him by faith It is sayd that this commaundement of embracing Christ is the first for if this were not the other were to small purpose Now that the Iewes should not be amazed at sixe hundred and thirteene Lawes seuen weekes betweene their comming out of Egypt and the giuing of the Lawe were allowed them for meditation And yet as they made nothing of the Lambe so Antichrist treadeth vnder foot the sufferings of Christ This Commandement of thy God they brought out of Egypt Clemens Alexandrinus saith That Egypt is a signe of the wicked world therefore euerie man must looke by the Redeemer to bee deliuered And wee must remember Moses Law You shall not doe after the manner of the Nations from whence ye came nor whither you goe Concerning the Ceremonie of Sitting Standing at the Passeouer This is the consent of the Iewes they of fit yeares did sit Those which were young did stand vnlesse they were bidden to sit At the first instituting of the Passeouer the gesture was prescribed being fit for them who were presently with speed to passe away When it is repeated againe when they are in the Land this action is left out Christ sat with his Apostles after the manner of the wild Irish on the ground From this we may gather that it is left to the circumstance of time and place and which fitteth best in discretion the manners and comlinesse of the Countrey Therefore the best is that which the common weale alloweth Fiftie dayes after his ascention Christ sendeth downe his spirit And thereby maketh the preaching of the Gospell equall in maiestie to the giuing of the Law Concerning the day no day is prescribed therefore the Church thought good to appoint the first Sabbath after the full moone For Easter mention is made of the Lords day in the 20. Actes 1. Cor. 16. in cap. 1. The next thing to be handled is the giuing of the Law GOd calleth simple men out of Egypt and willeth them to heare and iudge of his Lawes and telleth them Heare Israel I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt c. In this first sentence you haue the Gospell taught in these wordes Thy God For by this is vnderstood the Redemption by Christ For though God in respect that he is Creator is God both of the wicked and the Godlie yet he neuer calleth himselfe The God of the wicked Hitherto is all the Lawe referred For all the prophesies in Christ are Yea and Amen This entrance to the Law by the Gospell is exceeding necessarie For seeing if we behold the infinite maiestie of God in our weaknesse there is no cause but of trembling and feare it pleaseth God in the face of Thy God the Redeemer to shew himselfe fauourable and reconciled whereby we may approch with boldnesse Yet this doctrine of the preaching of the Gospell in the Law hath beene verie much doubted of and hath beene thought erronious But I will aske them Seeing the Law comprehends all righteousnesse and there is no righteousnesse but which is there commanded if to beleeue in Christ which is the Gospell is not there commanded to doe it must needs be sinne And Saint Paul for commaunding beleife in Christ had bene by law lawfully put to death if Moses in his law had not commaunded it All our men which write Catechismes do apply the Sabbath and the Sacraments together so against their wils they confesse that the doctrine of the Sacraments is in the Law Saint Paul if he were demaunded this question would answere to this as Christ himselfe doth The Pharisees demand of Christ Which is the first Commandement He answereth them demandeth another question Whose sonne is the Messias They answere Dauids If he be Dauids sonne how then doth he in spirit call him Lord For if he be his Lord how is he then his sonne And thereupon because the Iewes vnderstood not this he pronounceth against them a great many of Woes This is yet thought doubtfull seeing the Creed hath beene taken for a distinct and diuided thing from the Law But if they marke they shall finde the verie same taught in the Creed which is taught in Heare Israel thy Lord thy God For I beleeue in God the Father Almightie and in Iesus Christ his onely sonne our Lord hath the very same sentence with the former Heare Israel I am the Lord thy God And surely they little know what they teach that doe not in such reference applie the Lawe and the Gospell together God deliuereth the Law in this sort I Am the Lord thy God which with a mightie hand and stretched-out arme shewing my wonders in the land of Egypt haue brought thee out of bondage It is therefore reason that seeing I onely haue done these things for you that you reuerence no Gods but me And seeing I neuer shewed my selfe in any bodily apparance and the Creatures doe but in a sort expresse my infinite power and wisedome it is reason that you should not after the manner of the Nations which I destroy make any