned And yet in the meane time is not that other which is counted of les value violated because there in is nothing done against the will of god The law commaundeth euery man to defende the helth of his neyghbour if a man be magistrate A similitude to defend his city by municions The same law commaūdeth not to labor on the Sabaoth day The enemye beisegeth the city and that on the Sabaoth daye bycause he knoweth that that law is layd vpon the citizens Here seemeth contrariety of preceptes for on the one parte health is to be defended and on the other part the Sabaoth is to be obserued The Machabites iudged it best to fighte bycause the health of the publike wealth seemed greater and of antiquitye An other similitude then the ceremony of the Sabaoth Also the law is to feede the hungry and an other law commaūdeth that the shew bread should be eaten of none but of the priests onely Dauid being hungry cometh vnto the priest he hath nothing but the shew bread wherfore two contrary preceptes come together But the wise priest followeth and obserueth that which is the greater namely to feede the hungrye and bringeth forth the shew bread and helpeth Dauid Also ther is an other law The iii. similitude that we muste minister weapons vnto the Magistrate For he muste be holpen of his subiectes And it is contrarily ordeyned that thinges consecrated vnto god shall not be transferred to other vses Dauid the kings sonne in law and his captayne which made warres for him as the chiefe of his warrefare was then vnarmed the priest had no wepon at hand but onely the sword of Goliath Here ar two precepts which seme contrary the priest followeth the one geueth vnto the magistrate the sword bycause he iudged it better to arme the magistrate then to obserue the ceremony There is also a law that the church shoulde not be without ministers so that it shoulde be destitute of them The fourth similitude And there is an other lawe in Paule that Neophytus that is a man newelye entred into Christian relygion should not be made a byshop The church of Myllan was without a byshop neyther could it finde a mete bishop which was both pure from the sect of the Arrians and there withall had also greate authoritye and doctrine of god There is none but Ambrose but he is Neophitus Catechumenus Ambrose a Neophite and newly instructed in religiō is made a byshop Here doo twoo lawes mete together which in shew seme contrary but it was mete that the lesse law should geue place vnto the greater For Christ so taught when by the sentence of the prophete he sayd I will haue mercy and not Sacrifice And yet he doth not say that he will not haue sacrifice but if two preceptes meete together whereof the one is of mercy and the other of sacrifice he testifieth that he had rather haue mercy then sacrifice So it seemeth was now don as touching Iiphtah that whē two lawes vrged the one to defend the city from straungers and the other that a bastard should not be made a Magistrate that law was to be obserued which serued best for the safety of the city 12 Then Iiphtah sent messengers vnto the kinge of the children of Ammon sayinge what haste thou to doe with me that
this .300 yeares and Balac though he were a mighty Prince and other also neuer required it againe wherfore then doest thou demaund it againe especiallye seing we haue had it so long time That which we translate Art thou better in Hebrue it is Tob tob For bicause they want the comparatiue degree they vse in steede of it a repeticion of the positiue degree Why Balac fought agaynst the Israelites Balac of whom he speaketh was he which hired Bileam to cursse the Iewes And when he fought against the Israelites he did not therefore fight bicause he would wrest from them that land this was onely his entent that they shoulde not enter into his borders Hesbon Hesbon was the kingly Citye of Sihon There dwelled Israell and in all her townes .300 yeares and now at the last demaundest thou it agayne If a man wyl count the number of the yeares euen to this time he shall not fullye finde .300 yeares but onely .270 But so vse they to doo which prescribe any thing by time to adde somwhat aboue the iust number Although the scripture also is wont in supputacions many times to follow the greater number And .270 yeares come nere vnto .300 yeares then to .200 yeares And for that cause it seemeth that the number should be put whole Wherfore Iiphtah concludeth after this maner I haue not offended thee Bicause thou art the occasion of the warre and haue shewed thee my reasons now resteth to put the matter in Gods hand he wyll iudge best Thys was the message of Iiphtah We must fyrst entreate by messengers before we go to weapons Titus Liuius This Oration as farre as it appeareth pertaineth vnto the iudicial kynde and entreateth of possession and the reasons are layde foorth But nowe let vs marke that Iiphtah before he moueth battail sendeth messengers before That is a custome verye laudable For Titus Liuius writeth in his first booke that it was the maner of Rome that before warre was proclaymed againste their enemies messengers were sent to complaine of the iniuries and to require againe the thinges taken away And if by their message they nothing profited they returned vnto the Senate who vnderstanding the matter proclaimed war by the publike assent For wise men iudged it not best rashlye and sodainlye to fall to warres So Iiphtah though he were a warlike and valiant man yet woulde he gouerne the matter wisely and moderatlye For he was not so light brained as many now adayes are who firste prepare them selues to battaile and make a bragging before any man know that there is any warre proclaimed God thus ordained in the .27 chap. of Deut. when thou shalt come to any Citye thou shalt firste offer peace So Iiphtah assayeth firste to compose the matter by woords before he goeth to hand strokes The king of Ammon alledgeth a cause in dede but it is but a fained cause for first it was not the laÌ„d of Ammon but of Moab and the Amorhites draue them out as the second chap. of Deut. testifieth For Israel had none of their landes For God had before said that he woulde geue nothing vnto the Israelites of that which pertained either to the Edomites or to the Ammonites or to the Moabites and when they offred no wrong vnto anye man Sihon the king of the Amorhites pursued them with an host and assayed to destroy them but God gaue the victory wherin both Sihon was slain and his kingdome came to the Israelites Wherfore it can not seme that they did wrong vnto the Ammonites for that land at that time longed to the Amorhites which they before had taken away from the Moabites Whither the Israelites sent messengers vnto the Moabites or no. But in this place ariseth a doubt for it is written that the Israelites sent messengers vnto the Moabites and that is not found in the .21 chap. of Numb The Hebrue interpreters say that that may be gathered out of the .2 chap. of Deutr. where it is after this sorte written I sent messengers vnto Sihon the king of the Amorhites with woordes of peace saying Let vs passe throughe thy lande and we wil go by the high way we wil not decline neither to the right hande nor to the leaft Sel vs meate for money for to eate geue vs water for money to drink Onely geue vs leaue to passe through as did the children of Esau which dwell in Seir and the Moabites which dwel in Arre Ther are three principal pointes in this message What wer the chief points of I phtahs meâ—sage for first Iiphtah answereth that he possesseth this land by the right of war secondly by gift lastlye by prescription I thinke it good to examine these thinges singularly and aparte ¶ Of things whych are taken by the ryght of warres AS touching the first we learne that it may be that some thing may be claymed by the right of warre which maye be confirmed both by mans lawes and by the lawes of God But I wyl begyn with mans lawes In the Digestes de captiuis et postliminio reuersis in the law Postliminium Postliminium a law by 〈…〉 we receaue agayn 〈◊〉 â—hichâ— we lostâ— in warres The thinges that we haue lost in war or in affaires of war if we afterward recouer the same again we shal possesse them by the law Postliminium For so long as they are not recouered they are possessed of our enemies And thys ryghte is towarde those whyche are declared to bee enemyes But suche were declared to bee enemies against whom the people of Rome publikelye proclaimed warre or they which publikely prohibited warre against the people of Rome as it is had in the same title in the law Hostes For Pirates or theues cannot by this meanes attaine to be owners or possesse any thing by the law of warre For warre ought to be made to the ende to attaine something by the right of warre And in the Digestes de acquirendo rerum dominio in the lawe Naturale paragrapho the last Such thinges as are taken from enemies by the common law of all men agreing vnto naturall reason are straightwaye made theirs which take them And thus the lawes of man as touching this thing are very manifest So is it also by the lawes of God Abraham as it manifestlye appeareth in the booke of Genesis the .14 chap. made warre against the .v. kinges whiche had led away Lot prisoner The battaile being finished theyr praye came into the handes and power of Abraham which maye easelye bee proued bicause of that pray he gaue tithes vnto Melchisedech But it had not bene lawfull for him to haue geuen tithes of an other mans goods therfore they wer his own of which he gaue Wherfore we must beleue that that pray was truelye in his possession For in that he gaue it to the king of Sodom it was of his mere liberality for he was not therunto compelled by the law I coulde make mencion what
