as he had in store that he and his men might be refreshed and go about the Kinges affaires Then Ahimelech beléeuing that all had bene well betwene the King and Dauid tooke him of the halowed breade bicause he saw his necessitie great and had no common breade vnder his hande Then Dauid desired Ahimelech to lende him eyther speare or sworde for I brought quoth he neyther weapon nor harnesse the Kinges businesse required such haste and by and by he fet out the sworde of Goliah and gaue it to him Nowe for this great kindenesse which Ahimelech had shewed to Dauid Doeg a seruant of King Saules accused him to his Lorde of Treason And being brought before the King with all the Priestes of the Lorde it was obiected agaynst him howe he had conspired with Dauid the Kinges enimie and asked counsell of God for him and ayded him both with vittayle and weapon To the which Ahimelech aunswered and sayde Oh King who is so faythfull among all thy seruantes as Dauid is or had in more honor in all thy house is he not the Kings sonne in lawe and doth whatsoeuer thou commaundest him haue I not at other tymes as well as nowe asked counsell of God for him Let not my Lorde the King impute anye such wickednesse in me or in my fathers house for truely thy seruaunt knewe nothing of all this that thou layest to my charge eyther lesse or more Well quoth the King thou shalt surely die And so was this innocent man put to death with lxxxiiij Priestes mo and the Citie of Nob destroyed Ahijah was a Prophete borne in Silo and chauncing to méete with Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat without the Citie of Ierusalem in the playne fieldes hauing a new cloake vpon his backe he caught the cloake from him and rent it in twelue péeces deliuering ten péeces thereof to Ieroboam saying Thus will the Lorde rent the kingdome out of the handes of Salomon bicause he hath forsaken the Lorde and serued straunge Gods and gyue ten Tribes vnto thée Therefore take héede when thou arte King that thou walke in the wayes of the Lorde thy God for so long as thou kéepest his statutes and holy commaundements so long will the Lorde prosper thée in the kingdome Reade more of this Prophete in the storie of Abia the sonne of Ieroboam The father of king Baasa was called Ahijah of the house of Isachar Aholah and Aholibah were twoo Sisters vnder whose names is set forth the fornication that is to saye the Idolatrye of Samaria and Ierusalem Aholibama was the daughter of Ana and wife to Esau who brought him forth children which became great men in the worlde Aioth the sonne of Gera was the seconde Iudge of the Hebrues a man of great strength and valiant of courage and had equall strength and aptnesse in both hys handes He slewe Eglon king of the Moabites on thys wise when Eglon had long warred on the Iewes and taken from them diuers Cities and kept them in much miserie this Aioth came to him to Iericho bringyng vnto him certaine presentes which lyked him well and desired to speake wyth him priuily which was graunted and all other being commaunded to auoyde Aioth stroke Eglom to the heart twise The last tyme with such puissaunce that the knyfe with the hyltes remayned in the wounde and so leauing him deade departed without suspicion and came vnto his people declaring what he had done who being glad armed them and fell vppon the Moabites and slewe of them ten thousande and braue all the residue out of their countrie And so the Iewes being deliuered by the wisedome and vertue of Aioth after made hym their Iudge and Prince Who gouerned them .lxxx. yeares in peace and died a very olde man in much honor Alexander the sonne of Philip King of Macedonia slewe Darius king of the Persians and Medes and conquered the moste part of all the worlde in lesse than twelue yeares space whereof he became so prowde that God was displeased with him And being visited with sickenesse so sore that he must néedes die he called all his Lordes and Princes before him and departed his kingdome among them So that they after his death were crowned and reygned as Kings euery one seuerally in his owne dominion as was to them appointed He reigned .xij. yeares Alexander the sonne of Noble Antiochus tooke the Citie of Ptolomais and after that mooued warre against Demetrius who to preuent Alexander sent Ambassadours to Ionathas gouernour of the Iewes to haue his friendshippe promising him as many fayre and large offers as he coulde deuise But forasmuch as Ionathas had experience of his deceytfull dealings and howe cruell an enimie he had alwayes bene vnto the Iewes nation he refused the offer of Demetrius and ioyned in league with Alexander knowing him to be a faythfull Prince and euer his friende And so Alexander hauing the Iewes ayde stroke battayle with Demetrius in the which conflict Alexander slewe Demetrius and ouercame all his hoste Nowe when Alexander had conquered the lande and was set in the Trone of his progenitours a mariage was concluded betwéene him and Cleopatra the daughter of Ptolomie King of Egypt which was finished at the Citie of Ptolomias at the which triumph Alexander made Ionathas a Duke and partener of his dominion and after that for his worthinesse gaue him the Citie of Accaron Alexander nowe lying at Antioch and hearing howe the Cilicians had rebelled against him marched towarde them with a great power to suppresse the rebellion And being there occupied with his enimies Ptolomie in the meane season defeated him of his kingdome and toke his daughter Cleopatra gaue hir to Demetrius the sonne of Demetrius in mariage Alexander hearing of this returned home with all his host but Ptolomy being to strōg for him chased Alexander out of his Realme who for succor fled into Araby where the king of that land against al law of arms smote of his heade and sent it to Ptolomie for a present Alexander a Iewe borne and a ruler at Ephesus what time as Demetrius the Siluersmith mooued sedition in the Citie against Paul for the goddesse Diana was in the rage drawne out of the Common Hall and going forwarde beckonned with his hande to haue spoken but till the Towne Clarke had ceased the noyse which lasted two houres he coulde not be hearde And then to pacifie the people more by worldly wisedome than for any respect he had to Religion he sayde Ye men of Ephesus what man is he that knoweth not howe that the Citie of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddesse Diana and of the Image which came from Iupiter Seing then that no man sayeth hére against ye ought to be content and to doe nothing rashely For yée haue brought hyther these men which are neyther robbers of Churches neyther yet despysers of your goddesse Wherefore if Demetrius
and the craftes men which are wyth him haue any matter against any man the lawe is open and there are rulers let them accuse one an other But if ye go about any other thing it may be determined in a lawfull assemble For wée are in ieoperdye to be accused of this dayes vprore forasmuch as there is no cause whereby we may giue a reckoning of thys concourse of people And when he had thus spoken eche man departed Alexander the Coppersmyth forsooke the fayth and became such an enimy vnto the Gospell that he withstoode Paules preaching and did him much displeasure for the which Paul deliuered him vnto Satan that is excommunicated him out of the Church desiring the Lorde to rewarde him as he had deserued Alcimus was a Iewe borne and come of the séede of Aaron who notwithstanding became so wicked a man that he forsooke the lawes of his owne Nation to maintayne the abhominations of the heathen And for the hatred he bare to Machabeus and the Iewes he tooke vnto him a sorte of vnthriftes and vngodly persons and went to Demetrius vnto whome he made agricuous complaint vpon Iudas Machabeus feygning that he had slaine all the Kings friends and driuen him and his companie out of their owne lande wherfore he willed Demetrius to choose out some Noble Captayne to go and auenge the Kings quarrell on Iudas Vppon the which complaint of Alcimus the King sent Bachides against Iudas and made Alcimus the hye Priest who was such an enimie vnto the Iewes as the lyke was not among the Heathen for all his studie was how he might eyther by worde or déede worke their vtter confusion And finally to manifest his great malice towardes his owne Countrey men ▪ and the lawes of God he commanded the walles of the inmost Sanctuary with the Monuments of the Prophetes to be cast downe and destroyed But as this wicked Apostata went about his deuilish purpose the hand of God fell vpon him and smote him with such an incurable Palsie that his mouth was shut vp and so like a miserable wretch he dyed Amalech was the sonne of Eliphas the sonne of Esan borne vnto him of Thymna his Concubine of whom came the kinred of the Amalekites This King when Moses had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and were come into the wildernesse of Raphidim where they both lacked water and were wearyed with their long iourney woulde not suffer them to passe quietly thorowe his lande but came forth with weapon and waged battell against them In the which battell Iosua guided the hoste of Israel while Moses went to praye And so long as Moses helde vp his handes and prayed so long had Israel the better but when he let them fall Amalech had the better Then Aaron and Hur perceyuing Moses handes to be weary gat them vp to Moses and staide his handes the one on the one side and the other on the other side so long tyll Iosua had discomfited Amalech with all his hoste And for thys crueltie of Amalech God sware vnto Moses that he woulde vtterly put out the remembraunce of Amalech from vnder heauen Which promise he perfourmed in the dayes of King Saule Aman looke Haman Amasa was the sonne of Iether and Abigail Dauids sister was his mother This Amasa what time as Absalom rose against his father Dauid was made Captaine ouer Absaloms hoste and after the death of Absalom Dauid receyued him to fauour swearing he shoulde be Captaine ouer his hoste in the rowme of Ioab which office he did not long enioy for when Seba the sonne of Bichri had begun a new commotion and that Dauid had sent Amasa to gather the men of Iuda togithers and to bring them to him by the thirde day it chaunced Ioab to méete Amasa by the way which was somewhat after the time the King had appointed and saluting him with all gentlenesse he tooke him by the Chinne with one hande to kisse him and with the other hand he smote him vnder the short ribbes wyth his dagger and killed him Amasiah the sonne of Ioas king of Iuda began his reigne at the age of .xxv. yeares in whose beginning he did indifferently well obserue the lawes of God but in the ende he became an Idolater He prepared an hoste of thirtie thousande men to goe against the Edomites and yet to make himselfe the stronger he hyred an hundreth thousande mo out of the ten Tribes of Israel for an hundred Talentes of Siluer But as hée was goyng wyth both the hostes of Iuda and Israel hée was commaunded by the Lordes Prophet to sende the hoste of Israel home againe forasmuch as the Lorde was not with them or else he shoulde not stand before his enimies how then sayd the King shall I doe for the hundred Talents which I haue giuen for them Take no thought for that quoth the Prophet for the Lorde is able to giue thée as much more And so he sent the hoste of Israell home againe who for anger they were dimised fell vpon the Cities of Iuda as they went and did much harme Then Amasias with his owne men set vppon his enimies and slewe ten thousand and discomfited the rest After which victorie whereas he ought to haue giuen all prayse vnto God for the same he fel from God and most vilely dishonored him in worshipping the Idols of the Edomites despising the Prophets admonition sent vnto him frō the Lorde And so persisting in his obstinate minde prowde heart he wrote to Ioas King of Israel commaunding him and his people by a Parable of the Cedar trée and Thystle to be vnder his subiection But Ioas after defiaunce gathered an armie and went against Amasias whose hoste being discomfited Amasiah was taken and brought to Ioas who caryed him to Ierusalem where notwithstanding the gates being opened against him he caused foure hundreth cubites of the walle to be beaten downe and entred into the Citie that way leading Amasiah with him as a prisōner tooke all the treasure of the Temple and of the Kings house caused it to be brought into Samaria Afterwarde being deliuered his owne people slewe him He reigned .xxix. yeares and Azaria his sonne succéeded Ammon the eldest sonne of Dauid had a fayre sister called Thamar with whome he was so farre in loue that he coulde eate no meate that did him good but pyned himselfe away marueylously for hir sake Then Ionadab his fathers brothers sonne a friende and familiar of his and a worldly wise man perceyuing Ammon to be sore chaunged and euery day more and more went to him and sayde Howe happeneth this Ammon that thou being the Kings sonne consumest thy selfe so away and doest not tell me Oh sayde Ammon I am in loue with Thamar my brother Absaloms sister and except I may haue hir companie I shall surely die Now to further this wicked purpose of Ammon
reason of kinred to haue had some succour of them he was not regarded but suffered to perishe in a straunge land no man mourning for him nor putting him into hys graue ¶ Iason He that maketh whole a Phisition Iecksan looke Iocsan 4. Reg. 23. f. Iehoahas the sonne of Iosias was .xxiij. yeare olde when he began to reygne ouer Iuda and had not reygned thrée moneths or that Pharao Necho King of Egipt came and put him downe and set vp his brother in hys steade And put the lande to a tribute of an hundred Talents of Siluer and one of Golde and caryed Iehoahas away into Egypt where he dyed ¶ Iehoahas The possession of the Lorde 4. Reg. 23. g. 24. a. Iehoakym the sonne of Iosias was .xxv. yeares of age when he began to reygne ouer Iuda and dyd that which was euill in the sight of the Lorde His name was chaunged from Eliakim to Iehoakym by Pharao Necho King of Egypt which came and deposed his brother This Kyng dyed in the way as they led him prisoner into Babilon Reade Ieremie 22. e. Iehoahas and made him King in his steade and mersced the lande as before is sayde in Iehoahas For the payment of which money Iehoakym taxed the land and leuyed of euery man according to his habilitie and payde the money to Pharao After this came Nabuchodonosor King of Babilon and besieged Ierusalem to whome Iehoakym yéelded and serued Nabuchodonosor thrée yeares and then rebelled agaynst him into whose hande the Lorde deliuered him so that the King of Babilon tooke him and bounde him in twoo chaynes and caried him and all the vessels of the Lordes house into Babilon This King reigned a .xj. yeares ¶ Iehoakym the Rysing or aduenging of the Lorde * He is called also Iechonias Math. 1. b Iehoachin 4. Reg. 24. b. c. d. was the sonne yof Iehoakm who at the age of xviij yeares began to reigne ouer Iuda and did euill in the sight of the Lorde as his fathers before him He had not reygned thrée moneths or that the King of Babilon came and deposed him making Mathania his fathers brother King in his steade chaunging his name from Mathania to Zedekia and caryed Iehoachym away into Babilon where he remayned in pryson xxxviij yeares after euen vntill the comming of Euilmerodach King of Babilon after Nabuchodonosor hys father who had such a mynde to Iehoachym that he deliuered him out of prison and exalted him aboue all the Princes in Babilon and fedde him at his owne table all the dayes of his lyfe ¶ Iehoachin the Resurrection of the Lorde 4. Reg. 13. a. b. c. Iehoahas the sonne of Iehu began his reygne ouer Israel in the .xxiij. yeare of the reygne of Ioas the sonne of Ahaziahu King of Iuda and walked so wickedly in the sinnes of Ieroboam by worshipping the Calues which he had erected that God deliuered him into the handes of Hazael and his sonne Benhadad Kinges of Siria which destroyed the people of Israel and vexed them so sore that they made the Israelites like threshed dust yet neuerthelesse when Iehoahas humbled himselfe and besought the Lord he hearde him and had such pitie compassion on the misery of Israel that he deliuered him out of the Sirians subiection which had brought him so lowe that they had left him but fiftie horsemen ten Charets and ten thousande footemen He reygned xvij yeares and then dyed and was buryed in Samaria leauing behinde him his sonne Ioas to reigne in his steade ¶ Iehoahas Apprehending possesing or seeyng 4. Reg. 11. ca. Iehoiada was the hye Byshop and Priest in the dayes of Ahaziahu King of Iuda whose daughter he maryed named Iehosabeth He preserued Ioas the yongest sonne of Ahaziahu his father in lawe sixe yeares in the Lordes house and in the seauenth yeare he brought him forth and proclaimed him king And being his gouernour and protectour trayned him vp in all godlynesse and vertue So that so long as Iehoiada liued the King 2. Par. 24. d. walked in all the wayes of the Lorde from the which he swarued after the death of this good Bishop Iehoiada Who liued 130. yeares and for his faythfulnesse towardes God and his people was most honorablye buried in the Citie of Dauid among the Kings ¶ Iehoiada the Knowledge of the Lorde 4. Reg. 11. a. Iehosabeth was the daughter of Ahaziahu King of Iuda and wyfe to Iehoiada the hie Bishop of the Iewes 2. Par. 22. d. And when Atthalia hir Graundmother went about to destroy the Kings séede shée stole awaye Ioas hir yoongest brother from among the Kings sonnes and hid both him and his Nurse in hir owne Chamber with hir husbands consent the space of .vj. yeares and so preserued him that he perished not with the reast of hir brethren ¶ Iehosabeth the fulnesse of the Lorde 4. Reg. 9 ca. Iehu the sonne of Nimsi was annoynted King ouer Israel by Eliseus the Prophet for to destroye the house of Achab his mayster And being commaunded to go about it with spéede he began first with Ioram which lay at Iezrael to be healed of his wounds which the Sirians had giuen him And as Iehu was comming thitherward the watchman espying a company comming toward the Citie tolde the King who then sent out an horseman to méete them and to knowe whether they came peaceably or no. And when the Messenger came to Iehu he sayde The King woulde knowe whether it be peace or no What hast thou to doe with peace quoth Iehu turne thée behinde me and so the messenger turned behynde Iehu and went backe no more and likewyse the second Then the watchman tolde the King that he thought by the dryuing of the Charret it shoulde be Iehu that was comming for he driueth quoth he as he were mad The King hearing that he made him readye to warre and tooke Ahaziahu King of Iuda with him and went toward Iehu and met him in the furlong of Naboth saying is There was a Prophete also called Iehu the sonne of Hanani which prophecied of the destruction of Baasa King of Israel and his posterity Read. 3. Reg. 16. a. b. it peace Iehu or no What peace should it be quoth he so long as the whooredomes of thy mother Iezabel hir witchcrafts are so great and so in the Battell Iehu shot Ioram to the heart with an arrow killed him And fell vpon Ahaziahu and slue him also And so procéeding forth to Iezrael he came thither and found Iezabel looking out at a windowe And as he demaunded of the companye about hir who was on his side and woulde for his sake cast hir downe two or thrée of hir Chamberlaines threw hir out at the windowe and brake hir necke notwithstanding bicause she was a Kings daughter he caused hir to be buryed Then he sent his letters to Samaria 10. cap. commaūding those which had the gouernance of Achabs seauentie sonnes
in hys booke of the Reuelation .ij. Chapter reprooueth Nymrod was the sonne of Chus sonne of Cham the seconde sonne of Noe. He was the first that tooke on him to reigne ouer men and became a cruell oppressor and tyrant He was called a mightie hunter for that he was a deceyuer of soules and oppressor of men He attempted to builde the great towre of Babel intending to haue raysed it aboue the Clowdes thinking thereby to haue escaped if any floude shoulde eftsoones haue happened Noe was the sonne of Lamech and fiue hundreth yeares of age before he begat Sem Cham and Iaphet And being a iust and perfite man he founde such fauour in the eyes of God that when all fleshe had so corrupt his way vpon earth that God threatened the destruction of the worlde yet to saue Noe and to declare it vnto him 120. before it came he bade him prepare an Arke of Pine trées which shoulde conteyne in length thrée hundreth cubites in bredth fiftie cubites and in déepenesse thirtie Nowe when Noe had made the Arke and was sixe hundreth yeares of age the Lorde tolde him that after seauen dayes the deluge shoulde fall wherefore Noe at the Lordes commaundement got him into the Arke with his wyfe and thrée sonnes with their wyues prouiding in the meane space all things necessary for them And when Noe was in the Arke sodeynly by the power of God and not of mans bringing there came into the shippe two and two togither of euery kinde of beast and soule the male and the female And when they were all in the Lorde shut the doore of the Art◠and opened the windowes of heauen so that the raine fell continuallye fortie dayes and fortie nightes wherevpon the waters preuayled and rose aboue all Mountaines .xv. cubites So that all liuing creatures dyed except fishe and such as might endure in the bowels of the earth And after the waters had preuayled a hundred and fiftie dayes They decreased againe and in the seauenth day of the seauenth month which was October the Arke stacke vpon the Mountaines of Armeny Then Noe opened a windowe and sent forth a Crowe which returned agayne After seauen dayes he put forth a Doue which came againe at night bringing a braunch of Oliue with gréene leaues in hir mouth Neuerthelesse he remayned seauen other dayes and put forth the Doue againe which neuer returned Then Noe after he had continued one yeare in the Arke and sawe the earth drie he at the commaundement of God issued out of the Arke and incontinent builded an Aultar wherevpon he offered a sacrifice vnto the Lorde of euerye cleane beast and of euerye cleane foule which sacrifice was a swéete smell vnto the Lorde and pleased him so well that he made a promise to Noe that he would neuer more destroy the world with water for the confirmation thereof gaue the Rainebowe for a sure token betwéene him and man Noe was the first inuenter of Wine and therewithall was made drunke He liued after the fludde 350. yeares O. OBed the sonne of Boos and Ruth begat Isai the father of King Dauid Obed Edom the sonne of Ieduthun had the Arke of God remayning in his house thrée monthes for the which the Lorde blessed him and all his house And when it was tolde to Dauid that the house of Obed Edom was blessed bicause of the Arke of God he remooued it thence and brought it into the city of Dauid with great triumph and ordeyned Obed Edom and his brethren which were Leuites to kéepe the doore of the Arke Obedia notwithstanding hée was chiefe gouernour of all King Achabs house yet he was a man that feared God greatly Insomuch that when Iezabel destroyed the Prophetes of the Lorde he tooke an hundred Prophets and hidde them fiftie in one Caue and fiftie in another prouiding all things necessary for them On a time as Obedia was going about the lande at Achabs commaundement to searche for water and grasse for their cattell which were almost ouercome with drouth he chaunced to méete Elia the Prophete And when he saw him he fell downe and sayde Art not thou my Lord Elia yea quoth he go tell thy Lorde that I am here O quoth Obedia what haue I sinned that thou wouldest deliuer thy seruant into the handes of Achab to be slaine As truly as the Lord thy God liueth there is no nation or kingdome whither my Lorde hath not sent to séeke thée And when they sayd he is not here he tooke an othe of the kingdome and nation if they had not founde thée And now thou sayest go tell thy Lord that Elia is here And when I am gone from thée the spirite of the Lorde shall cary thée into some place that I doe not knowe and so when I come and tell Achab and he cannot finde thée then will he kill me But I thy seruaunt feare the Lord from my youth was it not tolde my Lorde what I dyd when Iezabel slue the Prophets of the Lorde howe I hid an hundred men of the Lordes Prophets by fifties in a Caue and fed them with breade and water And nowe thou sayest go and tell thy Lorde beholde Elia is here that he maye sley mée Well sayde Elia as truely as the Lorde of hostes lyueth before whom I stande I will shewe my selfe vnto him this daye Then Obedia hearing him saye so went to Achab and tolde him Oded when Pekah King of Israel had taken so manye Captyues of the Children of Iuda and caryed them to Samaria the Lord sent this Prophet vnto him saying Beholde bycause the Lorde God of your fathers is wrath with Iuda hée hath deliuered them into your handes and yée haue slayne them in your cruelnesse that reacheth vnto heauen and now yée purpose to kéepe vnder the children of Iuda and Ierusalem as bonde men and bonde women And doe yée not lade your selues with sinne in the sight of the Lorde your God Now therefore heare mée and deliuer the Captyues agayne which yée haue taken of your brethren or else shall the wrath of God be vpon you Then certayne which were the heades of the children of Ephraim being sorye for the great offence they had committed tooke the prisoners and with the spoyle clothed all that lacked shodde them and fed them with meate and drinck annoynted the woundes of such as were hurt and the féeble they caryed vpon asses and brought them to Iericho the citie of Palme trées to their brethren And leauing them there returned to Samaria agayne Og the King of Basan was a mightie great Giaunt whose bedde was made of Iron and in length nyne Cubites that is thirtéene foote an halfe And foure cubites brode that is sixe foote This Og was next neighbour to Seon King of the Amorites And hauing knowledge of all that Moses had done to Seon his neighbour made out a great Armye
to Daniel which is in the Lyons denne O Lorde quoth he I neuer saw Babilon and as for the denne I knowe it not With that the Angel caught vp the Prophet by the toppe of hys head and bare him to Babilon and set him vpon the denne Then Abacuck cryed to Daniel and sayde O Daniel thou seruant of the Lord take here the breakefast that God hath sent thée Daniel hearing the voyce of Abacuck reioyced greatly and sayde O Lorde hast thou thought vpon mée Well thou neuer faylest them that loue thée And so he rose vp and did eate of such things as the Prophet had brought hym And immediatelye after that Daniel had eaten the Angell set Abacuck in his place againe Abdy the Prophet prophecyed destruction to the Idumeans which came of Esau and were vtter enimies to the Israelites which came of Iacob as at the siege of Ierusalem it did most plainely appeare where as they ioyned wyth Nabuchodonosor against their brethren whom they ought rather to haue holpen and defended against the heathen Abedmelech was a Morian borne and Chamberlane wyth Zedekia King of Iuda This man had so great a confidence in God and loue to his Prophets that when he saw Ieremie so euill intreated he went to the king and besought his grace that Ieremie the Prophet might be taken out of the filthy dungeon wherinto he was cast least he there should perishe and dye for hunger And so obtayning the Kinges good will he tooke his men and went to the prison where Ieremie lay threwe downe vnto him olde ragges clowtes which he had prouided bidding him to put them vnder his arme holes to kéepe the cordes from hurting and fretting his armes in pulling vp Nowe for this his kindenesse shewed on Ieremie and trust that he had in the Lorde he was deliuered from captiuitie and saued from the handes of Nabuchodonosor at the destruction of Ierusalem when other perished Abel was the sonne of Adam borne of hys Mother Eue next after Cain Hée was a kéeper of Shéepe and wholy dedicated to vertue and godlynesse In all hys oblations he euer gaue of the best things he had Which of the Lorde was greatly accepted And therfore Cain perceyuing his brothers offerings to be regarded and hys reiected eâ—â—yed him to death And at the last by a subtyle trayne slue hym Abia the sonne of Roboam began his reigne ouer Iuda in the xviij yeare of Ieroboam King of Israel Hys mothers name was Maacha the daughter of Abisalom He walked not in the steppes of Dauid but followed the wayes of hys father before him Yet notwythstanding for Dauids sake God gaue him a light that is to saye a sonne to reigne ouer Iuda Hée ouercame Ieroboam in battell wyth an Armie of fower hundred thousande notwithstanding the other had twise so many chosen and picked men Of the which Abia fiue fiue hundred thousande and weakened the power of Ieroboam so sore that he was neuer able to recouer hys strength againe so long as Abia reigned This King had .xiiij. Wyues by whome he had xxij Sonnes and xvj Daughters Hée reigned but thrée yeares and was buryed in the Citie of Dauid Abia the sonne of Ieroboam being sick on a time hys father called the Quéene his wyfe vnto him and bade hyr disguise hir selfe the in no wyse she might be knowne what woman shée was And so go thy way quoth hée to Sylo and there shalt thou finde the Prophet of God called Ahia which tolde me long before Salomon dyed that I should be King of Israel Make spéede and take a present wyth thée and learne of him what shall become of the Childe The Quéene did then as shée was commaunded but all was in vaine For God had reuealed the matter vnto the Prophet before the woman came In so much that as soone as the blinde olde man hearde the noyse of hir comming and entring in at the dore he sayde Come in thou wife of Ieroboam why hast thou disguised and fayned thy selfe to be another woman Thou art come to receyue some comfort for thy sonne which lyeth sicke but I am commaunded to tell thée heauye and sorowfull things It repenteth the Lorde that he hath exalted Ieroboam and rented the kingdome from the house of Dauid and giuen it to him forsomuch as he hath forsaken the Lorde and not folowed him in hys heart as Dauid did but hath made him goddes of hys owne therefore the Lorde hath determined to bring such a plague vpon the house and posterity of Ieroboam that hée wyll not leaue one alyue to make water against the walle Wherefore now get thée home and as soone as thy foote shall enter into the Citie the child shall dye and all Israel shall lament him and bring him to hys Sepulchre And so shall none of the house of Ieroboam thy husbande enioy the honour of his buryall but only thys childe bicause the Lorde sawe in him some goodnesse towarde And so when the Prophet had all sayde the wyfe of Ieroboam rose vp returned home to hir house and founde hir sonne deade as the Prophet had foretolde Abia the Daughter of Zacharia was wyfe to Ahaz King of Iuda and Mother to Hezekia Which name signifieth thus Abiathar the sonne of Achimelech priest of Nob seyng the great crueltie of Saul in putting hys Father to death for refreshing of Dauid escaped hys handes and fledde to the forest of Hareth where Dauid at that tyme laye declaring to him the great murder that Saul had done to Achimelech hys father and to all the Priestes of the Lorde for his sake Then being comforted of Dauid he abode wyth him and was his Priest and Counsayler so long as he reigned But in the ende of Dauids reigne he consented wyth Adoniah who had exalted himselfe to stablishe him in the kingdome after the death of Dauid But Salomon beyng proclaymed and the other deposed as soone as he was possessed depryued Abiathar and placed Sadock in hys rowme And so was the worde of the Lorde fulfilled which he had spoken before concerning the house of Eli for Abiathar was the last of that lyne Abigail the wyfe of Naball y Carmelite was a woman not onely bewtifull but of a singular wysedome with all For when hir husbandes denyall to Dauids men for sustenaunce in their maisters necessitie was tolde hir she then considering the great displeasure that might arise of the occasion offered hasted to lode hir Asses wyth sundrye kinde of victuals sending them forth before hir and folowing after wyth spéede And as shée was goyng the prouidence of God was so that she mette Dauid by the way vpon the side of an hyll comming to Carmell determined vtterly to haue destroyed hir husbande and all that he had by the dawning of the daye folowyng Then she perceyuing the furie of Dauid lighted downe of hir Asse falling flatte on the
