A COMMENT VPON COHELETH OR ECCLESIASTES Framed for the instruction of PRINCE HENRI Our hope BY HVG BROVGHTON Anno 1605 A COMMENT VPON COHELETH OR ECCLESIASTES Framed for the instruction of PRINCE HENRI Our Hope By HVGH BROVGHTON Anno 1605. TO THE MOST NOBLE HENRY PRINCE OF great Britanie IN a former litle booke most noble Prince speaking Ebrew and Latin I shewed the Persons of Davids Familie the Kinges race and the Kinglier then the Kings the house of our Lord after the flesh a matter opened in few wordes yet mistaken in England and almost every where to the ruine of infinite millions who finding Christians vnable to settle their owne narration reiected all Christianitie That small worke I dispersed in many thousand copies by Sea and Lande over Europe and Asia where many haue thought the gift not meane Next knowledge of the Persones that sprang from Davids house the qualitie of the Kingdome perpetual Throne promised to David 2. Sam. 7. and 1. Chron. 17. and Psal 89. should be knowen To manifest that Salomon Davids sonne and a King that hath all Royalties of this world is chosen of God He telleth vpon his owne longue studie and experience that all thinges vnder the Sunne be vaine So that the Throne promised to David must be for the world to come which the man Gabriel that appeared to Daniel to tell our Lords death and to Marie for his birth doeth plainly expound what nature it hath that it is the Kingdome of Christ by suffrings bringing ioye The whole booke of Salomon herein spent with helpes to clearnes I ioyne to the former which if God will shal be accompanied with others as the argument calleth for explication Your graces most humble Hugh Broughton THE CHIEF MARK OF ALL The holy Scriptures SVNDRY wayes doth our heavenly father draw vs vnto the Kingdome of his sonne But Man created of God plain wil be searching out many conceites to his owne over throw by the sleight of Satan as the Angels that kept not their place fell to ruine They being created the first day hearing the voice of God which dwelleth in light that none can come too saw that the frame of the world was not for Spirites vse the Sphaeres in their wonderfull greatnes swiftenes the starres in theyr most beawtifull order the vapours windes cloudes in most wise peise the plantes foules fishes beastes all these benefite not the Angels But after the making of all these the holy trinity consulteth for making man in iustice plain holynes maketh his body of the earth that all thinges may serve his vse the starres the Elementes the plantes all live thinges And God doth breath into him a soule immortall full of life which might have kept the body allwayes alive sheweth vnto Angels mans wisdome in that he nameth all beastes with termes defining theyr nature maketh a woman outo ef his side giveth them dominion over the Earth and g tivth his Angels charge over them to attend vpon them to kepe them But one part mislikeh this charge by that rebellion extinguish their owne light lose their owne glory find misery vnrecoverable seke leave to try man whether he can be deceaved to cast of the obedience of God prevaileth bringeth them to death of the soule losse of that light which wold have kept the body alive for ever into sinne that draweth eternall woe vpon it And this disobedience being wroght quickly the first day of man brought all the world vnder corruption and greved still the holy spirit his Angels But then further counsell is shewed that the ETERNALL Son of God will take Humanity of Eves Sede and to him the world is subiectea till an vncorruptible new world be made But Satā withdrew belefe from this poinct rules as Prince of the darkenes of this world so as it is hard for Adams Sonnes borne in sinne blindnes extreme to hold this world cursed vvhich yet all serveth mans vse and to hope for a world vnvisible for the soule leaving this life of a new vvorld for the body soule Seing Adam cared not for Gods charge being yet in life Lordship beleeved not the word of him who spake all thinges had theyr beynge So the Sonnes of Adam will hardly beleve that the King of Glory must die to give life and to lighte Adam by faith to life and arise to raise Adam and leave this world to shew hope of an other world Experience teacheth vs how far this is from vs. To this none can come vnlesse the Father draw him Yet Gods grace in governement condemneth all for not layng hand vpon this grace and for not craving of grace truly so to doe Now to shew that by death life should come in Paradise a beast is killed and with the skinne our Parentes be clothed and fyer from Heaven burneth the carcase and the next day is appointed for a rest to meditate on this to whom able to governe the creature is subiected who by resting the Sabath in the graue vvhich fell out after 39 60. yeares fully endeth the Sabath rising vvith the light the first day brings light vnto the vvorld as in day for death his passion vvas fitted to Adams day time of fall sentence against him Thus redēption vvas taught anger by a curse pronounced to come by the flood Novv Cains murther of Abel sheweth what poyson Satan breathed into Eves soule to beare such a sonne further Cains