to the Ephesians the .v. chap. saith Speake vnto your selues in Psalmes Tertulian Himnes and spiritual songes singing and making mery in your hartes And the same thing writeth he vnto the Colossians the third chap. Tertulian in Apologetico sayth that Christians vsed to assemble together to their moderate shorte suppers and when they wer refreshed with meate they sang deuine praises or recited somthing out of the holye scriptures prouoking one an other by them And by this meanes they returned sober home Other honest pleasures besides playes There are also problemes wherwith the wits may be exercised and refreshed which problemes if they seme to hard there are histories which may wyth lesser labour be learned Why are not men hyred to reade them vnto them There is no history so sclender which is not very much profitable for some part of mans life There are also histories of plants of herbes and of stones There are lykewise communications of godlye men one with an other which are sweete and pleasant wherewith mindes are refreshed and therewithal edefied I do not as I haue said vtterly take away playes but I prefer these thinges as much more honest and profitable But now let vs returne vnto the play of Samson whych though it was honest and liberal yet had it a deadly ende And if this playe had such yl successe what is to be hoped of those which are prohibited by the lawes They which made those lawes wer wise men in gouerning the publike welth who seing their faith in other thinges is to be allowed why is it not also to be allowed in thys thing And the young men could not interpreate The feast indured seauen dayes and when Samson had put foorth his riddle the first day they coulde doo nothing in three dayes wherefore when wyt failed them they turned themselues to craftines and euyll artes 15 And when the seuenth day drew neare they sayde vnto Samsons wife Entise thine husband that he may declare vs the riddle least we burne thee and thy fathers house with fire Hast thou called vs that he should possesse vs Is it not so 16 And Samsons wife wept before hym and sayd Surelye thou hatest me and louest me not for thou hast put foorth a ryddle vnto the chyldren of my people and hast not tolde it me And he sayd vnto her Beholde I haue not tolde it my father nor my mother and shall I tell it thee 17 Then Samsons wyfe wepte before hym seauen dayes whyle theyr feast lasted and when the seuenth daye came he tolde her bycause she was importunate vpon hym And shee tolde the ryddle to the chyldren of her people 18 And the men of the City sayd vnto him the seuenth daye before the Sunne went downe What is sweter then hoony and what is stronger then a Lyon Then he sayd vnto them if ye had not plowed with my Heifer ye had not found out my ryddle 19 And the spirite of the Lord came vpon hym and he went down to Ascalon And he smote of them .xxx. men and taking away theyr vpper garmentes gaue chaunge of garmentes vnto those whyche expounded the ryddle And hys wrath was kindled and he went vp to hys fathers house 20 Then Samsons wyfe was geuen to hys companion whom he had associated vnto hymselfe The young men come vnto Samsons wife desire her to intreate her husband and by al meanes to enquire of him what his proposicion signified They adde moreouer threatninges and those horrible namely that otherwise they would burne her and her fathers house This is the nature of peruers men when they can not ouercome by strength and industry they flee to deceites This maye be sene in these young men rather then they would suffer them selues to be conquered or ouercome they go about fraude and snares But chiefly they go vnto hys wife that both bicause she was a woman which might easelye be wonne bicause she was deare welbeloued of her husband they myght vse her labour to wrest and wring out the secrete of her husbande They make her therefore the betrayer and that which is most grieuous of her own husband This is often times the ende of playes The thing for which they contended was of no great value For euery one of them were in daunger onely of the losse of one garment and sheete a peece yet they say Hast thou called vs that he should possesse vs As though they should lose al that euer they had These thinges rightlye agree with those which do play to that end to depriue other men of their goods They which haue lost may after this maner complain of the winner Thou hast with this pretence prouoked me to plai to rob me not to take any pleasure by play The woman in the meane time as Ambrose saith wept and complained vnto her husband Ambrose that he loued her not neither esteemed her Thou hatest me sayth she for as much as thou wylt not declare vnto me thy secretes But Samson aunswereth wisely Yea but I haue not shewed it vnto my parētes and thinkest thou that I loue them not What cause is there that thou shouldest complaine There are in deede many good and faithful women but Samson had not yet had anye trial of his wife It is not expedient alwayes to cōmunicate secrete coūsels vnto wyues Plutarch And seing ther are many euil and babling women which blab out thinges of great importance to their husbandes great dammage therefore wise men commit not many thinges to their wiues secrete keeping for ther are many thinges that are not expedient for them to know And babling is a vyce in a maner proper vnto women Plutarche telleth of this thing an elegant hystory of Papirius Pretextatus which nowe is sufficient onelye to shewe Many though they be strong in body and excel in strength yet are they weake in hart Samson had ouercome a Lyon but yet at the last hee coulde not ouercome the teares of hys wyfe As long as his wife shewed her selfe sad and heauye vnto him Samson could not beare it The holye ghost woulde haue these thinges set foorth in the holy scriptures whereby we might see the nature and corrupcion of our fleshe The seauenth day before the sunne went downe The end of the daye is the sun set Ambrose All they of the East did measure the ende of the day by the going downe of the sunne which by thys place we may gather and by many other They expounded the ryddle after this maner VVhat is sweeter then hoony what is stronger then a Lyon Ambrose sayth that Samson when hee heard these thinges strayghtwaye added what is more vnfaythfull then a woman This assuredlye which is added in the text is not much vnlike Except ye had plowed wyth my Heyfer To plowe is to dyg to turne and to searche the earth So they searched out the mayden that by her they might come to the counsell of her husbande This
