command from Augustus Caesar Augustus was the proper name of this King but the name Caesar was a common name for every King who was set over the Romans was called Caesar even unto this as the King of the Egyptians was called Pharaoh and of the Persians Kosro and this Caesar governed the Romans the Egyptians the Hebrews and the Assyrians The Command went out That the inhabited World should be Taxed because he was desirous to know the number of men within his Jurisdiction according as David sent Joab and numbred the people Others say because he was willing to send every one into his own City and Countrey but these opinions are not the likeliest to be true but that which is most probable is That he was willing to raise Pole-money which is manifest from that which Gamaliel said in the Acts of the Apostles That Judah of Galilee arose in the dayes when men were taxed for Pole-money and there was not another tax neither before nor after that And St. Ephraim in his Exposition testifieth as much and Christ was born in the time of this Tax and he excited this King thereunto though he were unworthy as he did unto Balaam and the Wise men that Joseph and Mary coming up from Nazareth to Bethlehem might there be Taxed and our Lord be born there to fulfill the word of Micah Thou Bethlehem c. And that the Jewes might not contend and say That he was not Christ neither of the Lineage of David therefore he ascended thither and he was born in the Forty third year of Augustus and the Thirty third of Herod Augustus is expounded an arising brightness and splendor and Christ is the splendor of the Father and did arise from on high Augustus had not yet governed Sixteen years and Christ unto whom he was Type hath no end of his Kingdom And if Caesar Taxed them for Pole-money Christ also said Give unto Caesar that which is Caesars And if it were to know how many men were within the compass of his Jurisdiction Christ also in regard of the Providence he hath over us said The hairs of your heads are numbred and if it were for the return of every one into his own Countrey or Region Christ also brought forth Souls out of Hell and caused them to return unto their former place And it came to pass in those dayes Not in those wherein John was Nursed up until the day of his Proclamation in those dayes Christ was Thirty years old Neither in the dayes that Elizabeth brought forth for then Mary had conceived Three Months but dayes he calls in this place the dayes after Elizabeth brought forth FINIS The ARMENIAN CREED Translated out of that Language by D.L. J.U.D. WE profess and believe with a sincere heart God the Father not made nor begotten and without beginning the Begetter of the Son and Fountain of the Holy Ghost We believe God the Word not made but begotten and having a beginning from the Father before the world being not after nor younger than the Father the Father being Father onely and the Son Son onely We believe the Holy Ghost not made eternal not begotten but proceeding coessential with the Father and equal in glory with the Son We believe the Holy Trinity One Nature One Godhead not Three Gods but One God One Will One Kingdom One Authority Creator of all things visible and invisible We believe the Holy Church the remission of sins the communion of Saints We believe that One of the Three Persons the Word God begotten of the Father before the world descending in time took of the blood of the Virgin Mary the Mother of God and united it unto his Godhead was Nine moneths contain'd in the Womb of an uncorrupted Virgin and that he was perfect God and perfect man with soul mind and body One Soul and One Person compos'd in One Subsistence God was made Man without mutation without confusion without seed of Conception of incorrupt Nativity There is no beginning of his Divinity nor end of his Humanity for Jesus Christ yesterday and to day and for ever We believe our Lord Jesus Christ convers'd on earth and that after Thirty Years conversation here He was Baptized the Father testifying This is my well-beloved Son and the Holy Ghost descending as a Dove That He was tempted of Satan and that he assiduously preached Salvation unto men That He laboured in Body and suffered in weariness That he was hungry and thirsty That He afterward voluntarily came among his enemies That he was Crucified and Dyed in his Body but lived in the Divinity He preached unto souls and took Hell captive and free'd the Spirits After Three dayes he arose from the Dead and appeared to the Disciples I believe our Lord Jesus Christ is with the self same Body ascended into Heaven and that he sits on the Right Hand of the Father Moreover That He is with the same Body and with the glory of the Father to judge the living and the dead at the Resurrection of all men I believe also a retribution of Works eternal life for the Just and eternal torment for Sinners FINIS INTRODUCTIO DIONYSIISYRI IN EXPOSITIONEM SUAM QUATUOR EVANGELISTARUM Per DUDLEIUM LOFYUSIUM J. U. D. in Linguam Latinam versa DVBLINII Et prostant venales apud Josophum Wilde M. D C. LXXII Virtute quidem auxilio sanctae Trinitatis in essentia aequalis Patris Filii ac Spiritus sancti unius veri Dei exorsi sumus scribere explicationem Evangelii colendi sancti è quatuor sanctis Evangelistis Matthaeo Marco Luca Johanne collecti quam edidit sanctus Dominus Dionysius viz. Jacobus filius Crucis qui secernens eam quasi in Sectiones ab omnibus libris Expositorum