sonnes appeare bad in making Gods of starres made to serve man defying their Lord that made the world for them deifiing the creatures to lose the creatour and creatures vvhen the flood vvashed their bodies away and their soules ascend to Gods Throne to have from it before it eternall flames Yet then Christ shevved in Noah how all beastes Elementes heavens obeyed him Againe they are told that Christ shall arise from Sem to be a King of iustice peace And that when the heathen receave the promesse Iapheth his sonnes shall have the chiefest continuance of grace And Noes families be named the Prophetes shew their nationes stories with Gods people That matter is expounded by the Prophetes speaking still of the first families But now they make the sad blessing a skoph and build a proud tower for worship to starres Then GOD devided all their tongues that they should no more heare his truth to plead foolishly against it And two thousand yeares all Heathen estranged from GOD perished for ever ever And in short speches to Abraham he foretelleth that of him one shall come that shall bless all nationess sheweth his death recouery from death in Isaak offred neare death but only by Gods voice reserved as by a resurrection that Iacobs sonnes should not worship starres above or any thing on earth they are starres in Iosephs dreame precious stones
the vvordes of the mouth of the vvise doe beare grace as specially the speches in David for the Kingdome of Christ but the lippes of the foole Ieroboam svvalovved vp all his house vvhen he bade vvorship calves at Dan and Bethel and forbade to go vp to Ierusalem The begining of the vvordes of his mouth vvas foolishnes and the end of his mouth an evell madnes The other Kinges foolish before God multiplyed vvordes against Iudah but savv not their fall Great toyle they tooke familie after family and vvearied them selves in their Idoles being as men that knevv not the vvay to the city And such vvere all the Kinges of Israell and the vvicked of Roboams Kingdome And vvo be to the kingdome vvhere the Princes be given to feasting as the true noble and sobre bring happines A King dome is like an house vvher by slougth the timber vvork rotteth and by dissolute hād the house vvilbe dropped through vvhen they make feastes for laughter and that vvine chear the hart and mony must affordall And herein the meddlers vvith Kinges find their ovvne ruine this vanitie is comon But they that look to the kingdome of Christ vvill not in thought medle vvith Caesar for listeners vvill fly to report all that is once vttered But men should ambitiously seke to meddle vvith their ovvne matters and to do good for the hope to come as Pilgromes strangers This vvil be a casting of seede vpon moyst ground vvhich vvill fructifie that as one soovveth he shall reape Therfore vvhile vve have time vve should doe good to all lest God alter our ability or occasion The cloudes and trees teach that the cloudes fall to moysten the hearbes and vvher the trees fruct falleth gatherers vvilbe ready And herein vve should not be casting doubtes eyther for others successe or lest vve in time vvant our selves of our joyes The husbandman plovv eth in hope not loking to the cloudes for sovving or reaping as vve knovv not the vvindes vvay nor the Embryones grouth so vve knovv not hovv sone God altereth times from life to death from planting to vnrooting from building to breaches from laughter to vveping from seking to losing from spech to silence from love to hatred from peace to vvarre from youth to old age morning and evening vve should not be vveary doing good for in due tyme vve shall reape yf vve doe not faint It is a good thing for one to chere his ovvne life vvill mans hart say but long and mery life vvilbe nothing sauing vanity vvhen vve thinke vpon the tyme after this life hovv it shall never haue end This thought vvill make yong men litle joy in the morning of age considering that God vvill bring them into judgement And the vvekenes of our earthly tabernacle should put vs in mind hourely For dayes void of all delite vvill sone come vvhen our eyes ribbes armes stomake eares and tongue and all helpes of voice the legges faile graynes buddeth vve are shaken off like a grashopper and the chine liuer brain pan all vvil be rent and man returneth to his endlesse home mourners go about in the strete This may teach vs hovv all temporall thinges be vainesse teach from Scriptures to find out Christ his Kingdome that vvhen the outvvard man is corrupted the invvard man be fully renued For Christ is our life and to die in him that is all our gain And mans sone passage hence vp to Goddes throne to receaue according to the vvorkes done by the body good or evell should print this in our hartes And vve should giue more aboundant hede to Koheleth his vvordes lest they flovv aside from our eyes as they from Ephraim Prov. 3. and from the men of Ierusalem Eb. 2. vvhom sin platting about them entangled to destruction Koheleth as all the other Prophets hath vvordes of delite Scripture of right vvordes of truth as Goades to direct vs nailes fastened in the shepe foldes geuen from Christ the only Shepheard of vvhom