onely lodged in her house But the Philistines whē they heard of it did secretly enuirō the city in the night season for they would make no noyse for waking of Samson beyng on sleepe for they durst not set vpon hym in the darke for that they knew him to be most strong They taried till it was day neither doubted they that he could escape being so on euery side enclosed and besieged Liranus thinketh Lyrauus that the Philistines drew not Samson out of his lodging bycause peraduēture in that region it was a law that men should be safe in their lodgyngs But I meruayle that Ambrose sayth that the Philistines besieged the house where Samson was Ambrose when as in the Hebrew we manifestly rede that they besieged the City Samson came and tooke the doores caried them away with him So he despised his enemies neither was there any that durst withstand hym Neither yet must we thinke that that was the strength of a man Things are to be iudged by the worde of God and not by the successe but of the spirit of God But we must not therfore affirme that God fauored whooredome bycause in iudging of thinges we must not haue a regard to the successe Dauid also filthily cōmitted aduoutry and at the same tyme wherin he grieuously sinned he conquered Rabbah the City of the Ammonites Salomon had fellowship with idolatrous women and yet all thinges in a maner went with hym as he would desire Wherfore as touchyng actions we must not iudge of them by ententes Wherfore in Ecclesiastes it is rightly sayd that the selfe same thinges happē vnto the euill that do happen vnto the good therfore of thē the loue or hatred of God toward vs is not knowen Neither by the euentes may we iudge who is godly or who is vngodly We must iudge by the worde of God The things that agree with it are good the thinges that disagree are vngodly But in that God doth not strayghtway take vengeance he therefore doth it to call vs backe to repentaunce Wherfore it is our part to see that we heape not vnto our selues anger in the day of anger as Paul sayth vnto the Romaines Samson escaped the daunger caried away the gates of the City vnto a montayne that they might be a wonder and that the Philistines might see how great strength there was in the God of Israel yea that the Iewes also might beholde so notable an acte of God For that montayne was in the middest betwene Gaza Hebron whiche the Hebrues inhabited By that spectacle it came to passe that the courages of the Philistines were daunted but the Hebrues wer boldned We may not as I haue often admonished thinke of Samson as of a priuate man for he was a Magistrate appointed by God and not by men For if he had ben a priuate man his actes could not be allowed for it is wicked to violate the walles gates of Cities Which thing was also prohibited by the Romaine lawes In the digestes de rerum diuisione in the lawe sanctum and in the law sacrum it is had that some thinges are sacred some thinges religious and some thinges holy Thinges sacred as the alters and temples of the gods Religious as the sepulchers of the dead holy as those things which are by lawes defended from the iniuryes of men as gates walles In the same title also it is red Gates walls of cities are by the lawes coūted as holy These thynges are holy which are neither sacred nor prophane but confirmed and defended by lawes that they should not be violated As if a man should do this thing or that thing he should suffer this or that In the same title in the law Si quis the violating of the walles is made death Wherfore Remus was put to death Why Remus was killed of Romulus bycause he went ouer the walles of his brother Which selfe same thing is decreed of prisons as it is written in the title de Effractoribus in the law .1 And in the title de custodia Exhibitione in the lawe in cos Prisons ar not to be violated Howbeit if the doore were but slenderly shut and any manne had fled he was more lightely punished but yet in suche sorte that he shoulde be counted for a condemned person althoughe otherwyse he were innocent Socrates when he was in prison mought haue escaped he would not An example of Socrates least he should seme to haue violated the lawes It was obiected vnto hym Thou art wrongfully held in prison But he aunswered we must not by iniury put away iniury bycause to do iniury is alwayes euill He also tooke an argument of an exāple For wise men ought not to open this window vnto other Which other would easely imitate if they should flye out of prisō Farther if all mā should by thēselues remedy iniuryes breakes prisons what manner of publique wealth would there be at the length Moreouer hereby we should seme to feare death more then is mete But we must not so be afeard of death to violate lawes and rightes Lastly we must not doubt but that good men fall into the handes of tyrannes by the will of God Wherfore they ought not by an vniust way to deliuer themselues thereout Neither ought any man to obiect vnto vs Peter for he fled not but was by an angell brought foorth by the will and commaundement of God Let vs rather see what Paul and Silas did in pryson they would not flye when they might It is not lawfull for bounde seruauntes to flye from their masters It is not lawfull also for bondeseruants to fly from their masters And vndoubtedly Paul sent home agayn Onesimus vnto Philemon What if the bondeseruant feared fornication or murther at his masters hand It was lawfull for him to flye vnto sanctuary or to the image of the prince there was he holpen by the lawes and the vniust Lord was compelled to sell his bondseruāt But a Citizen for as much as he is free Free men may chaunge theyr abydynges for iust causes neither is held in prison bycause by the lawes he may dwell where he will for him it is lawfull to chaunge his abyding go whether he please But that whiche Samson did must not be followed neither drawen into an example For he as we haue often sayde was appoynted a Magistrate by God and was most certayne of his vocation 4 And afterwarde he loued a woman by the brooke Sorek whose name was Delila 5 And the Lordes of the Philistines came vp vnto her and said vnto her Deceaue him and see wherin his great strength lyeth and by what meanes we may preuayle agaynste hym that when we haue bound him we may afflicte him And we will euery one of vs geue thee a thousand one hundreth peces of Siluer 6 And Delila sayd to Samson tell me I praye thee wherein thy greate strength
Iustice in contaminatyng an other mannes thyng Ye are bought with a greate pryce wherefore glorify God in your body These argumentes of Paul are both most pleasaunt and also most strōg which if they satisfy not some let him loke vpon our Samson He was no idolatrer no murtherer no these and yet is he taken bound his eyes put out and is compelled to grinde in a prison euen as if he had ben a foure footed beast Paul laboureth by many argumētes to proue whoredome is sinne And no maruayle bicause then he wrote vno the Corinthians whiche at that tyme abounded aboue other in fornicatiōs Wherof came the Prouerb Nō quiuis Corinthū that is It is not for euery mā to go to Corinthus And in vniuersal al the Ethnikes were in an ill opiniō touching this vice Eusebius For which cause whē the Church was yet springyng as Eusebius testifieth in his .3 booke of his hystory the .29 chap. the Nicolaites did openly manifestly commit fornication layd the custome of their wicked crime vpō Nicolaus the deacon Clemēs Alexandrinus The history of Nicolaus the deacon although Clemēs Bishop of Alexādria in Stromatis do excuse Nicolaus For he sayeth that he neither thought nor taught any such thing But hauing a very fayre woman to his wyfe and therefore beyng thought to haue ben gelous ouer her he brought her foorth before the people and said This is my wife And that ye might vnderstand that I am not gelous ouer her I am cōtēt for my part that any of you take her to wife Which thing also he mēt as farre as the law of God would suffer But they which were afterward called Nicloaites vnderstandyng his wordes peruersly supposed that he thought the wyues among Christians ought to be cōmon Of this Secte it is written in the Apocalips But this thou hast bycause thou hast hated the actes of the Nicolaites whiche I haue hated Wherfore it is no meruayle though Paul tooke so great paynes to teache that whoredome is sinne Fornicatiō cōtrary to matrimony This wicked crime is contrary vnto matrimony For they whiche haunte wandryng lustes and harlots are farre from contracting of Matrimony Wherfore Terence sayth They which loue can ill abide to haue a wife geuen thē For whiche cause Clemens sayth Clemens whoredome leadeth from one matrimony to many that is from one lawful coniunction to many vnlawfull wicked The Epistle to the Hebrues ioyneth fornicators which aduoutrers testifieth that God will iudge them And those two vices are so ioyned together that they are comprehended in the selfe same precept wherin it sayd Thou shalt not commit aduoultry Fornication is repugnat vnto Christ the publique wealch This pestilence also is repugnāt both vnto Charity to the publique wealth vnto charity vndoubtedly bycause the fornicators do iniury vnto their children whiche not beyng lawfully procreated are scarsely at any tyme brought vp honestly vertuously And they hurt the publique wealth bycause they defraud it of good Citizēs For Mamzer a bastard I say one borne in fornication is prohibited to be receaued into the Church not that he is restrayned from the holy cōmunion or from the misteryes of saluation but bycause it is not lawfull for him to gouerne the publique wealth to be numbred among Citizens Some thinke that this euill may be remedyed if a man should keepe a concubine at home So say they shall the yssue be certayn It