image to represent my glory And seeing that hee hath commaunded Holinesse because he himselfe is Holy therefore we must take heed of foolish and vaine calling and talking of the name of God Now for as much as these things may the better be considered hee hath appointed a day of Rest that thereby calling to mind the Creation the fall and restoring we may sanctifie the Lord in our soules And hath appointed it the seuenth day because we should keepe in memorie how God rested from Creating and thereby learne that the true knowledge hereof is the Rest and life of the soule But seeing these things cannot be done without mainteining of policie therefore it is commanded that their should bee honour giuen to Superiors as to Fathers and loue performed by them to subiects as to children which is preserued if Murther Adulterie Theft False witnesse and an vniust desire of thâ— which is not ours be auoided These Lawes are so certaine and plaine that the heart of the simplest cannot but acknowledge them righteous For they may see likewise how one commaundement dependeth of another as lincks of a golden chaine The Cabalists say that these lawes were giuen to man for the sinne of the serpent that is to say not for vs to accomplish for wee cannot attaine thereto but to shew vnto vs how farre the infection of that venome hath carried vs away from that duetie which God requireth of vs which end of the lawe is greatly enlightned into vs by the comming of the Messias in that he teacheth vs that the Lawe is not satisfied with an outward and Pharisaicall obedience by hypocrisie but by the vncorrupt obedience of the heart and by the acknowledgement of our disobedience And Moses and the Prophets commaunded circumcision of heart the offering of prayse and obedience and to abstaine from vnhallowing the Sabbath day with vnrighteousnesse therefore the seruice which
he had no affliction in Canaan onelie hee was driuen to goe to Abimelech King of the Philistims and dwelt in Gerar where he was somewhat iniured Abraham praying for Ismael that God would blesse him he saith I will make of him a mightie nation but in Isaack shall thy seede be called It is written that Abraham had two sonnes one by a seruant and one by a free woman But he which was of the seruant was after the flesh and he which was of the free woman was by promise which things are spoken by an allegorie For these mothers are the two Testaments the one which is Hagar of mount Sinay For Hagar or mount Sinay is a mountaine in Arabia which gendreth vnto bondage and it answereth to Ierusalem which now is and shee is in bondage with her children But Ierusalem which is aboue is free which is the mother of vs all for we are after the maner of Isaack children of the promise But as then he which was after the flesh persecuted him that was borne after the spirit euen so is it now But what saith the scripture put out the seruant and her sonne for the sonne of the seruant shall not bee heire with the sonne of the free woman then wee are not children of the seruant but of the free woman Gal. 4. 2113 Ismael Hagar are expelled Abrahams house Gen. 16. It was sayd vnto Abraham that his seede should be afflicted in a land that is not theirs 400. yeeres and should serue them and they should intreat them euill Now if wee reckon the time of the abode of the children of Israel in Egypt wee shall finde it but 215. yeeres for Iacob goeth into Egypt 185. yeeres after the Promise of the 400. yerees So that they were not in Egypt full 400. yeeres but they were afflicted first and last 400. yeeres For Ismael the Egyptian flowteth Isaack and beginneth the 400. yeere And Pharaoh the Egyptian in the end of 400. yeere afflicteth the Seed of Isaack And as the Seede of Sem were afflicted by Cham 400. yeeres so afterwards about that time were they also afflicted by Iaphet It may be obiected How is Ismael an Egyptian seeing he is of Abraham He is by the mothers side an Egyptian for Hagar was of that countrey And by this exposition it falleth out to bee true Wee haue for to warrant this the like in the storie of the Kings where one being an Egyptian is called of the Kings seed because one of his ancestors married with a wife of Iuda This storie is mentioned in 1. Chro. 2. It is thus said Shesan had no sonnes but daughters and Shesan had a seruant an Egyptian named Iarchthange and Shesan gaue him his daughter to wife In 2. King 25. After that the King of Babell had ouerthrowne Ierusalem he left people in the land of Iuda to til the ground and to exercise manuell trades which were made tributaries and he set Godoliah ruler ouer them Then came Ismael the sonne of Nethaniah to Godoliah to Mizpah And Godoliah sware vnto them that they should not feare to serue the King for by that meanes it should bee well with them and they should dwell