Dauid spake Psa 72. his last vvordes therin these Blessed be the Eternall God the God of Israell blessed be his glorious name for euer and let all the earth be filled vvith his glory Amen yea amen A TREATISE OF THE Holy Trinity NOW for the trinity I will folow those textes at which the very Iewes be amased I will make my style alltogether from theyr wordes saving that their future for MESSIAS to come I will turne into the tyme passed In the Babylonian Thalmud in Sanedrin fol. 38. excellent places be cited for vnity plurality touching also MESSIAS from Dan. 7. wher Rabbi Sadaias speaketh matter worthy regard also from Ex. 23. wher Ramban writteth well I saak Ben Arama vpon Ex. bringeth the whole Thalmudique consent that MESSIAS is greater then the Angels inferreth therupō that he must be God which matter Koheleth toucheth for plura lity of Persones in Boreeicha Thy creatours I have ioined an Ebrew style to the English that the one may help the other OF THE VNITY IN GOD-HEAD AND PLVRALITY of Persons THE ETERNALL our God the Eternall is one his nature is made knovven by himself for the Persons the father the Sōne the holy Ghost vve must folovv marke the mystery of the Scriptures for the plurall number and for the Sonne òf God and for the holy Spirit In these there is a great mystery Let VS make man according to OVR image This for the persons And for the vnity of natures this God created man after his owne image So Come Let VS goe downe and Let VS confound there theyr Lippe And the Lord Went downe to see the city and the towre And For there Elohim WERE reucaled vnto him the God which heard me in the day of my distresse And who is like thy people Israel one nation on the earth for whom THEY went euen Elohim to redeme them vnto him selfe for a People And Vntill THRONES were set vp and the Euerlasting Sate what is to be said of that One for himself one for the Sonne of David as it is written behold with the cloudes of heauen one like the Sonne of Man came This is Messïas our righteousnes And is it not written of the Messias Meeke and riding vpon an Asse In deed he came in humblenes came not vpon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 horses with pride And wheras it was written with the cloudes of heaven They are the Angels of the host of heaven This is the great dignity which the Creatour gave Messias And to the Everlasting did they bring him as it is writtē The Eternall sayd vnto my Lord sit thou on my right hand c. A certen Saducie said to Rabbi Idith in the Babil Thal. San. fol. 38. It is written to Moses he said Come vp vnto the Eternall vnto me he should have said This is Matatron the Angel that led the People of whome it
is written My name is in him It is written rebell not against him he will not beare with your sinnes Mark also the commentary of Ramban vpon these wordes Behold I send myne Angel before thee to keep thee in the way to bring thee into the place which I have prepared regard him obey his voyce Provoke him not for he will not for bear your Sinnes for my name is in him Thus there speaketh Ramban In the propriety of the text this Angell which is promised here is the Angell the redemer in whom the great Name God is For in Iah Iehova is the Rock Everlasting And the same said I am the God of Bethel It is the manner of the King to tary in his house And the Scripture calleth him Angel because the world is governed by this Person And vvordes of the generall Rabines concerning Christ are these in Isaak Ben Arama vpon the Lavv fol. 76. Our Doctours say who art thou great mountayne This is Christ. Ana wherfore is his name called greate because he shal be greater then the Fathers as it is written Behold my servant that prosper he shal be high exalted I le shal be higher then Abraham exalted above Moses he shal be farre above the Angels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of ministery of whom it is written Ezek. â— They had height they had terrour And if they mark vnderstand this they doo know that the dignity of Messias is above the Angels of ministery In that sense should not he be God him self as they appropriate vnto him this honorable title This hath Ben Arama And most playnly doth the same mans vvordes say that God spake this of Messias ps 89. I wil be his father he shal be my sonne As Aben Ezra saith of Kisse the Sonne This is Messias And of the holy Spirit Gen. 1. 2. they say This is the Spirit of Messias the King Zohar vpon Gen and comonly from Ieremy 23 as in Bathra sect 5. fol. 75. B. That he is Iehouah our righteousnes And thus they doe in vvordes agree vvith our holy Apostles But they turne aside like a vvarping bovv vvherof I vvil novve speake by the helpe of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 OF IVDAISME DISANNVLLING COHELETH AND ALL the Bible One great Rabbin who lived 42 3 yeeres agoe who gathered the Ierusalem Thalmud and the Babylonian into an easier order translated what he bringeth into familiar Ebrew they be rare Iewes that vnderstand the Ierusalemy or the Babylonian specially He endeth his volumes in the common place of Messias who shal be translated cited in his own wordes to shew howe the whole nation misseth extreamely of Christ the end of the law though in toung they agreed with the Apostles Rambam or R. Moses Ben Maymony in Misnaioth Tom. 4. tract Kinges Sect. 11. 