may be peraduenture certayne but it shall not be legitimate Seing therfore this wicked crime is both agaynst matrimony and charity also the publique wealth it cā not be denied but it is a sinne most grieuous A Christiā magistrate ought not to suffer harlottes And for as much as it is so why are fornications now a dayes openly suffred in Cityes I speake not of the Ethnikes I speake of Christians and of those Christiās which wil alone seme be called the successors of Christ Whoredome or fornicatiō is most impudently mainteyned in their dominion they not onely willing therunto but also taking a commodity tribute therof That whiche is against the word of God against matrimony against charity against the publique wealth is no sinne or els it is a notable sinne If it be sinne why is it not taken away weded out Augustine But I know what they will bable they bring foorth Augustine who in his booke de Ordine wryteth thus Take awaye harlottes and all thyngs shal be filled with filthy lustes But let vs consider in what time Augustine wrote that booke Vndoubtedly when he was yet Catechumenus and not sufficiently enstructed in religion And althoughe he had not beene Catechumenus yet thys his saying agreeth not with the word of God neyther with Augustine himselfe who in an other place affirmeth that the good which commeth of euil as a recompensacion is not to be admitted Which thing also Paule hath taught to the Romaynes euen as they were wont to say of vs Let vs do euil thinges that therby may come good thinges whose damnation is iust We must neuer haue a regard to the end and euent when we are vrged by the commaundemente of god Somtimes men say vnto vs Vnles thou committe sinne this euill or that will succede But we must aunswere let vs do what god hath commaunded vs he will haue a care of the successe Neither is it meete that one onely sentence of Augustine should be of greater authority then so many reasōs which we haue brought and so many most manifest wordes of God God commaunded absolutely and by expresse wordes that there shoulde be no harlot in Israell But some go aboute to wrest this place out of our handes in sayinge that these hebrewe woordes Kadschah and Kedaschim signifieth not whores or harlots but rather the priestes of Priapus which were vowed or consecrated to thinges most filthy I contrarily thinke that Chadschah signifieth an harlot and Kedaschim vnnaturall and effeminate persons God woulde haue neyther of these suffred among his people But in that they obiect the holy seruices of Priapus it is nothing For it was sufficientlye before decreed touchinge idolatry and what nede it agayn to be repeated But that we may the more manifestly vnderstand that Kadschah signifieth a harlot let vs reade the historye of Iuda and Thamar in the booke of Genesis Certaine wordes ar taken both in the good and euill parte and there we shall see that Louah Kadschah are taken both for one and the selfe same thing For whiche cause we must note that there are certayne wordes whiche maye be taken both in the good and euil parte of which sort is this word Kadschah among the Hebrewes which signifieth both holy and also an harlot euen as among the lattines thys word sacrum that is holye Virgil. wherefore Virgill sayth Auri sacra fames that is the holy hunger of gold This Hebrew word Kadasch is to prepare or
of the feminine gender It is therfore the figure Enallage bycause one gender is put for an other They dwelled careles after the manner of the Zidonians The Zidonians feared not the Hebrues The ZidoniaÌ„s wer most stroÌ„g men bycause they were none of those seuen nations whiche were deliuered to be possessed of them Farther the Zidonians were men most mighty and of them came many Colonii which were people dispersed to seeke new seates and specially at Carthage Wherefore Virgil calleth Dido a Sidonian Virgil. bycause she came froÌ„ thence But why this City of Lais was in such security Why the City of Lais was secure there may be other causes geuen First it had no molestious neyghbours wherby there should haue ben any dauÌ„ger at hand towardes theÌ„ farther there no was tyran which vsuped vnto himselfe the dominion of the City Wherfore for asmuch as they wer not vexed neither by any Tyranne nor of enemies they liued securely These causes are gathered out of the texte also mencioned of the Hebrues But I thinke moreouer that the City had not seuere Magistrates which should haue kept the people in doing their duties Securiti of the fleshe is a thing pernicious which thing ingeÌ„dreth most great daunger vnto Cities Neither is ther any vice in a maner more hurtfull then the security of the flesh Wherefore God wyll haue his to be vigilant and attentiue bicause when all thinges seme to vs to bee safe and quiet then is daunger most of al at hand Whilest the Sodomites liued most pleasantlye and most securely they were or they were ware burnt with fire from heauen and in the time of Noe when men made banquets daily maried and tooke wiues they wer a with sodain flood oppressed Wherfore it is rightly sayd when they shal say peace peace and althinges are safe sodaine destruction shall come It is added that they were farre from the Sidonians A league maâ—e with a people far distant is litle profitable for bicause by that meanes they mought the easelier be conquered Peraduenture they had made some league wyth the Sidonians but confederates which dwel farre a sunder cannot but with difficulty geue succor and be at hand when nede requireth which thing histories euery where doo teache vs. It is also added that they had no busynes or trafficke wyth other men which is therefore spoken bicause cities are somtimes holpen not by reason of a league but bicause of communicating of busynes namelye bicause they cannot be destroyed without the misery of manye men These thinges the Spies diligently marked wherfore it appeareth that they wer wise subtil meÌ„ Come arise the land is large and wyde neither is there any thing wanting in it What are the chiefe poyntes of this exhortacion They doo in few woordes finish their exhortacion appointed Then are we stirred vp to take in hand any thing when it is easy profitable These two things are the principall pointes of thys exhortacion They declare vnto their people that that land is good and fertile as wherein wanteth nothing that serueth for plentifulnes and aboundance In placing our selues these things onely ar wont to be considered And the reasons thereof they conclude by security Then they adde spurres to pricke them when they say God hath geuen it into your hands which thing peraduenture they adde bicause of the Leuite which answered theÌ„ that their iourny was in the sight of the Lord or bicause that porcion of the land when it was deuided fel to the tribe of Dan. There went out syxe hundreth men It is not described after what maner or with what furniture they went foorth onely it is said that they were armed But by those thinges which follow we vnderstande that they had their cattell children and wiues in their companye And they pitched in Kiriath iearim It seemeth that it was a iourney of three dayes for they pitched twise before they came thither vnles peraduenture they went a by way and not the right way Kiriath-iearim is a Citye of woods or forestes Whereby is geuen a reason why that place was called the tentes of Dan. And it lay on the backside of the citye of Kiriath-iearim They came to the house of Micha and ther they pitched againe The fyue men answered With the Hebrues to aÌ„swer is to beginne to speake The verbe of answering in the Hebrue phrase signifieth as much as to begyn to talke or to begyn to speake They made mencion of the Ephod and grauen image whilest that they perswaded the fellow to theft or rather sacriledge Their counsell was that it was expedient to haue wyth them those holy thinges They came to the house of the young man It is an exposicion of that which was before sayde how that they came vnto the house of Micha namelye where the young man the Leuite ministred They saluted him peaceably and peradueÌ„ture they began to aske counsel of him of the successe and euent of their expedicion The sixe hundreth men stoode before the doore and helde the Leuite aboute the gate whilest the fiue men spoiled the temple For entring into it they tooke away al with them Afterwarde they intreate the yong man to go wyth them And he for that he had no other guide but his belly easely assented vnto them An obiection of the Papistes With this argument of the Danites the Papists oftentimes assayle vs Ye teach by corners in one or two cities or prouinces Why do ye not rather come to the catholike churche with vs are riches