with them in the land But in the seuenth moneth Ismael the sonne of Nethaniah the sonne of Elishama of the Kings Seede came and slew Godoliah and he died Heere Ismael which was by his fathers side Iarchthange an Egyptian is called of the Kings seed sixteene ages after because his auncestor Iarchthange married one of Iuda And surely it is likelie by this that the Kings seede was wonderfully decayed when as one by an Egyptian his great Grandfather hauing onely married in Iuda should be called of the blood Royall And without question Shesan was very wicked in despising the glory of the tribe of Iuda which he openly shewed when hee married his daughter to an Egyptian His name in Hebrew answereth to Ismaels manners afterwards for the Hebrewes affirme that Iarchthange is so harsh and lothsome to be pronounced as no word of like tediousnesse in all the Hebrew tongue So likewise Ismaels manerâ— are as detestable as the earth can afford Thus you see how Ismael Abrahams son may rightly be called an Egyptian Sara reasoneth with Abraham concerning the sending away of Hagar and Ismael Shee might haue great cause to bee grieued at the flowting of Ismael For wee may imagine her to haue vsed such like speeches as these haue bin content to haue gone with you from Vr of the Chaldeans from my fathers house mine own kinred Besides the tediousnesse of trauell I haue susteined great vexation and disquietnesse by the feare which I might haue when you went to fight with the foure Kings For my behauiour towards you it hath alwayes bene pleasing My selfe being barren I gaue you my maide that yet by her I might haue children for this euen Hagar despiseth me It had bene better for me to let Eliazar of Damascus haue enioyed the blessing Now God hath sent me a sonne see how hee is flouted Surely if you doe mee right and that which appertaineth to iustice you must driue out this bondwoman and her sonne for this sonne of the bondwoman shall not bee heire with my sonne Isaack This dealing of Sara God approueth and willeth Abraham to heare her voyce though it seeme grieuous to him Heere we see by the mocking of Ismael that the wicked euer persecute the godlie Asa maketh a law that whosoeuer will not seeke the Lord God of Israel shal be slaine The wicked make as seuere lawes But heere is the difference the lawes of the godly are so reasonable that euery one may see presently the equitie of them on the contrarie it is enough in the lawes of the wicked that it is the Kings pleasure or that it satisfies their humors To returne we may gesse that Isaack was fiue yeeres old when Ismael mocked him for otherwise Isaack could not haue perceiued it Ismaels flowting might be after this sort Is this he that shall haue the promise in whom the Nations shall be blessed a goodlie one I warrant you what continuance or strength can there be in him seeing at the time of his birth his father and mother were very old and decayed in strength and yet when he is weaned there must be great feasting and iollie cheere If we consider what an offence it is esteemed if one being a subiect or otherwise inferiour should contumeliously and despightfully taunt and vpbraide the heire apparant to a kingdome we will thinke this an iniurie not sufferable If wee obserue the time when the children of Israel came out of Egypt which was about Easter and that this time of flowting and that time maketh 400. yeeres we shall find that this mocking was likewise about Easter 2126. Sale died Gen. 11. being 514. yeeres olde IOsephus thinketh that Isaack was appointed to be sacrificed at 35. yeeres Codomanus is of opinion that Isaack at this time was offered being now 32.
perfect Sabbath hee had performed some part of the Lawe and thereby beene partaker with Christ in the worke of our Redemption Againe if Adam had continued in the image of God which is in righteousnesse and true holinesse vntill the Sabbath hee would haue performed the ordinances of the Sabbath which was to eate of the tree of life which was made for a Sacrament of conseruation vnto him and should not haue needed a Redeemer Hee did not eate of the Tree of Life for God after his fall setteth Cherubims to keepe the way of the Tree of Life least Adam eating should liue for euer Whereby it appeareth that if hee had eaten thereof before hee had not fallen Therefore it cannot be that Adam continued perfect vnto the Sabbath And further it is written Psal 49. Adam being in honour continueth not one night but is like to the beasts that perish Cedrenus a Greeke writer saith that Adam fell the sixt day of the first weeke Saint Augustine saith the woman streight way after her creation before she accompained with Adam became into the transgression otherwise Kaine had beene conceaued without sinne Theophilact vpon Matthew sayth that as man was formed