ad instar flabelliferi divenit Caput primum ipsius Sancti praenominati ABsolutâ explicatione Legis antiquae Prophetarum Frater noster prout expedire visum est breviter stiloque quem potui adhibere simpliciore novam aggressisumus i.e. Evangelium Actus Apostolorum necnon Pauli Epistolas ea mente ut eandem simili modo tractemus de propriis tamen nostris nihil dicturi sed Expositorum innitentes fundamento aedificium spirituale animae proficiens struximus Cum autem intuiti fuerimus exploraverimus explicationem Evangelii quam ediderunt ipsi quorum nomina sum recitaturus viz. Dominus Ephraim Dominus Johannes Cyrillus insuper etiam Moses Bar Cepha Johannes de Dara cum non modica aliorum Doctorum Caterva nobis videatur omnino impossibile omnes eorum Expositiones in uno libro coacervare nè ita ultra justam produceretur mensuram hujusmodi Tractatus ut ei non sufficeret librorum Schedarum multitudo Nobis visum est omnium istorum Expositorum sensum in Compendium deducere nec non longitudinem latitudinem verborum quibus usi sunt in quantum poterimus contrahere haec est instituti nostri ratio
say In thee is blotted out the Curse by thy bearing him in whom are blessed all Nations An EXPOSITION of the LORDS PRAYER taken out of DIONYSIVS SYRVS his CATENA on the Sixth Chapter of St. Matthew And Translated by D. L. PRay thus That is to say Not as the Gentiles and Hypocrites but as I teach you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prayer is sometimes taken for a promise of Vows which are separated or designed by us to God according to what David said I will perform my vowes to the Lord As also for whatsoever cometh from the lips And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prayer is an Oblation made to God after the performance of a promise therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought first to be accomplished and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to follow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prayer is taken three manner of wayes First For Words as that of Hannah who prayed with her mouth Secondly For matter of Fact as that of Phinehas who prayed by a zealous deed Thirdly For that of the mind according to that I will pray in the Spirit and I will pray with knowledge And every one of these three manner of wayes bodily mentally spiritually our Lord recommends unto us the latter Our Father who art in Heaven Our Father may be termed several wayes First Our remote Father as Adam the Father of us all Secondly Our next Father as Abraham who was the Father of Isaac Thirdly Accidental Fathers Fourthly An Instructer of Youths is called a Father Fifthly An aged man is called a Father Sixthly The High Priest is called Father Seventhly The Three hundred and eighteen Doctors are called Fathers Moreover Satan is called the Father of them who are subject unto him but in none of these kinds do we call God our Father but by reason of Baptism and forasmuch as Christ and we also are born in Baptism we are Brethren unto him and Sons to the Father as David said I will declare thy Name to my Brethren and he gave them authority to be called the Sons of God And we call the Father our Father Christ was the natural Son of his Father but we are the Sons of Grace Unto whom doth it belong to call God his Father He who is perfect in a good Conversation is he who calls God our Father but he who is of a sordid and evil Conversation calls Satan his Father because he fulfills his Will Why doth he teach us to say Our Father generally and not peculiarly every one of us My Father who art in Heaven That he might shew that we are one Body and that our Father is one and that we might pray for the intire body of Brethren Moreover by the words Our Father he beats down Pride and exalted Opinions of our selves shewing That Kings and Beggars are equal in that glorious Pedigree if ye all have one Father ye are also of one kind in the Spirit Our Father who art in Heaven Not that he is confined to Heaven but that he might divert the mind of him who prayeth from earthly Cogitations and raise it to Heaven Again He saith in Heaven That we might be weaned from earthly Parents and to shew that his dwelling is in Heaven Hallowed by the Name That is to say That by our glorious and gracious living the Name of God may be sanctified and glorified Again That we might consecrate our lips and our mouths to his Name because he is Holy before we can call him Holy Again Hallowed That is to say Let thy Holy Name be praised or celebrated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an Hebrew name and signifieth separation And whatsoever thing is separated from another whether it be in beauty or in riches c the Hebrew calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Holy according to that The Holy in the Land and Renowned Thy Name Thy Name is used in the place of God according to the phrase of Scripture Praise the Name of his holiness and let them know that thy Name is the Lord onely Thy Kingdom come That is to say That thou may'st deliver us from evil The word Kingdom is taken in sundry senses as we have hinted heretofore Kingdom The Beatitude of the World to come wherein we shall be made immortal Kingdom The time after the Resurrection of Christ according to that I will not drink of the fruit of the Vine until I drink it anew in the Kingdom Kingdom The Gospel Kingdom The Theory of Things of small quantity according to that The Kingdom