honors and benefices Ye are fooles ye neither prouide wel for your selues nor yet for others By this kinde of perswasion the hart of this Sacrificer was won who was not ready to cry out And being perswaded to the ende he might be the more in safety he went in the myddest of the armed men least peraduenture Micha requiring his thinges againe shoulde haue pulled him backe againe to his house or rather he went so with his Idole that he might somwhat resemble the Arke of couenaunt For we reade in the booke of Numb that as often as they went foorth and remoued their host the Arke of the couenant was caried about by the Leuites in the middest of the host so that the one part of the host shoulde go before and the other part should follow behinde After this maner the Leuite wold set foorth his Idole vnto the Soldiours But this is to be maruailed at that men were so blynde and mad to make them their Gods How great the blindnes of idolatrers is Augustine which wer subiect to theft and to sacriledge Augustine in his .x Tome and .xix. Treatise elegantly derideth such defeÌ„ders of cities and houses Which haue eyes and see not feete and handes and can not moue themselues Such saith he were the gouernours and keepers of the Capitolium who seyng they could not defend themselues how much lesse were they able to defend a cyty
reason of sundry calamities and plagues wherewith the Philistians afflicted the people of their greuous synnes the Israelites had nowe no lawfull Magistrates wherby came to passe that many wycked actes were cōmitted the woorshipping of God violated and ciuill warres arose which must nedes happen where synnes remayne vnpunished And that whych mought haue bene restrayned by the punishment of one or twoo brought the destruction of manye thousandes both of the Israelites and also of the Beniamites We shal see in this hystory whych the holye ghost referreth to the ende of thys booke fyrste a moste haynous wycked acte of the Beniamites Secondlye vengeaunce taken of that Tribe by the other Tribes wherby the Beniamites were in a maner cleane destroyed And lastly we shal heare the wonderful instauracion of that Tribe The occasion of this warre was thus A certaine man being a Leuite had a wyfe who committed adultery and fearing the sharpenes of her housband fled to her Parentes Not long tyme after her husbande went to seeke her fyndeth her and is reconciled vnto her The woman as shee returned home together wyth her husband was with most fylthy whoredome defiled of the Gabaonites whereby she miserably perished so suffred punishment for her fyrst aduoutry For God punisheth synnes by synnes Neither suffered he adultry being not punished by the Magistrates to go vnpunished As touching the historye it is no marueilous or straunge thing that the Leuite dwelt as a straunger For althoughe that Tribe had certaine Cities and suburbes appointed it yet very many of the Leuites went to the townes and villages of the other Tribes to serue them as touching doctrine counsels wherof I haue a litle before somwhat spoken This man dwelt as a straunger on the syde of mount Ephraim The Hebrewe woord signifieth a side a hyp or thigh And by translacion it signifieth a region or coast And this is a very elegant Metaphore when there is mencion made of a mountaine He dwelled therfore on the side of mount Ephraim He tooke a wyfe a Concubine By this place is manifestlye gathered that the Concubines of the Fathers were wiues For the Iewes were not bound to the lawes of the Romanes when as both at this tyme they were not made and also they pertayned not to that nacion Whych I therefore speake bycause the Romanes had Concubines which were not wiues But the Hebrewes sometimes called their wyues Concubines bycause they were not of the same honour and dignity that their wyues were which had authority in the house Yea the Maister sometimes maryed his handmayden as Abraham maryed Agar Iacob Bilham and Zilpa Peraduenture in contracting of those matrimonies there wanted tables or some outward ceremonies wherwith they vsed to adorne the principal matrimonies Neither yet was that a let but that these were matrimonies Of this thing I haue spoken largely before Wherefore I will at thys tyme cease to go any farther therein But in that the Leuite had a wyfe whiche was of the tribe of Iuda it is not to be marueiled at bicause vnles maydens were inheritours they mought mary in other tribes which thing was not permitted to those that had inheritāce to the ende that possessions should not be confounded Farther forasmuche as the tribes of Iuda and Leui excelled the other in dignitye they were the easelyer coopled together in matrimony For the principality seemed wel to agree wyth the Priesthood It is called Bethlehem of Iuda to put a difference from the other Bethlehem as we haue before declared She committed aduoutry by hym We might also say against him For ther is great iniury done vnto the man when the wife playeth the whoore And this preposicion All signifeth either But the plainer sense is by him As thoughe it should haue bene said that she committed aduoutry when she was yet together with her husband and had not departed from him She fled to her father Being so afearde of her husbande that shee durst not come in his sight she got her to her fathers house Adultery is committed which is a grieuous crime and yet is not punished by the punishment of the lawe for that there was no Magistrate to execute iudgementes And thoughe in all persons aduoutry is a grieuous wicked act The wyfe of a Minister if she be an adultres synneth more grieuously then other yet in the wyfe of a Leuite or Priest it is farre more grieuous for as muche as the holye ministerye ought to bee well spoken of Wherefore if the daughter of a Priest had played the harlot in her Fathers house she was not stoned as other were but burnt with fyre as it is expressedly wrytten in Deuteromy But why this adultresse was not slaine the cause as it is before sayde was for that there was no Magistrate in Israel And this adulteresse might think to herself that she had escaped punishmēt This adulterous woman escaped not the punishmente of God as touchinge men but she could not escape the hand of God For god shall iudge adulterers and whoremōgers as the Epistle to the Hebrewes teacheth which thing he doth sometimes by magistrates and sometimes when they cease by himself The woman was with her parents .4 monthes in which space of time her husband being either moued with mercy or wearied with solitarines went to seke hys wyfe and to speake to her harte Two manner of wayes of punishinge the guilty By this Hebrewe phrase is signified that he would comfort her being in misery and afflicted or geue her some profitable counsell peraduenture that she should repent her of the sinne which she had cōmitted promising her that if she would do so he woulde receaue her into fauor agayne He ioined a coople of Asses That he might haue one to cary his wife and the other to lade with thinges necessary for his iorney The wife as sone as she saw him brought him into her fathers house By whiche acte shee declareth that shee was not vtterlye alienated from her husbande The father of the maiden that is his father in lawe mette him and ioyfully embrased him Whereby we gather that the old man also wished a reconcilement betwene them He abode there three dayes He abode there in verye dede fiue dayes but thre dayes willingly the other two dayes he was in a manner compelled by his father in law And they did eate and drinke These thinges declare that they were reconciled and that the matrimony was renewed betwene them But when he would haue departed the father in law sayd Thou shalt strengthen thy hart with a morsell of breade And by this woorde breade he vnderstode all kinde of meate The old man would not so sone let thē go bicause he desired to haue fauor and loue confirmed betwene them to th end they should not afterward be easly seperated the one from the other This was his purpose Behold the day is weakened He vseth a Metaphore and signifieth the passage of the Sunne to the west