ground before him and so began hir peticion which was so pithilye framed and done that in the ende she pacifyed hys wrath and stayed his handes from shedding of bloud that daye for the which she was highly commended and praysed of Dauid who gently receyuing hir present did cléerely remyt the churlishe behauiour of Naball hir husbande for hir sake Which being graunted she tooke hir leaue and returned againe But when shée came home and founde Naball hir husbande so farre ouer charged with wyne that his wittes were gone she thought it conuenient to folowe the wyse mans counsell not to rebuke him in his wyne but to let the matter rest tyll the drinke were all out of his brayne and his memorie freshe And so on the next morowe shée declared to Naball the great and perilous daunger he was in for hys vnkindenesse shewed to Dauid which when he hearde did smyte him so sore to the heart that he neuer enioyed but dyed wythin tenne dayes after And then in processe thys woman Abigail became Dauids wyfe and bare hym a sonne called Chileab which in the first booke of Chronicles chapter iij is called Daniel There was another woman called Abigail which was Sister to Dauid and wyfe to Iether an Ismaelite vnto whome shée bare a sonne called Amasa Abimelech King of the Philistines was a manne which had the feare of God before his eyes as it may appeare in the storie of Abraham by his godly entertaynement of his wyfe whome he tooke to be his very sister and not hys wyfe as they had both confessed vnto hym And hauyng a mynde to the woman he tooke hir from Abraham intending to haue coupled wyth hir in mariage and not for no sinfull desire But when by the voyce of God he knewe she was Abrahams wyfe in déede and he a Prophet and his house sore plagued for hir sake he was right sorye for that he had done and also displeased with Abraham for so dissemblyng wyth hym in so weyghtie a cause considering the dishonestie that myght haue happened vnto his wyfe by some of hys men and the perill of Gods indignation on hym and on hys kingdome for the same yet notwithstanding when he knewe the cause of Abrahams dissembling he possest hym wyth cattell seruants and money and deliuered Sara his wyfe vnto hym agayne gyuing him also frée libertie to dwell and inhabite where he woulde wythin the precinct of hys dominion Then Abraham prayed vnto God for Abimelech at whose peticion the Lorde remooued his plague from the house of Abimelech so that the women conceyued and brought forth children as before they had done The lyke story is of Isaac Chapter xxvj Abimelech the sonne of Ierobaal otherwyse Gedeon was a wicked Tyrant and a prowde ambicious couetous man For when hys father was deade hée to be king of Israel consulted with all his mothers kyndred to perswade the people that it was better to haue one man to reigne ouer them than all y sonnes of Ierobaal which were lxx.persons in number And also to consider that he was of their fleshe and bloude as well as the other were which matter beyng mooued to the people they all consented to cleaue to Abimelech and to make hym their kyng and gouernour And that he shoulde be the better assured of their good wylles and obedient hearts they gaue vnto him a great summe of money wyth the whych he hyred a sort of light brayned felowes And first of all went to his fathers house and slewe all his brethren saue Iothan the yongest who escaped his bloudie handes and fled But or he had reigned a two or thrée yeares the fire of hatred began so to kindle betwéene him the Sichemites with the house of Mello who had preferde him before to the kingdome that at length it burst out into so great a flame that it coulde not be quenched till chaunce of warre made an ende of the Tyrant for in the ende after diuers victories he forced the Sichemites to take the strong tower of Thebes for their refuge and coueting nye to the same to haue set it on fire a certayne woman threwe downe a péece of a Mylstone vppon his heade and brake his Skull to the brayne Who then féeling himselfe sore wounded called his seruant and bade him drawe out hys sworde and ryd him out of his lyfe that it shoulde not hereafter be reported that a woman had killed him and so his seruant slew him Abinadab was a man of Gibea out of whose house Dauid tooke the Arke of God and had it from thence to the house of Obed. Isai the Father of Dauid had also a sonne called Abinadab and King Saul another of the same name which was slayne wyth him in battell Abisag was a goodly fayre yonge Damosell brought vp in the Citie of Sunem And for hir beautie and maners chosen to kéepe norishe King Dauid in his extreme age After whose death being still a pure Mayde She might not be suffered to marry with Adomah the Kynges brother Abisai was Dauids sisters sonne and Brother to Ioab His mothers name was Zarniah He consented not with Absalon but stacke to Dauid hys Unkle in all hys troubles He was so grieued with the spytefull rebukes and raylings of Semei which he made against his Unkle Dauid in his aduersitie that if Dauid had not stayed him he woulde haue made Semei shorter by the heade than he was By his great strength and hardinesse he rescued Dauid out of the handes of a monstrous Gyant the yron of whose speare weyed thrée hundred Sicles and slewe the Giant with thrée hundred Philistines mo for the which he is counted as chiefe among the thrée Worthyes belonging to Dauid CREDIDIT ABRAHAM DEO ET REPVTA TVM EST ILLI AD IVSTITIAM ROM IIII. Non extendas manum tuam super puerum neque facias illi quicquam nune cognovi quod timeas Dominum non pepercisti vnigenito filio tuo propter me Geneâ—â—â—â— Joan. Strada inuen Phls Gall. excud him about the secrete affayres of the king and sodeinlyâ— smote him with his dagger and slewe him Abraham was the sonne of Terah borne in Vr a Towne in Chaldey A man so endued with fayth vertue that when he saw the true religion and honouring of God to cease in the lande of Chalda he departed from thence with Terah his father Sara his wife and Lâ—t his brothers sonne to go into the lande of Canaan And being come to Haran which is a towne in Mesopotamia he remained there vntill the death of his father Terah Then God commaunded Abraham saying Get thée out of thy countrey and from thy kindred and from thy fathers house vnto the lande which I will shewe thée and I wyll make of thée a great nation and will blesse thée and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing and I
and hored And put their wyne into olde bottels all to rent and torne and shodde themselues with olde clouted shooen and put on their backes olde garments and so sent them forth to Iosua to obtayne peace And when Iosua looked vppon them and behelde their simple state he asked what they were and from whence they came They aunswered from a farre countrey are thy seruauntes come for the name of the Lorde thy God for we haue hearde of hys fame and power and what he did in the lande of Egypt and in all other places till nowe And long haue we trauailed to come hither as ye may sée for this our foode the day we came forth was hote our bottels shooes and garments all newe and nowe are they olde and torne and our breade hored and mouled wherefore we shall desire your fauour and peace Then Iosua beléeuing it had bene so swore vnto the Gibeonites and made a couenaunt of peace with them and let them go Within thrée dayes after it fortuned the Israelites to come to the Citie of Gibeon thinking to haue destroyed it But when they sawe that they were the people which a little before had obtayned peace at their handes woulde not slea them bicause of their othe but went to Iosua and tolde him Then Iosua sent for them and demaunded wherefore they had so deceyued him They aunswered it was tolde vs that God commaunded Moses to giue you this lande and to slea all the inhabitants therof and therfore were we forced to make this prouision for our liues And nowe we be in your hands to dâ—e with vs as shall please you Wâ—ll sayde Iosua for our othe sake ye shall haue your liues But for as much as ye haue so craftilye deceyued vs the Lorde hath determined that ye shall be in bondage vnder Israel all the dayes of your liues and be hewers of woode and water drawers for the congregation and house of God continually And so the Israelites tooke their Cities but saued their lyues After this the Kings of the Amorites hearing how the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel came vpon them and besieged Gibeon which was the greatest Citie in all the kingdome of the Amorites wherevpon the Gibeonites were constrayned to sende to Iosua for his ayde who came from Gilgal with a great power rescued them and tooke the Kings of the Amorites which were fiue in number and hanged them on fiue seuerall trées and destroyed all their people and countries Thus the Gibeonites continued in bondage vnder the Israelites with their liues vntill the time of King Saule who then for a zeale he had to the children of Israel and Iuda slue a great number of them which déede God punished in the dayes of King Dauid at what time he sent an hunger vpon the lande which continued by the space of thrée yeares for when Dauid enquired at the Lorde the cause of that plague aunswere was made him of God that it was for Saule and the house of bloud who had killed the Gibeonites which Gibeonites were none of the séede of Israel but a remnant of the Amorites with whome the children of Israel had made a bonde of peace Then Dauid asking the Gibeonites what he shoulde doe for them and wherewith he shoulde recompence them they sayde we will neyther haue siluer nor golde of Saule nor of his house nor that any man of Israel be killed for our sakes but the man that hath consumed vs and imagined to bring vs to naught him will we destroy Therefore let his seauen sonnes be deliuered vnto vs that we maye hang them vp before the Lorde Then Dauid caused the two sonnes of Rizpa Saules Concubine and the fiue sonnes of Michol whome she bare to Adriel to be deliuered vnto the Gibeonites who tooke and hanged them vp on an hill before the Lorde And thus were the Gibeonites reuenged on Saule Giliad was the sonne of Machir and his chyldren were these Hiezer Helech Asriel Sechem Semida and Hepher Godolia looke Gedalia Golias was a mightie strong Gyant whome the Philistines had brought with them to battell agaynst the hoste of Israel His stature was sixe cubites and a span His helmet vpon his heade was of brasse and the Bootes on his legges of the same His coate of Fence weyed 5000. sicles The shaft of his Speare which he bare in his hande was lyke a Weauers beame And the heade vpon the same weighed 600. sicles of yron This man beyng thus armed came out from the Philistines one bearing his shielde before him and standing betwéene the twoo hostes in a valley he cryed to the hoste of Israel saying Why are ye come to set your battell in aray am not I a Philistine and you the seruauntes of Saule choose you out a man and let him come downe to me And if he be able to fight with me and to kill me then will we be your seruants and if I can ouercome him and kill him then shall ye be our seruants and serue vs Thus came he day by day defying the whole hoste of Israel the space of fortie dayes long wherewith the Israelites were sore afrayde and discomsited and durst not abyde his sight But God who by his secret prouidence had appoynted out a man to match him caused Isai to send his yong son Dauid to the hoste of Israel to sée his brethren howe they did And as he stoode with them and hearde the despytefull wordes of Golias which he spake against the holye hoste of Israel The spirit of God euen at that instant smote such a courage into the hart of Dauid that he slipt away from his brethren vnto the people whome he sawe in great feare and sayde What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine and taketh away the shame from Israel and what is this vncircumcised heathen that he shoulde thus reuyle the hoste of the lyuing god Dauid vttering this bolde maner of speach once or twyse he was at the last brought before King Saule to whome he sayde on this wyse Oh King let no mans heart fayle him or be afrayde this daye for I thy seruaunt will go and fight with yonder Philistine Thou art not able to stande in his handes quoth the King for he is a man brought vp all the dayes of his lyfe in feates of warre and thou art yet but a chylde without experience or knowledge thereof Then Dauid to strengthen the weake fayth of the King sayde thus vnto him As thy seruaunt was kéeping his fathers shéepe there came a Lion and a Beare likewyse and tooke a shéepe out of the flocke Then I not fearing the force of these twoo cruell beastes ranne out first after the Lion and tooke the pray out of his mouth and in spite of his bearde I slue him Likewyse I serued the Beare Wherefore I haue no doubt but as the Lorde did ayde me then so wyll he nowe against this bragging Philistine that hath so rayled
on the hoste of the liuing god Then Saule perceyuing the power of God to be wyth Dauid put his armour vpon him But Dauid not being woont to such put it of agayne and tooke him to his olde accustomed weapon which was his slyng And so hauing that in his hande and his shepeherdes bagge about his necke with a fewe little stones prouided therin he gat him downe to the place where the Philistine stoode wayting for a man to encounter with him And as he saw Dauid drawe neare and beholding the maner of hys weapon that he bare in his hand he disdained him greatly And cursing Dauid by all his gods he sayd in a great furie Am I a Dogge that thou commest to me wyth staues come hyther my chylde and I will giue thy flesh to the foules of the ayre and beastes of the fielde Nay quoth Dauid thou commest to me with sworde speare and shielde but I am come vnto thée in the name of the Lorde of hostes the God of the hoste of Israel whome thou doest despyse and blaspheme He shall this daye deliuer thée into my handes and I shall smyte thée and take thy heade from thée and giue the carkasses of all your hoste to the foules of the ayre and beasts of the field to deuour and eate that thou and all the worlde maye knowe that there is a God in Israel The Philistyne nowe was in such a chafe that he began to buskell hym to his weapon thinking to haue dispatched Dauid wyth no great adoe But Dauid hauing his slyng prepared redy in his hande slang out the stone at his face the Lord directing the same and smote the Philistine so euen and déepe in his foreheade that he fell downe groueling vnto the earth and then ranne Dauid and smote of hys heade Thus was this monstrous Gyaunt confounded and all the hoste of the Philistines put to flight and slaine Gomer The Lorde appearing to Ose the Prophet sayde Go thy way and take an harlot to thy wyfe and get children by hir for the lande hath commâ—tted great whooredome agaynst the Lorde So he went and tooke Gomor the daughter of Deblaim who bare vnto hym two sonnes and one daughter The first sonne was called Iesrael the daughter Lornhamah and the second sonne Laâ—my Gorgias a man of great experience in warre was Gouernour of Idumea and one among other noble captaynes whome Lysias the ouerséer of all the Kings businesse sent against the Iewes to destroy them And thinking by his policie to haue stollen vpon Iudas Machabeus by night and so to haue ouercome him he was preuented so that he durst not meete Iudas in the fielde but fledde into the lande of the heathen And when Iosephus and Azarias tooke vppon them in the absence of Iudas contrary to his commaundement to go out agaynst the heathen to get them a name Gorgias issued out of the Citie of Iamnia and slue two thousande of their men and chased Iosephus and Azarias to the borders of Iewrie Finally after manye conflictes with the Iewes a certaine Captayne named Dositheus had almost taken him if rescue had not bene thorow the which he escaped and fled into Moresa and was neuer séene more Reade the Storie of Dositheus H. HAdad being but a little boye borne in the lande of Edom and sprong of the King of Edoms séede what time as Dauid went about to destroye all the men children in Edom fled wyth certayne Edomites of his fathers seruants into the lande of Egypt Where in processe he gate such fauour with Pharao King of the lande that he gaue him great possessions and maried him to the Quéenes sister who bare vnto hym a sonne called Genubath which chylde was brought vp in King Pharaos hâ—use among his children But when tidings was brought to Hadad of the death of Dauid and Ioab he went to the King and besought him to let hym depart into his owne Countrie agayne why sayde the King what hast thou lacked here with mée that thou wouldest now so fayne returne home agayne Nothing sayd Hadad but that I haue a mynde to sée my countrey and therefore I pray thée let me go And so he departed out of Egypt from Pharao for the Lorde had stirred him vp to be an aduersarie to Salomon who had turned his heart from the Lord his God serued straunge gods And so Hadad reigned ouer Siria and abhorred Israel sore and vexed them so long as Salomon reygned Hadarezer the sonne of Reob King of Zoba had long warre with Thoi King of Hamoth And at the last as he went to recouer the borders by the ryuer Pherar Dauid met with him tooke 1700. horsemen of his host and. 20. thousande footemen and cut of the hoofes of all his Charet horses sauing an 100 â–ª which he reserued to himselfe And tooke away his shyldes of Golde brought them to Ierusalem And tooke out of his Cities excéeding much Brasse whereof Salomon afterwarde made all the Brasen vessels in the Temple of the Lorde Againe when this Hadarezer withall the Kings that serued him went to rescue Hanon King of the Ammonites agaynst Dauid he lost 700. Charettes and. 4000. footemen and his Captayne generall slayne Then the Kinges which serued Hadarezer being so discomfited made peace with Dauid and serued hym and neuer woulde helpe the Ammonites more Ham was the seconde sonne of Noe. Who on a tyme séeing his Father lye vnséemely discouered in his Tent laughed hym to scorne And in derision and contempt of his father brought Sem and Iapheth his two brethren to sée the vncomely sight But they mooued with shamefastnesse and honesty couered theyr fathers secrets and woulde not looke vpon them And when Noe was awaked out of sléepe and perceyued what Ham had done He woulde not curse hym whome the Lorde had blest but sayde to Canaan his sonne which had also as some suppose deryded his Graundfather Noe Cursed be Canaan a seruaunt of seruaunts shall he be vnto his brethren Haman was the sonne of Amada and serued Ahasuerus King of Persia who so highlye promoted hym that euery man bowed the knée to Haman dyd asmuch honour vnto him in a maner as they dyd to the King himselfe And being thus exalted aboue all other Princes about the King and honoured of all men there was notwithstanding a certayne Iewe borne named Mardocheus which would neyther bowe nor bende vnto hym as other dyd which being marked of Haman he tooke so great indignacion agaynst Mardocheus that he sought his vtter destruction and purchased a licence of the King for ten thousande talents of Siluer to haue him and all the Iewes destroyed in one day But whyle the writings were a making and postes sent into all quarters for the Iewes dispatch Mardocheus gat knowledge of all Hamans wicked intents and purposes and founde the meanes to haue the same vttered vnto Quéene Hester Who then
warre with Ioram King Achabs sonne was a cruell aduersarye to Israel all the dayes of his lyfe Helkia was the hye Priest in the dayes of Iosias who in repayring the Temple of the Lorde chaunced by the prouidence of God to finde the booke of the lawe the which he sent to the King by Saphan the Scribe which he readde vnto him 2. Mac. 3. cap. Heliodorus being in great fauour with Seleucus King of Asia and Stewarde of his house was sent to Ierusalem to fet awaye the treasure out of the Temple which one Symon the gouernour thereof had betrayed vnto the king And being come to Ierusalem he was louingly receyued of Onias the hye Priest into the Citie But when Heliodorus had vttered the cause of his comming and that his commission was to bring the money vnto the King there was no small feare thorowout the whole citie For then all men from the hyest to the lowest were so oppressed with sorrowe and heauynesse that they wyste not what to doe but fell to prayer lifting vp their eyes to Heauen and calling vpon him which had made a lawe concerning stuffe giuen to kéepe that he woulde safely preserue the same which was there committed in custodie And whyle the Priestes and people were thus lamenting and crying vpon god And on the other side Heliodorus personally with his men of warre about the treasury There appeared an horse with a terrible man sitting vpon hym decte in harnasse of golde which horse smote at Heliodorus with his fore féete to beate him from the place Also there appeared twoo fayre and bewtyfull yong men in goodly apparell which stoode on eche syde of Heliodorus and scourged hym so long that he fell downe to the grounde as dead so was caryed out of the Temple without speache or hope of lyfe whereby the great power of God was manifest and knowne Then certayne of Heliodorus friendes besought Onias to call vpon God to giue him his lyfe which was euen at that time giuing vp the ghost Then Onias least the King shoulde suspect the Iewes had done him some harme called vpon God and obtayned his lyfe And being reuiued to health agayne the twoo yong men which had scourged hym before appeared and sayde Thanke Onias the hye Priest for thy lyfe at whose prayer the Lord hath restored thée and nowe that God hath scourged thée for thine offences giue him prayse and thankes and make his might and power manifest and open to all men And when the men had spoken these wordes and were vanished awaye Heliodorus made his oblacion to God and gaue heartye thankes to Onias for his lyfe and so returned home agayne to the King declaring vnto hym the great and manifest workes of God that were done vppon him The King after this being yet desirous of the treasure that was in the Temple asked of Heliodorus whome he thought méete to sende once agayne to Ierusalem for the money He aunswered saying Oh King if thou hast any enimie or traytour vnto thy Realme sende hym thyther and thou shalt be sure to haue him well punished and hardly to escape with his lyfe For doubtlesse sayde he In that place there is a speciall power and working of God for he that dwelâ—eth in heauen visiteth and defendeth that place and none escapeth vnpunished or plagued that commeth to doe it harme Thus dyd Heliodorus magnifie the power of God and would no more enter into such daunger ¶ Heliodorus the Gift of the Sonne Gen. 5. â— Henoch the sonne of Iared at the age of .65 yeres begat Mathusalâ—h and after that he liued 300. yeares and begat both sonnes and daughters and walked alwayes before the Lorde in an vpright and godlye lyfe And when he had liued 365. yeares the Lord * To inquire where Henoch became is meere curiositie tooke him away that he was no more séene ¶ Henoch Taught or dedicate Rom. 16. c. Herman was a faithfull Christen man vnto whom Paule sent commendations from Corinth to Rome ¶ Herman A proppe or vpholder or an earing 2. Tim. 1. d. Hermogenes was a faynt hollowe hearted Gospeller of the countrie of Asia which forsooke Paule and gaue him ouer whose vnfaythfulnesse Paule pronounceth to Timothie ¶ Hermogenes Begotten by Mercurie or the generation or increase of lucre or the refuge Math. 2. cap. Herode was an Idumean borne and the first stranger that reigned ouer the Iewes In whose time Christ the sauiour of the worlde by the will of God came into this worlde of whose birth he had first knowledge of the Mages or wise men which came from the East to Ierusalem demaunding there for him that was borne king of the Iewes saying that they had séene his Starre and were come to worship before him Which newes troubled Herode so sore that he sent for all the chiefe Priests and Scribes of the people to knowe of them where Christ shoulde be borne And being of them perfitely enformed that he shoulde be borne in the Citie of * For there is an other Bethleem in the Tribe of â—abulon Bethleem in Iewrie he sent for the wysemen and after inquisition made what time the starre appeared vnto them he bade them go to Bethleem and make diligent search for the chylde and when they had founde him to bring him word againe that he might go and worship him also But when they had found the childe and had made their offering they were warned of God to breake their promise with Herode and to returne home another waye Which thing being * Eusebius sayeth that Herode for this slaughter done would haue killed himselfe but being let by his seruaunt he dyed wythin fiue dayes when he had reigned 37. yeares tolde to Herode he fell into such a rage for being so mocked that in hys madnesse he sent forth ministers to Bethleem which killed al the Infants that were in the Citie and in the coastes thereof of the age of two yeares or vnder for whose great crueltie shewed vpon those Innocentes God payed him home soone after ¶ Herode the glorie of the skinne or boasting and glorying in skinnes Math. 14. a. b Herode the Tetrarch of Galile was brother to Philip Tetrarch of Iturea and being reprooued of Iohn Luke 3. 2. Baptist for kéeping his brother Philips wyfe he cast Iohn in prison where he remayned vntill Herodes birth daye was come in the which solemne feastfull daye it chanced the daughter of Philip and Herodias to daunce before Herode and pleased the King so well that he sware vnto hir that whatsoeuer shée woulde aske him it shoulde be graunted not thinking she woulde haue asked Mar. 6. cap. Iohn Baptistes heade for as S. Marke sayth Herode knowynge Iohn to bée a iust and an holye man did both feare and reuerence him and hearde his preaching and did many things thereafter and was very sorye the Mayde had asked none
fasting hearing what promise Osias had made to the people sent for him and all the Elders of Bethulia and sayde How happeneth this that yée haue promised to deliuer the Citie to the Assirians vnlesse within these fiue dayes the Lorde turne to helpe you what men are yée that yée tempt the Lorde your deuise obtayneth no mercy of God but rather prouoketh him to wrath and displeasure Will yée set the mercy of the Lorde a time and appoint him a daye at your will exhorte the people to repentaunce prayer and put them in remembraunce of this That with much tribulasion the friendes of God are tryed and that all these things which we now suffer are farre lesse than our sinnes haue deserued And that this correction is come vpon vs as to the seruauntes of God for the amendement of our lyues and not for our destruction Nowe heare my deuise I praye you and beséeche the Lorde to bring it to good ende Yée shall stande this night in the gate of Bethulia I will go foorth with Abra my Mayden Praye yée vnto the Lorde that within the dayes that yée haue promised to deliuer vppe the citie he will visite Israel by my hande But inquyre not of mée the thing I haue taken in hande for I will not declare it tyll God haue finished the acte Then euery man went their wayes and Iudith departed home to hir secret closet where she made hir harty prayers vnto God for the peoples deliueraunce Which being done she cast of hir mourning garments decked hir selfe most brauelye to allure the eyes of all men that shoulde beholde hir which she dyd not for anye voluptuousnesse or pleasure of the fleshe but of a right discrecion and vertue And so going foorth of hir house with Abra hir Mayde she came to the gate of the Citie where the Elders stoode wayting hir comming And as they behelde hir woonderfull bewtie which God at that present had giuen hir they were marueylously astonished She then commaunding the gates to be open tooke hir leaue of the people who most hartily besought the Lorde to be hir defence well to performe the deuise of hir heart that they might safely and ioyfully receyue hir presence agayne And so committing hir to God shut the gates and looked ouer the walles after hir so long as they could sée hir And as she was going downe the mountaynes the first watch of the Assirians tooke hir demaunding what she was and whither she went I am quoth she a daughter of the Hebrues and am fled from them bycause I knowe that they shall be giuen vnto you to be spoyled Wherefore I am going to the Prince Holofernes to tell him all theyr secretes and howe he shall winne the Citie without the losse of one man And when the men had pondered hir wordes and considered well hir bewtie they put hir in good comfort of hir lyfe brought hir to Holofernes whose Maiestie so abashed Iudith that she fell downe as one almost dead for feare But being reuyued agayne Holofernes demaunded the cause of hir comming to whom she made aunswere on this wise saying O my Lord if thou wilt receyue the wordes of thine handmayden and doe thereafter the Lorde shall bring thy matter to a prosperous effect For as thy seruaunt Achior gaue counsell vnto my Lord to make search whither they had sinned agaynst their God or no It is manifest and plaine that their God is so wrath with them for their sinnes that he hath shewed by his Prophetes that he will giue them ouer into the enimies hande Wherefore they are sore afrayde and suffer great hunger and at this present for lacke of water are in a manner as dead menne and in this extremitie brought to kill theyr cattell and drincke the bloude And also purposed to consume all the Wheate Wyne and Oyle which are reserued and sanctified for the Priests and not lawfull for the people to touch Wherefore I thy handmaide knowing all this am fled from their presence for God hath sent mée to woorke a thing wyth thée that all the earth shall woonder for thy seruaunt feareth the Lorde and woorshippeth the God of heauen day and night And nowe let me remayne with thée my Lorde and let thy seruaunt go out in the night to the valley and I will praye vnto God that he may reueale vnto mée when they shall committe their sinnes that I may shewe them vnto thée and than mayest thou surely go foorth with thine armie for no man shall resist thée I will bring thée to Ierusalem in such safetie that there shall not so much as one dogge barcke against thée Nowe was Holofernes so well pleased with the wordes of this woman and so farre in loue with hir bewtie that he commaunded hir lodging to be made in the Tent where his treasure laye and to prepare hir diet of the same that he himselfe dyd eate and drincke of but notwithstanding she tolde the King that she might not eate of his meate least she should offende hir God but I can satisfie my selfe quoth she with such thinges as I haue brought Then how shall we doe quoth Holofernes if these thinges that thou hast brought doe sayle where shall we haue the like to giue thée As truely as the soule of my Lorde liueth quoth she thine handmayde shall not spende all that I haue tyll God haue brought to passe in my hande the thing that I haue determined And so being licensed to go out and in euery night at hir pleasure to praye she went thrée nightes togither into the valley of Bethulia calling vpon God to prosper hir deuise for the deliueraunce of his people and at eche time returned to hir Tent againe And vppon the fourth daye as it happened Holofernes by Gods prouidence to make a great Banket vnto his Lordes he sent Vago his Chamberlayne to Iudith to counsell hir to come and kéepe Companye with hym that night for it were a shame for vs quoth he if we shoulde let such a woman alone and not talke with hir we will allure hir least she doe mocke vs And when the messenger had done his message brought Iudith to Holofernes his spirite by and by was mooued and rauished with hir bewtie Sit downe now quoth he and drincke with vs and be mery I will drincke nowe my Lorde quoth she and reioyce bycause my state is exalted more than euer it was before And so she eate and drancke before him of such things as hir Mayde had prepared then Holofernes reioyced so much in Iudith that he dranke more wyne at that time than euer he had done in one daye before Nowe when the euening was come and euery man departed and gone to their lodging Vago the Kinges Chamberlayne shut the chamber doore and went his waye to bedde leauing none but Iudith in the chamber with Holofernes for hir Mayde was cōmaunded to stande without the Chamber doore to wayte hir Mistresse cōming