the sixt day and did eate of the tree the sixt howre so Christ reforming man and healing the fall was fastened to the tree the sixt day and the sixt howre And in the storie of the creation in Genesis presently after the fall Moses speaketh of the Redemption And without wee compare the Creation with the Redemption wee misse of all For Adam to bee compared with Christ is the summe of all And wherefore should all the actions of the Redemption bee accomplished in such rarenesse except to bee aunswerable both to the fall and to the time of the fall Wherefore it is needfull wee should know our thraldome if wee will receaue comfort by the Redeemer thus First Christ the Restorer was borne of a Virgine Why because by a Virgine destruction came to the world Chrysostome compareth Eue and Marie together thus Eue beeing a Virgine hearing the wordes of the SERPENT and beleeuing them brought foorth DEATH The Virgine Marie hearing the wordes of the Angell Gabriel and beleeuing them brought foorth Life Againe why should Christ die on the sixt day rather than on the fifth or fourth And why was there darkenesse vntill the coole of the day rather than till the Sunne setting but to make the Redemption answerable to euery part of the fall because God according to the secret counsell of his owne will before the foundations of the earth were laide would make the Art of saluation so easie and the harmonie of the Bible so tuneable that no musicke in the world can bee more pleasant to the eare than the meditation of the loue of God towards vs in Christ is comfortable to the heart of man Therefore the meditation of Adams fall and the victorie of Christ ought to bee continually in our mindes Now compare Christ with Adam Adam Christ The first Adam was made a soule hauing life of earth earthly therefore by the earthly one came disobedience sinne iudgement condemnation death was created on the sixt day and did eate of the tree the sixt howre was made a man without a Father made not inferiour to the Angels lost all was tempted lost saluation at the time of eating was made ruler of the world and did not hold it did fall in the Garden his soule was in darkenes from the sixt houre vntil the ninth howre by breaking one commandement lost all was called to account at the ninth howre was debarred of the tree of life was driuen out of Paradise was the head of his Wife was a King Prophet Sacrificer liued a thousand yeeres wanting seuentie The second Adam was made a spirit giuing Life from heauen heauenlie thetefore by the heauenly one came obedience grace forgiuenesse iustification life reforming man healing the fall is fastened to the tree the sixt day the sixt howre was made a man without a Father made lower then the Angels is crowned with glory and all the Angels worship him being man whereby wee may know the world was made subiect to a man was tempted brought saluation to all at the time of eating was made ruler of the world and did hold it went into a Garden to recouer Adams fall in the garden when he suffered caused darkenes to couer the whole earth from the sixt howre till the ninth howre by fulfilling all the commaundements brought life to all at the ninth howre yeeldeth vp the Ghost and goeth to giue account to his Father is the true Tree of Life on that day openeth Paradise to the poore theefe the head of his Church was a King Prophet Sacrificer was borne seuentie yeeres before foure thousand BEcause these two Tables consist onely of numbers and that numbers in the scripture are great helpes for the vnderstanding of the same before wee come to speake of Seth it is not amisse to lay downe what numbers are of most vse in the Bible namely 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 12. 1 Expressing the vnion of the Godhead and from thence the vnitie of all godly as being members of one head Christ Iesus which is made plaine Psal 133. Behold how good and comely a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in vnitie c. 3 The distinguished Trinitie within which number many excellent things fall out still to put vs in minde of the vndeuidable coeternitie of Father Sonne and holy Spirite To shew that neither in eldest yongest or middlemost but in Gods free election standeth our eternall happinesse Adam Kaine Of Adam the eldest extreame wicked Abel Of Adam the eldest extreame wicked Seth. Of Adam the eldest extreame wicked Noah Iaphet Of Noah the youngest wicked Sem Of Noah the youngest wicked Cham. Of Noah the youngest wicked Terah Haran Of Terah the middlemost was wicked Nachor Of Terah the middlemost was wicked Abram Of Terah the middlemost was wicked Three Angels appeared to Abraham in his Tent. Three Fowers of precious stones were set in Aarons breast Three Things reserued in the Arke Three Taken vp in the old Testament and 3 in the new