very often For if she fal often into adultry she ought not to be receaued The Glose in the same place obiecteth vnto it self christ who whē he was demaūded how oftē we shuld forgeue our brother whē he offendeth against vs answered not onely seuē times but seuenty seuē times To this he sayth that the words of the Cannō are to be vnderstād that when the adulteresse so oftentimes falleth the church shall not entreate for her reconciliacion partelye bycause there shoulde be opened a wyndowe to wyckednes When the churche ought to entreate for those that fall and partly bycause she might thinke that penaunce is but fayned and dessembled There is also added an other aunswere that that is spoken for a terrour least men should more freely and carelesly commit sinne Hereby is gathered that the church oughte to entreate for the reconciliation of the repentant that they may be reconciled Wherfore an adultresse either sheweth signes of repentaunce or els sheweth not If she shew signes the church oughte to entreate for her that there may be a reconciliation made But if she shewe none the churche shall not entreate for her otherwise it should seme to maintain sinnes Now must we aunswere vnto the arguments which semed to be agaynst reconciliation Aunsweres vnto the reasons on the contrary part The counsell of Orleance The cause why the law of Moses prohibited the returne of a wyfe repudiated vnto her first husbande As touching the ciuill lawes they are to be corrected by the word of God Ierome and Chrisostome do speake of such an adultresse whiche repenteth not which selfe same thing is manifestly vnderstand by the counsel of Orleance For that it is there had He whiche retaineth an adultresse is partaker of the crime but if she repent let her be receaued But why the lawe of Moses suffred not that a wife repudiated should not after the death of her latter husbande returne vnto her first the cause may easely be assigned For if he had permitted that then diuorsements would easely haue bene had in hope somtimes to recouer agayne theyr wife God would that she that was repudiated shoulde returne no more to the ende that shee shoulde not easelye bee repudiated There mighte also bee conspiracies made agaynste the latter husbande whereby the wyfe myghte when hee were dyspatched awaye returne agayne vnto her firste husbande Wherefore the lawe of God was moste iuste whiche pertayned not vnto adultrous women which by the commaūdement of God ought to be stoned By these thinges now it is manifest that it is lawfull for the husband to return into fauor with his wife being an adulteresse so that she repent who yet ought to accuse his wife of adultry if it be a publike crime or if she perseuer in her wickednes or els if she bring forth any children by adultry least the lawful heires should be defrauded for vnlesse she be accused the husbande cannot depriue the son borne in adultry but that he shall inherite Farther let the church entreate and work with him that he would receaue againe the woman being repentāt Wherfore our Leuite ought not to be reproued bicause he receaued again into fauor his wife being an adultresse so that she repented her of her adultery But now will I return to the interpretation 11 When they were nere to Iebus the day was sore spent and the seruant said vnto his master come I pray thee and let vs turn into this city of the Iebusites and lodge al night there 12 And his maister aunswered him we wil not turne into the city of straungers that are not of the children of Israel but we will go forth to Gibaah 13 And he said vnto his seruant Come and let vs draw nere to one of these places that we may lodge in Gibaah or in Ramah 14 So they wente forwarde vpon their waye and the sunne wente downe vpon them nere to Gibaah which is in Beniamin 15 Then they turned thither to goe in and lodge in Gibaah and when he came he sate him down in a strete of the city for there was no man that tooke them into his house to lodging 16 And behold there came an old man from his worke out of the field at euen and the man was of mounte Ephraim but dwelte in Gibbaah and the men of the place wer the children of Iemini 17 And when he had lift vp his eyes he saw a wayfaringe man in the streetes of the city then this old man sayd whether goest thou and whence camest thou 18 And he aunswered him we came from Beth-lehem Iudah vnto the side of mounte Ephraim from thence am I and I wente to Beth-lehem Iudah and go now to the house of the Lorde and no man receaueth me into his house 19 Although we haue straw and prouender for our Asses and also breade and wyne for me and thine handmayd and for the boy that is wyth thy seruant we lacke nothing 20 And the old man said peace be with thee al thy penury be vpon me onely abide not in the strete al night Ierusalem was therfore called Iebus bicause the Iebusites in the old time inhabited it The seruant counselled his master to take iodgynge before the Sunne should set But he would not VVe will not turne in sayth he neither to this city nor to that neither to any other city of straungers which ar Gentiles But it may seme merueilous how Ierusalem is called straunge from the Israelites when as in the beginning of this booke there is mencion made that the Hebrewes toke it named it Ierusalem How it is sayd that Ierusalē was at this time a city of straungers They which sayd that this history is to be referred vnto the fyrst times of the Iudges namely that it was done before Othoniell beganne to iudge from the death I say of Iosua to the gouernment of Othoniell seeme to be ledde by this argument In that space of time they say these thinges happened These mens coniecture hath in dede som shew of truth But it is not very firm For wee muste knowe that the Iewes often times behaued themselues ill in fallinge from the worshippinge of the true God Wherefore he left them destitute of his ayde wherof they being beriued they were again ouercome of those whome before they had ouercome whereby it came to passe that the Iebusites recouered agayne theyr city and dwelled in it Wherfore those thinges which are written in the beginninge of this booke are not agaynst those which are nowe declared For the Iebusites hauing recouered theyr city inhabited it as they did before and it was called after the old name The wise counsell of the seruaunt The seruant did geue his maister wise counsell if a man should loke vpon that the euent For it is daungerous to trauayle by night especially for a man that is a straunger and vnarmed as this Leuite was which had with him onely his wife and his seruant Neyther is
That was of al the tribes most populous and noble vnto which afterward came the kingdome They enquired not who should be the captaine of the warre but which tribe shoulde begyn the battaile first against the enemies Why thei doubted not of the victory Wherin the Israelits synned They nothing doubt of the victory neither demaund they any thing concerning it They saw that their quarrell was iust They sawe also that they were more in number and multitude and that it would be easy to ouercome so fewe wherefore they pray not vnto God to geue them the victory which was a grieuous synne as R. Leui ben Gerson affirmeth Wherefore God being offended suffred them twise to fal before their enemies and that wonderfullye For God hateth nothing more then pride and to much trust in our owne strengthes He wil also haue men knowe that victory is both to be required D. Kimhi and also to be hoped for at his handes onelye But Kimhi sayth that other thinke that this so great misfortune of warre happened bicause of the idolatry of Micha the Israelite As though God should in this maner haue delt with them Ye will auenge the iniury done vnto a man being a Leuite but ye neglect and wyncke at the contumely which I suffer at the Danites handes who publikely worship Idoles Either of these sentences is very likelye althoughe neither of them is gathered out of the text Howbeit this we may affirme that there were some certain causes wherby God was excedinglye prouoked of the Israelites But what those causes were though we know not it is no meruayle For the counsels of God are hidden and obscure Order at the length required this that the Israelites should first auenge the contumely of God himself and afterward of the Leuite But this is sufficiently declared in the text What thynges the Israelites had omitted that they at those twoo first tymes came not vnto God earnestly inough They came in deede but they neither fasted nor killed sacrifices nor made any praiers as far as the holy history declareth But at the last hauing already two ouerthrowes all of them with a lowly and humble minde come vnto God al pray together and fast These thinges seme sufficiently to declare that they were not before in the house of the Lord in suche maner as they ought to haue beene For if they had had true fayth they would haue before also proclaimed both cōmon prayers and also fasting Mourning fasting and praiers are the effectes of faith and true repentaunce These thinges for that they had not it is probable that therfore they receaued so great losse at the first and second conflict This thing also might bee a cause for that they made warre to much securely and contemptuously