of Israel but forget them and put them cleane out of remembraunce Lornhama not obtayning Mercy S LVCAS EVANGELISTA Acta Apost Cap. 9. SAVLE SAVLE QVID ME PERSEQVERIS DOMINE QVID ME VIS FACERE ET DOMINâ— IHS Collo 4. d. Luke was a Phisition borne in the citie of Antioche 2. Tim. 4. c. and became Saint Pauls Disciple and companion in all Luke liued 84. yeares and was buried at Constautinople his traueyles He wrote the volume of his Gospell as he had learned of Paule and of the other Apostles as he reporteth himselfe in the beginning of the same worke saying As they haue deliuered them to vs which from the beginning saw them with their eyes and were ministers of the thinges that they declared But the volume called the Actes of the Apostles he composed as he had séene the story whereof came euen to Paules tyme being and tarying twoo yeares at Rome where the woorke was finished ¶ Luke his Resurrection M. MAacha the daughter of Thalmar king of Gessur was King Dauids wyfe and mother to Absalom Maacha the daughter of Absalom was wyfe to Roboam and Mother to Abia which Abia his father Roboam ordayned to raigne after hym for the loue that he bare to Maacha his mother aboue all the reast of his wyues â–ª Reade the storye of Asa Machabeus was the thirde sonne of Mathathias and after his fathers death he was made Ruler ouer the Iewes Who in the defence of the holye lawes fought most manfully against Goddes enimies during his lyfe Machir was the sonne of Amiel of Lodebar and a great friende to Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathas who kept him in his house tyll King Dauid sent for hym to his preferment Manahen the Sonne of Eady besieged Sallum King of Israel in Samaria and slue him whose Kingdome he possessed and began his raygne in the nyne and thirtie yeare of Azariahu King of Iuda And because the Citie of Tiphsah woulde not receyue him as there he destroyed the Citie and all that was within it And for this great wickednesse and tyrannie God styrred vp Phul King of Assiria agaynst him vnto whom Manahen gaue a thousande Talents of siluer to breake vp his warres which money he exacted of his people taking of euerye man of substannce fiftie Sicles He raygned ten yeares leauing Pekahia his sonne to succéede him Manahen which was brought vp of a Childe with Herode and his playsere at the last forsooke him and followed Christ Manasses the sonne of Hezekia was twelue yeare olde when he began his raygne ouer Iuda and wrought much euill before the Lorde For he buylt vp the hye places agayne which his father had destroyed He erected vp Altars for Baal and made Groues as Achab dyd and woorshipped all the hoste of heauen and serued them He offered his children in fire as the maner of the Gentyles was and gaue himselfe to witchcraft and Sorcerye and fauoured Soothsayers and such as vsed familiar spirits He set the Image of the groue in the house where the Lorde sayde he woulde put his name for euer Ouer and beyonde all these euils he shed so much innocent bloude that all Ierusalem was replenished from corner to corner wrought more wickednesse than dyd all the Amorites Wherefore the Lorde gaue hym ouer into the handes of the King of Assiria who tooke Manasses and bounde him with twoo cheynes and caryed him to Babilon Where at the last he so humbled him selfe to the Lorde that he had compassion vpon hym and restored him to his Kingdome agayne Who after that became a good man and put downe all such abhominacions as he before had mayntayned and reygned fiue an fiftie yeres leauing Amon his sonne to succéede Mardocheus the sonne of Iair was a Iew borne dwelling in the Citie of Susan and one of them which were caryed away from Ierusalem with Iechonia King of Iuda by Nabuchodonosor into Babilon This man had a fayre Damosell in his house named Hester his vncles daughter whose Father and Mother being dead he brought vp as his owne daughter so long till at last for hir bewtie fayrenesse she was taken vp by the Kinges commission with other mo had to the Court there to be brought vp at the Kings charges in an house appointed for that purpose the King had called them for And euery day would Mardocheus walke before the womens house to he are and know how Hester dyd what should become of hir whose lotte in processe was to be made Quéene in the steade of Vasthi late deposed And on a time as Mardocheus sate in the Kings gate he heard an ynckling of certaine treason conspired against the Kings owne person by twoo of his pryuie Chamber Bigthan and There 's which treason he caused Hester to open vnto the King and to certifie his grace thereof in his name Vpon whose certification inquirie being made founde true the conspiratours were put to death and the matter Registred in Chronicle for a remembrance of their acte After this bycause Mardocheus would doe no reuerence to Haman both he and the Iewes shoulde all haue béene slayne in one daye Whereof Mardocheus hauing knowledge he rent his clothes and put on mourning apparell and so ranne thorow the Citie of Susan where their destruction was denised Crying out vntill he came to the Kinges gate where he might not be suffered to enter in that araye Then Hester hearing thereof was sore astonished and sent him other rayment to put on But he refusing the rayment declared vnto the messenger the whole effect of Hamans commission and working and tooke him a Copye of the same to giue to Ester charging hir to go vnto the King for the lyues and â—afegarde of hir people For who can tell quoth he whither God hath called hir to the Kingdome for that purpose or no it may be that he hath And therefore if she nowe holde hir peace the Iewes shall haue helpe from some other place and so shall she hir fathers house be vtterly destroyed And so whyle Ester went about the deliueraunce of the Iewes Mardocheus was exalted into the Kings fauour to the great reioysing of all the Iewes whose wealth he sought so long as he lyued Reade the story of Ester and Haman Marie the Virgin and mother of God whose parentes are not expressed in Scripture was affianced to a certaine good man of hir owne stocke and Tribe which was of Iuda named Ioseph And before she came to dwell with him the Angell Gabriel being sent of God came and saluted hir saying Hayle full of grace the Lorde is with thée blessed art thou among women The Virgin séeing the Angel was sore abashed at his words and mused much in hir mynde what salutation that shoulde be Then sayde the Angell feare not Mary for thou hast founde fauour with God for lo
agyanst Moses thinking to haue wonne his spurres in reuenging his neighbours quarell But when it came to triall he spedde no better than his neighbour had done before him Onan was the seconde Sonne of Iuda who after the death of Er his eldest brother was maryed to Thamar his brothers wife to styrre vp séede vnto his brother But when he perceyued that the séede shoulde be none of his he practised such wickednesse that the vengeaunce of God fell vpon him and siue hym Onesimus being in seruice with Philemon lyke an vnfaythfull seruaunt robbed his mayster and ranne away from him to Rome Where by hearing of Paule who at that time was in bondes he receyued the Doctrine of the Gospell and serued Paule in Prison and became so faithfull a souldiour of Christ that Paule sent him with Tichicus to the Collossians with his Epistle commending him vnto them on this wise And with Tichicus I haue sent Onesimus a faythfull and beloued brother which is one of you Finallye he sent him home to his mayster agayne beséeching Philemon not to receyue him now as a seruaunt but more than a seruaunt euen as a faythfull brother as his owne sonne whome he had in his bandes begotten to Christ offering himselfe suertye to make good whatsoeuer hurt he had done him in tyme past Onesiphorus was a faythfull godly man a great refresher of suche as were in bondes for the doctrine of Christ as Saint Paule doth testifie of him saying The Lorde giue mercy vnto the householde of Onesiphorus for he oft refreshed mée and was not ashamed of my chayne But when he was at Rome he sought mée out very diligently and founde mée The Lorde graunt vnto him that he may finde mercye with the Lorde at that daye and in howe many thinges he ministered vnto mée at Ephesus thou knowest very well O Tymothy Onias the hye Priest among the Iewes was a man of such godlynesse and holinesse of lyfe that he alwayes sought the honour of the lawes and wealth of the people of god By his prayer that wicked man Heliodorus was restored to his health but notwithstanding all his vertue and goodnesse yet had he enimies For Symon a man voyde of all godlinesse neuer ceased withall slaunderous and euill reportes that he coulde deuise to Seleucus the King to bring him out of fauour which he coulde neuer doe so long as the King lyued But Seleucus being dead Onias was soone put out of office by the false deceyt and meanes of his owne brother Iason and brought in such feare thorow him and Menelaus with other his enimies that he was fayne to take sanctuary Where at the last by the counsell of Menelaus he was without all regarde of righteousnesse most trayterously slayne by the hands of Andronicus whose innocent death was so sore lamented both of the Iewes and also of Antiochus the King himselfe that at his comming home hée rewarded the malefactor according to his dédes Ooliab the sonne of Achisamec of the Tribe of Dan was a Craftes man whome the Lorde had endued with great cunning and appointed him to Moses for one of the chiefe workemen for the finishing of the Temple Oreb and Zeb were two great Captaynes among the Madianites whome the men of Mount Ephraim which had stopped the waters from Bethbarath to Iordane tooke and smote of their heades and sent them to Gedeon on the other side of Iordan Ornan was a certayne Iebusite vnto whome the Lorde commaunded Dauid after he had plagued hym with pestilence to go and reare vp an Aultar in his threshing floure At whose comming Ornan fell downe before hym and sayde Wherefore is my Lorde the King come to his seruaunt I am come quoth he to buye thy threshing floure and to make an Aultar vnto the Lorde that the plague maye cease from the people Ornan Let my Lorde the King take and offer what séemeth him good in his eyes And moreouer here be Oxen for burnt sacrifice and sleades with other instruments for woodde take them all to thée as thine owne Dauid sayde Naye not so but I will buye it for sufficient money for I will not take that which is thine for the Lorde nor offer burnt offerings without cost And so Dauid gaue Ornan for that place Sixe hundred sicles of golde by waight Orpha and Ruth were twoo Damosels of the countrey of Moab which were maryed to the twoo sonnes of Elimelech and Naomy straungers come out of the Lande of Iuda there to dwell Reade the Story of Naomy for the reast Osias the sonne of Micha of the Tribe of Symeon was one of the principall Fathers and Rulers among the Israelites what tyme as Holofernes besieged the Citie of Bethulia This man comforted Achior which had so boldlye magnified praysed the great power and strength of God before Holofernes and tooke him into his house where he made hym a great Supper to the which he called the Elders who altogithers praysed God in him Also when the people came wéeping and crying out ▪ vnto hym to giue ouer the Citie into the handes of the Assirians he sayde vnto them Oh take good hearts vnto you deare brethren and be of good cheare and let vs wayte yet these fiue dayes for mercye of the Lorde peraduenture he shall put away his indignacion and giue glorie vnto his name But if he helpe vs not after these fiue daies be past we shall doe as ye haue sayde which counsell of Osias pleased not Iudith bycause he had set the mercye of God a tyme and appointed hym a daye at his pleasure So that after this Osias remayned in prayer and followed the deuise of Iudith in all things Othoniel was the sonne of Kenes vnto whom Caleb his elder brother gaue Acsah his daughter to wyfe for winning of a certayne Citie called Kariath Sepher This man deliuered the children of Israel from the Captiuitie of Chusan Kisathaim king of Mesopotamia which had oppressed them eyght yeares and Iudged Israel fourtie yeares P. CONVERSIO SAVLI Io. Sadeley sculpt C. M. Cum priuil 1580 F. Pourbus inven Saulus Tharsensis ex itinere diuinitus prostratus Damascum Ananiae in disciplinam tradendus ducitur An. ' ab Ascenss XI II. Illustri ac Generoso D. D. Ottoni Henrico Comiti à Suuartzenberg Et̄ Sa. Cae. M. t is Consiliario supremo ausae Mareschallo Sculptor obser ergó d. d. Pekahia the sonne of Menahen began his reigne ouer Israel in the fiftie yeare of the reigne of Azaria king of Iuda and departed not from the sinnes of Ieroboam but walked therein as his father did before him He had not reygned two yeares or that Pekak his owne Captaine rose against him and slue him in Samaria and reygned in his steade Pekah the sonne of Remaliahin began his reygne ouer Israel in the .lij. yeare of Azaria King of
brought his daughter into hir Chamber and sayde Be of good chere my daughter the Lorde of heauen giue thée ioy for the heauinesse that thou hast suffered and so went to rest Then in the morning about the Cocke crowing Raguel supposing all things to haue happened to Toby as it did to the other seauen before called vp his men and went and made ready his graue which being done he bade his wyfe sende one of hir Maydens to looke if Toby were dead that he might burye him before day light And when it was tolde him they were both sounde and fast a sléepe he praysed God and caused his men to fill vp the graue agayne and made a great feast to all his neighbours and friendes And gaue to Toby the halfe of all his goodes and made him a sure writing for the other halfe that remayned to be his also after his death And at the daye of their departure deliuered the goodes taking his leaue sayde The holy Angell of the Lord be with you in your iourney and bring you forth safe and sounde that ye may finde all things in good case with your Elders and that mine eyes my sée your Children before I dye and so kissed them and let them go Rathumus with other Officers vnder Artaxerses King of Persia writeth vnto him agaynst the Iewes on this wyse Sir thy seruaunts Rathumus the story writer Sabellius the Scribe with other Iudges of the Court in Celosiria and Phinehes Be it knowne and manifested to our Lorde the King that the Iewes which are come vp from you to vs into the rebellious and wicked Citie beginne to buylde it agayne and the Walles about it and to set vp the Temple a newe Nowe if this citie and the Walles thereof be set vp agayne they shall not onely refuse to giue Tributs and Taxes but also rebell vtterly agaynst the king And for so much as they take this in hande nowe about the Temple we thought it not méete to passe ouer such a thing but to shew it vnto our Lorde the king And to certifie him thereof To the intent that if it might please the King to cause it to be sought in the bookes of old and thou shalt finde such warning written and shalt vnderstande that this Citie hath alwayes béene rebellious and disobedient that it hath subdued Kinges and Cities and that the Iewes which dwelt therein hath euer béene a rebellious obstinate vnfaythfull and fighting people for the which cause this Citie is wasted Wherefore nowe we certifye our Lorde the King that if this Citie be buylded and occupyed agayne and the Walles thereof set vp a newe thou canst haue no passage into Celosiria and Phenices And when Rathumus and the other had receyued the Kinges aunswere they got them to Ierusalem with an hoste of men and made the Iewes cease from their buylding which was not begun agayne vntill the seconde yeare of King Darius Rebecca was the daughter of Bathuel and sister to Laban As she went on a tyme with a pitcher vpon hir heade to the common Well without the Citie to draw water it chaunced Abrahams seruaunt to stande by the Well with ten Camels lying there about And when the Mayde had filled hir pot and set it vpon hir head readye to go awaye the man desired to drinke a little of hir water who foorthwithall set downe hir pot and gaue him drincke And when he had droncken she powred out the reast into the water trough and ran againe to the Well drew water for his Camels vntill they had all droncken their fill Then the man in hope the Lorde had made his iourney prosperous tooke out a Golden earing and twoo bracelets of Golde and gaue them to the Mayde demaunding whose daughter she was I am quoth she the daughter of Bathuel the Sonne of Milca which she bare vnto Nahor Then tell mée I praye thée is there rowme in thy fathers house for vs to lodge in Yea quoth she there is both rowme and lodging and also litter and prouander ynough for your beastes Blessed be God quoth he that hath delt so mercyfullye with my Mayster and hath brought me the right way to my maysters brothers house Then Rebecca hearing him speake of hir fathers brother ranne home and tolde all thinges what the man had sayde And as Laban behelde his sister and sawe the earyngs and bracelets vpon hir handes he ranne out to the man with gentle entertaynement brought him into the house and sawe his Camels drest and prouided for also set meate before him to eate But the man woulde not eate before he had declared the cause wherefore hys mayster had sent him which being done and his request graunted he eate made mery and taryed all night And on the morrow as the man made haste to go his way the Damosell was called foorth to know whither she woulde go with the man or no and being content to go with the man he woulde not tarye but tooke the Mayde and had hir to Isaac his maysters sonne whose wyfe she became And being twentie yeares without a Childe at last she conceyued with twoo and when she felt them striue within hir wombe she made hir mone to God saying Séeing it is so why am I thus with childe God made hir answere saying There are twoo maner of people in thy wombe two Nacions shal be deuided out of thy bowels And the one Nacion shal be mightier than the other And the elder shal be seruaunt to the yoonger And so when hir tyme was come to be delyuered she brought foorth twoo twynnes the one named Esau and the other Iacob Which twoo became mightie men but Rebecca looued Iacob better then Esau and to preferre hym before the other she sayde Heare mée my sonne Iacob I haue hearde thy Father saye to thy brother go and kyll some Venison and make mée meate thereof that I may eate and blesse thée before the Lorde afore I dye Now therefore my Sonne heare my voyce in that which I commaunde thée Get thée to the flocke and bring mée thence two good kyddes that I may make meate of them for thy father such as he loueth and thou shalt bring it hym to eate that he may blesse thée before his death Then sayde Iacob My brother Esau is a rough man and if my father shall happen to féele mée I shall séeme vnto him as I went about to deceyue him and so shall I bring a curse vpon mée not a blessing Well sayde Rebecca vpon mée be thy cursse my sonne onely heare my voyce and go and fetche me them And when he had brought the Kyddes and that she had drest the meate and made it readye she fette out certayne rayment of Esaus and put it vpon Iacob and couered his hands and the smoothe of his necke with Goate shinnes and put the meate in his hande to cary to his Father by which policie of Rebecca Iacob had his brothers
olde and was not able to beare the burden he made his twoo sonnes Ioel and Abia Iudges ouer Israel thinking that they woulde imitate his steppes But contrarywise they were so couetous that for lucre sake they peruerted all true iustice wherevpon the Elders of Israel perceyuing Samuel to be olde and his sonnes giuen all to coueteousnesse went to Samuel desiring of him that they might haue a king to raygne ouer them as other nations had Then Samuel hearing them speake of a king was sore displeased But neuerthelesse at the Lordes commaundement who bade him make them a King hée first declared to them the office and authoritie of a King and than annoynted Saule to be their King and gouernour whome he sent to Gilgal commaunding Saule to tary him there seauen dayes and then he woulde come and tell him what he shoulde doe And on the seauenth day when Samuel came to Saule and sawe he had offered before he came he asked him what he had done Mary quoth Saule when I sawe the people begin to scatter from mée and that thou taryedst so long I offered burnt offerings least the Philistines shoulde come vpon me before I had made my supplicasion vnto the Lorde Nowe sayde Samuel thou hast played the foole For if thou haddest hep to the Lordes commaundement hée woulde haue stablished thy Kingdome for euer But now it shall not continue For the Lorde hath sought him out a man after his owne heart which shall rule the people and so Samuel departed to his house at Gibea After this when Saule had broken the Lordes commaundement in sauing Agag King of the Amalachites alyue and had made a sacrifice vnto the Lorde of their best shéepe and Cattell which hée reserued Samuel came whereof the Kinge was verye glad and tolde hym that he had fulfilled the Lordes commaundement But what meaneth then quoth Samuel the bleting of the shéepe and noyse of Oxen that I heare There are quoth he the best shéepe and Oxen that the people hath spared to sacrifice vnto the Lorde but the reast haue we destroyed Then sayde Samuel Did not the Lord when thou wert little in thine olvne eyes make thée King ouer Israel and gaue thée a charge vtterly to destroy those sinners the Amalachites And wherefore hast thou obeyed the people and not the Lorde I haue quoth he done all that the Lorde commaunded mée and saued none but Agag Hath the Lorde quoth Samuel as great pleasure in burnt sacrifices and offeringes as when the voyce of the Lorde is obeyed Beholde to obey is better than sacrifice and to harcken is better than the fat of Rammes for rebellion is as the sinne of Witchcraft and stubbornesse is as the wickednesse of Idolatrie And bicause thou hast cast away the worde of the Lorde therefore hath the Lorde cast away thée from being king Then sayde Saule I haue sinned and gone further than the saying of the Lord therefore take awaye my sinne 〈◊〉 turne againe with me that I may worship the lord Nay quoth Samuel I will not returne with thée for thou hast cast awaye the Lorde and he hath cast away thée And as Samuel was turning himselfe to haue gone away Saule â—aught him by the lap of his garment and it rent Then sayde Samuel the Lorde hath rent the kingdome of Israel from thée this day and giuen it to a neyghbour of thine better than thy selfe Neuerthelesse thorowe great intreatie of Saule Samuel went with him And when they had worshipped the Lorde Agag was brought to Samuel who tooke and hewed him in péeces and so departed to Rama where he mourned so long for Saule till the Lorde reprooued him for it and sent him to Bethleem to annoynt Dauid Which thing done he went home agayne to Rama where he remayned vntill he dyed Sanabalat the Heronite when he hearde of the graunt that Nehemias had obtayned of Artâ—â—erses for the building of the Temple at Ierusalem he was marueylously grieued therewith and sought by all meanes howe to let the Iewes of their purpose Saphira the wyfe of Ananias being of his Counsell in kéeping awaye part of the pryce of a possession which they had solde came vnto Peter about a thrée houres after hir husbande ignorant of that which was done vnto whome Peter sayde Tell me Saphira solde yée the lande for so much yea quoth she for so much Why haue ye quoth Peter agréed togither to tempt the spirite of the lord Beholde the féete of them which haue buried thy husbande are at the doore and shall carye thée out And with that she fell downe and gaue vp the ghost And the Officers came and caried hir out and buried hir beside hir husbande Saule the sonne of Cis of the Trybe of Beniamin was a goodly tall yoong man who on a tyme as he was séeking his fathers Asses and coulde not finde them happened by the prouision of God to go and séeke but Samuel to wit of him some tydinges of hys Asses And as he was going towarde the Citie it was tolde him of a great offering that shoulde be there and howe the people wayted for Samuels comming to blesse the same And when Saule was come into the middest of the Citie he met Samuel comming against him going vp to the hill And as Samuel behelde Saule the Lorde sayd vnto him this is the man which I tolde thée yesterdaye I woulde sende this daye vnto thée to be King of Israel Then Samuel tooke him vp with him to the hyll and set him in the chiefest seate amonge his guestes and made him eate with them And the feast being done he went and annoynted Saule King and told him what he should doe after his departure from him And going from Samuel the Lorde gaue him another maner of heart than he had before So that he prophecied among the Prophetes and was so greatly honoured of all men that after he had deliuered the Citie of Iabes out of the handes of Nahas King of the Ammonites the people renued his kingdome which God woulde haue stablished for euer if he had not disobeyed his commaundement in taking vpon him to offer burnt sacrifice before Samuel came and also to saue Agag whom he was commaunded to destroy And for this his disobedience the Lorde tooke hys spirite from Saule and gaue it to Dauid and gaue vnto Saule an euill spirit to vexe him withall Then Saule séeing the spirit of the Lord departed from him and gone to Dauid he sought by all meanes to destroye him but neuer coulde come to his purpose Finally Saule being sore cumbred with the Philistynes he went to an Enchaunter notwithstanding he had expelled all of that Arte before to rayse him vp Samuel who being raysed vp tolde hym that for as much as hée had disobeyed the Lorde and not executed his fierce wrath vppon the Amalachytes therefore had God forsaken hym and rent his Kingdome out of his
first an interpreter of Moses law and afterwarde became an earnest preacher of the Gospell of Christ Of whome Paule writeth to Tite Byshop of Crete that whensoeuer Zenas departed from him he shoulde bring him on his iourney with all diligence and that nothing shoulde be lacking vnto him His wordes to Tite were these Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their iourney diligently that nothing be lacking to them Zephora was the daughter of Raguel Priest of Madian and wyfe to Moses by whom she conceyued bare him twoo sonnes The one Gerson and the other Eleazer And as she went with Moses hir husbande towarde the lande of Egipt by the waye in hir Inne she tooke a sharpe knyfe and cut awaye the foreskinne of hir sonne and cast it at his féete saying Thou art in déede a bloudye husbande vnto mée she sayde a bloudy husbande bycause of the circumcision Ziba was one of King Saules olde seruauntes after whose death he belonged to Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathas and had the ouer sight of all his maisters landes which Dauid had restored vnto hym and the gouernaunce also of Mica his Maysters sonne This Ziba intending to deceyue his mayster what tyme as Dauid fled from Absalom his sonne and was a little past the top of Mount Oliuete mette him with a couple of Asses sadled and vpon them twoo hundred loaues and one hundred bunches of Raysins an hundred frayle of dryed Figges and a bottell of Wine And when the King sawe him he sayde What meaneth thou with these Ziba They be quoth he Asses for the Kings householde to ryde on and breade and fruite for the yoong men to eate and Wyne that such as be fayntie in the Wildernesse may drincke Then sayde the King where is thy maister Miphiboseth Ziba sayde beholde he taryeth styll at Ierusalem for he sayde This daye shall the house of Israel restore me the Kingdome of my Father Then sayde Dauid to Ziba Beholde all are thine that pertayned to Miphiboseth Then sayde Ziba I doe homage vnto thée I beséeche thée I maye finde grace in thy sight my Lorde O king Thus Ziba deceyued his mayster got his lande from him But when the King was returned agayne to Ierusalem and perceyued by Miphiboseth that Ziba had wrongfully accused him he commaunded the lande to be diuided betwéene them Zimri was the seruaunt of Ela the sonne of Baasa King of Israel and Captayne of halfe his Charrettes who or his Mayster had raygned full twoo yeares conspired agaynst him and siue hym as he was in Tirzah drincking till he was droncken in the house of Arza Stuwarde of his house in Tirzah And raygned in his steade in the tyme of whose raygne which was but seuen dayes he siue all the house of Baasa leauing neyther kinsman nor friende of his alyue At this tyme had Ela the King an hoste of men lying at the siege of Gibbethon a Citie of the Philistines And when they hearde of the Treason of Zimri and that he raygned in the steade of Ela they with one consent made Amry their Captayne King who then went and besieged Zimri where he laye in the citie of Tirzah And when Zimri saw that the citie must néedes be woonne then he least they shoulde take him a lyue and put hym to a shamefull death brent himselfe and the Kinges house with fyre and so dyed Zorobabel the Sonne of Salathiel withall the Iewes which were delyuered from Babilon by Cyrus returned to Ierusalem where they repayred agayne the Citie and Temple of God and renewed their lawes though they were sometyme hindred and let by their enimies about them FINIS Exed 6. c. d. 24. d. 32. cap. Idolatrie punished Nu. 12. cap. Disobedience punished 20. d. 33. c. ¶ Aaron a Teacher Dani. 14. f. g. Abacuck died sixe hundred yeares before the incarnation of Christ Eliote ¶ Abacuck a Wrastler Abdy 1. cap. ¶ Abdy a Seruant of the Lorde Ieremi 38. b. 39. d. â—indnesse recompensed Gen. 4. a. b. Abel Delbora his sister were born both at one byrth fiftene yeares after Cain Cooper ¶ Abel Vanitie 3. Reg. 15. a. 2. Par. 13. ca. 3. Reg. 14. ca. ¶ Abia Father of the Sea. 4. Reg. 18. a. ¶ Abia The will of the Lorde 1. Reg. 22 â–ª 3. Reg. 2. ¶ Abiathar Father of the Remnant or excellent Father 1. Reg. 25. ca. Eccle. 31. d. 2. Reg. 3. a. ¶ Abigail The Fathers Ioye 1. Par â–ª 2. b. Gen. 20. cap. ¶ Abimelech The Kings Father or a Father of Counsell or the Chiefe King. Iudith 9. cap. 2. Reg. 6. a. 1. Reg. 16. b. 31. a. ¶ Abinadab A Father of a Vowe or of a free minde or Prince 3. Reg. 1. a. 2. d. ¶ Abisag The Fathers Ignorance 1. Par. 2. b. 2. Re. 16. b. â— 21. d. 23 â–ª â— â–ª ¶ Abisai The Fathers Rewarde ¶ Abner The Fathers Candell â—â—â— 11. d. 〈◊〉 â—â—â— the sonne of â—eâ—ah beâ—oâ— ten of hys seconde â—yâ—e â— because of his 〈◊〉 is counted be sore 〈◊〉 â—â—â—aâ— bornâ— of the 〈◊〉 wyfe * 1â— câ—p Abraham â—â—ught the Egiptians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 13. cap. 16. cap. 17. cap. 21. a. b. 22. cap. 25. cap. Abraham dyed before the incarnatioÌ„ of Christ 1838. yeares ¶ Abraham a Father of a great Multitude 2. Reg. 3. 2. 14. f. 2. Reg. 13. ca. 14. cap. 15. cap â–ª 17. a. b. c. d. 18. a. b. c. d Rebellion neuer escapeth gods punishment ¶ Absalom A Father of Peace or the Fathers Peace or Rewarde Iosua 7. cap. ¶ Acan Troubling 3. Reg 16. g. 18 cap. 21. f. 20. cap. * Here God as he many symes doth dyd punyshe one wicked by another 3. Reg. 21. câ—â— * His repentance was not true but plaine ypocrisie 22. cap. ¶ Achab The Fathers Brother 1. Cor. 16. c. ¶ Achaicus Mourning or sadde Achaz looke Ahaz Iudith 5. cap. Iudit 6. ca. Iudith 14. a. ¶ Achior the Brothers Light. 1. Reg. 21. c. d * Here it is sayde that Dauid feined himselfe mad before Achis and in the. 34 Psalme before Abimelech which twoo were both one maÌ„ for here he is called by his proper name Achis and in the other place by his general name Abimelech * 27. cap. * 29. cap. ¶ Achis Euen so it is Gene. 4. 36. ¶ Ada a Companye or Congregation Gene. 1. ¶ Adam Man Earthly 2. Reg. 3. a. 3. Reg. 1. cap. 3. Reg. 2. d. ◠¶ Adonia the Lorde is the ruler Iudic. 1. a. b. ¶ Adonibesech the Lordes Thunder 4. Reg. 19. g. ¶ Adramelech the Kings Cloake or his greatnesse on power or the greatnesse of Counsell 3. Reg. 12. c. 2. Par. 10. d. ¶ Aduram Their Cloake or their power or greatnesse 1. Reg. 15. ca. ¶ Agag An House or sollour Act. 11. d. 21. c ¶ Agabus A Grashopper Gen. 16. cap. 21. a. b. c. ¶ Agar A Straunger 1. Esd 5. a. ¶ Aggeus Solemne festiuall or wynding and turning himselfe