is like unto Leaven Kingdom The Contemplation of the Trinity according to that The Kingdom cometh not by observation and the Kingdom of God is within you Here he calls the Kingdom the Grace of the Holy Spirit which we receive in Baptism Again Thy Kingdom come He teacheth us to pray for Faith in him therefore he calls Faith the Kingdom Thy Will be done He teacheth us to pray for a vertuous and chaste Conversation Moreover Be pleased that we who dwell on earth may glorifie thee As in Heaven so also in Earth That is to say As thou art well-pleased with the Angels in Heaven so also be pleased with us who dwell on Earth Give us the Bread of our Exigency By Bread is understood all things necessary for the Body Meat Drink Rayment and Lodging all which are requisite for the Body This day In that he saith the day he means the present time Remit unto us our debts as we also For remission he gives remission we as men remit unto men but he as God remits unto us our many Trespasses And as is the disproportion between a grain and a Mountain between a drop and the Sea so little is our remission in comparison of that remission he grants us Lead us not into Tentation That is to say Let us not be the occasion of their being condemned who are to bring Tribulations upon us And again It doth not befit us to presume of our own accord the exposing of our selves to Tentations for Satan himself continually raiseth them up against us and therefore let not us excite them But deliver us from Evil. That is to say It behoveth us alwayes to pray that we may be delivered from the Temptations which the evil one raiseth against us For thine is the Kingdom If the Kingdom be his then Satan is his Slave and cannot presume to attempt any thing unless he permit him as he gave him permission in the case of Job and of the Swine The Power and the Glory His is the Power for he is able to do all Things And Glory for ever For as his Kingdom is sure and his Power great so also shall his Glory without end remain for ever He comprehends the Prayer in Ten sentences according to the Mystery of the Ten Commandments and the Ten Beatitudes and Jud which signifieth Ten is the letter of Jesus and the five first sentences concern the Soul and the five latter concern the Body that we may purge the
to his Father what he had done and that he might convince those who said he was an enemy to God And he sighed First by reason of the hardness of their hearts who saw the Miracles which he wrought and did not believe Secondly because there were some amongst them who did not onely not believe when they saw the Miracles which he did but also crucified him Thirdly as a Shepherd who sighs for his lost sheep and as a Mariner for his ship that is lost Fourthly by reason of Humane Nature which until then was humbled afflicted and brought into subjection Fifthly by reason of the captivity of our nature by the Devils And looking up to heaven he said unto him Ephphatha He did not open him by prayer or supplication but as in the beginning he commanded the light and it was made And if any one say That in the Beginning the Father commanded the Creatures that they should be made We answer That there was the same Commandment of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost as it is written That by the word of the Lord the heavens were made And straightway his ears were opened This was the operation of God who so soon as he commands any thing it is perfectly done according to that he commanded and they were and he commanded and he arose wherefore from hence That he commanded and it was done we understand That Christ who is God was made man And he charged them that they should tell no man thereof For he abstained from vain glory nay rather he Taught how to shun it and this which he said And he charged them being of the plural number whereas there was but one deaf man which he Cured must be taken in this sense That he joined this deaf man with others whom he had Cured or he charged this deaf man together with the multitude there assembled That they should tell no man CHAP. VIII ANd he came to Bethsaida and they brought unto him a blind man That is to say That they might Tempt him as his Friends And he took him by the hand and led him out of the town Wherefore he led him out hath been spoken unto by us concerning the deaf man And he did spit on his eyes This in like manner have we explained before And he asked him Dost thou see any thing That the blind man might be confirmed concerning his Cure I see men like trees walking The word walking is to be referred to men and not to trees according to that All the people saw the voyces and the lightnings and the Priests accompanied them in the way and they flew It had been an easie thing for him in the twinkling of an eye to have Cured him but he prolonged his Cure that the blind man might be more sensible thereof And that this Miracle might be confirmed and that the Humanation of Christ might not be taken for a fancy some say That because this blind man and that deaf man were doubtful in the Faith therefore did Christ prolong their Cure and effected it by little and little that they might be sensible thereof And sent him to his house Thereby abstaining from vain glory and Teaching us to flie from it And Peter took him and began to rebuke him Not angerly but lovingly and rather by way of Deprecation But he turned about and looked That is to say Jesus looked on his