12 thus writeth Messias the King shall stand vp restore the Kingdome of the house of Dauid to the old state of the first gouerment he shall build the temple gather the dispersed of Israel the Lawes shal be restored They shall offer their offringes and keepe the seauenth yeeres rest according to euery commaundement deliuered in the Law And euery one that beleueth not in him and he that looketh not for his comming he denieth not onely all the other prophets but also the Law Moses our Doctour For behold the Law testifieth of him as it is said And the Eternall thy Elohim shall restore thy captivity and pity thee and gather thee againe c. After thy dispeâ—â—ion shal be into the extremity of the heauens Yet the Eternall will bring thee againe And these speche set fourth in the Law they are abridgements of all the speches which are spoken by all the prophets And specially in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Section of Balaam as is spoken and there he speaketh of two Messias of the first Messias which is David which saued Israell from the hand of their enemies And of the latter Messias which shall stand vp of his children which shall teach Israel in the end And in the former place he saith I shall see him But not now I shall view him but not neare This is King Messias A star from Iacob This is Dauid a scepter That is King Messias And He shall smit the Lordes of Moab He is David as it is said And he stroke Moab And measured them by corde And he shall vnwall all the sonnes of Seth He is Christ the King as it is said And he shall rule from sea to sea And Edom shal be an inheritance Euen to David as it was said And Edom became servants to David And Seyr shal be an inheritance c. This is to Messias the King As it said And Sauiours shall arise on mount SioÌ„ c. Also concerning the cities of refuge he saith thou mayst adde yet three cities c. But this hath neuer bene done And the Lord did not commaund any thing in vaine But the case standeth according to the wordes of the Prophets it needeth no disputing for all bookes are full of this matter And Let it neuer come to thy minde that Messias the King needeth to worke by signes and wonders For behoâ—h Rabbi Akiba was a great Doctor among the Doctours of the Thalmud he was Harnes bearer to Ben Coziba the King he thought that he was the King Messias Both he deemed and all the Doctours of his age that he was King Messias vntill he was killed for Sinne. when he was killed they knew he was not And the Doctours asked of him for no signe for no wonder And the grouÌ„d of the matters thus standeth That the Law that the statutes rightes of it staÌ„d for euer yea for euer euer And nothing maye be added nothing may be taken away And if a King stand vp from the house of David studieng the Law busiedin the coÌ„maundementes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as David his father according to the written Law the Law of traditions and compel Israel to walk in it to repair the ruins of it to fight the warres of the Eternall behold this is sure that he is the Messias yf his doing prosper he build the temple in place gather the dispersed of Israel behold that man is Messias out of all doubt And he will settle al the world to serue the Lord togeither As it is said then I will turne vnto nations pure Lippes that all may call vpon the name of the Eternall serue him with one accord Perek or Section 12. the last of all his Thalmud Let it not come into thy hart that in the dayes of Messias any thing shal be abrogated from the custome of the world or that any newnes shal be in the frame of the world Nothing so The world goeth on in the same rate and that which is said in Esay And the wolf shal dwell with the Lambe the Leopard
in Aarons Brest lap or Care of iudgement And to shew what iustice God required they have plain Lawes of perfect Equity with a curse to all that kepe not every one that men might know how sinne aboundeth to the poore in spirit the redeemer is declared in mysteries that the prophane should not skoff yet plainly to such as mark how Adam Abraham heard of him life of the soule is shewed by dwelling with God as the second death for the soule by anger from the face of God Thus closly the world to come is shewed Also the tabernacle appartenāces shewed Christ his dwelling with man by sacrifices birdes escaped his death resurrectiō that for iustice hence by faith men should not say who can go vp to heaven to bring Christ downe or who can goe to the depe of the earth to bring Christ from the dead but might know that Iesus should be the Eternal that the Godhead should raise him frō the dead And the saving of our soules appeared in the Brasen serpent when Moses lifted vp the serpent in the wildernes the stonged by serpentes weare healed Many dout lesse asked him what was meant therby he told that so the sun of man should be lifted vp that they who beleved on him should not perish but have life everlasting Moses mynd shined with knowledge of all as did