The Booke of the Lawe The pot of Manna and Aarons rod that did alwaies flourish Three Parts was Ierusalem diuided into Three Letters the root of euerie word in the Hebrew tongue Three Captiuities of the Iewes Three Times was the Temple grosly poluted by the Babilonians Antiochi Romanes Three Times a yeere were the Iewes bound to come to Ierusalem to giue account of their Religion Three Dayes and Nights was Ionas in the Whales belly Nights and dayes was Christ in the graue Iohns viz. Iohn Baptist Luk. 1. Iohn Euangelist Mat. 4. Iohn Marke Act. 12. Iob saued 3 Eliphaz Sophar Bildad Daniel saued 3 Ananias Azarias Mishael Noah saued 3 Sem. Cham. Iaphet In the 3. seuenth Iubile the Iewes felaway and then Ieremie said O earth earth earth Heare the word of the Lord
short of 1000. yeares so much as is the dayes of mans life Iared Methushelah and Noah ouerreached Adam in long life because of the power of the word of God He died about mount Moriah where he was made He liued till he saw many kings he himselfe the greatest and vntill he had erected a stately gouernment and taught them humane arts And he was fittest to do it beeing a King to commaund whome hee would and what hee would and hauing wit excelling all the men in the world And as in a Princes Court it is requisite to haue Noble men some higher and some lower and men of all degrees so Adam liued vntill he might haue a stately Court Now if a King should coÌ„maund a Diuine to make Adams will from his storie he would make it in this sort O my sonnes gather you together and harken vnto the words of your father Adam the last that euer he shall speake vnto you I was voide of saluation and enioyed not happinesse by disobeying which disobedieÌ„nce I theÌ„ practised wheÌ„ I harkened to the perswasion of Heua did eat the forbidden fruite I then felt the heauy iudgements of God against sinne and sawe my nakednes whereof I was ashamed 〈…〉 not remooued it by offering a blessing in the 〈◊〉 of the woman 〈…〉 you all the dayes of my life as a father that you may learne 〈…〉 gouernours which resemble fathers in behauiour I haue instructed you to loue and obey their gouernement you must know that as my saluation râ—â—â—th vpon beliefe in the sâ—ede of the woman so must yours But the house of Kaine despising this and killing Abel a figure of him who by dying shall ouercome the power of the Serpent will cause the flood to destroy the earth Few shall embrace this doctrine for though eight bee saued by the Arke yet seuen onely shall keepe sincerely the beliefe in this promise of the seede of the woman My daies haue beene long with the rest of your fathers but the end of all flesh is come vpon me for out of the earth I came and to the earth I must returne 113. Henoch is taken vp being 365. yeres old HIs yeres are answerable to the dayes of the sunne 65. yeres a yere for a day And as the sunne excelleth all other starres in brightnesse so did his life excell all other men then aliue in the world for vertue He is also sayd to haue walked with God to be a preacher of righteousnesse to bee taken vp These foure speciall commendations are of equall glory and wee may be assured by these testimonies that his godlinesse was very rare The Grecians say that hee left a booke behind him of his preaching But thereby as much as in them lyeth they call into question the truth of the Scriptures For first by this opinion they derogate from the glorie of Moses that he should not be the first writer Secondly from the wisedome of God which tooke order to lay downe the liues of the fathers in so short Arithmatique and would thereby haue his wisedome wonderfull to those which should come after which had bene to small purpose if Henoch had left a booke of his preaching But the Grecians thus being answered it followeth that Henochs prophecie was against the wordes of the wicked and against the contempt of religioÌ„ which wicked men shewed in not beleeuing the preaching of the flood Saint Iude in his Epistle from the circumstances of the men and manners of the people to whom Henoch preached gathered what might be the summe of Henochs preaching in this sort Behold the Lord commeth how as at the giuing of the law with thousands of his Angels to give iudgement against all men to rebuke all the vngodly among them of all their wicked deeds which they haue vngodly committed and of all their cruell speakings which wicked sinners haue spoken against him Vpon which words the Grecians not knowing the course of the Hebrewes in their fained speeches say that Henoch left a booke of his preaching behind him His taking vp did shew what should be the state of the godly Hee was taken vp in despite of the wicked and in recompence of his own faith Hee was taken vp 57. yeeres after Adams death all the fathers then being aliue And it may be the