wyll blesse them that blesse thée and curse them that curse thée and in thâ—â— shall all the families of the earth be blessed 〈◊〉 nowe hauing this promise made him of God departed out of Haran he and Sara his wife with Lâ—t his â—ephewe and with all their substance that they had to go to soiourne in the lande of Canaan And being there the Lorde made a promise to Abraham that hys seede shoulde possesse that lande Wherevpon soone after in the same place where God spake thus vnto him he made an aultar and offered sacrifices therâ—â— to the Lorde And so remayning in the lande there fell at the last so great a famine that he was constrained to â—â—â—â— into Egypt where he fearing the Egyptians to be vngodly and vicious men â—â—igned Sara to be his sister thinking and if â—â—â— were knowne to be his wife they woulde for hir bâ—wtâ—â— take hir from him and put him in hazarde of his lyfe Then was it â—old to king Pharao what a bewtifull woman Abraham had brought with him into Egypt The king nowâ— knowing therof commaunded the woman to be brought vnto him and with all gentle entertainement receyued hir into his house and intreated Abraham well for hir sake But when he sawe so many plagues fall on him and on all his householde vnderstandyng that it was for withholding another mans wyfe from him he restored the woman without dishonestie to Abraham hir husbande againe Giuing also his men a great charge concerning the man and hys wife Then soone after Abraham returned from Egypt into the countrey of Canaan where he had bene afore And when he had lyen some space in the lande there fell such a stryfe betwéene the herdemen of Abrahams cattell and the herdemen of Lottes cattell that Abraham was fayne to deuyde the lande betwéene his Nephewe Lot and him and so they remooued the one from the other Abraham had nowe bene so long without issue that he tooke by consent an aduise of Sara one of his Maydes named Agar to wyfe who conceyued and brought him forth a sonne which was called Ismael Abraham then being at the age of fourescore yeares and sixe And when he was come to the number of ninetie and nine God gaue vnto him the couenant of Circumcision which he receyued first in himselfe and then made Ismael and all the reast of hys householde to receyue the same The next yeare after when Abraham was iust an hundred yeare olde Sara conceiued brought him forth his long promised sonne named Isaac whome he circumcised the eight day folowing and would after that haue offered him vp in sacrifice but that God séeing his prompt obedience stayed his hande Finally after the death of Sara Abraham tooke him another wife called Ketura who bare vnto him six sonnes Which children hée woulde not suffer to remayne and companye with his sonne Isaac but before he died sent them away with great rewardes and giftes and made Isaac heyre of all his goodes He dyed at the age of an hundred seauentie and fiue and was buried beside Sara his wyfe in the double Caue which he bought of Ephron the Hethite ¶ Looke more in the histories of Lot Sara and Melchisedech Absalom the sonne of Dauid whom he begat on his wyfe Maacha the daughter of Thalmai King of Gessur was y goodlyest personage in all Israel for as Scripture witnesseth God had so framed the forme and ornaments of his bodie that from the sole of the foote to the crowne of the head was no member amisse And yet among all the heare of his head excelled which so increased daylye that the weyght therof compelled him at euery yeares ende to â—haue it off This Absalom had a brother named Ammon to whoÌ„ he bare a priuie grudge for defiling his sister Thamar And to be reuenged on him for the same he invited al his brethren vnto a banket made in y time of his shéepe shearing to the which banket Ammon came with the rest of his brethren in the middest of their chéere Absalom killed Ammon and fled to the king of Gessur his Grandfather With whome he abode thrée yeares In the which space by mediation of friendes he was at the last fette home againe and brought by Ioab his Auntes sonne to Ierusalem where he remayned two yeares after Then Absolom marueyling why Ioab had not brought him to the king his father in all that space sent once or twyse for him to come and speake with him And when he saw that he came not he commaunded his men to go and burne vp the fielde of Barley which parteyned to Ioab and laye ioyning to his grounde Then Ioab hearing therof went to Absalom demaunding wherfore his men had destroyed his Corne Marrie quoth Absalom I sent for thée twyse and thou wouldest not come wherefore diddest thou bring me from Gessur had it not bene as good for mée and better to haue continued there still than here to lye so nye the King my father and cannot be suffered to sée him Then Ioab considering the matter had him to the king where he was ioyfully receyued After all this Absalom began certaine practises to aspire to the kingdome wherein he prospered so farre that at length hée proclaymed himselfe king in Hebron Causing his father for feare to flie out of hys Realme against whome he called his counsell to deuise what waye he might best ouercome his Father But God by whose prouidence all things are stayde so wrought with his Counsaylers that the successe of his enterprisâ— turned to his owne destruction For when it came so to passe that both the armies were ioyned in battell togithers Absaloms men had the woorsse and he himselfe a sodâ—ine mischaunce for as he rode on his Mule thorow the woode to haue escaped a twyste of an Oke caught hym so fast in the heire of his head that it tooke him quite out of hys Saddle And so he hanged on the trée till Ioab came with his speare and slue him whose Carkeys after was taken downe and cast into a pitte and couered wyth an heape of Stones Acan was the sonne of Charmy and of the Trybe of Iuda who beyng at the wynning of the City of Iericho hearing Iosua pronounce the Citie and al things therin to be excommunicate accursed of the Lorde tooke notwithstanding certaine iewels of the same hidde them priuily vnder the grounde in his tent Then after when Iosua went about the taking of Hai and had sent thrée thousand souldiers to wynne it the men of Hai issued out of the citie and slewe thirtie and sixe of the Israelites and chased the rest backe agayne whereat Iosua was so discomfited that he rent his clothes and called on God to knowe the cause of their ouerthrowing who made him answere that Israel coulde not stande before the men of Hai forasmuch as some of them had
all his posteritie for euer Achis was the sonne of Maoth king of Geth who on a tyme when Dauid feygned himselfe to be mad before him sayde vnto his seruaunts that brought him on this wyse What meane you Sirs to bring this madde felowe before me haue I so great néede of madde men that ye haue brought this man to playe the mad Bedlem in my presence Awaye with him I saye out of my house At this time Achis despised Dauid and woulde not receyue him but the next time he came againe with his bonde of men and their housholdes he retayned them all and gaue vnto Dauid the Citie of Zikleg to dwell in and had him in such estimation that when he himselfe shoulde go with the Phylistines to battell agaynst the Israelites he then tooke Dauid with him and made him the kéeper of his person for the which the Philistines were sore offended with Achis and woulde not suffer him to go in their company so long as Dauid was with him wherfore Achis for feare of the Philistines displeasure intreated Dauid to go home agayne and so went Achis forth wyth the Philistines against king Saul Ada There be two women of this name in the Bible The one was Lameches wyfe and mother to Iaball The other was the daughter of Elom the Hethite and wyfe to Esau Iacobs brother Adam was the first man that God created and had dominion of all the beastes and fowles of the earth and to euery beast and fowle he gaue his proper name God set him at the first in a place of passing ioye full of all maner of fruitefull trées pleasaunt both to the eye and in taste whereof he might eate at will and was not prohibit saue only from the trée of knowledge of good and euil for whensoeuer he tasted of that trée God tolde him he shoulde surely dye Nowe Adam being in this goodly paradise of pleasure God thought it good to make him a companion to beare him company And so casting Adam into a sounde sléepe he tooke out a ryb of his side whereof he made the woman and brought hir to Adam who by and by confessed hir to be of his bone and fleshe and from that tyme forth they liued togythers as man and wyfe in all purenesse and innocencie of lyfe till that by the subtiltie of olde Satan the Serpent who had deceyued the woman he was entysed by his wife to eate of the forbidden trée Which thing he had no sooner done but both their cies were opened to sée in what case they were And when they sawe themselues all naked and bare they were so ashamed that they made them garments to couer their priuities and hid themselues that the Lorde shoulde not sée them But Adam being founde out of God and demaunded wherefore he had hid him alleaged bicause he was naked And also to excuse his transgression he burdened God with his fault bicause he had giuen him the woman which had allured him to eate of the Trée But neuerthelesse for as much as Adam had obeyed the voice of his wyfe and neglected the Lordes precept God cursed the earth for his sake and droue him forth of that welthy place for to liue in sorow and care and be subiect to death and all other calamities and miseries of the worlde both he and all his ofspring for euer In the Byble is mention made both of sonnes and daughters which Adam had of Heua his wyfe but none of their names be rehearsed saue onely Cain Habel and Seth. He liued nine hundreth and thirtie yeares Adonia was a goodly yong man the sonne of Dauid borne vnto him in Hebron of his wyfe Agith When Adonia perceyued his father to be féeble and weake thorowe extreme age he began to exalt himselfe saying he woulde be king And gat him both horses and Charets and also footemen to runne before him euen lyke a king to the which hys father sayd nothing nor woulde not displease hym but let him alone and do what he would And so Adonia procéeded in his purpose and by the counsell of Ioab the Captaine and Abiathar the Priest who tooke his part he made a great sacrifice of shéepe and Oxen wherevnto he called his brethren and also the kings seruantes who eating and drinking before him with great reioysing sayde God saue king Adonia But assoone as Dauid had knowledge of Berseba his Mother and Nathan the Prophet howe all the case stoode he commaunded Sadocke the Priest and Nathan to annoynt Salomon and to set hym vppon his owne Mule and so to go forth and proclaime him king Which newes was no sooner come into the new Kings Courte but euery man shrunke away for feare leauing Adonia all alone Who then for hys owne safegarde fled to the Tabernacle of the Lorde and woulde not from thence till Salomon graunted him his pardon vpon condicion that hereafter he woulde be quiet and a good man And so being pardoned he departed quietly home to his house But after this when Dauid his father was deade Adonia casting his fauour vpon Abisag the Sunamite went to Bethsabe Salomons mother requesting hir to speake vnto the King that he would gyue hym Abisag to wyfe Then Salomon hearing his mothers request perceyued that Adonia being the elder brother went about to aspyre to the kingdome wherefore to preuent hys purpose he put him to death Adonibesech King of the Cananites was of such might and power that he subdued seuentie Kinges who being all brought into his Courte he cutte of their thumbes and great toes and made them gather their meate vnder his Table whych great crueltie he shewed vnto them being puft vp wyth pryde and ostentation of his victory This wicked King chaunced to reigne ouer the Cananites when Iuda had the gouerning of the host of Israel agaynst whome Iuda began his conquest and slewe the Cananites and put Adonibesech to flyght but beyng sore pursued the men of Iuda tooke him and cut of both his thumbes and great toes which thing the tyrant confessed hymselfe by and by to be the iust iudgement of God for as he had done to other so had he worthilye receyued agayne And so he was caryed to Ierusalem and there dyed Adramelech the sonne of Senacherib king of Assyria with his brother Saresa slewe their father in the Temple as he was worshipping his God Nisroch and fled into the lande of Armenia leauing Asarhaddon their other brother to possesse the kyngdome after their father Aduram was receyuer of all Roboams trybute and being sent in Commission to pacifie the people which were deuided and fallen from the King they for hatred they bare to Roboam tooke this man and stoned hym to death Agag was a very fat man and king of the Amalekites which Nation God had commaunded to be vtterly destroyed And bicause King Saul had reserued Agag aliue and
reasoning the matter Iesus ioyned himselfe personally with them as a wayfayring man desirous to knowe whereof they talked so sadly To whome Cleophas made aunswere and sayde art thou only a straunger in Ierusalem and hast not knowne the thinges which haue chaunced there of late ▪ of what things sayde Iesus ▪ Of one Iesus of Nazareth which was a Prophet mightie in déede and word before ▪ God and all the people and howe the hye Priest and our Rulers deliuered him to be condemned to death and haue crucified him but we trusted that it had bene he that shoulde haue deliuered Israel and as touching all these things to day is euen the thirde day that they were done Then Iesus opened the Scriptures to Cleophas and the other and being knowne of them at the last by breaking of breade they returned to the Apostles at Ierusalem and tolde them all what they had hearde and séene of Iesus by the way to Emaus Clement was one of Paules labour fellowes in the Gospell among the Philippians as Paule himselfe reporteth saying And I beséech the faythfull yokefellow helpe the women which laboured with mée in the Gospell with Clement also and with other my labour fellowes whose names are in the booke of life Crescens what tyme as Paule sent for Timothy was departed from Rome into Galatia for businesse he had there whereof he certifieth Timothy saying Crescens is gone to Galatia and Titus vnto Dalmatia Crispus the chiefe ruler of the Synagoge at Corinth after he had heard Paules preaching beléeued in the Lord he and all his householde and were Christened in the name of Christ Iesu Cornelius was an heathen man dwelling in Cesarea and a Captaine ouer a bande of men which were in Italy This man notwithstanding he was a Gentile borne and in office a man of Armes yet he was a good lyuer and feared God as it well appeared chiefely in two pointes which was in liberally refreshing the poore and néedy and his continuall praying vnto the lord In the which prayer as he was on a time occupyed aboute the ninth houre of the day which was a little before Supper tyme he saw in a vision an Angell of God comming to him and calling him by his name saying Cornelius thy prayers and thine Almes déedes are come vp into remembraunce before God wherefore sende to Ioppa for one Symon whose Sirname is Peter he lodgeth with one Simon a Tanner whose house ioyneth vpon the Sea side and he shall tell thée what thou oughtest to doe Then Cornelius sent for Peter against whose comming he had called togithers all his kinsmen and speciall friends And when Peter was come Cornelius mette him and fell downe at his féete to worship hym which thing Peter would not suffer forasmuch as he was but a man as Cornelius was And so going in with hym he founde a great companie gathered togithers vnto whom he sayde Yée know how that it is an vnlawfull thing for a man that is a Iewe borne to company or come to one that is of an other nacion But God hath shewed me that I shoulde not make any man common or vncleane Therfore came I vnto you without saying nay assoone as I was sent for I aske therefore for what intent haue yée sent for me Then Cornelius sayd Foure dayes ago and euen about this same houre I fasted and at the ninth houre I prayed in my house and behold a man stoode before me in bright clothing and sayde Cornelius thy prayer is heard and thine Almes déeds are had in remembraunce in the sight of God sende therefore to Ioppa and call for Symon whose Sirname is Peter he is lodged in the house of one Symon a Tanner by the Sea side the which assoone as he is come shall speake vnto thée Then sent I for thée immediately and thou hast well done for to come Now therefore are we all here present before God to heare all thinges that are commaunded vnto thée Then Peter preached the worde of God vnto them and whyle he was yet preaching the holy Ghost fell vpon them all so that in the ende Cornelius with all his Company there present were Baptized in the name of Christ Iesu Chore was the sonne of Iezchar the sonne of Caath the sonne of Lénie This Chore of a stoute and prowde heart enuied and detested Moses the true seruant of God and raysed vp a sedicion agaynst him and Aaron hauing with hym Dathan Abiran and On Thrée great Captaynes beside 250. other noble men that tooke his parte which insurrection by the power of man was vnsuppressable But almighty God caused the earth to open and swallow them vp with theyr Wyues Children and all their substaunce ¶ Here is a question to be mooued If all the substaunce of Chore with his wife and children were swallowed vp of the earth with them How can that be true which is written in the tytle of the. 41. Psalme that the children of Chore were eyther the makers or the singers or the setters forth of that godly Psalme Aunswere is made Numeri 26. where it is written that when Chore was swallowed vp of the earth God miraculously preserued certayne of his children of whose ofspring there came very excellent learned and notable wyse men and speciallye these foure Ethan the Ezrachite to wéete that was borne in the town called Ezrachi Heman Calcal Darda which foure so farre excelled all other in wisedome and learning that the wisedome of Salomon was compared to be as great as theirs These foure are called the children of Chore not that they were the naturall children of Chore but that they came of the ofspring of the children of Chore which God had miraculously preserued from the great gulph and gaping of the earth For it is well knowne that Chore liued in Moses time agaynst whome he was the chiefe in stirring vp of rebellion against him Agayne Ethan Heman Calcal and Darda liued and florished in Salomons tyme which was 480. yeres or therabout after that Chore was killed So that these men could not be the naturall children of Chore but are called his children and his sonnes bicause they came of his progenic and ofspring Cirus King of Persia in the first yere of his reigne deliuered the people of Israell out of captiuitie and gaue them libertie to go and builde the Citie of Ierusalem and the Temple of God againe which Nabuchodonosor had destroyed and sent with them all the vessels of golde and siluer pertayning to the house of the Lorde which were in number 5400. And the number of the whole congregation that returned from the captiuitie of Babilon were .xlij. thousande thrée hundreth and thrée score beside their seruantes and Maydens which were 6337. and among them also were 200. singing men and women And of this Cyrus it was prophecied by the Prophet Esaye long before Cyrus was borne that he shoulde deliuer
Ada. ¶ Eliphas the Sight of God or his intent or endeuour Iob. 2. d. Eliphas the Themanite was one of those that came to Iob in his extréeme afflictions to comforte him And 4. yet notwithstanding he blamed Iob for impaciencie 15. vniustice and for the presumption of his owne righteousnesse 12. Also he reprooued hym bycause he chalenged wisedome and purenesse to himselfe Affirming also that he was punished for his sumes and accused hym of vnmercyfulnesse and that he denyed Gods prâ—â—â—dence and therefore exhorteth hym to repentaunce But the Lorde was angrie with Eliphas and with his other Companions 42. b. bicause they had condemned Iob by the outwarde afflictions and not comforted him with his mercy and therefore commaunded them to take sâ—auen â–ª Oxen and seauen Rammes â–ª and to go and offer a burnt offering for their offence and his seruaunt Iob shoulde praye for them And they dyd as the Lord had commaunded them 1. Par. 1. 2. Elisa was the sonne of Iauan his brethren were Tharsis Citim and Dâ—â—â—â—int ¶ Elisa it is God or the â—ambe of Gâ—d or God that doth good â— Reg. 19. d. Eliseus was the sonne of Saphan And being at the plough with twelue yoake of Oxen before hym Eliah comming by him cast hys mantell ouer hym and went his wayes Then 〈◊〉 being instinct with the holye Ghost left his plough and ranne after Eliah desiring hym that he might first go home and take his leaue of his friendes then he woulde come and followe him which thing being done he returned and ministred to Eliah and went with him to Bethel from thence to Iericho 4. Reg. 2. ca. where the children of the Prophetes came to Eliseus and sayde Knowest thou not that the Lorde will take thy maister from thine heade this daye Yes quoth he I knowe it well holde yée your peace and be still And so foorth from Iericho they went to Iordan where Eliah â—he waters deuided smote the waters with his mantell which deuided themselues so that they two went ouer on dry land And when they were on the other side of Iordan Eliah sayde to Eliseus Aske what I shall doe for thée or I be taken away from thée I pray thée quoth Eliseus let thy spirite be double vpon mée Thou hast asked quoth he an harde thing Yet if thou sée mee when I am taken from thée thou shalt haue it so if not it shall not be And as Eliah is taken vp in the firie Charet they were walking and talking togithers Eliah was taken vp in a whirlewinde of fire and in a Charret of fyrie horses which sight Eliseus sawe and cryed My father my father the Charret of Israel and the horsemen thereof and sawe hym no more â–ª Then Eliseus rent his owne Cloake in twoo peeces and tooke vp Elias mantell which he had let fall from him and returned to the banke of Iordan and smote the waters saying Where is the Lorde God of Eliah and he himselfe and at the seconde smiting the waters deuided so that he went ouer on drye lande to the other â—yde agayne Then the Children of the Prophets perceyuing the spirite of Eliah to be vpon Eliseus came and fell down before him saying We doubt lest the spirit of the Lord hath taken thy maister and cast him vpon some mountayne therefore let vs â–ª sende foorth our men to go and séeke hym But Eliseus knowing assuredly that he was taken vnto God willed them not to doe so yet they â–ª not there withall satisfied intreated hym so much tyll he was ashamed and so let them go And when they had sought thrée dayes and thrée nightes and coulde not finde hym they returned to Eliseus who sayde vnto them Dyd not I saye yée should not finde hym The waterâ— are healed ¶ Nowe as the Prophete laye at Iericho the men of the Citie came vnto him saying Sir the scituacion of this Citie as thou séest is pleasaunt but the water is so euill and the grounde so barrayne that it killeth the inhabitaunts thereof Then sayde Eliseus bring me a Cruse and put Salt therein And when they had brought him the Cruse he tooke it and went vnto the spring of the waters and cast the Salt therein saying Thus saâ—th the Lorde I haue healed this water death shall no more come thereof neyther barrennesse to the grounde 4. Reg. 3. cap. ¶ After he had thus healed the water at Iericho and was departed thence to go to Bethel there came little chyldren out of the Citie who in mockery sayde vnto hym Come vp thou balde head come vp thou balde heade The The children for mocking the Prophet are deuoured with beares Prophet then turned backe and behelde the children and perceyuing their malicious hearts he cursed them in the name of the Lord which Curse was no sooner pronounced out of the Prophets mouth but twoo Beares came out of the forrest and ran vpon the Children and tore in péeces 42. of them And so went he foorth to mount Carmel and from thence to the Citie of Samaria ¶ It came to passe that when Iehoram y King of Israel and Iehosaphat King of Iuda with the King of Edom in their progresse towarde the King of Moab lacked water for them and their people â–ª they went by the counsell of Iehosaphat King of Iuda to Eliseus the Prophete beséeching hym to make intercession for them that they might haue water to sustayne their hoste which else were in ieoperdie of perishing And when the Prophete sawe the Kings he sayde to the King of Israel What haue I to do with thée Get thée to the prophets of Achab thy father and to the Prophets of Iezabel thy mother as truely as the Lorde of hostes lyueth in whose sight I stande if it were not that I regarde the presence of Iehosaphat King of Iuda I woulde not haue looked towarde thée nor séene thée But now bring mée a * This was no such Minstrell as vse to fil the peoples cares with songes of ribaudry but one that sang songs to Gods glory and so stirred vp the Prophetes heart to prophecie minstrell and when the mynstrell playde the hande of the Lorde came vpon Eliseus that he began to prophecie of water and of the ouerthrow of the Moabites which came to passe on the next morrowe as the Prophete had sayde for the Moabites being deceyued by the Sunnes shining vpon the water that fell which made it séeme as redde as bloude thinking it had béene the bloude of the Kinges hoste that had slayne one another but when they came they founde the hoste of Israel ready who fell vpon the Moabites and destroyed put them to flight euery one ¶ Eliseus Gods saluation or a God which saueth 4. Reg. 4. a. b ¶ There was a certaine woman late wife to one of the Prophetes which came and complained to Eliseus that hir husbande had left hir so farre