Disciples as if a man should say observe what Simeon saith even that which a Religious man should not think fit to admit into his Thoughts Get thee behind me Satan He calls him Satan by way of Admonition unto them that no man should presume to find fault with such Things as are acceptable to God as if they were complying with the mind of the Devil CHAP. IX I Have brought unto thee my son That is to say Not the Spirit which did not speak but the man who â—â—ught the infirm person spoke for his speech was suppressed whil'st he was Tormented He bruiseth him and he foameth That is to say Froth did come out of his mouth and he was like a dry stick And he spake to his Disciples that they should cast him out and they could not Because it was not decent that they should work Miracles when they were so near our Lord for when they were sent into Judaea they themselves did not only do mighty deeds but also said unto our Lord Behold the Devils are subject unto us through thy Name Nay others acted in his Name insomuch that they said We saw a man casting out Devils in thy Name and we forbade him We have expounded the rest of this matter upon Matthew And he wallowed and foamed That is to say he did beat with his legs and he cast up foam And Jesus asked his Father He did not ask as being ignorant for he who knew the Father perfectly knew also the time when this unclean spirit entred but he asked the question for four Reasons First That he might shew the contempt of the Jews Secondly That the power of Christ might be the more taken notice of and published Thirdly That the Miracle might be the more magnified in the eyes of the Beholders Fourthly That those who stood in need of Cure might be sensible of his Cure and these things we have explained in Matthew John said unto him Master we have seen a man who casteth out Devils in thy Name and we prohibited him It is probable That this man was one of those who often came to our Lord although he did not follow him as did his Disciples and because he was worthy our Lord bestowed on him this power But the Disciples when they observed it they forbade him the exercise thereof That is to say They admonished him under pain of Excommunication since thou art not of those who adhere to our Lord it is not lawful for thee to cast out Devils in his Name but our Lord saith unto them Forbid them not for there is no man who worketh a miracle in my Name and can suddenly speak evil of me If thy hand offend thee cut it off it is better for thee maimed c. By the Hand and by the Foot he signifieth the Congregation That is to say The lesser sort of People and Commonalty That is to say Whosoever is Arrogant a Glutton or a Covetous person or a Fornicator whether he be a Governor of the Congregation or of the meaner sort if he offend the Church to wit the Faithful cut him off and cast him out of the Church lest that he infect the whole Church by his offence and so all fall into Hell For every one shall be salted with fire and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt That is to say even as that Coyn which is tryed and purged by fire is of use to a Kingdom And as Salt preserves tender Bodies from Corruption so also the grace of the Spirit preserveth loose minds from the corrupt odour of sin
two must necessarily be false either the Prophesie or the Genealogy Saint Severus answereth That the Throne from whence the seed of Jocaniah was to fail was not the heavenly one which appertained to our Lord but an earthly one My Kingdom is not of the world And Shelathiel the son of Jocaniah here mentioned was the son of Neri named in St. Luke the son of Neri and Jocaniah were Brethren as from the Mother and when Neri dyed without sons Jocaniah married his Wife and of her begate Shelathiel it being clear that Matthew did set down the Natural Genealogy and Luke the Legal Zurubabel begate Abiud Luke maketh Resa to be son of Zurubabel and Saint Severus saith That both of them were his sons and that Matthew reckoned upon the one and Luke upon the other Jacob begate Joseph Luke sets down Joseph to be the son of Heli and it is said that Jacob and Heli were Brethren on the Mothers side and when Heli dyed without children Jacob took his Wife and of her begate Joseph who according to the Law was the son of Heli and naturally the son of Jacob. Moreover Luke sheweth That although Joseph be reduced to Heli yet so the Genealogy of Christ may be brought to David by Nathan and he doth not fix the Genealogy upon Mary for that the Families were not to be deduced from Women yet by the mention of the Genealogy of Joseph that of the Virgin is made known because their Ancestors were Brethren one to another the Father of the Virgin was called by many names Joiakim Jonchir Tsadock Josedack and her Mother was called Hana and Dina. Of whom was born Jesus who is called the Greek who is said to be Christ that is to say Jesus which is interpreted a Redeemer it is a name of his Humanity but Son the Word and Splendor are names of his Divinity but Christ and Emanuel are both of them names of Association and from the unction of the Humanity with the Godhead cometh the name Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nondum when as they had not come together The Greek hath it before they came together she was found with child Some say that she was a Votress and that Joseph espoused her for Tuition and not for marital Conversation but St. Severus saith That he