fathers did see him taken vp as a figure of Christs ascension The wicked might then say where is the appearance of the flood For Adam is dead and Henoch is taken vp and all things continue as from the beginning In that God bestowed so short life vpon Henoch it sheweth that hee would bestow greater blessings of him in another kind Now compare him with Christ Henoch Christ Was a Prophet for he prophecied of the destruction of the world by the flood Walked with God His dayes were as the dayes of the sunne Was taken vp being the seuenth from Adam Was a Prophet and prophecied of the destruction of the world Did the will of his Father Is the bright sunne of Iustice whose dayes in the Psalmes are likened to the dayes of the sunne In the Scripture is the seuenth that ascended To wit 1. The sonne of the widow of Sarepta 1. King 17. 2. The Shunamites sonne whom Eliseus brought againe to life 2. King 4.32 3. The souldier buried by Eliseus corps 4. Iayrus daughter Mat. 9. 5. The widowes sonne Luke 7. 6. Lazarus Luke 11. 7. Christ That is 3. in the olde Testament new Testament and the Lord was the seuenth 1042. 168. Seth died being 912 yeeres olde 1056. 182. Noah borne HIs name signifieth Comforter or Restorer The faith of Lamech no doubt was cleare concerning saluation by the seede of the woman in that he named his sonne Comforter or Restorer As if he had said though for impietie all the world be destroyed yet I am assured that the promise made to Adam must of necessitie be performed or else no flesh can be saued In this faith Adam after he had transgressed by eating of the forbidden fruite was saued In this faith Abell offered vp a greater sacrifice than Kaine In this faith Henoch walked with God and was no more seene for he was taken vp In this faith all the Fathers obtained eternall life In this faith Noah became a preacher of righteousnesse and an executor of true iudgement and prepared the Arke to the sauing of his houshold c. Heb. 11. 10. This ten is to shew that Noah is the tenth from Adam multiply Henoch by Noah that is the number of of the Sabbath by the full number 10. you haue the number 70. which throughout the Bible is famous and of great force for light in the storie In this tenth age Gods iustice ouer all flesh was extended Compare him with Christ Noah Christ Was a preacher of righteousnesse Found grace before God Was a King Prophet Sacrificer Was the true preacher of righteousnesse Dan 9. Grew in fauour with God and man Luke 2. Was a King Prophet Sacrificer Enosh
one yeare and is slaine after this there is a Famine for three yeares and the Twelfth yeare Dauid dieth and then Salomon succeedeth in the Kingdome Eupolemus saith that the building of the Temple was reserued to Salomon who came to the Crowne at the age of Twelue yeares This time hath a comparison with Christ As Salomon being Twelue yeares old decided the controuersie between the two women for the dead Child Euen so Iesus Christ much more to be admired than Salomon at Twelue yeares of age disputeth with the Doctors in the Temple For this number of Twelue You haue Twelue Signes Moneths in the yeare Stones in Iordan Loaues of bread in the Tabernacle Stewards of Salomons house Fountaines in the Wildernesse Apostles times 12 thousand Christians sealed in the Reuelatiō Christ telleth that the Queene of the South came to heare the wisedome of Salomon But saith he behold a greater than Salomon Besides cleane through the song of songs you haue Christ and Salomon compared together sauing onely in the beginning where it is sayd a Song of Salomons We read in Plutarch that it was a custome amonge the Kings of old time to put questions one to another to trie the abilitie of their wits and that a certaine praise was appointed to him that got the victorie and Dius an Historiographer of the Phoenicians rehearseth the Riddles and Questions that Salomon sent to King Hiram saying that it cost Hiram verie much in that he could not open them vntill at length he found a young man of Tyrus named Abdemon who decyphered vnto him the most part of them we finde that in the Booke of Iudges Sampson promised great rewardes to them that could declare his Riddle These haue a fit relation to the parables vttered by Christ to the Iewes Something must be said of the annointing of Kings WE shall finde that Saul was annointed because hee was the first King And Dauid was annointed because he was chosen by God of another tribe And Salomon was annointed because that Absolom and Adonay gaue a push for the Kingdome And Ioas was annointed because Athalia sought to set vp other Euerie one that is a Christian is called the annnointed of the Lord as it is in the ◠Psal Touch not mine annointed nor doe my Prophets no harme This is spoken of Abraham Isaacke and Iacob and so consequently of all the faithfull For annointing of Kings it is not lawfull by imitation to reuiue it as a ceremonie seeing this was neuer done but vpon speciall occasion the state requiring it diuers hauing at that time title to the Crowne In respect of policie it is peraduenture lawfull hauing been authorised by the consent of Nations otherwise not Temple built foure Hundred and Eightie yeares after the Children of Israel came out of Egipt 1. King 6. THe foundation of the Temple is laide on Mount Moriah where Adam was created where the Fathers in ancient time sacrificed where Isaack was offered where Iehouah appeared to Dauid staying the plague 2. Chron. 