the people did not perishe for lacke of water and when the enimies had woon the Citie and besieged Seloum as often as the Iewes came for water the water ranne out of the earth abundantly and they tooke water But the straungers when they came could not finde it This holy man for his libertie of speach in rebuking of the sinne of the Princes the people and for the prophecying of the vengeance of God vpon that countrey and people was cut in twoo péeces with a Sawe and buried vnder an Oke but afterwarde he was translated and buryed by the sepulchre of Kings He was before the comming of Christ 800. yeres Eliote ¶ Esay The health of the Lorde Gen. 25. d. Esau was the eldest sonne of Isaac borne with hys brother Iacob at one birth of their mother Rebecca Iacob Of Esau came the Edomites Esau was called Edom that is red bicause hee sold his birth right for a messe of red pottage was smooth of body and Esau rough and heary who became a great hunter wherefore his father lâ—ued hym the better bicause nowe and then he did eate of his Venison On a time comming from hunting he was so wearie and faynt for hunger that he was almost deade And seing his brother Iacob to hane sod a pot of pottage he prayed him to giue him a fewe thereof to â—ate Sell me nowe thy birthright quoth he and I will. Then Esau estéeming more his belly than the benefite of his birth-right solde it to Iacob for a messe of pottage And when he had filled his belly well he went his waye and passed forth till he came about the age of fortie yeares And 26. g. then he tooke him twoo wiues the one Iudith the daughter of Bery and the other Basmoth the daughter of Elon both which women were disobedient to their father and mother in lawe After this his father being olde and 27. cap. blinde for age he went out to kill some Venison for hys father that he might eate thereof and blesse him before he dyed But when he had dressed it and brought it for his father to eate Iacob had preuented Esau and gotten his blessing from him for the which he hated Iacob and threatened to kyll him wherefore Iacob was sent away 28. a. b. into Mesopotamia partly to auoyde the malice of Esau and partlye to get him a wyfe there bicause his father would not haue him marry with the Cananites Then Esau perceyuing that the daughters of Canaan displeased Isaac he to please his father tooke to wyfe the daughter of Ismael Abrahams sonne And so these two brethren being thus seperated the one from the other in processe became both very rich And in the ende when by the prouidence of God they met togithers agayne God had so altered and chaunged the minde of Esau that he most louingly embraced his brother Iacob ministring to him such kindenesse as though he had neuer borne him any displeasure at all And so in fine departed as louing friendes Iacob towarde Succoth and Esau to Mount Seir his owne possession ¶ Esau Working Gen. 14. c. d. Eschol was brother to Mamre and Aner which thrée were Abrahams confederates and his pertakers in the rescuing of Lot his brother out of the handes of Kedorlaomor ¶ Eschol a Cluster 1. Esd 7. a. 8. cap. Esdras the sonne of Saraia was a notable Scribe in the lawe of Moses and long in captiuitie at Babilon but at last by the licence of Artaxerses he came from Babilon to Ierusalem agayne with the Iewes to repayre the lawe and Citie of God and to teache the people the right waye of the Lorde He gathered and brought in order all the bookes of the lawes of God which were by the Chaldeys scattered and destroyed This mans liuing 9. and. 10. cap was so vpright and holy and so estéemed among the people that when they had offended the Lorde in contracting themselues with the Gentyles at his godlye preaching and counsell they repented and put away theyr straunge Wyues and turned to the Lorde agayne ¶ Esdras an Helper Ester 2. cap. Ester the daughter of Abian a Iewe borne was a goodly yong Damosell And after the death of hir father and mother nourished and brought vp in the house of Mardocheus hir fathers Vncle During which tyme Vasthi for hir disobedience to Ahasuerus the King was deposed from hir Princely state And then to haue another placed in hir roume certaine fayre yong Damosels and Virgins among which Ester was one were taken vp by Commission and brought to the Court and there founde at the Kings charges for the space of .xij. moneths with all maner of sumptuous deckinges to the ende the King might choose one of them whome he fancyed best to be his Quéene And when the time of choosing came he lyked Ester aboue the reast and made hir Quéene in the roume of Vasthi It happened after this a mischiefe to Ester 3. cap. be deuised against the Quéenes nation the Iewes by one in great authority about the King called Haman and being certifyed thereof by Mardocheus hir Vncle she was so sore astonied that she wilt not what to doe for no helpe in that matter was to be had but onely in the King to 4. cap. whom she durst not go bicause he had giuen a commaundement that whosoeuer shoulde presume to come vnto him before they were called shoulde suffer death Wherfore Ester not being called in thirtie dayes before was afrayde of the daunger Neuerthelesse she considering with hir selfe that eyther she must put hir lyfe in hazard or else to suffer the whole Nation of the Iewes to perish cast all feare aside and went to the King And presenting 5. cap. hir selfe before him he put forth his golden Scepter in token of his speciall fauour towards hir demaunding what she woulde haue Nothing quoth she but that it woulde please your Maiestie and Haman to come to the banket which I haue prepared To the which he went and being there demaunded of Ester what thing it was she required Oh quoth she if it shall please your Highnesse to giue me my peticion and to fulfill my request Then let my 7. cap â–ª soueraigne Lorde and Haman come agayne to morrow and I will certifie your Grace of all And on the morrow when the King was come he sayde to Ester Now what is thy request I pray thée saye Then spake Ester and sayde If I thy poore handemayde haue founde so much fauour in thy sight O King to haue my peticion graunted then I most humbly beséech thée to graunt mée my lyfe and the lyues of all my people the Iewes which are not onely solde to be bonde seruauntes for I woulde to God it were so but to bée slayne and vtterlye destroyed all in one daye Who is he sayde the King that dare presume to doe such a déede Oh sayde Ester and if it shall please
Ierobaal that is let Baal pleade for himselfe bicause he hath broken downe his Aultar At this time the Madianites and the Amalakites had pitched themselues in the valley of Iezrael and the spirite of the Lorde came vpon Gedeon so that he called his people togithers to go agaynst them And for to be the better confirmed in his vocation hée tooke a fléece of wooll and layde it in the threshing place and made his request vnto God saying Oh Lorde if thou wilt let the dewe this night fall vpon the fléece only and be drie on all the grounde beside then shall I be sure that thou wilt saue Israel by my handes as thou hast sayde And on the morrowe when Gedeon came to take vp the fléece it was full of dewe and the grounde drie all about Then sayde Gedeon O Lorde be not angry that I prooue thée once more let nowe the fléece be drie only and dewe vpon all the earth and so in the morning the fléece was drye and the grounde all dewy Gedeon nowe being thus confirmed pitched his hoste to fight with his enimies But when the Lorde sawe the number of his armie he sayd to Gedeon the people that thou hast with thée are to manye therefore make a proclamation thorowout all thine hoste that whosoeuer is timerous or fearefull let him depart home agayne and there returned .xxij. thousande and ten thousande remayned Then sayde the Lorde to Gedeon the people are yet to many Bring them downe to the water side and I will appoynt them that shall go with thée So many as doe lappe the water with their tongues as Dogges doth shalt thou take with thée the reast that knéeleth downe vpon their knées to drinke shalt thou resuse as men vnméete for this purpose And when it came to tryall all knéeled downe to drinke sauing 300. which lapped water with their hands those Gedeon tooke with him and sent the rest away Then the Lord to strengthen Gedeon least he shoulde faynt in so great an enterprise bade him take Phara his seruaunt with him and go downe that night to the hoste of the Madianites and harcken what they did say And when they came neare to the hoste they hearde one man saye to another I haue dreamed a dreame and me thought a lofe of Barley bread tumbled into the hoste of Madian and came vnto a Tent and smote it that it fell and lay along on the grounde This is nothing else quoth his felowe saue the sworde of Gedeon the sonne of Ioas a man of Israel for into his handes hath God deliuered Madian and all the hoste Then Gedeon hearing this praysed God and returned to his men who were so animated with his ioyfull tydings that most couragiously they fell vpon the infinite number of the Madianites and ouerthrew them and put them to flight euery one in the which flight y Ephraims on the other side of Iordan toke Oreb Zeb two mightie Captains of the Madianites sent their heads to Gedeon who was following the chase after Zebah Zalmana Kings of Madian which two at the last he tooke and led them back to the men of Socoth Phanuel who had denyed him sustenance before and sayde vnto them Behold here be the men by whom ye vpbrayded me saying are the hands of Zeba Zalmana already in thine hands that we should giue bread vnto thy weary people I tolde you then that when the Lord had deliuered them into my handes I woulde reiurne and teare your fleshe with Thornes and Briers of the wildernesse and breake downe the tower of Phanuel And so to performe hys promise he fell vpon the men of Socoth and Phanuel and put them to most paynefull torments and death and slue Zebah and Zalmana with his owne handes Thus he deliuered Israel out of the handes of the Madianites which had kept them seauen yeares in subiection And when he had iudged them fortie yeares he dyed leauing behinde him 70. sonnes for he had many Wyues beside Abimelech which his Concubine bare vnto him in the Citie of Sichem But when Gedeon was deade the Israelites turned from God againe and went a whoring after Baalim and made Baal-bereth their God forgetting the Lorde their God which had deliuered them out of the hands of their enimies neither shewed they mercy on the house of Ierobaal according to all the goodnesse which he had shewed vnto them But contrarywife like men vnthankfull and voyde of all faithfulnesse consented to the vtter destruction of all his posteritie Gehezi wayted vpon Eliseus the Prophet and was his seruant On a time there came to his Maister out of the lande of Siria a certayne Prince named Naaman to be holpen of his leprosie The which Prince being restored to health offered to Eliseus a great reward which he refused And when Gehezi sawe the great man gone and that his Maister had receyued nothing he then being stricken with couetousnesse folowed after Naaman And when the Prince sawe the Prophetes seruant come running so fast after him he for the reuerence he bare to his Maister descended from his Charret to méete him and asked of him if all were well with his Maister or no. Yea sayde Gehezi all is well But euen nowe there is come to my Maister from Mount Ephraim twoo yoong men of the sonnes of the Prophets wherefore he hath sent me to desire thée to let him haue one Talent of Siluer and twoo chaunge of garments Then the Prince of his liberalitie gaue him twoo Talents and made his men to carie the money and stuffe after Gehezi And when the men had brought it nie vnto the place where as he would haue it he tooke if of their handes and let them depart and conueyghed it priuily into his owne chamber And as soone as Gehezi came in the presence of his Maister he demaunded where he had bene No where quoth he No said Eliseus went not my hart with thée when the man turned againe from his Charret to méete thée Is it now a time to receiue money or garments Well forasmuch as thou hast offended in this the leprosie of Naaman shal eleaue vnto thée and to thy séede for euer And so he went out from his Maister a Leper as whyte as snowe Reade more of Gehezi in the Stories of Eliseus his Mayster Gerson the sonne of Moses had a brother called Eliezer Their mothers name was called Zephora y daughter of Raguel But of Gerson the son of Leuy came the Gersonites who had the gouernance of the habitacion within the tabernacle Gibeonites The Gibeonites hearing of the great destruction that Iosua had made at Iericho and Hai were in such feare that they wyst not howe to saue their liues but by this policie When they perceyued Iosua to drawe nye vnto Gibeon They chose out certaine men among them to sende as ambassadours to Iosua and made their prouision of breade dryed vp
that had sent Dauid so wyse a sonne to sit in his seate and graunted hym Timber of Cedar Fyrre and other precious woodde so much as he woulde desire Wherefore Salomon to gratifie Hyram agayne sent hym twentye thousande quarters of wheate and twentye Butts of Oyle and gaue him also twentye goodly Cities which Cities Hyram called the lande of Cabul forasmuch as when he sawe them they pleased hym not After this Hyram gaue to Salomon sixe score Talents of Golde and sent him Ships and men which had knowledge of the Sea to go with his Nauye into the countrey of Ophir which Shippes brought vnto Salomon * In the. 2. Par. 8. d. is menciō made of 30. talents mo whiche seeme to haue ben employed for their charges foure hundred and twentye Talents of golde ¶ Hyram The hight of Lyfe 3. Reg. 7. b. Hyram This man was a certayne wydowes sonne dwelling in the Countrie of Tyre and of the Tribe of Nepthaly and dyd so excell in all maner of workemanship that Hyram King of Tyre sent him to Salomon to worke and finishe all things that pertayned to the Temple of the Lorde which Salomon went about to edifie Hobab was the sonne of Raguel whose * Some think that Raguel Iethro Hobab and Keni were all one Kymhi sayeth that Raguel was Iethros father So Hobab was Moses father in lawe companye Num. 10. d. Moses his Father in lawe woulde so fayne haue had into the lande of Canaan that he intreated him on this wise saying We are nowe going to the place which the Lord sayde that he woulde giue vs therefore I pray thée go with vs and we will doe thée good for the Lorde hath promised good vnto Israel Then Hobab made aunswere saying I will not go but I will departe to mine owne Countrey and kindred Nay quoth Moses I pray thée forsake vs not but go with vs and be our guide for thou knowest our comping places in the wildernesse and whatsoeuer goodnesse the Lorde shall shewe vnto vs the same will we she we vnto thée But all this coulde not mooue Hobab but that he woulde depart And so returned home into his owne countrey agayne ¶ Hobab Beloued Iudith 2. cap. Holofernes was the chiefe and most terrible Captaine of all Nabuchodonosors hoste sent of him to subdue all the worlde And comming to the Citie of Bethulia 14. b. where all the Iewes lay in great feare of him and his power he was there by Gods prouision slayne by the handes of an holy woman called Iudith Read hir storie ¶ Holofernes A stoute and valiant Captaine 1. Reg. 1. a. Hophni and Phinehes the twoo sonnes of Ely were the Lordes Priestes and became so wicked that they abused the women that wayted at the doore of the Tabernacle of wytnesse And whereas the law was that 2. c. d e. whenseeuer any man did make any offering the Priests boye should come whyle the fleshe was a séething and not before with a fleshe hooke in his hande hauing thrée téeth which he shoulde thrust into the Panne Kettle or whatsoeuer vessell it were and so much as the flesh hooke brought vp was the Priestes part and no more yet notwithstanding this lawe the Priestes boye woulde come before the fleshe was sodde and require flesh to rost for the Priest and say vnto him that made the offering that his Maister woulde haue no sod fleshe but rawe And if he woulde not giue it him then woulde the boye take it by violence By the which abusing of the Lawe the Lordes offering was had in such contempt among the people that they began to abhorre it Wherefore the Lorde plagued the sonnes of Eli permitting the Philistines 4. c. to slea them both in one day ¶ Hophni a Fyst or as much as one may comprehende betweene his thumbe and two fingers or couering 4. Reg. 15. g. 17. cap. Hosea the sonne of Ela by treason slue Pekah the sonne of Remaliahu King of Israel and possessed hys place and began his reigne in the .xij. yere of Ahas king This was the last King that reigned ouer Israel of Iuda and did euill in the sight of the Lorde but not so euill as other Kings before him He denyed to pay Tribute to the Assirians and sent to the King of Egypt to haue his ayde agaynst them wherefore Salmanasar King of Assiria came against Hosea and besieged him in Samaria thrée yeares and in the ende wanne the Citie destroyed his kingdome and ledde Hosea and all his people captine into Assiria Thus was Israel nowe deliuered into the handes of spoylers for their wickednesse which the Lorde had long suffred ¶ Hosea a Sauiour or health 4. Reg. 22. d. Hulda the wyfe of Sallum was a Prophetesse dwelling in Ierusalem in a place called the house of doctrine To whome Iosia King of Iuda sent certayne messengers to inquire of the Lorde for him and hys people concerning the booke of the Lawe which was founde in the Temple and red before him and when they had done their message the Prophetesse made aunswere saying Go and tell the man that sent you to me Thus sayth the Lorde beholde I will bring euill vpon this place and vpon the inhabiters thereof euen all the wordes of the booke which the King of Iuda hath readde bicause they haue forsaken me and haue burnt incense to other gods to anger me with all the works of their hands My wrath also shall be kindled agaynst this place and shall not be quenched But to the King of Iuda who sent you to inquire of the Lorde so shall ye say vnto him Thus sayth the Lorde God of Israel the wordes that thou hast heard shall come to passe But bicause that thine hart did melt and thou hast humbled thy selfe before the Lorde when thou heardest what I spake agaynst this place and against the inhabiters of the same howe they shoulde be destroyed and accursed and hast rent thy clothes and wept before mée I haue also hearde it sayth the Lorde Beholde therefore I will gather thée vnto thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eyes shall not sée all the euill that I will bring vpon this place And so the Messengers departed and tolde the King. ¶ Hulda the worlde ▪ or a Weesell Hur came of the Tribe of Iuda and * This is not that Hur which came of the kinrede of Caleb although they came both of the Tribe of Iuda but an other of the same name Lyra vppon 1. Par. 2. c. This Hur was husband to miriam sister to Moses was one of the Exod. 17. d. principall fathers and Rulers vnder Moses He and Aaron 24. d. 31. a. stayed vp the handes of Moses whyle the Chyldren of Israel fought with King Amalech And was also appointed with Aaron afterwarde to heare and determine all matters of controuersie among the people till Moses
came downe from the Mount againe where vnto he was ascended ¶ Hur Libertie whytenesse or a hole Husai the Arachite was ‡ 2. Reg. 15. d. 16. c. a man of great wisedome one of Dauids chiefe Counsaylers his assured friend as it well appeared when he came vnto him being fled from Absalom his sonne with his clothes regt and ashes vpon his head declaring thereby the great sorowe and heauynesse he was in to sée his Lord and mayster in that case of whose comming Dauid was greatly comforted But forasmuch as he thought he shuld do him more pleasure otherwise than to go with him now he said Oh my most deare friend Husai if thou doest go with me now at this tyme thou shalt be but a burthen vnto me But if thou wilt returne into Ierusalem and say vnto Absalom I will be thy seruant O King and serue thée as I haue done thy father thou mayst for my sake destroy the counsell of Achitophell and thereby doe me great pleasure So Husai gat him to Absalom saying God saue the King God saue the King What quoth Absalom is this the kyndenesse thou she west to thy friende Howe chaunceth it that thou wentest not with him Nay sayde Husai but whome the Lorde and this people and all the men of Israel hath chosen his will I be and with hym will I dwell to whome shall I doe seruice but to hys sonne as I serued before thy father so will I serue thée Then when Absalom had retayned Husai to be of his Counsell he sayde vnto him Achitophell hath counsayled thus and thus to doe shall we doe thereafter or no. Husai answered the Counsell that Achitophell hath giuen is not good at this time For sayd he thou knowest thy father and his men howe they be strong and now being chafed in their myndes are euen as a Beare robbed of hir Whelpes in the fielde And also thy father is a man practised in warre and maketh no tarying wyth the people Beholde he lurketh nowe in some Caue or in some other strong place and though some of his men be ouerthrowen at the first brunt it will be sayde that thy people is ouerthrowen and so shall the best men thou hast whose hearts are as the hearts of Lyons shrynke thereat For all Israel knoweth thy father to be a man of great might and his warriours stoute men Therefore my counsell is that all Israel be gathered togither vnto thée from Dan to Béerseba which are in number as the sande of the sea And that thou go to battell in thyne owne person For so shall we come vpon him in one place or other where we shall finde him and fall vpon hym as thicke as the dewe falleth vpon the grounde and of all the men that are with him we shall not leaue him one Moreouer if he be gotten into a towne then shall all the men of Israell bring roapes to that towne or Citie we will drawe it into the riuer vntill there be not one stone founde there This counsell of Husai pleased Absalom and the people better than Achitophels which was euen the Lordes detâ—rmination to destroy the good counsell of Achitophel that the Lorde might bring euill vpon Absalom And so when Husai had done according to Dauids request he caused Sadoch and Abiathar the Priestes to sende Dauid worde of all that was done whereby he escaped ¶ Husai Sense or making haste or holding his peace I. IAbes was so named of his mother bicause she bare him in sorrowe He being more honorable than the reast of his brethren made a condicionall vow vnto God saying If thou wilt blesse me in déede and inlarge my coastes and if thine hande be with me and thou wylt cause me to be deliuered from cuill that I be not hurt Thus farre goeth his request which was graunted Iabyn was the King of Canaan whose Captayne of warre was Sisera Twentie yeares he troubled Israel very sore But at the last he was ouercome of the Israelites and brought to naught There was another King called Iabyn also whome Iosua slue and destroyed his Citie called Hazor as yée shall reade in Iosua Chap. 11. Iacob was the yongest sonne of Isaac and brother to Esau whose byrthright he bought for a mease of pottage and afterwarde by the counsell of Rebecca hys mother got away his blessing And then to auoyde his brothers displeasure he was sent into Mesopotamia to Laban his Mothers brother to get him a Wyfe And chaunceing to come to a place where he was benighted he tooke a stone and layde it vnder his heade and fell a sléeue And in his dreame he sawe a Ladder stande vppon the earth reaching vp to heauen and the Angels of God ascending and descending vpon it and God himselfe standing vpon the Ladder sayde I am the Lorde God of Abraham thy father and the God of Isaac the lande which thou sléepest vpon will I giue to thée and thy seede and thy séede shall be as the dust of the earth thou shalt spreade abroade to the West to the East to the North and to the South And thorowe thée and in thy séede shall all the kinreds of the earth be blessed Behold I am with thée and will be thy kéeper in all places where thou goest and will bring thée agayne into thys lande neyther will I leaue thée vntill I haue made good all that I haue promised Then Iacob awaking out of sléepe sayde Surely the Lorde is in this place and I was not aware Oh how fearefull is this place it is none other but the house of God and the gate of heauen Then Iacob gate him vp earely in the morning and tooke the stone which he slept vpon and set it vp as a pyller to be a remembrance of that vision and poured oyle vpon it and called the place Bethel which before was called Lus. And before his departing he vowed saying If God will be with me and kéepe me in this iourney which I go and will giue me breade to eate and clothes to couer me so that I come againe to my fathers house in safety then shall the Lorde be my God and this stone which I haue set vp an ende shall be Gods house and of all that thou giuest me will I giue the tenth vnto thée And so Iacob going on his iourney came into the East countrey where in beholding the lande he sawe certayne heardemen lying with their flockes of shéepe besyde a Well at the which they commonly vsed to water their shéepe to whom he went demanded whence they were They said of Haran Doe ye not know quoth he one Laban the sonne of Nahor Yea sayde they we knowe him well He is in health And beholde yonder commeth his daughter Rachel to water hir fathers shéepe who was no sooner come but Iacob went to the Well and rolled away the stone from the Welles mouth and
grounde Which done she went and stoode in hir Tent dore and séeing Baruck pursuing Sisera she went mette hym saying Come and go with mée and I will shewe thée the man whome thou séekest and so he followed Iael who brought him into hir tent where Sisera laye dead Iair was a Gileadite borne He had .xxx. sonnes which were men of authoritie for they rode vppon .xxx. Asses colts And they had xxx Cities lying in the lande of Gilead which Cities were called the townes of Iair He reigned .xxij. yeares After whose death the Children of Israel fell to wickednesse agayne and serued Baalim and Astharoth the gods of Siria other straunge gods for the which the Lord was wroth with Israel and solde them into the hands of the Philistynes and Ammonites which oppressed them so sore by the space of .xviij. yeares That thâ—y were fayne to cry for helpe of the lord Who then sayde vnto them Dyd not I when yée cryed vnto mée deliuer you from the Egiptians the Amorites the Ammonites the Philistines the Sidonites the Amalakites and the Moabites which nacions had oppressed you And yet haue ye now forsaken me and serue theyr gods Therfore crie vnto these gods whom yée haue chosen and let them helpe you in your tribulacion for I will deliuer you no more Oh Lord said they we haue sinned doe vnto vs whatsoeuer pleaseth thée Then had the Lord so great compassion and pittie on the miserye of Israel that he styrred vp a man one Iephtah who by the power of God saued them Iames the sonne of Zebede and brother to Iohn was a poore fisherman and being in the ship with his father mending of his net Iesus came by and called him who immediately left his shippe his father and all and went after Iesus and was one of his Apostles and receyued with his brother the name of Bonarges which is to saye The sonnes of thunder Math. 10. a. Iames the lesse was the sonne of Alphâ—us and Marie sister to Marie the Lords mother And being bishop He suffered martyrdome in the. vi yere of Nero. of Ierusalem he wrote to the Iewes that were scattered abroade after the persecution and death of Steuen Instructing them with sundry precepts howe to order their lyues 2 Tim. 3. b. Iannes and Iambres were twoo false Sorcerers of Egypt who in the time of Moses with their enchantments Exo. 7. b. went about to put those miraculous woonders out of credence that Moses by the power of God did And euen as they withstoode Moses so do the aduersaries of the Gospell at this day and euer will resist the truth vnder a certaine false pretence of godlynesse Gen. 9. d. Iapheth was the youngest of Noes thrée sonnes who being enformed of his fathers vnséemely lying a The nations that came of his children Of Gomer came the Italians Of Magog the Scitians of them the Turkes Of Madai the Medes Of Iauan the Greekes Of Tubal the Spanyards Of Mosoch the Moscouites and of Tiras the Thracians Lanquet sléepe in his Tent tooke a garment and bare it betwene him and Sem on their shoulders and comming toward their father ashamed to looke on his nakednesse tourned their faces backwarde and so couered their fathers priuiâ—ies For the which déede Noe hauing knowledge thereof blessed them saying to Iapheth on this wise God shall enlarge Iapheth and he shall dwell in the Tentes of Sem and Canaan shall be their seruant ¶ Iapheth perswading or entycing Iairus was * Mark. 5. c. d one of the Rulers of the Synagoge among the Iewes whose daughter of the age of twelue yeares lay sicke and at the poynt of death And hearing of the fame of Iesus went and fell downe at his féete beséeching him that he would come home to his house lay his hande vpon his daughter that by the touching therof she might be safe and lyue And while there was an occasion giuen whereby to reforme the vnperfect fayth of the Ruler and that by the ensample of a woman diseased with an issue of bloude .xij. yeares there came certaine * Luk. 8. f. g. messengers from the Rulers house which sayde vnto him that his daughter was deade wherefore it shoulde not néede to trouble the Maister anye further Then Iesus perceyuing the Ruler to be as a man in dispayre sayde vnto him Be not afrayde for although thy daughter be deade in déede onely beléeue and thy daughter shall liue And so Iesus went home to the Rulers house and raised vp his daughter from death to life ¶ Iairus Lightning or being lightned Gen. 5. d. Iared was the sonne of Mahalaleel who liued an hundred sixtie and two yeares and then begat Henoch and liued after that eyght hundred yeares and begat sonnes and daughters And when he had liued in all nine hundred sixtie and two yeares he dyed ¶ Iared Commaunding or descending 2. Mac. b. 4. cap. Iason was a wicked man and so desirous of honor that he laboured his owne brother Onias out of the hye Priestes office promising Antiochus the King to gyue him for the same thrée hundred and thrée score talentes of siluer and of another rent foure score And also if the King woulde licence him to set vp a place for exercise a place for the youth and to name them of Ierusalem Antiochians he promised an hundred and fiftie Talents And when these things was graunted to Iason and that he had got the superioritie he beganne immediately to drawe his kinsmen to the customes of the heathen abolishing the lawes and priuiledges of the Iewes he brought in newe statutes contrary to the lawe of god So that thorowe the exceeding wickednesse of this vngodly man Iason the people had a great desire to follow the maner of the Gentyles The Priestes also had no lust in seruing the Lorde but in casting the stone and such wanton sportes Nowe after thrée yeres when Iason shoulde paye the King his money which he had promised for his brothers office he sent it by one whome he most trusted called Menclaus who gate the office from Iason as appeareth more plainly in his storie Then Iason being thus deceyued by Menelaus was fayne to flye into the lande of the Ammonites remayning there till he might spye a time to be reuenged And when hée hearde the rumor that went abrode of Antiochus death he gat him a bonde of men to the number of a thousande or mo and came sodenlye vppon the Citie killing and slaying his owne Citizens without mercie regarding neyther kinne nor friende But neuerthelesse when he coulde not spéede of his purpose he fledde into the lande of the Ammonites againe Where in the ende it came to this poynt that he was accused to Areta King of the Arabians and so abhorred of all men and he was pursued from Citie to Citie and driuen into Egypt And going from thence to the Lacedemonians thinking by