as they which dyd put their confidence in the number and strength of their own men Wherefore they contemned the enemy The contempt of enemies hurteth very much then the which nothing is more vnprofitable to those that shal fight For contempt of the enemies engendreth negligence in the hostes 26 Then al the children of Israel ascended and all the people and they came into the house of God and wept and abode there before the Lorde They fasted also that day vnto the euening and offered burnt offringes and peace offeringes before the Lord. 27 And the chyldren of Israel asked the Lorde for there was the Arke of the Lord in those dayes 28 And Pinhas the sonne of Eleazar the sonne of Aaron stoode before it in those dayes saying Shal I yet go any more to battayle against the children of Beniamin my brethren or shal I cease The Lord answered Go vp for to morow I wil deliuer them into your hand 29 And Israel set men to lye in wayte round about Gibea 30 And the children of Israel went vp against the children of Beniamin the thyrd day and put them selues in aray against Gibea as at other tymes 31 Then the children of Beniamin comming out to meete the people were drawen from their City and they beganne to smite and to kyl of the people as at other times euen by the wayes whereof one goeth vp to the house of God and the other to Gibea in the fielde vpon a thirty men of Israel 32 And the chyldren of Beniamin sayd They are fallen before vs as at the first But the children of Israel said Let vs flie and pluck them away from the city euen to the high wayes 33 And when al the men of Israel rose vp oute of their place and put them selues in aray in Baal-Thamar in the meane while the men of Israel that lay in wayte came forth of their place euen out of the medowes of Gibea 34 And they came ouer agaynst Gibea ten thousande chosen men of all Israel and the battayle was sore for they knewe not that the euyll was neare them 35 And the Lord smote Beniamin before Israel and the chyldren of Israel destroyed of the Beniamites the same day .xxv. thousand and one hundreth men All they coulde handle the swoord 36 So the children of Beniamin saw that they wer smitten down for the children of Israel gaue place vnto the Beniamites bycause they trusted to the men that lay in wayte whych they had layde besydes Gibea 37 And they that lay in wayte hasted and brake forth toward Gibea and the embushment drew themselues along and smote al the City wyth the edge of the swoord 38 Also the men of Israel had appointed a certayne tyme with the embushmentes that with great speede they shoulde make a great flame and smoke ryse out of the City 39 And the men of Israel retired in the battayle and Beniamin began to smyte and kyll the men of Israell about .xxx. persons for they sayd Surely they are striken downe before vs as in the fyrste battayle 40 But when the flame began to aryse out of the City as a pyller of smoke the Beniamites looked backe and beholde the flame of the City began to ascend vp to heauen 41 Then the men of Israel turned againe and the children of Beniamin were astoyned for they saw their destruction at hand 42 Therefore they fled before the men of Israel vnto the waye of the wyldernes but the battayle ouertooke them also they whyche came out of the Cities slewe them among them 43 Thus they compassed the Beniamites about and chased them at ease and ouerran them euē ouer against Gibea on the East side 44 And there fel of Beniamin .xviii. thousand men which were all men of warre 45 And they turned and fled vnto the wyldernes vnto the rocke Rimmon and the Israelites glayned of them by the way .v. thousand men and pursued after them vnto Gidehon slew two thousand men of them 46 So that al that were slayne that day of the Beniamites were 25 thousand men that drew sword which were all men of warre 47 But .vi. hundreth men turned and fled to the wyldernes vnto the rocke of
them selues the landes of the Beniamites Cursed be he which geueth his daughter What mooued the Israelites to sweare Hereby appeareth the forme of the othe it was an othe of execration This act of the Israelites had some shewe of equity For godlye men ought not to contract matrimonies with the vngodlye And it is most manifest that the Beniamites were vngodly when as they would neither deliuer nor punish the guilty Besides that they considered that the Beniamites wer now not much vnlike vnto the Chananites for as much as they had cōmitted wicked acts like vnto their syns But God had forbidden the Israelits to mary with the Chananites Wherefore they coūted it a wycked thing to geue their daughters in matrimonye to them Howbeit they oughte not so to haue done For what if they had repented The oth of the Israelits was not fyrme might they not then haue contracted matrimonies with them That othe was rashly and without iudgement made neither ought it by any meanes to haue bene kept Neither as it is most lykelye was it obserued of their posterity A solemnity in Siloh from yeare to yeare It was a yearely solemnity whervnto they vsed publikely to assemble but for asmuche as the Iewes had manye suche feastes it is vncertain what maner of solemnity this was Dauid Kimhi of which mencion is now made Yet I maruaile that Kimhi sayth that this feast seemeth to haue bene Kippurim whē as it is written that thei had a famous dauncing which wer absurde to be added in a publike fast The Chaldey paraphrast The Chaldey Paraphrast seemeth to haue a respect vnto the feast of the Calēdes or new Moones in which feast wer thankes geuen vnto God for the gouerning of the world and course of thinges as vpon the Sabaoth day for the creation of thinges But I confesse that I am ignorant what maner of feast this was How be it I am of that opinion that I thinke it was the solemnity of the tabernacles There is a feast day of God in Siloh This description sheweth not that it was the solemnity of the place but rather of the people of Israel which assembled vnto the feast and forasmuch as one City coulde not hold al the Israelites they assembled vnto al the partes adioyning vnto the City to those in especial which are here described And the Elders do appoynt these places by name that they might there hide them commodiously and leade away the maydens as they were dauncing As though they should haue sayde Vnto those places they wyll come out of the hidden places you may breake foorth and steale them away Hereby wee maye perceaue It was synne to daunce at the solemnity It is synne to abuse the feast dayes that the virgins in holye assemblies gaue themselues to playes and daunces which was to abuse the feast day It had bene better for them to haue occupied them selues about grauer matters For the feast daies were to this end instituted that the people shoulde assemble together to heare the woord of God to be present at the sacrifices where they shoulde both cal vpon God and communicate together the Sacramentes instituted of God Wherfore it is no maruail if these maidens were so stollen away Wher as it is written And when their Abothem that is their fathers shall come againe Achihem that is their brethren this letter Men is put for Nun that is M. for N. namely the masculine gender for the feminine Which forme of speaking is often vsed in the holy scriptures Haue compassion on vs for them The sense of this short and briefe prayer is this We wil say that we wer sorowful and pensiue and that we could no other way seeke and prouide wiues for the Beniamites And whatsoeuer is done we wil affirme to haue bene done by our counsel and that we were the authors therof And so we wil desire them for our sakes to pardon you Other do easelier expound it Gratefy vs and geue vs your maidens if you thinke them vnworthy to haue them We thought that there had bene maidens inough of the Iabenites but that happened otherwise Wherefore we were constrained to prouide for them by some other meanes And if they wil say that they are bounde by an othe and that they cannot geue them vnto that we wil answer that their othe is satisfied bicause they themselues haue not geuē their daughters but ye haue stollen them Here we perceaue that a publike othe is lenefied and mitigated by the interpretacion of the Elders And vndoubtedlye that is their office whyche gouerne a publike wealth Ye say they haue not geuen them of your owne free wyl wherfore ye are free from the othe Therefore the Beniamites are prouided for by rapte or stelth The rapt of the Sabines In the Romane historye also it is saide that the virgines of Sabine were rapte or stollen but yet somewhat after an other sorte For ther the virgins whych were rapt were straungers neyther had Romulus any ryght ouer