espoused her as it were for marital converse or else it had not been said When as yet they did not come together but forasmuch as a miracle preceded their coming together he was prohibited from carnal commerce For he that is born in her That is to say the word born is to be taken for conceived and for this reason it is said in her and not of her And thou shalt call his Name Jesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say Thou Joseph but Luke saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say Thou Mary shalt call And knew her not until she brought forth her first-born son That is to say Neither did he know her after she brought him forth according to that The Raven went forth and returned not until the waters were dryed up and it is clear that he did not return after the waters were dryed up The like is said of Malchil the daughter of Saul she brought not forth until she dyed And he is called her first-born son not that she brought forth another after him but for that before him she brought forth no other and Jose and James were called his Brethren as in respect of Joseph but not in regard of Mary CHAP. II. THere came wise men from the East Some say That there came three Princes with a Thousand men And holy James saith That there were Twelve Princes who left Seven thousand at Euphrates and came to Jerusalem with a Thousand St. Junnais and Cyrillus say That they came when he was an Infant and wrap't in swadling cloaths for the Star conducted them before he was born And Eusebius and Epiphanius and Prince Ephraim and Prince James say That those wise men came two years afterwards when they had carried him to Jerusalem and were in Bethlehem and therefore the Evangelist saith That they entred into a House and not into a Cave and in the same night the Angel appeared unto Joseph and he fled from thence into Egypt And it is very manifest That when he was born he went from Bethlehem to Nazareth as Luke saith and after Two years when the wise men came he fled from Bethlehem to Egypt as Matthew saith We have seen his star in the East Some say That an Angel appeared unto them in the likeness of a star and according to the relation of others They saw in the star a young maid bearing a man child in her arms having a crown on his head Others say That they saw in the star letters declarative of his birth Others say That Balaam their Father or Zardushti their Prophet foretold the same And would not be comforted because they were not That is to say They could not revive He shall be called a Nazaren Matthew knew this either from an unknown Prophet or from Tradition or from the Holy Ghost And Prince Ephraim saith That a Branch or a Bough is in the Hebrew called Nozor it being apparent that this is the Prophesie That a branch shall proceed from the root of Jesse And hence it is That the words he shall be called a Nazaren import That he shall be called a Branch CHAP. III. IN those dayes came John the Baptist That is to say He doth not speak of those dayes when Jesus returned from Egypt for he was then Five years of age being Two years old when he went thither and remaining there Three years but he calls the whole space of Twenty and five years that he dwelt in Nazareth after his coming from Egypt those dayes for when he was Thirty years of age he was baptized by John Repent the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand That is to say the Gospel of Christ which leadeth to Heaven And John was the first who used this expression of the Kingdom of Heaven And his meat was Locusts and wilde Honey Some say That he calls sweet Roots and Sprouts by the name of Locusts and in the Diateseron it is written Milk and Honey Sadduces They were Samaritans To flie from the wrath to come That is to say From the destruction of Jerusalem which was to come to pass by Vespasian From these stones That is to say From the steril Gentiles And he saw the Spirit of God Matthew and Mark and John say only of John the Baptist that he saw the Spirit And Luke saith That the Heavens were opened and the Spirit descended after he was baptized whil'st he prayed But whether he saw or they saw he doth not mention And St. Junnis saith That the whole multitude saw the Spirit because that when they could not by the voyce which they heard know who it was the Testimony concern'd The Spirit rested upon him and shewed him unto them
CHAP. IV. THen Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit into the Wilderness He did not immediately after his Baptism go into the Wilderness for that Three dayes after he was baptized he wrought the miracle of converting Water into Wine in Kotna To be Tempted of the Devil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are Accusations and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth as much as if one should repeat the crimes of another He was afterward an hungred That is to say in confirmation of his Humanity but though Moses and Elias fasted each of them Forty dayes it was not said of them that they suffered Hunger for no man doubted but that they were men And shewed him all the Kingdoms of the World and the Glory of them That is to say by the ministry of the Fancy but not really and in Truth Luke placeth the conflict of Vain-glory in the Third place and that congruously because the Two conflicts viz. of Bread and of shewing him the Kingdoms were in the Wilderness but that of Hunger was on the Temple in the City He departed