heauen in the likenesse of a Doue and lighted vppon him and also the voyce of the father was heard from heauen saying This is my welbeloued sonne in whome I am well pleased heare him And after he had finished the legacie of his father and opened the Doctrine of eternall life to the people and confirmed the same with myracles he was at the age of .xxxiij. yeares or there about betrayed of his owne disciple Iudas Math. 26. b. and by the Iewes his owne peculiar people most cruellye put to death at what tyme of his passion was a great earthquake and at sixe a clocke of the daye such a terrible Eclipse of the Sunne that for darckenesse it séemed to be very night The thirde day hée arose agayne 28. a. from death to lyfe In token he conquered sinne death and Satan And on the fourtie daye to declare himselfe Act. 1. b. to be a mightie a puissant Conquerour he ascended into heauen where he sitteth at the right hande of the Father And the fiftie day according to his promise he sent downe the true comforter the holy Ghost which shoulde leade the Apostles into all truth At the ende and last day of the world he shall come agayne with glorye to Iudge the quicke and the dead He suffered his passion the yeare after the creation of the Worlde 3994. or there about ¶ Iesus A Sauiour Eccl. 1. cap. Iesus the sonne of Sirach being among the Captiues in Egipt in the tyme of King Ptolomy Energets got libertie to reade and write many good things which Iesus his Graundfather had gathered and left them with Sirach his sonne which thinges this Iesus tooke and put in order in a booke which is called Ecclesiasticus or the wisedome of Iesus the sonne of Sirach Coll. 4. c. Iesus otherwise called Iustus was a Iewe borne and one of Paules workefellowes in preaching and setting foorth the Kingdome of God whome he commended to the Collossians desiring them that if he or anye such dyd come vnto them they shoulde receyue and entreate them with all gentlenesse Exod. 4. c. 18. cap. Iethro the Priest of Madian had seauen daughters of the which one was called Zephora whome he maried to Moses And when that Iethro had hearde of all the mightie déedes which God had done for Moses and howe he had deliuered the children of Israel out of Egipt from the bondage of Pharao and brought them thorow the red Sea he mette Moses in the Wildernesse and brought to him his wife and twoo children which he had sent backe before at whose comming Moses was excéeding glad Then as Iethro abode with Moses and sawe the great paynes he tooke in iudging the people from morning to night he sayde vnto him what is this that thou doest vnto the people Why sittest thou thy selfe alone and all the people stand about thée from morning vnto euen When the people quoth Moses haue any matter they come vnto mée and I iudge betwéene one and an other and declare vnto them the statutes and lawes of god Thou doest not well quoth Iethro for thou both wearyest thy selfe and the people that is with thée The thing is of The counsell of Iethro Moses father in lawe more weyght than thou arte able to performe alone Therefore heare my counsayle God shall prosper thée Be thou for the people to God warde and report the causes to him Admonish them of the ordinances and lawes and shewe them the waye wherein they must walke and the worke that they must doe Moreouer séeke out among the people men of courage and such as feare God true dealing men hating couetousnesse and appoint them to be rulers ouer thousands ouer hundreds ouer fiftie and ouer ten And let them iudge the people at all seasons and euery great matter let them bring it to thée But al small causes let them iudge themselues and so shall it be easier for thée when they shall beare the burthen with thée If thou shalt doe this thing and God so commaund thée thou shalt be able to endure and all the people shall go quietly to their place ¶ Iethro Excellent or remayning or searching foorth or a little corde 2. Reg. 2. cap. Ioab was the sonne of Zerniah Dauids Sister and the chiefe Captayne of all Dauids hoste In the first battell he made against Abner King Saules Captayne he was the victor and put Abner to flight and of malice afterwarde by treason slue him for â—he which déede Dauid 3. d. e. was fore offended that he besought God to auenge it on Ioab and that his house and posteritie might alwaies be plagued with the bloudy flixe leprosie feblenesse of bodie the swoorde or famine for the death of Abner Ioab also was the death of Absalom and slue him as he 18. d. hanged by the haire of his heade vpon the twist of a trée And when it was tolde him of the great lamentacion the King made for Absalom his sonne he went vnto him and saide Thou hast this day shamed the faces of all thy seruaunts 19. a. b. which this day haue saued thy lyfe and the liues of all thy sonnes and daughters the lyues of thy wiues and Concubins in that thou louest thine enimies and hatest thy friendes For thou hast declared this daye that thou regardest neither thy Princes nor seruants Therefore I doe perceyue that if Absalom had lyued and all we had bene slayne this day that then it had pleased thée well Nowe therefore vp and come out and speake comfortably vnto thy seruaunts for I sweare by the Lorde except thou come out there will not tary one man with thée this night and that wil be woorse vnto thée than all 20. cap â–ª the euill that fell on thée from thy youth hitherto Also in persecuting of Seba which had made a new insurrection against Dauid he mette Amasa his Auntes sonne by the way and * Lyra supposeth that Ioab slue Amasa of enuy bicause Dauid had made an othe in the Chapter before that Amasa shuld be his Captaine in Ioabs steade slue him and leauing him dead on the ground he followed Seba and besieged him in a Citie called Abell where the Gouernesse of the Citie being a wise woman cried vnto Ioab demaunding why he went about to destroy that Citie which was a Mother in Israel and to deuour the inheritance of the Lorde before he had offered peace To whome he aunswered saying That he went about no such matter but I come quoth he for Seba the sonne of Bichri deliuer me him and I will be gone and as soone as the heade of Seba was throwen ouer the wall to Ioab he departed Finallye after the death of Dauid who had ordeyned Salomon to reigne in hys steade Ioab tooke part with Adonia Salomons brother which vsurped the kingdome and went about with all his power to stablishe him in Dauids seate But when he hearde Salomon proclaimed
Christ or no. And being asked the question denied playnly that he was not Christ nor Helias neyther that Prophet whome they dreamed so much vppon but onely the voyce of a cryer in the wildernesse to make streight the waye of the Lorde For I doe Baptise sayth Iohn in water onely but there is one nowe come among you who although he came after mée was before mée whose shooe latchet I am not woorthye to vnbuckle and he it is that shall Baptise you with the holye Ghost Iohn was a constant man and liued aunsterely His garment was course cloth made of Camels hair His meate was locustes and wilde hony He was a Prophet and as Christ reporteth more than a Prophet For Iohn prophecied 7. d. c. Christ to be come pointing him with his finger vnto the people saying Beholde the Lambe of God which taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde where as all the other Prophets dyd but prophecie of his comming long before he came Finally Iohn vsing his libertie in Math. 14. a. rebuking vice without any acception of persons reprooued King Herode for kéeping his brother Philips wyfe for the which he was cast into prison and soone after lost his heade Reade the story of Herode the Tetrarch and of Herodias Math. 4. d. Iohn the Euangelist was the sonne of Zebede and brother to Iames and called from his fisher boate to be an Apostle of Christ and was of all other most entierly Iohn 13. c. beloued of Iesus who commended his mother vnto 19. c. 21. f. him at the houre of his death ¶ He wrote his Gospel agaynst Cerinthus and other Heretikes and chieflye agaynst the Ebionites which dyd affirme that Christe was not before Mary whereby he was constrayned to set foorth the diuine birth of Christ In the tyme of the Emperor Domitian he was exiled into an Isle called Pathmos where he wrote the Reuelation and after the death of Domitian in the time of Pertinax he returned to Ephesus remayning there till the time of Traianus and dyd rayse vp set in order many Churches in Asia and died thrée score yeares after the death of Christ and was buried at Ephesus S IOANNIS EVANGELISTA IN PATMOS APOCALYPSIS cap. 18. 14. ET VIDI ET ECCE AGNVS STABAT SVPRA MONTEM SION Act. 12. d. Iohn Marke When Paule and Barnabas had béene at Ierusalem to destribute the Almes sent by the Antiochians in their retourne they brought this man Iohn surnamed Marke with them to Antioche And when the holy Ghost had seperated Paule Barnabas from the other Disciples to the intent that they shoulde go and spreade abroade the Gospel among the Gentiles and those that were farre of they tooke this Iohn Marke with them to be their Minister companion who bare them company from Antioche vntill they came to Pamphilia Act. 13. b. c. and farther woulde he not go but left them there and returned to Ierusalem agayne notwithstanding the Apostles went foorth and fulfilled their office And when it came in their minds to go visite these places agayne wherein they had sowed the worde of God Barnabas gaue counsell to take Iohn with them which had béene their minister before to whose minde Paule woulde not consent forasmuch as Iohn of his owne accorde had forsaken them at Pamphilia before they had finished theyr worke And so reasoning and disputing about this matter the contencion was so sharpe betwéene these two holy men that the one forsooke the others companie And so Barnabas taking Iohn Marke with him sayled into Cypres 2. Reg. 13. a. Ionadab was the sonne of Simeah Dauids brother and a worldly wise man He loued Ammon his vnkle Dauids sonne aboue the reast of all his brethren Of the counsell he gaue to Ammon concerning his Sister Thamar Reade the story of Ammon ¶ Ionadab Voluntarie or Willing Ionas 1. cap. Ionas the sonne of Amithay was an holy Prophet commaunded of God to go to Niniue that great Citie 4. Reg. 14. d. to tel the people of their wickednesse who * The mother of this prophet was the poore wydowe of Sarepta whose Meale and Oyle Elias encreased restored hir sonne from death to life agayue notwithstanding perswaded himselfe by his owne reason that he shoulde nothing profite there séeing he had so long Prophecied among his owne Countrie men the Iewes and done no good at all Wherefore he minding to flye to Tharsus got him to Ioppa where he found a ship ready payed his fare and went with them And being on the sea a tempest rose so vehemently that the Mariners were sore afrayde crying euery man vnto his God and to lighten the shippe they cast all the wares into the Sea which nothing auayled Then went the maister of the ship downe vnder the hatches and finding Ionas fast a sléepe awoke him saying O thou sléeper what meanest thou arise and call vpon thy God that we perishe not And when no remedy coulde be had they agréed to cast lottes that thereby they might knowe for whose cause they were troubled and so dooing the lot fell on Ionas They séeing that sayde Tell vs for whose cause we are thus troubled And what thine occupasion is And what thou art And whence thou commest whither thou goest And what Country man thou art of what nation I am sayde Ionas an Hebrue borne and feare the Lord God of Heauen which made both the Sea and drye land and am fled from his presence And when they heard that they were more afrayde than before sayde what shall we doe vnto thée that the Sea may cease from troubling of vs Take me quoth Ionas and cast me into the Sea and ye shall haue rest for I wote it is for my sake that this euill is come vpon you Neuerthelesse the men being loth to committe such a déede assayed with rowyng to bring the ship to lande And when they sawe the Sea so troublous against them that it woulde not be they cryed vnto the Lorde and sayde O Lord let vs not perishe for this mans death neyther lay thou innocent bloude vnto our charge For thou O Lorde hast done euen as thy pleasure was And so they tooke Ionas and cast him into the Sea which incontinent was calme and still And a certayne great fishe prepared of the Lord receyued Ionas and swallowed him vp into his body where he laye in prayer thrée dayes and thrée nights And being then cast out agayne on drye lande The Lorde commaunded him eftsoones to go to Niniue and doe as he had charged him And when he came to the citie was entered a dayes iourney in the same he cryed out saying There are yet fourtie daies and then shall Niniue be ouerthrowne But when his Prophecie came to none effect by reason of the peoples great repentaunce he was sore displeased and in his prayer sayde O Lorde was not this my saying I praye thée when I was yet in my
Countrey and the cause of my flying to Tharsus that thou wast a mercyfull God full of compassion long suffering and of great goodnesse and wouldest repent thée of the euill And now O Lord forasmuch as I am founde false in my sayings take I beséeche thée my lyfe from mée for I had rather dye than lyue And so Ionas got him out of the Citie and made him a booth on the East side thereof And as he sate vnder the shadow of his booth to sée what shoulde become of the Citie the Lord caused a wylde Vine to spring ouer his heade to giue him more shadowe to defende the heate of the Sunne from him whereof Ionas was very glad But on the next morrowe when he perceyued the Vyne withered awaye and that for lacke of the shadowe thereof he waxed faynt thorow the feruent heate of the Sunne which burned him so sore he wished in himselfe that he might die Then sayde the Lorde to Ionas doest thou well to be angrie for the wylde Vine Yea sayde he very well euen vnto death If thou than quoth the Lord hast had pittie vpon the wylde vine whereon thou bestowedst no labour nor madest it growe which sprang vp in one night and perished in an other Howe much more ought I to haue pittie vppon Niniue that great Citie wherein are sixe score thousande persons that cannot discerne betwéene their right hande and their left beside much cattell And thus was Ionas reprooued of God for his disobedience ¶ Ionas a Doue 1. Reg. 13. a. Ionathas the sonne of King Saule was a valiant man in all his actes who helped his father so mightily agaynst 14. cap. the Philistynes that at the first brunt he bette downe the strongest holde they had And after that the Philistynes being pitched in Michmas into the which passage lay two sharpe rockes He sayde to his Armour bearer come and let vs go ouer toward the Philistynes garrison peraduenture the Lorde will worke with vs for it is no harde thing with him to saue with many or with fewe we will go ouer and shewe our selues to these vncircumcised * Ionathas spake this by the spirite of Prophecie And if they saye on this wyse vnto vs Tarie vntill we come vnto you then will we stande still and not remooue But if they say come vp vnto vs then will we go vp for the Lorde hath surely deliuered them into our hands and this shall be a signe vnto vs So they went without the knowledge of Saul and shewed themselues vnto the Philistynes who when they sawe them sayde in derision sée howe the Ebrues are crept out of the holes wherein they had hydde themselues but the watchmen sayde vnto them come vp vnto vs and we will shewe you a thing Then sayde Ionathas to his Armour bearer come vp after me for the Lorde hath deliuered them into the handes of Israel And so Ionathas clammered vp the rocke vpon his handes and féete and his Armour bearer after him And when the Philistines sawe the face of Ionathas they were so sodeinly smytten with feare that they fell downe before him so that Ionathas and his man slue twentie of them and put all the reast to flight And when the watchmen of Saul saw the Philistynes scattered abrode and smitten downe as they went they tolde it to the King who caused a search to be made to knowe who was gone out of the hoste and not a man was founde lacking saue Ionathas and hys Armour bearer Then Saule with all his hoste folowed after the Philistynes charging the people which had long bene without sustenance on paine of death no man to touch any foode vntill he were that day auenged on his enimies And so the people being sore opprest with hunger and comming into a woode where much Hony laye vpon the grounde durst not for their liues comfort themselues with one droppe thereof Then Ionathas being faint and not knowing the charge of his father tasted a little hony with the ende of his rodde and was greatlye comforted and refreshed therewith And being told what daunger he had incurred for breaking his fathers commaundement he sayde My Father hath troubled the lande in making such an extreme lawe for séeing that I haue receyued my strength agayne by tasting a little of this hony howe much more shoulde the people if they had eaten of the spoile of their enimies which they found haue bene the stronger and more able to haue made a greater slaughter among the Philistynes than they haue done But neuerthelesse for this offence of Ionathas lottes were cast and Ionathas iudged to suffer death wherevpon the people cryed out to Saule saying Shall Ionathas dye which hath so mightily defended Israel God forbid as truely as the Lorde liueth there shall not one heaire of his heade fall vnto the grounde for he hath wrought with God this day And so the people deliuered Ionathas After this Ionathas fell into such loue and amitie with Dauid whome Saule his father persecuted that he made a bonde with him which was neuer dissolued betwéene them And at his first acquaintance with Dauid he put off his robe and gaue it to him with hys other garments euen to his sworde Bowe and Girdle And whatsoeuer from that day forth was sayde done or wrought by Saule his father agaynst Dauid that woulde Ionathas finde the meanes to staye and pacifie whereby many times he saued Dauid from the cruelty of Saule and so continued his faythfull friende during his lyfe Finally in battell with his father against the Philistynes he was slayne ¶ Ionathas the gift of the Pigeon or Doue 1. Mac. 2. 2. Ionathas the yoongest sonne of Mathathias and brother to Iudas Machabeus did so valiauntly behaue 9. c. himselfe in the warres that the Iewes after the death of Iudas his brother made him their chiefe gouernour who at length vanquished Bachides Whereby his 10. cap. same so encreased that both Demetrius and Alexander sought to be in league with him But forsomuch as Demetrius had vexed Israel before Ionathas mistrusting Demetrius forsooke his offer and agréed to Alexander who had alwayes bene his friende and so continued as his storie declareth After this he vanquished Appolonius Captayne of Demetrius hoste brent the Citie of Azotus with the Temple of Dagon subdued Ascalon and with great victorie returned to Ierusalem where for his worthye prowesse he receyued a coller of golde from Alexander Finallye after long prosperitie in 12. f. g. 13. c. warres he was betrayed by one Triphon in the Citie of Ptolomais and afterwarde most piteously put to death ¶ Of Ionathas sonne of Abiathar the Priest looke in the storie of Ahimaaz the sonne of Sadoch 2. Reg. 21. d. Ionathas the sonne of Simea Dauids brother encountred with a mightie Gyant who had on euery hande sixe fingers and on euery foote so many toes and slue him 4. Reg. 3. cap. Ioram the sonne of Achab
began his raigne ouer Israel after his brother Ahazia in the eyghtene * In the first Chapter of the fourth booke of Kings it is sayd that this man began his reygne in the seconde yeare of Ioram the sonne of Iosaphat whiche is thus to bee vnderstande Iosaphat going to battell agaynst the Sirians made his son Ioram King in the .xvii. yeare of his reygne and in the .xviii. yere which was the seconde yeare of hys sonne thys man began his reygne yeare of Iosaphat King of Iuda and wrought euill in the sight of the Lorde but not like vnto his father for he tooke away the Image of Baal which his father had made neuerthelesse he sacrificed to the golden Calues still which Ieroboam had made The King of Moab was woont yerely to render to the King of Israel an hundred thousand lambs and so many Rammes with the wooll bycause he now refused to pay this tribute to Ioram he warred agaynst him hauing to take his parte Iosaphat the King of Iuda and the King of Edom by whose helpe and chiefelye Eliseus reade the place in his storie he ouercame the Moabites Also the Sirians coulde lye no where but Ioram had knowledge by Eliseus who tolde him of all their secrete lurking places by which meanes Ioram euer saued him selfe Wherefore the King of Siria sent and bèsieged the towne rounde about where the Prophet Eliseus laye And as his seruaunt was going foorth in the morning about his maisters businesse and saw the towne so compassed with enimiâ—s he ranne ‡ 6. cap. in agayne crying Alas maister what shall we doe for the Sirians are come vpon vs Feare not quoth Eliseus for they that be with vs are me than they that be with them And by and by the eyes of his seruaunt were so opened that he saw the mounteynes lye full of horses and fyrie Charrettes to defende his maister And now when the SiriaÌ„s were come to Eliseus and thought themselues most surest of hym they were at his prayer smitten with such blindnesse that they coulde not knowe the Prophete when he spake vnto them saying that that was not the towne where the man laye which they sought but followe mée quoth he and I will bring you to the place where he is and so hée ledde them foorth and brought them into the Citie of Samaria where Ioram laye who séeing now his enimies to be in his daunger sayde to Eliseus Father shall I smite them No sayde he Smite those which thou takest with thine owne swoorde and bowe but rather set bread and water before them that they maye eate and drinke and so departe to their maister Then the King prepared a great refection for the Sirians and filled their bellyes well and sent them home againe for the which gentle intreatie of Ioram the King of Siria neuer troubled hym more After this when Benhadad King of Siria had besieged Samaria so long till women were constrayned to rate their owne children Ioram tooke such displeasure with Eliseus laying the cause vpon him that in his furye he sent to take away his heade Which thing being reuealed to the Prophet he sayde to his friends that were with him in his house Sée yée not how these murtherers sonne hath sent to take awaye my heade Take héede and be circumspect when the Messenger commeth and kéepe him at the dore for the sounde of his Maisters féete is behinde him which was euen so for the Kinges minde altered he followed the Messenger and came to the Prophet himselfe saying This euill is of the Lorde and what more shall I looke for of hym No more sayde the 4. Reg. 7. a. Prophet For to morow this tyme shall a bushell of fine flower be solde for a sicle and twoo bushels of Barley for another sicle in the gate of Samaria which came so to passe the next daye for the great hoste of the Sirians at the sounde of the féete of foure lepers were runne away and had left all their tentes behinde them Finally to fulfill 9. c. f. the worde of the Lorde concerning the destruction of Achabs posteritie Ioram was slayne with an arrowe â—hot of by Iehu and his bodie cast into a platte of ground that was Nabothes the Iesraelite after he had reygned twelue yeares 4. Reg. 8. d. Ioram the sonne of Iosaphat was twoo an thirtie 2. Par. 21. cap. yeare olde when he began to reygne ouer Iuda He maryed King Achabs daughter whose wicked steppes he followed He slue all his owne brethren with diuers of his nobles The Edomites which had béene subiect from Dauids tyme hitherto rebelled nowe agaynst Ioram Also Libna which was a certayne Citie in Iuda giuen to the Leuites Iosua â–ª 21. b. woulde no more be vnder his hande bycause he had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers The Prophetes letter Finally the Prophet Eliseus to admonishe him of his wickednesse wrote to Ioram on this wise The Lorde sayth bycause thou hast not walked in the wayes of Iosaphat thy father nor in the wayes of Asa thy Graundfather but in the wayes of the Kinges of Israel and hast made Iuda to go a whoring after the house of Achab and hast also slayne thy brethren euen thy fathers house who were better men than thy selfe Therefore with a great plague will the Lorde smite thy folke thy children thy wyues and all thy goodes And thou shalt be diseased in thy bowels which day by daye shall fall out of thy bodie And so the Lord styrred vp agaynst Ioram the Philistines the Arabians with the blacke Moores which wasted his Countrey and caryed awaye his substaunce his wyues and al his sonnes saue Ahaziahu the yoongest and smote him with an incurable disease in his bowels which helde hâ—m two yeares till all his gutts fell out and so died after he had reygned eyght yeares ¶ Ioram the bighnesse of the Lorde Filius accrescens aspectu pulcher Ioseph Faemineo e turri conuitio petâ—â—â—â— Inuideam mihi cotraxit mea uita pudica Quodque manus leuibê° sit mihi proÌ„â—â—â— Gen. 30. d. 37. cap. Ioseph the sonne of Iacob and Rachel was in hys youth of his father aboue all other beloued in so much that he made him a coate of many colours But his brethren hated him bicause his dreames signified vnto them that he should be Lorde ouer them all and they his seruantes And being at the age of .xvij. yeares he was sent to them with victualles where they laye with their shéepe at Dothan who seeing him come a farre of began to deryde and mocke him saying Beholde where the Dreamer commeth and counsayled togithers to kyll him but Ruben the eldest brother woulde not consent to that Wherfore at his comming they stripped him out of his coate and cast him into an emptie pit And as certaine Ismaelites passed by they solde Ioseph to them for twentie pence of siluer and tooke his Coate and dipt it in Goates bloude and had
it home to their father bearing him in hande they had founde it by the waye Then Iacob séeing his sonnes coate cryed out and rent his garments for sorrowe thinking surely that wylde beastes had deuoured and torne Ioseph in péeces But he being safe and sound caried into Egipt was there solde againe 39. cap. to a certayne great Lorde of King Pharaos Court named Putiphar and became so lucky a man with him by Gods prouidence that his Mayster made him chiefe ruler ouer all his house And so continued in great fauour with his Lorde vntill his Maisters wyfe began to cast hir loue vpon him and woulde haue had him to lye with hir Then Ioseph to dysswade hys Mystresse from hir inordinate loue sayde Beholde my Mayster knoweth not what he hath in the house wyth mée but hath committed all thynges hée hath into my handes There is no man greater in this house than I neyther hath he kept anye thing from mée saue onely thée bycause thou art his wife How then can I doe this great wickednesse and so sinne against God And thus he put hir of and shunned hir companie from that day foorth asmuch as he coulde possible doe But one daye as Ioseph entered into the house to doe hys businesse and finding his Mystresse there by chaunce alone she caught him by the cloake to haue him sléepe with hir which he denyed and woulde not consent to hir minde and when he sawe hir so importune vpon him that he could not honestly part from hir he wounde himselfe out of his garment and so departed Then she called to hir men declaring to them that Ioseph woulde haue rauished hir and when I began to crie quoth she he left his garment behinde him for haste and ranne awaye which tale being tolde to Putiphar at his comming home Ioseph was cast in prison where by Gods prouision he founde such fauour with the kéeper that he committed all thinges vnder his hande to doe whatsoeuer he woulde Now in this prison where Ioseph Gen. 40. cap. was laye twoo of King Pharaos officers The one his chiefe Baker and the other his Butler Which two men chaunced to dreame both in one night and telling their dreames to Ioseph he tolde the Butlar that within thâ—ée dayes he shoulde be restored to his office againe but the Baker should be hanged Wherefore he desired the Butler to thinke vpon him to the King when he was restored who notwithstanding forgot Ioseph neuer remembred 41. cap. him till twoo yeares after that Pharao the King chaunced to haue certayne dreames which none could be found to tel him the meaning therof and then the Butler calling Ioseph to remembrance tolde the King al things of him who being sent for and come to the King he opened the dreames declaring to Pharao the seuen plentifull yeres that were to come and the seuen barren hard yeares which shoulde ensue and consume the aboundance of the yeares procéeding Then the King perceyuing Ioseph to be a man endued with wisedome and knowledge made him Regent of his Realme and called him the Sauiour of the worlde for by his polityke prouision Egipt was relieued in the harde and deare yeares and the King greatly enriched At this time was Ioseph about the age of thirtie yeares and tooke to wyfe Asnath the daughter of Putiphar Priest of On and had by hir twoo sonnes Manasses and Ephraim Nowe when the time of dearth was come all landes being sore oppressed with famine sent into Egipt for Corne among the which Iacob sent ten of his sonnes who at their comming before Ioseph 42. cap â–ª their brother and gouernour of Egipt fell downe flat before him Then Ioseph beholding his brethren whome he knew very wel but they not him demaunded straunglye from whencé they came They sayde from the lande of Canaan Then Ioseph remembring his dreames spake roughly to them sayde they were spyes Nay my Lord quoth they we are all one mans sonnes and meane truely Nay nay quoth he your comming is for none other purpose but to spie out the lande where it is moste weakest Truely my Lord quoth they we are no Spies we are twelue brethren the sonnes of one man and the yoongest this daye remayneth with our Father and one no man woteth where he is Then I will prooue you quoth he whither yée meane truely or no let one of you go fetch your yoongest brother hither for by the lyfe of Pharao yée shall not depart till I sée him and so kept them in warde thrée dayes And then considering with himselfe he agréed they shoulde all go home agayne with foode to their Father saue one which shoulde remayne bounde for the reast tyll they had brought their other brother And at their going awaye commaunded euerye mans sacke to be filled with Corne euery mans money to be put into the sackâ—s mouth and so departed leauing Simeon behinde them in pledge for them all Now being Gen. 43. returned againe with Beniamin their yoongest brother they were all had into Iosephs house and most gently entertayned And when Ioseph came in and saw all his brethren he demaunded saying Is your Father the olde man of whome yée tolde mée in good health and yet aliue Yea quoth they thy seruaunt is in good health and mery And is this your yongest brother of whom yée tolde mée God be mercifull vnto thée my sonne quoth he and with that his heart began so to melt that he hasted into his Chamber and wept And comming foorth againe with a cherefull countenaunce he went to dinner with his brethren commaunding ech one to be set downe in order according to their ages whereat his brethren within themselues marueyled And during the time of refection he rewarded euery one from his messe but most of all Beniamin And when he had thus feasted his brethren so long 44. cap. as pleased him the night before their departing he commaunded their sackes to be filled with Corne and euerye mans money put into his sackes mouth as before and his siluer cup into Beniamins sacke And in the morning as they were departed a little out of the Citie a messenger ouertooke them saying Wherefore haue ye rewarded euill for good Is not that the cuppe in the which my Lorde drincketh and in the which he doth Prophecie Yée haue done euill in so dooing The men hearing this were marueylously astonyed denying vtterlye that they neuer thought no such déede against their Lord but when their sackes were searched and the Cup founde Then they rent their clothes and yéelded themselues and returned with the Messenger to the gouernours house agayne and comming before him he looked angerlye on them saying What an vnkinde déede is this yée haue done Knowe yée not that such a man as I can diuine and Prophecie And nowe when the men had made the best excuse they coulde make Ioseph could no longer refrayne Gen. 45. but with wéeping teares sayde to