3.1 As a Citie or an house scituate vpon an hill cannot be hidden euen so God would haue his people not to behid but to be an example to all Nations The Temple is twise as bigge as the Tabernacle because that the Temple and the Tabernacle had a relation to the number of the people Seing therefore now the people were twise so many as then the Temple ought to be twise so bigge The efficient cause is the commandement and warrant of God the instrumentall cause is Dauid he putteth it not in practise because hee was a man much busied in warres It was begunne to be built in the Fourth yeare of the raigne of Salomon The Cedars for it were had from Libanon where Noahs Arke was built In the vnderstanding of the Temple and the particulars thereof consisteth the whole summe of Religion It had Sixe Courts and euerie Court of seuerall vse before you came to the holy of holyest and euerie Court were Twelue steppes one aboue another The vse of which is that it is no easie studie to attaine to the depth of the knowledge of God neither can a man attaine vnto it at the first as hee will but he must ascend by degrees So were the windowes narrowe without and wide within to shewe that they which once had obtained the knowledge of Christ embracing it with a liuely faith doe behold his graces in a full clearer sort than those which are without For the Courts they were thus distinguished Within the vtmost rayles the heathen and prophane people might stand to see and heare and as they were like beasts in knowledge so their place was next to the beasts of the field In the second Court the women stood In the third Court the Common people In the fourth Court the King did heare the Law read In the fift were the Sacrifices burnt vppon the brasen Altar In the sixt was the golden Altar and the Table of Shew-bread In the Seuenth was the holy of holyest where was the Arke of the Couenant of Iehouah and within it the two tables of Testimony Into it onely might enter the high Sacrificer and that he might doe but once a yeare figuring Christ the high Sacrificer which once for all should enter into the holy of holyest to make intercession for all the world Betweene the holy and the holy of holyest there was a vaile of blew silke purple crimson and fine linnen and Cherubines wrought thereon This vaile represented the bodie of Christ and shewed that none could come to the Father but by the Sonne and none come vnto the Sonne except the Father draw him When Christ was crucified this vaile did teare from the toppe to the bottome and shewed that by his suffering of death all men then were Kings and Sacrificers and might by their owne prayers grounded on knowledge and the feare of God obtaine forgiuenesse of their sinnes The dores pillars and seeling of the Temple were couered with gold resembling the golden spirite of prophecie And when the Temple was built the stones were so squared before they were brought that there was neither hammer axe or any toole of yron heard in the Temple while it was in building To teach the Israelites that they ought to liue in peace loue and vnity one with another without iarring or contention if they would haue the vse of Gods holy Temple For saith God My house is a house of prayer The Temple is a resemblance of things in earth respecting God in heauen The summe is Moses to bee compared with Salomon Salomon with Daniel Daniel with Christ Christ to be compared with all In the Eleauenth yeare of Salomon he finished the Temple AS the Tabernacle was 7. Months in building so now the Temple was Seuen yeares in building thirteene yeares after Salomon builds his owne house There be that thinke he was twentie yeares old when hee tooke vpon him to succeed in the Kingdome and they cast his yeares to be foure