into Galilee That is to say He Taught us that we should not stand in the way of evil For they were Fishers That is to say in the Old Testament Shepherds were chosen and called as Jacob Moses and David because they were to govern their own and peculiar people but in the New they were Fishers because they were commanded to Teach without limitation every one who was prepared as well of the Gentiles as of the Jewes CHAP. V. BLessed are they who mourn That is to say who mourn for their sins For they shall be comforted That is to say by pardon and forgiveness For they shall inherit the Earth He calls Earth the extremity of the Firmament whereunto the righteous are to ascend in the Resurrection as David said I hope to see the blessings of the Lord in the Land of the Living The Peace-makers That is to say They who work a reconciliation between the Soul and the Body insomuch that the Soul desireth nothing that may be hurtful to the Body It is good for nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This word is unusual and is not to be found elsewhere in the whole Contexture of the Scripture Guilty of Judgement That is to say of Murther Guilty of the Congregation That is to say To be expelled out of the Congregation Raka This word signifieth Contempt in respect of the Body and the word Fool Contempt in regard of the Soul Thou shalt not go thence until thou shalt pay The word until doth not denote a Release from Hell nor an end of Torment Hath committed Adultery in his heart He doth not condemn the natural motion but the will of him who is incited lasciviously And shall take away thy Tunick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say Thy upper garment Thy Vest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say The nether garment which covereth the nakedness CHAP. VI. THey have received their Reward That is to say Praise from Men. Our Father which art in Heaven He Teacheth us That we should seek those Things which are above the Earth and not that God is confined to the Heavens From Evil. That is to say from Satan The light of the Body is the Eye The Eye mystically signifieth the Fathers and Teachers and the Body signifieth the People CHAP. VII JVdge not That is to say wickedly Not every one who shall say unto me Lord Lord. That is to say Faith without good Works doth not avail CHAP. VIII AS Moses commanded for a testimony unto them That is to say That they might Testifie for me that I do not destroy the Law When Jesus heard he marvelled That is to say According to his Humane Nature for the Divine Nature doth not wonder at any thing because admiration is a passion of the rational Soul not comprehending the cause of a Thing And saw his Wives mother He declares hereby That he had a Wife And it hath been said That when he was called to the Office of an Apostle he did not any more converse with her Bury my Father Either he was sick unto death or was very aged Permit us to go into the herd of Swine That is to say To the intent that when the Swine should perish the Owners of them might persecute him CHAP. IX AND passed over and came to his own City That is to say to Capernaum as Mark saith for in Bethlehem he was born in Nazareth he was bred and he dwelled in Capernaum Thy sins are forgiven thee That is to say because sins were the cause of the Palsie by the taking away the cause he also took away the effect Sitting amongst the Publicans whose name was Matthew This he writes of himself and such was his Humility that he was not ashamed of his former calling to wit of being a Customer which was reproachful CHAP. X. THE first Simon who is called Cephas He was the chief of the Apostles he was of Bethsaida of the Tribe of Naphtali He Taught one year in Antioch and built a Church there and went to Rome and preached there for the space of Twenty seven years and when Paul came unto him there was a great perturbation in Rome and Nero commanded that both of them should be slain and Peter desired to be crucified with his Head downwards that he might as it were kiss his Lords feet And John his brother That is to say The Evangelist He departed from Jerusalem together with Mary the mother of our Lord and they were banished together to the Island of Patmus and when he returned from Banishment he Preached in Asia and built a Church in Ephesus and Ignatius the fiery and Polycarp ministred unto him and he buried the Blessed Mary and no man knoweth where he laid her He lived seventy and three years and dyed after all the Apostles and was buried in Ephesus Bartholomew His name was Jesus and in honour of his Master he did not call him by his name but by the name of his Father Think not that I come to send peace on earth Some Object How doth this agree with that He shall speak peace with the Nations And that He is our peace And that My peace I give unto you We answer That those Things respect the perfection of the Gospel but this hath relation to the beginning thereof A Prophet in the name of a Prophet That is to say Although he be a Prophet in name onely and not in deed CHAP. XI A Reed shaken with the wind That is to say What think ye of him who hath a wavering mind ready to bend with every wind And of him who having formerly known me will now make shew as if he knew me not And more than a Prophet That is to say He Prophesied and gave Testimony of me as did the rest of the Prophets And he hath this superadded excellency That he saw me bodily CHAP. XII