his brethren I am Ioseph doth my father yet lyue With that they were so astonyed with his presence that they coulde not aunswere hym one woorde I am Ioseph your brother quoth he whome yée solde into Egipt nowe therefore be not grieued with your selues that yée solde mée hither for God dyd sende mée before you for your preseruation for this is the seconde yeare of dearth and fiue more are behinde wherefore God sent me before you to make prouision for you in this lande and to saue your lyues by a great deliueraunce So nowe it was not you that sent me hither but God who hath made mée a Father vnto Pharao and Lorde of all his house and ruler thorowout all the land of Egipt Therefore now go and tell my father and bid him come with all his houshold to mée and I will make prouision for him Thus when Ioseph had receyued 46. his Father into Egipt and gouerned the lande foure 50. d. score yeares hée dyed at the age of an hundred and ten yeares and was buried in Epigt whose bones were afterwarde translated into the lande of promission as Ioseph had bounde them to doe in his death bed ¶ Ioseph Increasing Math. 1. ◠Ioseph the sonne of Iacob the sonne of Matthan a poore honest man and a Carpenter by his occupasion was spoused to the Virgin Mary the Mother of Christ and dwelled in Nazareth a little Citie in Galile came of the same Tribe and kinred that Mary came of that is to say of the Tribe of Iuda and of the progenie stocke of Dauid of whose séede it was promised that Christe shoulde be borne He had foure sonnes Iames Ioses Symon 13. g. and Iudas which the Iewes of ignoraunce called the brethren of Christ Math. 27. g. Ioseph a man of honour and of great power and substaunce borne in the Citie of Aramathia which was a Disciple of Iesus but not openly knowne bicause of the Iewes which had made a lawe that whosoeuer dyd openly confesse him to be Iesus Disciple the same person shoulde be cast out of the Synagoge This Ioseph came to Pylate and desired licence of him to take downe the body of Iesus from the Crosse and to burie it and hauing obtayned his peticion he bought a fine péece of linnen cloth and therin wrapped the body and layed it in a new Sepulchre hewed out of the rocke and rolled a great stone before the dore of the Sepulchre so went his way 1. Mac. ◠b. f. g Iosephus the sonne of Zachary and one Asarias were twoo Captaynes vnder Iudas Machabeus which twoo Iudas left in Iewry to kéepe and gouerne the remnant of the hoste left there whyle he and Ionathas with Symon their brother went into the parties of Galile and Galaad to deliuer their brethren which were then besieged of their enimies giuing them a great charge not to warre with the heathen but to lye still till he and his brethren were returned home againe But neuerthelesse when Iosephus and Asarias had hearde of all the great actes done by Iudas and his brethren they sayde one to an other Let vs go out and fight agaynst the heathen that lye rounde about vs that we may get vs a name also And being agréede they went out and pitched theyr hoste before the Citie of Iamnya who had not lyen there long or that Gorgias issued out of the citie with his men and stroke battell with Iosephus and slue of the Iewes two thousand and chased Iosephus and all the rest of his companie to the borders of Iewrie And thus Iosephus and Asarias neglecting the commaundement of Iudas their Lorde and gouernour purchased in the steade of honour and fame great dishonour and shame Act. 4. g. Ioses a certayne Leuyte borne in the Countrey of Cypres solde his lande there and brought the whole price therof and layed it downe at the Apostles féete of whome he was surnamed Barnabas ¶ Ioses going out or thrust out 4. Reg. 22. ca Iosias the sonne of Amon being at the age of eyght yeares when he began his raygne ouer Iuda was a vertuous 2. Par. 34. ca. and iust Prince for he sought the Lord God of his father Dauid euen from his Childehoode to the ende of his lyfe He caused the booke of the lawe of Moses which had béene long lost founde againe by Helkia the Priest to be had in great reuerence and diligently read vnto the people He clensed his land from all witchcrafts and sorcerie and from Idols Images and Groues He brake downe the hill altars and brent the bones of the Priests of Baal and left no wicked thing vndestroyed nor monument standing in the Cities of Manasses Ephraim or other places of his Realme where any abhominacion had béene committed He kept a passeouer in the eyghtene yeare of his raigne the like neuer séene and repayred the Temple Finally he made warre vpon the King of Egipt in the which he was wounded with a Darte at a place called Magiddo whereof he dyed Whose death was much lamented for like vnto hym was neuer none before nor after Iehoahas his sonne succéeded him ¶ Iosias the Lordes Fire or the Lorde burning 4. Reg. 15. g. Iotham the sonne of Azaria or Vzia at the age of xxv yeares began his reigne ouer Iuda in the seconde 2. Par. 27. ca. yeare of Pekah King of Israel and did that which was right in the sight of the Lorde in all pointes as did hys father Azaria saue that * Hee went not into the Temple of the Lorde to burne incense as his father did contrary to the worde of god which is spoken to the commendation of Iotham he came not into the temple of the Lorde neyther caused the hyll aultars to be taken away by which occasion the people ceased not to doe wickedly He builded the sumpteous gate of the Temple and many Cities Castles and Towers in the Mountaynes of Iuda and other places He subdued the Ammonites who payed him thrée yeares togither an hundred talents of siluer ten thousand quarters of Wheate and so much of Barley He reigned .xvj. yeares and was buried in the Citie of Dauid leauing Ahas his son to enioy his place ¶ Iotham Persite Num. 27. c. d. Iosua the sonne of Nun was first called Osea which name Moses chaunged and called him Iosua who was Moses minister and ordeyned of God to rule and Exod. 17. c. d. gouerne the people after him He discomfited King Amalech while Moses helde vp his handes and prayed He was one of those Explorators which were sent by Moses Num. 13 cap. 14. a. b. to searche the lande of Canaan and to bring the people worde againe what maner of countrey it was at whose returne the people were ready to stone both him and Caleb for well reporting of that lande wherefore the Lord being angrye with the people sware that none of
foorth to pray And as Holofernes laye stretched along vpon his bed ouercome with Wyne Iudith stoode by his beddes syde and prayed on this wise O Lorde God of all power strengthen me and haue respect vnto the workes of my handes in this houre that thou mayst set vp thy citie of Ierusalem like as thou hast promised O graunt that by thée I may performe the thing which I haue deuised and so tooke downe his swoorde and holding him fast by the heaire of his head sayde Strengthen mée O Lorde God of Israel in this houre and with that smote off his head and rolled the deade bodye asyde and got hir foorth to hir mayde and put the headde in hir Wallet went foorth togithers as though they had gone as their custome was to praye And so passing by the hoste and comming nyghe to the Citie of Bethulia she called to the watchmen to open the gate for God is with vs quoth she and hath shewed his power in Israel And when the gates were set open the people receyued hir yoong and olde with such ioye as neuer the lyke was séene Then sayde Iudith Oh prayse yée the Lorde and giue thankes vnto our God which hath not taken away his mercy from the house of Israel but hath destroyed our enimies this night by my hande And beholde here his head whome the Lorde hath slayne by mée his minister and returned his handmayde without any reproche of vylanie wherefore giue praise and thanks to our God ▪ whose mercye endureth for euer Nowe take the head and hange it vpon the hyest place of your walles and in the morning when the Sunne appeareth go foorth with your weapons like valiaunt men and make as though yée woulde set vpon your enimies who will then prepare them to Armour But when they shall go to rayse vp their Captayne and finde hym without a heade there will such a fearefulnesse fall vpon them that euery man will séeke to saue himselfe by flying then doe yée followe them without all care for God hath deliuered them into your handes And so the Israelites followed the Assirians which kept no order and siue them downe right And when they had slayne all their enimies and gathered vp the spoyle they gaue the Tent of Holofernes and all that belonged to hym vnto Iudith by whome God had so mightyly wrought their deliueraunce had hir in great honour all the dayes of hir lyfe who at the age of an hundred and fiue yeares dyed and was most honorably buryed in Bethulia beside hir husbande ¶ Iudith he that prayseth or confesseth Gen. 26. g. ¶ Iudith the daughter of Bery an Hethite was wyfe to Esau the sonne of Isaac Act. 1. 7. a. Iulius was an vnder Captaine of the bande of Augustus to whome Paule with other prisoners were committed to be caryed to Rome and of him gentlye intreated ¶ Iulius Downe or downie and full of fine beares K. KEdorlaomor was King of Elam Who with thrée Kings mo that tooke his part fought with the King of Sodome and the King of Gomorra and other thrée on their parties which fiue kings had ben .xij. yeres in subiection vnder him in the valley of Siddim put them to flight and spoiled the cities of Sodome and Gomorra where they founde Lot Abrahams brothers sonne and caried him away with all the goodes of Sodome and Gomorra which goodes with Lot also were recouered againe by Abraham Ketura was Abrahams wyfe who bare vnto hym sixe sonnes L. LAban the sonne of Bethuel called also Nahor Abrahams brother had two daughters the one named Lea and the other Rachel which two he marryed to Iacob his sisters Sonne as in the storie of Iacob is at large set forth Lamech the sonne of Mathuselah came of the generation of Cain and was the first man that tooke him two Wyues whereby the lawfull institution of mariage which is that twoo shoulde be one fleshe was first in him corrupted His twoo wyues were called Ada Zilla By Ada he had twoo sonnes Iubal and Tubal By Zilla one sonne called Tubalcain and a daughter called Noema He siue Cain but not willingly and tolde his wiues saying I haue slaine a man vnto the wounding of my selfe and a yoong man vnto mine owne punishment If Cain shall be auenged seauen folde truely Lamech seauentie times seauen folde When Lamech had liued 182. yeres he begotte a sonne and called his name Noe of whome he prophecied saying This shall comfort vs from the workes and labours of our handes in the earth which the Lord hath cursed He liued 777. yeres and dyed Lazarus was a certaine man dwelling in the towne of Bethania which towne pertayned to him and his sisters called Martha and Marie Magdalene And being sicke on a time his sister Marie sent vnto Iesus saying Oh Lorde beholde he whome thou loouest is sicke At whose request Iesus when he sawe his time tooke his iourney into Iewrie to visite his friende Lazarus who was deade and buried foure dayes before his comming Then Iesus who was not ignorant of that which was done went to his graue wherein they had layde him and sayde Lazarus come forth And forthwithall he came out of his graue bounde hande and foote with his graue clothes vpon him and a napkin bounde about his face who being vntyed came forth of his clothes as whole and as lustie as euer he was in all his lyfe For the which myracle the Iewes sought not onely how they might put Iesus to death but Lazarus also vppon whome the myracle was done bicause that for his sake manye of the Iewes went awaye and beléeued on Iesus After this about a sixe dayes before the feast of Easter came Iesus to Bethania againe where they had prepared him a supper at the which Martha serued him but Lazarus sate at the Table with him as other did Lazarus the poore begger which laye at the great mans gate full of botches and sores euen ready to die for hunger coulde not be relieued with so much as one crum of the scrappes which fell from the rich mannes boorde when he made his earnest peticion for them where as the dogs were fed with great lumpes cantels of good bread yea he found more fauour and gentlenesse with the dogs than with the rich man For where as the rich glutton would refresh the poore begger with nothing of all his delicious and sumptuous fare yet the hungry dogges came and licked his sores But when it chaunced this begger to die he was caried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome And contrarywise the rich man then dying also being sumptuouslye buried was caryed into hell where in his torments he lifted vp his eies saw Abraham a farre of Lazarus in his bosome vnto whom he cryed saying O father Abraham haue mercy vpon me and send Lazarus hither that he may but dip the top
of his finger in water to coole my tongue for I am sore tormeÌ„ted in this flame Naye sayde Abraham forasmuch as in thy life time thou receiuedst thy pleasure and had no pitie on the poore now art thou punished And contrarywise Lazarus which receyued paine and tooke it paciently is nowe comforted Lea was the eldest daughter of Laban the sonne of Nahor Abrahams brother somewhat squint eyed She preuented hir sister Rachel in marriage being brought to Iacobs bedde in hir sisters steade and so became Iacobs first wyfe bare vnto him one after an other these foure sonnes Ruben Simeon Leuie Iuda and so ceased till it chaunced Ruben hir eldest sonne in the tyme of wheate haruest to go out into the fields finde Mandrakes and brought them home to his mother Then Rachel hearing thereof went to Lea hir sister desiring to haue hir sonnes Mandrakes who sayde to Rachel is it not ynough that thou hast taken awaye my husbande but wouldest take away my sonnes Mandrakes also Well quoth Rachel let hym sléepe with thée this night for thy sonnes Mandrakes And so Iacob comming out of the fielde at euen Lea met him and sayde Come in vnto me for I haue bought thée with my sonnes Mandrakes and that nyght she conceyued with Iacob and brought him forth the fift sonne and called his name Isachar After that she conceyued againe and brought him forth the sixt sonne and called his name Zabulon Last of all shée conceiued and brought hym foorth a daughter and called hyr name Dyna Leuy the thirde sonne of Iacob and Lea with his brother Simeon slue Hemor and Sichem his sonne for rauishing of their sister Dyna And therefore were they called of Iacob their father Cruell Instruments Leuy had thrée sonnes Gerson Caath and Merari The tribe of Leuy the Lorde chose vnto hymselfe and appoynted them to serue in the Tabernacle of witnesse with Aaron to beare the Arke of the appoyntment of the Lord to minister and blesse in his name and had no inheritance among their brethren but the Lorde who was their inheritance He lyued 137. yeres Luke 5. f. Leuy otherwise called Mathewe the sonne of Alpheus was a Toll gatherer or a receyuer of Custome who at the voyce of Iesus when he sayde folow me left Mar. 2. c. his office and all thinges behinde him and followed the Math. 9. 2. Lorde And became of a sinfull Publican a true Disciple of Christ He inuited Iesus to his house and made him a great Feast at the which were many Publicanes beside other of his acquaintaunce which sate at meate with Christ and his Disciples wherewith the Phariseys were much offended .3 Sichemitarum regem cum freÌ„ necaui Disiecique urbis moenia celsa ferox Propterea Leui poenas fert nil propriuÌ„que Possidet in certo nec manet ipse loco Hac f. Act. 16. 6. Lidia was a certaine woman and a seller of Purple in the Citie of Thiatria and a worshipper of God whose heart the Lorde so opened at the preaching of Paule that she with all hir housholde were conuerted and baptised saying then to Paule and the other Disciples if ye haue iudged me to be faythfull to the Lorde come into my house and abide there and so she constrayned them who founde so much faythfulnesse then in the woman that afterwarde being cast in prison and deliuered againe they returned into hir house to comfort the brethren which resorted thither ¶ Lydia Natiuitie or generation 1. Mac. 3. c. Lysias being a great man with Antiochus and of his bloude was such an enimie vnto the Iewes that the King made him Captayne of his host who with fourtye thousande footemen and seauen thousande horsemen went to fight agaynst Iudas Machabeus But Iudas ouercame hym and slue thrée thousand of his men Then Lysias being sore grieued at Israels prosperitie came 4. c. d. at an other tyme with thréescore thousand footemen and fiue thousand horsemen at which time Iudas ouercame hym agayne and slue fiue thousand of his men Finally as he laye with Antiochus the King at the Citie of Antioche 7. 2. Demetrius came vpon them and slue them both ¶ Lysias Dissoluing Act. 22. d. Lysias was an hye Captayne vnder the Emperour and hauing Paule committed vnto hym as prysoner was afrayde to punishe hym bycause hée was a Romayne And therefore to knowe the certayntie wherefore the Iewes had accused hym he brought hym foorth 23. cap. before the Counsell where in the ende fell such discention and debate among them that Lysias fearing least Paule shoulde haue bene pulde a sunder of the Iewes tooke him and had him into the Castle And hauing knowledge how the Iewes had conspired Pauls death he sent him awaye secretly by night to Felix being at that time the Emperours Lieutenaunt to whome he wrote on this wise Claudius Lysias vnto the most mighty ruler Felix sendeth gréetings As this man was taken of the Iewes and shoulde haue bene killed of them I came vppon them with Souldiours and rescued him perceyuing he was a Romayne And when I woulde haue knowne the cause wherefore they accused him I brought him foorth in their counsell There I perceyued that he was accused of questions of their lawe and had no cryme woorthy of death or of bondes and when it was shewed mée how that the Iewes layed wayte for the man I sent hym straight waye vnto thée commaunded his accusers if they had ought against him to tell it vnto thée Farewell Maâ—c 4. c. 2 f. g. Lysimachus was made the hye Priest of the Iews in the rowme of Menelaus his brother by whose Counsell he robbed the Temple did much mischiefe whose wickednesse was so manifest vnto the people that they rose vppe agaynst him and made a great vprore in the Citie Wherevpon Lysimachus perceyuing where about they went got vnto him thrée thousande vnthriftes well armed for his defence Agaynst whome the multitude fought so furiously with clubbe and battes and with hurling of stones and such weapons as they coulde get that they wounded many slue some and chased the reast awaye and at the last kylled the wicked Churche robber himselfe beside the Tresurye ¶ Lysimachus dissoluing Battell Ose 1. d. Loammy was the seconde Sonne of Gomer the daughter of Deblaim And when she brought hym foorth the Lorde sayde Call his name Loammy For why yée are not my people therefore wyll not I be your God. ¶ Loammy not my People 2. Tim. 1. 2. Loys was a faythfull godly woman and Graundmother to Tymothy who alwayes brought vp hir Children and famylie in the feare of God and knowledge of Christes Doctrine ¶ Loys Better Ose 1. â— Lornhama was the daughter of Gomer the daughter of Deblaim And when she brought hym foorth the Lorde sayde Call his name Lornhama for I will haue no pittie vppon the house
dead yet shall he lyue and whosoeuer lyueth and beléeueth in mée shall not dye Beléeuest thou this Yea Lord quoth Martha I beléeue that thou art Christ the sonne of God which shoulde come into the worlde After this when Iesus came to the place where Lazarus was buryed and had commaūded the stone of his graue to be taken away Martha sayde Lorde by this tyme he stincketh for he hath béene dead foure dayes Sayde not I vnto thée quoth Iesus that if thou diddest beléeue thou shouldest sée the glory of god And so she saw hir brother Lazarus restored from death to lyfe to the glory of God and hir great comfort Mathathias the sonne of Simeon the Priest which was of the stocke kynred of Ioaris had fiue valyaunt men to his sonnes dwelt in Modyn remayning steadfast in the lawes of God notwithstanding the great calamities that were come vpon the people of Iuda and Ierusalem for the which Mathathias made pytteous Lamentacion crying vpon God to strengthen him and his sonnes agaynst the heathen that had so wasted the people and defyled his sanctuary And whyle he his sonnes were thus mourning in Sackcloth for the destruction of the holy Citie Antiochus the King sent certayne Commissioners to the Citie of Modyn to compell such Iewes as were thither fled to forsake their owne lawes and to serue the Idols of the heathen Who after they had turned the heart of many spake to Mathathias on this wise Thou arte sayde they a noble man of hye reputacion and great in this Citie and hast many Children and brethren Come thou first of all and fulfill the Kinges commaundement lyke as the heathen haue done and the men of Iuda with such as remayne at Ierusalem and so shalt thou and thy sonnes be in fauour with the King and greatly enriched Nay said Mathathias Though all Nations vnder the Kinges Dominion fall away euerye man from the law of their fathers yet will I my sonnes my brethren walke in the lawes of our Fathers God forbid we shoulde forsake the lawes and ordinaunces of God we will not for no mannes pleasure transgresse our religion or breake the Statutes of our Lawe And as he had spoken these woordes a certayne Iewe came foorth and openlye in the sight of all men dyd sacrifice vnto the Idols vpon the Aultar in the citie of Modyn according to the Kings commaundement which thing so grieued Mathathias that for very zeale he had to the lawes of God he start him vp and ranne vpon the Iewe and kylled both him the Commissioner that compelled him so to doe ranne his way crying thorowe the Citie and saying to the people whosoeuer is seruent in the law and will kéepe and stande by the couenaunt let hym followe mée So he and his sonnes fled into the mountayns and many other godly men with their wyues and children and all that they had got them into the Wildernesse And being there the heathen went agaynst them on the Sabaoth daye and slue man woman and Childe for on that day the Iewes would make no resistance but woulde dye in their innocencie Then Mathathias hearing of this was verie sorye and counsayling with his friends sayde If we doe as our brethren hath done and not to fight for our lyues our lawes the heathen will soone roote vs all out of the earth wherevpon they concluded that whosoeuer dyd bid them battell on the Sabaoth daye that they woulde rather manfully fight for their lawes than to dye as their brethren had done before Vpon the which conclusion came the whole Synagoge of the Iewes with all such as were fled for persecution to Mathathias And being gathered togithers they were so great an hoste that they feared not their enimies but fell vpon them and slue a great number And by their force and strength they went about the coastes of Israel and destroyed the Aultars circumcised their children and kept their lawes in spite of all their beards Finally when the tyme of his death drewe nyghe he called all his sonnes before him exhorting them to preferre the lawes and wealth of their Countrey before their owne lyues and ordayned Symon his eldest sonne to be as it were theyr Father and Iudas Machabeus to be their Captayne and so giuing them his blessing he dyed and was burned in his Fathers Sepulchre in the Citie of Modyn Mathathias the sonne of Symon was killed with his Father at a Banket which Ptolomy his brother in lawe had prepared for them in a Castle of hys called Doche. Mathathias the sonne of Absalemus stacke by Ionathas when all his men forsooke him and fled the fielde sane Iudas the sonne of Calphi S. MATTHAEVS EVANGELISTA Cap. ◠VBI EST QVI NATVS EST REX IVDAEORVM VIDIMVS ENIM STELLAMEIVS IN ORIENTE ET VENIMVS ADORAE◠Mathias was a saithful Disciple of Christ and one that had his conuersacion alwayes among the Apostles ruen from the beginning of Christs preaching to the last ende And now for as much as Iudas the Traytour was fallen from Christ he with an other godly man called Ioseph or Barsabas was appointed to stande in election which of them twoo shoulde succéede in the place of Iudas ▪ And when the Apostles had made their prayers to God and giuen fóorth their lottes the lotte fell on Mathias and so he was counted with the eleuen Apostles Mathusalah was the sonne of Henoch and lyued and hundred eyghtie and seauen yeares and begot Lamech And after that he lyued seauen hundred an eyghtie twoo yeares and ▪ begot sonnes and daughters and when he had lyued in all nyne hundred and thrée score an nyne yeares he died Melchisedech is called King of Salem and the hye Priest of the most high god When Abraham had rescued Lot his nephew out of the handes of the Assirians and was returned from the slaughter of the Kings Melchisedech met him with breade and wyne to refreshe Abraham and his souldiours and blessed him saying Blessed be Abraham vnto the hye God possessor of heauen and earth and blessed be the high God which hath deliuered thine enimies vnto thy hande And Abraham gaue him tythes of all things The Scripture reporteth Melchisedech to be without father without mother without kynne and hath neyther beginning of his dayes neither yet ende of his lyfe but is lykened vnto the sonne of God and continueth a Priest for euer Menelaus was brother to Simon and Lysimachus twoo as vngracious as himselfe This ambicious man by deceyte got the hye Priestes office from Iason on this wyse When that good and godlye man Onias had the superioritie Iason his brother found the meanes to corrupt Antiochus the King with money and so gotte the office ▪ out of his brothers handes And when the time came that Iason shoulde pay the money to Antiochus he sent it by the hande of Menelaus in whome he had great confidence
vpon hym to raygne in his steade Nahas was King of the Ammonites And as hys predecessours afore tyme had made a claime to the lande of Israel so he now purposing the same went and besieged the Citie of Iabes in Gilead And when the men of Iabes perceyued themselues in great daunger of theyr lyues they desired the King to make a couenaunt with them and they woulde be his seruaunts Then sayde Nahas If yée will suffer mée to thrust out all your right eyes to bring Israel to shame I shal be content to make peace with you Then sayde they Giue vs respite seuen dayes and if none doe come to helpe vs in that space we will come out vnto thée Then Nahas thinking that none burst come to ayde them agaynst him graunted their request Vpon the which they sent messengers into all the coastes of Israel which newes was so heauy tydinges to them that they fell a wéeping And as they were mourning and lamenting their case it chaunced Saule by the prouidence of God to come out of the fielde following the Cattell And beholding the people what a doe they made he demaunded wherefore they mourned And when they had tolde hym the tydinges of the men of Iabes his heart was so mooued by the spirit of God that he tooke out twoo of his Oxen and hewed them in péeces and sent them thorowe all the coasts of Israel saying whosoeuer commeth not foorth after Saule and Samuel so shall his Oxen be serued And the people were stricken in such a feare that they came out to Saule as they had béene but one man to the number of thrée hundred thousande of Israel beside thirtie thousand of the men of Iuda And then Saule sent woorde by the messengers to the men of Iabes that the next morrowe they shoulde haue helpe They being glad of that sent woorde vnto Nahas saying To morow we will come foorth vnto you and yée shall doe vnto vs whatsoeuer pleaseth you And so on the morow Saule came vpon the Ammonites and slue them Nahor when he was nyne an twentie yeares of age begot Terah And lyued after he had begotten him an hundred and twentie yeares Naomy was the wyfe of a certayne man called Elimelech dwelling in the lande of Iuda in a Citie called Bethleem And for bycause of the present dearth which was ouer all the lande of Iuda She went with hir husbande and hir twoo sonnes into the Countrey of Moab to sogeourne Where in processe hir husbande died And hir twoo sonnes being maryed to twoo of the Moabitishe Damosels dyed there also So that Naomy which had dwelt in the lande of Moab ten yeares was left desolate both of hir husbande of hir sonnes Then Naomy hearing how the Lorde had visited hir countrey agayne with plentie retourned from Moab homewardes agayne hir twoo daughters in lawe bringing hir on the waye And when she saw they had gone a good way with hir coueted not to retourne she sayde vnto them Go nowe my Daughters and returne eche of you vnto your mothers house and the Lorde deale as kindlye with you as yée haue delt with the deadde and with mée And the Lorde giue you that yée maye finde rest eyther of you in the house of hir husbande and so kyssed them to haue bid them farewell But when she sawe that they would not depart from hir she sayde vnto them agayne Returne my Daughters I praye you for what cause will yée go with mée Are there any mo children within my wombe to be your husbands Turne agayne therefore I say for I am to olde to haue an husbande And if I dyd take one this night and had all ready borne children woulde yée tary for them tyll they were growne and refrayne from taking husbandes so long Not so my daughters it grieueth mée much for your sakes that the hande of the Lord is gone out agaynst mée Then they wept all togithers and Orpha kyssed hir mother in lawe and returned into hir owne lande agayne but Ruth abode still And so when they came to Bethleem Iuda which was about the beginning of Barley harnest the women which saw Naomy sayde Is not this Naomy Nay sayde she call me not Naomy which is as much to say as bewtyfull but call me Mara that is to saye bitter for the Almightie God hath made mée verye bitter I went out full and the Lorde hath brought mée agayne emptie why then call yée mée Naomy séeing the Lorde hath humbled mée and the Almightie hath brought mée vnto aduersitie And so Naomy remayned in Bethleem Iuda where or it were long God gaue hir a Sonne by the wombe of Ruth hir daughter in lawa who was maryed to Boos a kinsman of Naomyes which Childe being borne the women sayde vnto Naomy Blessed be the Lorde the which hath not left thée without a kinsman to haue a name in Israel and that shall bring thy lyfe agayne and cherishe thyne olde age for thy daughter in lawe which loueth thée hath borne vnto hym and she is better vnto thée than seuen sonnes And Naomy tooke the Childe and layed it in hir lap and became nurse vnto it being glad that a sonne was borne vnto hir in hir olde dayes Nathan the Prophet what tyme as King Dauid was minded to buylde God an house to dwell in was sent of the Lorde to forbid him not to meddle withall for Salomon his sonne shoulde doe it Agayne what tyme as Dauid had committed adultery with Vrias wife Nathan came to hym and sayde There were twoo men in one Citie the one riche and the other poore The riche man had excéeding many shéepe and Oxen but the poore had none at all saue one little Shéepe which hée had bought and nâ—urished vp And it grew vp with him and with his Children also and did eate of hys owne meate and drancke of his owne Cuppe and slept in his bosome And was vnto him as his daughter Nowe there came a straunger vnto the rich man who refused to take of his owne shéepe and Oxen to dresse for the straunger but tooke the poore mans shéepe dressed it for the man that was come to hym Then Dauid was excéeding wroth with the man and sayde As surely as the Lord lyueth he that hath done this is the Childe of death He shall restore the lambe foure folde bycause he dyd it without pittie Then sayde the Prophet thou art the same man thus sayth the Lord God of Israel I annointed thée king ouer Israel and deliuered thée out of the hands of Saule and gaue thée thy Lordes house and his wyues into thy bosome and gaue thée the house of Israel and Iuda and woulde if that had béene to little haue giuen thée much more Wherefore then hast thou despised the commaundement of the lord to do euil in his sight Thou hast kilde Urias the Hethite with the swoorde hast taken his wife to be thy wyfe and