his face shine with light Levies Sunlike Smaragd his Prophecies abridg all the holy stories he maketh the twelve dum stones tell much from Aarons brest And the Patriarkes lives have the like revolutiones in their children how for cleaving to the redeamer they should find glory againe shame in refusing their fathers God folowing the blindenes of the God of this world Now in David God historically expresseth Christ his Kingdome David cometh to his Kingdome by continuall afflictiones so all that will folow the religion of Christ shal be persecuted And by whom the covenant of God his law shall be kept to vanquish Satan David is told evē that Christ shall come of his loynes to reigne vpon his throne for ever Of him he shall come to be a man a King in this world but he shall have no Kingdome in this world the earth which God hath cursed but to him is the world to come subdued being the creator David sheweth how yet in his suffringes death he was made inferior to Angels but crowned with glory honour since he sate on the right hand of God And when he came into the world all the Angels of God worshipped him And that Iuda should consider how by suffrings this glory cometh David describeth as an Evangelist the suffringes of Christ This David doeth And telleth in Prophecies the overthrow of his nation theyr captivity retarne Antiochus persecutiones the Iewes reiection even all their times how God toke a time to plant them will pluck them vp to seke them will destroy them to kepe them will cast them off to love them and will hate them Now for experience that a Kingdome vnder the Sun was not promised in Christ Salomon had all wisdome wealth pleasure found all to be vanitie by his pleasures fell from God but returned and teacheh in Ecclesiastes in all particular sortes that all here is but vanitie vexation of spirit by mans dealinges and by the sorowes of theyr handes and closly warneth that his sonne shall not rule all his foreseying how Iosephs Ieroboam vold leave only Iuda to be an whole tribe till Shiloh his childe by the Virgin the King Eternall came in the flesh Part of Rachels house and a litle of Beniamin because God built half Ierusalem and the Temple in his tribe for that part of Beniamin cleaved to Iuda as a wolf though not a lion in Mardochai and Atossa the mother of Great Artaxerxes that built the temple which abode till our Lord came into it And Salomon warneth the ten tribes how they wil be robbers making one purse and refuse the love of the truth and how God wold laugh at their destruction by Assur and fitted Proverbes to have kept them from destruction And the sonne of Thamar of Rachab of Ruth of Bathsuagh in the Canticles turneth all ioy to the Kingdome of Christ that Iosephs house should not despise the root of Iessai though Iesus Son of Nun conquered the Land made the Sun to stay A matter shewing that which foloweth IESVS the Sonne of GOD and the Sonne of David after the flesh wold darken the Sun and shake all the earth And yeres nere a thousand GOD still so governed Iuda that they should look for the Kingdome of heaven alwayes opened by CHRIST and still feele their state on earth to be full of sorow That did they sone prove true For the Kinges of Iuda were all eyther worshippers of Devels with many of theyr people or in some feeling of great danger distresse or in open hearing of Prophetes and that many at once that Babel should end their state and Salomons house because they followed Babel built to make Gōddes of creatures Salomons house vtterly perished And in Babel the Image and other Pictures telles them in expositiones seaven times over how heathen shall withold Iudahs kingdome even from Salathiel and Zoroba babel our Lords Fathers after the flesh vntill he came into the world And they saw how yet vnder Heathen they were defended And when they saw not only the fall of Salomons race temple city kingdome but of mighty Babel in 70. yeres reigne then they were in fit case to be taught of Davids Throne that should stand for ever Aethan of Phares brother Zarach told it afore Psal 89. But the Angel Gabriel telleth it more properly even to the very yere and day that all the world might reckon 490. yeres to gather how many yeres monethes and dayes they were from the end of Moses how nere to the work of redemption by the sonne of God dwelling in our tabernacle And poor Iewes from 120. nationes are sent to Ierusalem by Cyrus proclamation of the true God who all could teach Heathen that the world was made and also how longue then it had stode wher still infidels will erre And for receaving of Christ his Prophecy the poore nation that returned to Ierusalem in hope of life by it is recorded by the holy spirit which beautified the heavens in high honour how many theyr whole number to every man did make This honor had the sainctes their poore state in Ezra Nehemias is from God set downe their defence affinity with the Persiā kinges also is pēned frō Gods wisdome religion is expōded by Aggei Zachary Malachy evē to Iohn Bap. to the meke King Christ himself to the destructiō of their natiō which will not beleve that all kingdomes vnder the Sun are vanity but doe and will still