them but these maidens were Israelites and were subiect vnto the authority of the people In that these men interprete and lenefy the othe it hath some shewe of equity For it might seeme that the fathers violated not their othe bicause they of their own accorde gaue not their daughters vnto the Beniamites but they tooke them away by violence But if a man more diligently examine the thing he shal finde either of those excuses false The oth is not wel interpreted bicause the Beniamites dyd not of their owne priuate counsel steale the maydens but by the perswasion of the Elders And on the other syde it seemeth that the Israelites gaue their daughters of their owne accord fraudulently brake their oth For the fathers sware that they woulde not geue their daughters to the Beniamites Howe had they them then Of the Elders But they are the fathers of the countrey wherefore this was no vpright and simple dealing They eschewing one wicked example fall into an other neyther dyd guile breake their oth but rather bound it The Israelites pretended the religion of an othe which yet they craftelye violated cōsented to rapte or stealth which wicked act is no more remisse then periurye They wyll not geue an example of periury and they graunt to rapte Farther they violate an other principal pointe of the law of God For in the last chap. of Numbers it is cōmaunded that if a mayden be an inheritour she should not mary into an other tribe to the ende that inheritances should not be confounded What therefore if some of these that were stollen were inheritours Vndoubtedlye they had against the law of God maryed out of their tribe If a man wyll say they did thys wyth a good minde and as they vse to saye for a godly intent that the whole tribe of Beniamin should not vtterlye perishe Answer may be made it is not sufficient that a thing be done with
of God 250 Ciuil lawes forbid recoÌ„ciliation after adultery 249 Ciuil lawes permit guile 85 Ciuil power how it is subiect to the ecclesiasticall 258. b Ciuill power howe farre it extendeth 258. Ciuil rules end 54. b Ciuil warres more cruel then outward 274 Clemens epistles to Iames. 149. b Clemency defined 13 Clemency of God toward his enemies 112 CoactioÌ„ God inferreth not to maÌ„s wyll 167. b Cohen signifieth prince or priest 28 Comam non nutriant nec barbam 201. b Commaundementes of God are to be kept precisely without al mitigation or mollefieng wyth mans inuention 61 Commaundementes of God more to be regarded then kynsfolkes 156. b Commaundement les shall gâ—ue place to the greater 203. b Commaundementes when one is contrary to an other the waightier is to be obserued 184 Common prayer what behauior is required therat 207 Common weale of the Iewes described 1. b CoÌ„munioÌ„ hath diuers names 41 b CoÌ„munioÌ„ Masse compared 49. b Communication filthy 159. b Companieng of godly with vngodly 44. b Comparatiue decree alwaies requireth the positiue degree 39. b Competentes 42. b CoÌ„pulsion to right worshipping of God vse of the sacrameÌ„ts 54. b Conciliation of places repugnaÌ„t 93 Concilium Gangrense allowed mariage of ministers 94. b Concord in the churche dependeth not of vnity or likenes in ceremonies 279 Concubines hauing 154 Concubines of the Fathers were wyues 248. b Coniurer notable Appollonius 211 Coniurations at the Sepulchres of Saintes c 130 Conscience when it accuseth vs what we shal answer 176 Conscience euyll is called sores of the minde 247. b CoÌ„secrator whether he be greater then the consecrated 261. b Consent of the churche whether it bee to bee wayted for in reformacion 265 Consent of the children is requisite in mariage 215 Conspiracy 38 Conspiracies of the vngodly are of no long time 166. b Conspiracies communicated to many haue seldom good succes 82. b Constancy true 194 Constancy of the Iewes 265. b Constantius emperours sleight to try right christian officers 264. b Constantine decided a matter of religion 266. b Contagion is to be auoyded 46. b Contempt defined 166 Contempt of the enemy in wars engendreth negligence 270 Contencions concerning fastings 276. b CoÌ„tractes of matrimony priui 154 Contracting by woordes of the future tence 284. b Contubernium 154. b Constantius the emperor 155. b Copulation of Aungels wyth women 16 Correction or amendement oughte to begyn fyrst in our own famely and next kin 123 Corruption first after the synne of Adam whether it were deriued of God or no. 80 Couenants are of as great efficacy as othes 86 Couenant of God two wayes to be considered 59. b CouenaÌ„t of god with the Hebrues concerning the Chananites 60 Couenant old had promises of more then erthly felicity 75 Counsels of men are so far fruitfull as the predestinacion of god hath before appointed 97. b Counsels Neocesariensis 95 Counsels are neither constant nor without errour 152. b Counsell askyng at God is morall 242. b Counsel asked of God by the Israelites three wayes 7 Counsell asked of God or not asked 6. b Counsels must be directed by God els hath it no good end ve st neuer so iustly enterprised 251 Creatures made Gods 69 Crede the tradicion of the church 43 Crime wher no crime is ought no man to confes 90 Cruelty of the Israelites agaynste the Beniamites 280 Cruelty displeaseth God 12. b Cruelty defined 12. b Cubit measure 16. b Cup of the noble 110 Curiosity of Dina. 285. b Curs of Iericho 30. b Cursings commonly vsed in aduersities 237. b Cursings how thei ar lawful 109. b Custome handled 189. Custome defined 190 Customes when they prescribe not 189 b Customes defined 263 D. DAgon what it was 234. b Danes put doun their kiÌ„g 91 Danes situation 108 Danits theues sacrilegers 245. b Daniell howe hee escaped the furnace 52 Dayes end sun set 221 b Dauids dissimulation 90 Daunces handled 286 Dauncing of the youthe on feaste dayes 282 b Daungers are to be auoyded rather then nourished 286. b Daunger greatest where securitye is most 247 DauÌ„gers in humaine actions 132 b Deades sacrifices offrings 277 Death for truth edifieth 52. b Death of three sortes appointed in the law of God for yl doers 12. b Deborah was of the Tribe of Ephraim 107. b Deborah vseth the authoritye of a Prince 96 Deceit handled 84 Deceiuing is against iustice 87. b Decree of God what shal be 72. b Decrees contrary to decrees 20â— Decres beter wurs which 214. b Degrees of kinred prohibited why 22 Degrees prohibited for matrimony 19. b Delay in God why 175. b Deliueraunce begynneth of repentaunce 112 Deliuerances by the iudges c shadowes of Christes deliueraÌ„ce 2 b Deliuerance from syn shadowed by Gedions victory 141 Delectation is in the sinoes 141. b Demades answer 265. b Dens differ from caues 112 b Desperation is the want of hope one of the extremes therof 246. b Despising defined 166 Destruction of cities townes are not alway against charity 3â— Destructions of cities pertaine to the worshipping of God 30. b Deuil moueth dreames 137. b Deuil worketh miracles 69. Deuils can worke miracles 126. b Deuils helpe to worke signes may not we vse 129. Deuil wtout hope of saluacioÌ„ 208. b Dictators why they were ordayned 2 Diedes of ours must both be iust iustly done 245. b Differences betwene the old sacramentes and ours 273. Difference betwene the old league and new 74. b Diffinition faulty 84. Dignity is not to be more cared for then religion 155. b Dinaes rapte 284. b Diocletians sentence of offence against the magistrate 264. b Dionysius called Areopagite 44. Disceat God alloweth not 36. b. reade deceit Discipline of war 111. b Dispaire in Gods help not lawful though delay be much 92. b Dispensations of the Pope are for gayne 178. b Dissimulation 38. Dissimulation of two sortes 89. b Dissimulation hurtfull 52. Dissimulation in Religion hurtfull 48. b Distrust whence it commeth 125. b Diuersity of speche in one tong 199 DiuinacioÌ„ by dreames is hard and vncertayne it requireth twoo thynges 136. b Diuorcement onely aduoutry causeth difference in religioÌ„ 222. b. Diuorce neuer willed by God nor Christ but for fornication and diuersity in religion 94. Diseplay condemned 219. Doughter of Iiphtahs obedience 192. b Doughters should not mary with out coÌ„sent of their parents 280 b Doughters for litle suburbs 40. b Dominion for it men may violate right 158. Dooue wherin the holy Ghost appeared 210. 211. b Doublenes of hart grouÌ„d of gile 84. Doublenes euer ioyned with a lye 88. b Dowry defined 26. Dowry is not necessarye in matrimony 154. Dowrye out of the common treasury 27. Dowry with a womaÌ„ forbidden 26 Dowry receaued by the husbands of the wyues 25. b Drawing of God to good and euil do differ 9â— Dreames intreated of 134. b Dreames corporall spirituall and intellectuall 137. b Dreames are signes of sicknes and