much kindnesse to his Father and to all his kinred After this Pharao rose there vp another which knew not Ioseph And he without all measure vexed the Children of Israel And thinking by his humayne wisedome to haue let their increase he coÌ„maunded the Mydwyues to destroye the men Children of the Hebrues assoone as they were borne Whose policie tooke no effect for Moses notwithstanding was preserued and brought vp euen in his owne house fourtie yeares And after the death of this Pharao there came an other whose heart God did harden and plagued him with tenne marueylous plagues before he woulde let the Israelites depart out of his lande And persisting in his obstinacie and frowarde heart God at the last drowned hym and all his hoste in the redde Sea. There was yet an other mightie Prince of this name whose kingdome ioyned so nyghe to Salomons that Salomon to make himselfe the stronger made affinitie with him and maryed his daughter And this Pharao tooke the Citie of Gaza from the Cananites and gaue it with the Countrey there about to Salomon for his daughters dowrye Finallye Pharao Necho in the dayes of Iehoahas the sonne of Iosia king of Iuda came and deposed hym making Elyakym his brother King in his steade and merced the lande in a hundred Talents of Siluer and one of golde and caryed Iehoahas awaye with hym into Egipt Phebe was a certayne woman which serued in the Congregacion of Cenchrea by whome Paule sent his Epistle to the Romaynes wherein he sayth in hir prayse and commendacion on this wise I commende vnto you Phebe our sister which is a seruaunt of the Congregacion of Cenchrea that yée receyue hir in the Lorde as it becommeth saintes And yée assist hir in whatsoeuer busynesse she néedeth of your ayde for she hath succoured many and mée also Phigelus was one of them in Asia which had cleaued to Pauls doctrine and afterwarde forsooke hym Of whome Paule writeth to Timothy thus This thou knowest howe that all they which are in Asia be turned from me of which sorte are Phigelus and Hermogenes Philemon looke Onisimus Philetus was a certayne man in S. Paules tyme which erred from the truth saying that the resurrection was past already of whose errour Paule warneth Timothy saying on this wyse Study to shew thy selfe laudable vnto God a workeman that néedeth not to be ashamed destributing the worde of trueth iustlye as for vngestlye vanities of voyces passe thou ouer them for they will increase vnto vngodlynesse and their wordes shall frette as doth the disease of a Canker of whose number is Himeneus and Philetus which as concerning the trueth haue erred saying the resurrection is past alreadye and doe destroy the fayth of many Philip. To this man Antiochus the King at the day of his death coÌ„mitted the gouernance of his yong sonne Antiochus with the whole Realme during his nonage Which Philip afterward went into Persia with a great hoste leauing the Kinges sonne vnder the tuition of Lysias who in the absence of Philip made Antiochus King in his fathers steade adding to his name Eupater Then Philip hearing of this whose intent was to be King him selfe returned with the Kings armie out of Persia and came to Antioch where he got the dominion But Lysias hearing thereof made haste to Antioch where he fought with Philip and in â—ine got the Citie from him Philip a man borne in Bethsaida a Citie of Galile was called to be an Apostle After whose calling he went to Nathaniel and sayde we haue founde him of whome Moses in the Lawe and the Prophetes did wryte Iesus the sonne of Ioseph of Nazareth and so brought him to Iesus This is he whome Christ asked to prooue him where he might buye so much breade as woulde serue the company to eate that came vnto him who made aunswere that two hundreth penywoorth woulde not suffyce them to haue but euery man a little Also when there were certaine Gréekes which came to Philip saying they were desirous to sée Iesus Philip went and tolde Andrew And agayne Andrewe and Philip tolde Iesus Furthermore when Iesus reasoned with his Disciples about his father saying that they both knewe him and had séene him Philip sayd Lord shew vs the father and it sufficeth vs Nowe after the death of Christ and persecution that was about Steuen Philip went to the Citie of Samaria where he preached Christ and did not only conuert the whole Citie but also Simon Magus the Sorcerer who had of long time seduced the same Citie with his sorcerie and witchcraft And when he had thus sowen the worde of God among the Samaritanes the Angell of the Lord spake vnto Philip saying Arise and go towarde the South vnto the waye that goeth downe from Ierusalem vnto the Citie of Gaza which is in the desert And as he was going he met in the way by Gods prouidence a certaine man of Ethiopia a Chamberlaine and of great authoritie with Candace Quéene of Ethiope which had bene at Ierusalem to worship And returning homewarde sitting in his Chariot he readde the booke of Esay the Prophete Then Philip being commaunded by the spirite of God to go and ioyne himselfe vnto the Chariote went And when hée came neare and hearde him reading of Esaye the Prophet he sayde vnto the Chamberlayne vnderstandest thou what thou readest Howe can I quoth he except I had a guyde wherefore I pray thée come vppe and sitte with me The tenor of the Scripture which he readde was this He was ledde as a shéepe to be slayne and like a Lambe dumbe before his shearer so opened he not hys mouth Bicause of his humblenesse he was not estéemed But who shall declare his generation and his lyfe is taken from the earth When Philip had repeated thys Text vnto the Chamberlaine he sayde vnto Philip I pray thée of whome speaketh the Prophet this of himselfe or of some other man Then began Philip at the same Scripture and preached vnto him Iesus And as they went on their waye they came by a certayne water And the Chamberlayne sayde to Philip. Sée here is water what doth let me to be baptised Philip sayde if thou beléeue with all thy heart thou mayest And he sayde I beléeue that Iesus Christ is the sonne of god Then was the Chariot stayed till they both went downe into the water where Philip baptised him And assoone as they were both out of the water the spirit of the Lord caught away Philip so that the Chamberlaine saw him no more who went awaye reioyceing But the Aungell sette Philip downe in the next Citie called Azotus who walked thorowout the Countrie preaching in all the Cities till he came to Cesarea Philip the Euangelist was one of the seauen Deacons He dwelt in Cesarea and had foure daughters which did prophecie Phinehes the Sonne of Eleazar was so gelyous ouer the lawes of God
and was buryed in the Citie of Dauyd and his sonne Roboam succéeded ¶ Natha the Prophet called him Iedidia beloued Samgar the sonne of Anath deliuered Israel from the Philistines and slue sixe hundred of them with an Oxe goade Samson the Sonne of Manoah of the Tribe of Dan was borne in the Citie of Zaraah and became a mightie strong man On a time as he went to the Citie of Thamnath and saw a woman of the Philistins which liked him well he intreated his parents to haue hir to his wyfe Who not contented therewith reprooued him saying Is there neuer a wife among the daughters of thine owne people and brethren but thou must take a wyfe among the vncircumcised Philistines Well sayd Samson let me haue hir for shée pleaseth mée well Then his parents not knowing it was the Lordes dooing that hée shoulde séeke an occasion agaynst the Philistines went with their sonne to Thamnath to sée the woman And by the waye going Samson vnknowne to his parentes slue a Lyon which came ramping vpon him and so went foorth with them and talked with the woman And a fewe dayes after as he came agayne to receyue his wyfe he turned aside to sée the carkeys of the Lyon and founde in the bellye thereof a swarme of Bées and hony whereof he tooke in his hande and went eating to his Father and mother gaue them parte of the Hony. And when the feast day of his mariage was come he sayde to thirtie yoong men of his guestes I will put foorth a riddle vnto you and if yée can declare it mée within the seuenth day of the Feast I will giue you thirtie shyrtes and thirtie chaunge of rayment and if yee cannot then shall you giue mée the lyke The riddle is this Out of the eater came meate and out of the strong came swéetnesse And when the seuenth day was come and the men had not yet founde out the ryddle they perswaded Samsons wyfe to sucke it out of hir husbande and tell it them who neuer rested flattering of Samson and wéeping before him till he had tolde hir Then they being taught of hir went to Samson before the Sonne was downe and sayde what is swéeter than hony ▪ And what is stronger than a Lyon. Then sayde Samson If yée had not plowed with my Calfe yée had not founde out my ryddle And so he went out to the Citie of Ascalon one of the chiefest Cities of the Philistines and slue thirtie men And gaue the spoyle of them to those that had expounded his riddle and so got him home to his fathers house halfe displeased with hys wyfe After a whyle hée went to visite his wyfe with a kidde but when he came his Father in lawe had giuen hir to an other ▪ thinking that Samson had hated hir and bade hym take the yoonger which was fayrer in hir steade Then Samson hauing good occasion giuen hym agaynst the Philistines went out and caught thrée hundred Foxes and fastened tayle by tayle and put a fyre brande betwéene the twoo tayles which he set on fyre and so sent them into the Philistines Corne and brent it vp with their Vyneyardes Olyues and all The Philistines knowing that Samson had done it went and set fyre on his Father in lawes house and brent both hym Samsons wife with all that euer they had And sent thrée thousand men of Iuda who were then vnder the Philistines to Samson to binde him and to bring him to them And when by his sufferance they had bounde him brought him to the Philistines they gaue a great shoute when they sawe him wherewithall Samson brake a sundre his bandes as though they had béene but flaxe And tooke vp a rotten Iawbone of an Asse and layde so about him that he slue a thousande Philistines or euer he rested And being sore a thyrst God made water come out of a tooth in the Iawbone ▪ and so refreshed him After this he got him to the Citie of Gaza and lodged in a womans house that solde vittayles And when hée perceyued the Citizens to watch and to go about to kyll hym he got him vp about midnight and went to the gates of the Citie which hée rent off barres all and layed them vpon his shoulders caried them vp to the top of an hygh hill before Hebron ▪ Finallye thorowe his inordinate affection to Dalila his wyfe he lost Goddes excellent gift and so was betrayed to the Philistines who tooke and put out his eyes and cast hym in Prison where they made hym to grynde lyke a slaue And when the great daye of the Philistines came that they shoulde holde their feast to their god Dagon they sent for Samson out of prison to playe before them and to make them laugh The house was full of men and women so many that in the roufe of the same there was about thrée thousand to beholde Samson whyle he played before the Lords great men And as he stoode betwéene the great pyllers which bare vp all the house he called vpon God in his minde saying O Lord thinke vpon me and strengthen me at this tyme onely that I according to my vocasion executing thy iudgement may be auenged on the Philistines for my twoo eyes And with that he caught the pillers in his handes saying Let me lose my life with the Philistines so shooke the pillers with all his might and brought downe the house vpon them and killed them all Then his brethren hearing thereof came and tooke vp the bodye of Samson and buryed hym with Manoah his Father after hée had Iudged Israel twentie yeares who had béene in subiection vnder the Philistines fourtie yeares Samuel the sonne of Elkana and Anna was the next Iudge after Eli and the last that iudged Israel And bycause his mother had asked him of God therefore she called his name Samuel And when he was able to doe any ministracion in the Temple his mother brought him to Eli and gaue him vnto the Lord according to hir promise And so Samuel ministered vnto the Lorde before Eli And one daye as he layed him downe to sléepe in the Temple the Lorde called him And Samuel thinking it had béene his Mayster ranne to Eli to knowe his pleasure who sayde he called him not And at the thirde time when Samuel came to his mayster agayne Eli sayde vnto him Go and laye thée downe once more and if he call thée agayne then saye thou Speake Lorde for thy seruaunt heareth And when the Lorde had called him the fourth time and had opened vnto him all that he had determined against the house of Eli for not correcting his sonnes for their great wickednesse Samuel went to his mayster Eli and at his commaundement tolde him euery whit what the Lorde had sayde Now Samuel being the Lords Prophet iudged the people and was both loued feared of them And when he began to waxe
13. g. ¶ Simon the Tanner with whom saint Peter hosted many a day Act. 9. g. 10. a. ¶ Simon surnamed Niger which was one of the Prophetes and teachers in the Congregation at Antioche Act. 13. a. ¶ Simon the Cananite surnamed Zelotes and one of the twelue Math. 10. a. Luke 6. c. Sintiches was a certayne Christian brother to whome Paule sent salutacions from Rome exhorting him and Euodias to be of one accorde in the Lorde Sisennes the vnder shirife in Siria and Phenices with other heade Rulers there went to Zorobabel and his Companions the Iewes which were come by Darius licence to builde the house of the Lorde at Ierusalem agayne and demaunded who had giuen them such commaundement And when they saw the Iewes would not cease then he with others sent their letters of complaint to Darius the King to knowe his pleasure And when they had receyued the Kings aunswere Sisennes with all the reast of the Rulers obeyed the Kinges commaundement and helped the Iewes with all diligence to builde the sanctuaire agayne and so the woorke went foorth and prospered Sisach King of Egypt came to Ierusalem in the fift yere of the reigne of Roboam with twelue hundred Charets and thréescore thousande horsemen and people innumerable and spoyled the Temple of the Lorde and the Kings house and tooke away all the treasure in both with the shieldes of gold which Salomon had made and so departed Sisera was the generall Captaine of King Iabyns hoste And trusting in the great strength of his Chariots of yron which were nyne hundred and power of his men he went against the children of Israel thinking to haue cuerrunne them all But God so wrought with the holye Prophetesse Debora and wyth Barach hir Captayne that they destroyed his Chariots with all his host So that Sisera himselfe was fayne to flie on foote And comming by the tent of Heber for there was peace betwéene King Iabin and the house of Heber he turned in And being sore a thirst he desired Iael the wyfe of Heber to giue him some drinke and she brought a bottell of milke and gaue it him to drinke and when he had drunke and was layde downe to take his rest he sayde to Iael Goe I praye thée stande in the Tent doore And when any doth come to enquire of thée if there be any man here say nay And so thinking he had béene safe ynough tooke his rest and fell a sléepe Then Iael with a nayle which shée droue into his heade slue him Soby the sonne of Nahas out of Rabba the Citie of the children of Ammon and Machir the sonne of Ammiel out of Lodebar and Berzelai the Gileadite out of Rogel what time as Dauid lay with his people in the wildernesse of Mahanaim hungrye wearye and thirstye brought vnto him bedding Wheate Barley with all other necessaries to ease and refreshe Dauid and hys men in that time of aduersitie Sostenes of whome saint Paule maketh mention in his first Epistle to the Corinthians first Chapter was the chiefe Ruler of the sinagoge in the Citie of Achaia agaynst whome the Gréekes had such indignation for taking Paules part agaynst the Iewes that they fell vpon him before the Iudges féete where Gallio the Lorde Deputie sate and smote him And Gallio not passing thereof let them alone and woulde not meddle luyth the matter Stachis to whome Paule in his letter of commendations sendeth gréeting saying salute Vrban our helper in Christ and Stachis my beloued Stephana was a faythfull louer of Christ and hys doctryne in whose commendation Paule to the Corinthians wryteth thus Brethren ye knowe the house of Stephana and of Fortunatus and Achaicus howe that they are the first fruites of Achaia And that they haue appoynted themselues to mynister vnto the sayntes I beséech you that ye be obedient vnto such and to all that helpe labour I am glad of the comming of Stephana and Fortunatus and Achaicus for that which was lacking vnto me on your part they haue supplyed For they haue comforted my spirite and yours Looke therefore that ye knowe them that are such Steuen a man full of fayth and of the holy ghost was one of the seauen Deacons chosen in the congregation to make prouision for the poore which did greate woonders and myracles amonge the people Against whome arose certayne of the Sinagoge which were called Libertines Cirenites and of Alexandria Cilisia and Asia which disputed with him And when they could not resist his wisedome and the spirit of God wherewith he spake they accused him of blasphemie agaynst God and Moses and brought him before the Counsell wyth their false witnesses ready which sayde we hearde this fellowe speake blasphemous wordes against this holye place and Lawe saying that Iesus of Nazareth shoulde destroy this place and chaunge the ordinaunces which Moses gaue vs And all the Counsell looked stedfastly vppon him and sawe his face as it had bene the face of an Angell Then Steuen for as much as he was accused to be a denyer of God made an earnest aunswere vnto hys accusation in the ende whereof the Counsell waxed so angry against him that their hearts claue a sunder and gnashed on him with their téeth But he being full of the holy ghost looked stedfastly vp with his eies into heauen and sawe the glorye of God and Iesus standing at the right hande of God and sayde Beholde I sée heauen open and the sonne of man standing on the râ—ght hande of God with the which the people gaue a grâ—at shoute and stopped their eares and ranne vpon him all at once and caryed him out of the Citie to put him to death And as they stoned him he sayde Lord Iesu receyue my spirite And knéeling downe cryed with a lowde voyce Lorde lay not this sinne vnto their charge And so fell a sléepe in the Lorde Susanna the daughter of Helchia was a verye fayre woman giuen to all vertue and godlinesse Hir husbandes name was Ioachim a man of great reputacion among the Iewes In the first yeare that Susanna was maryed there were twoo Iudges made which resorted much to Ioachyms house and all such as had anye thing to doe in the lawe came thither vnto them These twoo Iudges being wicked men were so wounded with the loue of Susanna and burned so in lust with hir that they coulde not tell what to doe But neyther durst tell the other his griefe nor yet for shame vtter their inordinate lust vnto hir And so on a daye when they had sit long in Ioachyms hâ—use about matters of the lawe and wayted for to haue their purpose on Susanna and coulde not they brake vp and went home to dinner And at their returne agayne togithers the one brake to the other their whole mindes and appointed a tyme when they might take hir alone And when they had spyed oute a conuenient tyme that Susanna went into
to vse a little Wine Act. 19. b. Tyrannus was a certayne schoolemayster in Asia in whose schoole Paule disputed dayly by the space of two yeares ¶ Tyrannus Commaunding or a Prince a Tyrant 2. Cor. 2. c. Titus was S. Paules disciple whome for the excellent giftes that were in him Paule looued as if he had 7. a. 8. b. d. bene his owne naturall sonne And made him the chiefe ouerséer or as ye woulde say Archbishop of the Christian Tit. 1. a. b. congregation in the noble I le of Crete And in euery Citie within the I le Titus ordeyned an ouerséer which we call a Bishop for the which cause Paule prescribed vnto him the true forme of a Bishop or shepehearde of Christes flocke ¶ Titus Honorable Tob. 1. Toby was a godlye man of the Tribe and Citie of Nephtaly And being brought into great captiuitie in the dayes of Salmanasar king of Assiria yet woulde he not forsake the way of truth nor worship the golden Calues as other did neyther yet defyle himselfe with the Heathens meate but alwayes kept his heart pure vnto god For the which the Lorde gaue him such fauour in the sight of Salmanasar the King that Toby had power to go where he woulde and to doe whatsoeuer him lyst Then Toby hauing this libertie went about comforting all those that were in prison both with his goodes and godly exhortacions Such was his dayly exercise to feede the hungrye to cloth the naked and to burie the deade with such like déedes of Charitie And when the time came that Sennacherib which hated the children of Israel reygned in his fathers steade and in his wrath slue many of them Toby buried their bodies for the which the King commaunded to sley him and to take away his goodes who neuerthelesse thorowe friendshippe escaped and fled And after the Kings death being slayne of hys owne sonnes within .xlv. dayes after Toby returned and was restored to his goodes agayne and called his kinred and friendes togither and made a great feast And sitting at the Table with his guestes one tolde him there lay an Israelite slayne in the stréete who then immediatly lept from the boorde and went fasting to the deade corse and brought him home to his house where he hidde him priuily vntill the Sunne was downe and then buryed hym For the which déede his friendes reprooued him bicause he had bene in daunger but a little before euen for the lyke matter But neuerthelesse Tobias fearing God more than the King woulde take the slayne and hyde them in his house and bnrie them at midnight Insomuch that one tyme he was so weary with burying the deade that he got him home and layde him downe beside a wall for wearynesse where he fell on sléepe And so lying there fell downe vpon his eyes warme dung out of a swalowes nest which tooke awaye his sight that he coulde not sée agaynst the which plague of blindnesse he neuer grudged but remayned steadfast in the feare of God giuing him thankes as well for that as other gifts of health And this temptacion God suffered to fall on Toby for an example of pacience to all that should come after Finally of his great pacience déede of charitie and other godlye exhortacions his booke is full He lost his Tob. 14. a. sight at the age of sixe and fiftie yeares And was restored at thrée score so that he remayned blind about a foure yeare And lyued after he had receyued his sight twoo and fourtie yeares and so he dyed at the age of an hundred and twoo yeares and was honourably buryed in the Citie of Niniue ¶ Tobiah the Lorde is good Tob. 5. cap. Toby the sonne of Toby being brought vp in the feare of God followed the vert uous steppes of his father in all thinges He was sent to the Citie of Rages to one Gabelus for certayne money which his father had lent him And after many daungers by the waye was by 6. a. Goddes prouision whose Aungell was his guide maryed 7. a. there to the daughter of Raguel whose name was Sara And when he had taryed with his father and mother in lawe about a twoo wéekes he returned home with much 8. d. substaunce to the great consolation and comfort of olde Toby his Father and Anna his Mother After whose 11. cap. death when he had remayned at Niniue the space of two 14. d. and fourtie yeares he departed with his wyfe and seuen sonnes to the Citie of Rages where he founde his Fatheir and mother in lawe both lyuing in great age on whom he tooke the care vntill they died and was heyre to all there goodes And when this Toby had lyued .xcix. yeares he dyed and was buryed After whose death his posteritie continued in such an holye conuersacion of life that they were belooued and accepted both of God and man. 2. Esd 2. a. Toby the Ammonite and sonne in lawe to Sechania was one that conspired with Sanabalat to hinder the buylding of Ierusalem For when Sanabalat sayde in derision of the Iewes What doe these weake Iewes will they fortifie themselues Will they sacrifice Will they finish it in a day Will they make the stones whole agayne out of the heapes of dust séeing they are burnt Then Toby which stoode besyde hym sayde Although 6. d. they buylde yet if a Fore go vp hée shall euen breake downe their stonye Wall. This Toby wrought all the wayes he could both by letters and false Prophets hyred for money to feare Esoras from the worke but coulde not preuayle Rom. 16. b. Triphena and Triphosa were certayne godly women to whom Saint Paule for their deligent labour in the Gospell sendeth gréetinges saying Salute Triphena and Triphosa which women laboured in the Lord. ¶ Triphena a fyne nice or delicate woman 1. Mac. 11. e. cap. Triphon was a certayne great man which tooke part with King Alexander agaynst King Ptolomy And when Alexander was dead Triphon founde the meanes to get his yong sonne Antiochus out of the handes of Emascuel the Arabian who had brought him vp to reigne in his Fathers streade And when he had got the gouernaunce of the yoong King he conceyued treason agaynst hym which he thought coulde neuer be well brought to passe so long as Ionathas whome the King had made hygh Priest was his friende wherefore he sought to kill Ionathas that he might come the easyer by his wicked purpose So Triphon went to a place called Bethsan 12. c. cap. at the which place Ionathas met hym with fourtie thousande men Then Triphon perceyuing the great hoste that Ionathas brought was afrayde and thought it not best to meddle with him at that time but to vse some policie howe to betraye hym And so commaunding all his souldieurs to be as obedient to Ionathas in all thinges euen as they woulde be vnto himselfe he receyued hym honorablye
me lye with thée What wilt thou giue me then quoth she I will quoth he sende thée a Kidde from the flocke Then leaue me a pledge quoth she till thou sende it What pledge shall I leaue quoth Iuda Thy Signet quoth she vppon thy finger thy Cloake and thy staffe He did so and laye with hir And comming to his flocke he tooke a Kid and sent it by his friende Hyra to receyue his pledges againe Who being come to the place and founde not the woman he asked of the men thereabout where the whoore was which sate in the way as they came They made him aunswere againe there was no whoore there Then he returned to Iuda and tolde him Well sayde Iuda let hir take it to hir least we be ashamed Nowe was Thamar conceyued with chylde and when she had gone thrée monthes the thing was espyed and tolde to Iuda that his daughter in lawe had played the whoore and was with chylde Then bring hir forth quoth he that she maye suffer according to the lawe And as she was ledde to the fire she sent the pledges to Iuda hir father in lawe saying by the same man to whome these things doe pertayne am I with chylde Then Iuda knowing his pledges sayde she is more righteous than I for she hath done this déede bicause I gaue hir not to Sela my sonne And so was the woman deliuered and brought him forth two sonnes at one birth Pharez and Gen. 49. b. Zarez Of this man Iuda it was prophecied that the Scepter shoulde not depart from him nor a Lawgiuer from betwéene his féete vntill * which was Christ Silo came ¶ Iuda a Praysing or Confession 1. Mac. 2. a. Iudas Machabeus the thirde sonne of Mathathias the Iewe was a valiaunt man in his fayth and of an inuincible courage In so much that he ouercame Appolonius 3. cap. Seron twoo mightie Princes of Siria which came against him And with thrée thousande men he put Gorgias to flight which stole vpon him by night and vanquished 4. cap. Lisias the Lieutenant of King Antiochus and his sonnes and with them fourtie thousande footemen and seuen thousand horsemen and slue of them fiue thousande Afterwarde in Galilea he slue of the hoste of Tymotheus 5. cap. an other of the Kinges Captaynes first thrée thousande and afterwarde eyght thousande After that by a 7. f. g. valley called Adarsa he with a thousand fought with Nicanor a Captayne of King Demetrius and nyne thousande with him at the which battell Nicanor was slayne and of the nyne thousande almost none escaped Finallye 9. a. b. to much trusting in his prosperitie in warres in going against Bachides a Captayne of King Demetrius who had a great hoste and taking with him but twoo thousand of which at the last remained with him but only .viij. hundred he fought till it was night and made a woonderfull slaughter of enimies But while he forced himselfe to come to Bachidis the which was on the right winge of the battell he fought so nobly that he escaped that winge sleying many about him Finallye being enuironed with the left winge and striken with manye woundes was slayne with much difficultie ¶ Iudas A praysing c. 1. Mac. 16. Iudas the sonne of Symon the sonne of Mathathias dyd manfully assist Iohn his brother agaynst Cendebeus a. b. c. Captaine of Antiochus host and was at the same tyme sore wounded and afterwarde most trayterously murdered with Symon his father at a Banket which Ptolomy made them at his castle called Doche. Luk. 6. c. Iudas the sonne of Alphe and brother to Iames is called in the tenth of S. Mathew Lebbeus and is surnamed Thaddeus When Christ sayde vnto his Disciples Iohn 14. c. that he woulde shew himselfe vnto them and not vnto the worlde Iudas asked him the cause why he woulde shewe himselfe vnto them and not vnto the worlde He made an Iude. 1. cap. Epistle in the which he Admonisheth all Churches generallye The last part of this historie I finde in the argument before the Epistle of Iude. Geneua to take héede of deceyuers which went about to drawe the hearts of the simple people from the truth of God whome he setteth foorth in their liuely colours shewing by diuers examples of the Scriptures that horrible vengeaunce is prepared for them Finally he comforteth the faythfull and exhorteth them to continue in the Doctrine of the Apostles of Iesus Christ Math. 10. ◠Iudas iscariote the sonne of Symon of Canaan one of the Apostles of whom it was afore hande written to be the sonne of perdicion had a great conscience in the Iohn 12. a. precious oyntment that Mary powred vppon Christes heade that it was not solde for thrée hundred pence and giuen to the poore but to sell his maister for thirtie pence Math. 26. b. c and to be guyde to them that tooke him to betraye hym with a kysse he had no conscience at all vntill he sawe his mayster condemned and then he repented and had the thirtie pence agayne vnto the hye Priestes and Elders cap. 27. 1. saying that he had sinned in betraying the innocent bloud Act. 1. c. and so departed in great desperacion and hanged himselfe whose bodye brast a sundry in the middest so that all his bowels gushed out Act. 5. g. Iudas of Galile rose vp after Theudas what time as the whole worlde was taxed by the commaundement of Augustus Cesar and taught the people that for as much as they were dedicated vnto God they ought not to paye Tribute to Emperours which were woorshippers of false goddes whereby he drewe to his faction a great part of the commons who at the last were all brought to naught and Iudas himselfe slayne Act. 9. b. Iudas a Citizen of Damasco to whose house the Lorde sent Ananias to séeke Saule of Tharsus who was hosted there Iudith 8. cap. Iudith the daughter of Merari was a bewtifull woman vnto the which was ioyned such vertue and godlinesse that all men spake good of hir Hir husbands name was Manasses who at the daye of his death left hir great riches She dwelt in the Citie of Bethulia and was a woman of great Chastitie Nowe during the time of hir widowhead it chaunced Holofernes to come and besiege the Citie of Bethulia of whome the Iewes were so afrayde that they wyste not what to doe but commit themselues to God for he had destroyed all their water condites so that they must eyther sterue or yéelde of force Then ranne the people to Osias the hye Priest crying vpon him to yéelde and giue euer the citie to Holofernes least they shoulde all perishe who exhorted them to tarye fiue dayes longer for the mercie of God and if he helped them not in that space he woulde doe as they had sayde Then Iudith who all this whyle had kept hir house in prayer