foretold should come vpon them in the Lawe of Moses Leuit. 26. In these wordes If you will not bee reformed but walke stubbornly against me c. I will appoint ouer you fearefulnesse a consumption and the burning ague to consume the eyes and to make the heart heauie and you shall sowe your seede in vaine for your enemies shall eat it I will breake the pride of power and I will make your heauen as yron and your earth as brasse This was perfourmed when Elias was constrayned to pray for raine Your strength shall be spent in vaine neither shall the Land giue her increase neither shall the trees of the Land giue their fruit I will also send wilde beasts vpon you which shall spoyle you and destroy your cattell and a sword that shall auenge the quarrell of my couenant and when yee are gathered in your Cities I will send the pestilence vpon you and ye shall be deliuered into the hand of the enemie when I shall breake the staffe of your bread then tenne women shall bake your bread in one Ouen and they shall deliuer your bread againe by weight and ye shall eat but not be satisfied and yee shall eat the flesh of your Sonnes and the flesh of your Daughters shall yee deuoure I will make your Cities desolate and bring your Sanctuarie to nought Vpon this destruction Ieremie lamenteth the state of Ierusalems miserie and sheweth therewith the cause of her punishments How doth the Citie remaine solitarie that was full of people she is as a widowe she weepeth continually in the night her teares run downe her cheekes amonge all her louers she hath none to comfort her Iudah is caried away captiue because of affliction and because of great seruitude shee dwelleth amonge heathen and findeth no rest all her persecutors tooke her in the straights The wayes of Sion lament because no man commeth to the solemne feasts all her gates are desolate her Priests sigh her Virgins are discomfited and shee is in heauinesse her Aduersaries are the chiefe and her enemies prosper for the Lord hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions and her children are gone into captiuitie before the enemie And from the Daughter of Sion all her beautie is departed her Princes are become like Harts that finde no pasture and they are gone without strength before the pursuer Ierusalem remembred the dayes of her affliction and of her rebellion and all her pleasant things that she had in times past when her people fell into the hand of the enemie and none did helpe her the aduersaries saw her and did mocke at her Sabbaths Ierusalem hath greeuously sinned therefore she is in derision all that honoured her despise her because they haue seen her filthinesse yea shee sigheth and turneth backward her filthines is in her skirts she remembred not her last end therefore she came down wonderfully she had no comforter shee hath seen the heathen enter into her Sanctuarie whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy Church Sion stretcheth out her hands and there is none to coÌ„fort her The Lord hath appointed the enemies of Iacob round about him Ierusalem is as a menstruous woman in the middest of them The Lord is righteous for I haue rebelled against his commaundement Heare I pray you all people and behold my sorrow my Virgins and my young men are gone into captiuitie I called for my Louers but they deceiued me my priests and mine Elders perished in the Citie while they sought their meate to refresh their soules how hath the Lord darkened the Daughter of Sion in his wrath and hath cast downe from heauen vnto the earth the beautie of Israel and remembred not his foot-stoole in the day of his wrath The Lord hath destroyed all the habitations of Iacob and not spared hee hath polluted the Kingdome and the Princes thereof he hath destroyed his Tabernacle as a Garden he hath destroyed his congregation the Lord hath caused the feasts and Sabbaths to bee forgotten in Sion He hath forsaken his Altar hee hath abhorred his Sanctuarie he hath giuen into the hand of the enemie the walles of her Pallaces they made a noyse in the house of the Lord as in the day of solemnitie her gates are sunke to the ground he hath destroied and broken her barres her King and her Princes are amonge the Gentiles the lawe is no more neither can her Prophets receiue any vision from the Lord all that passe by the way clappe their hands at thee they hisse and wagge their head vpon the daughter Ierusalem saying Is this the Citie that men call the perfection of beautie and the ioy of the whole earth thy enemies hisse and gnash their teeth against thee saying Let vs deuoure it surely this is the day that wee looked for we haue found and seene it The Lord hath done that which hee purposed hee hath fulfilled his word that he had determined of old 3431. Ezechiel seeth a Vision of the restoring of the Temple THe name of Ezechiels Temple is The Lord is there This Temple had more spirituall ornaments than the first for all the Nations of the earth came thither Christ himselfe taught there a greater than Aaron The old Temple had gold that is the spirite of prophecie which the new Temple had not All the lawes and ceremonies of the former Temple was deliuered vnto them againe anew and Israel and Iudah brought all vnder one head as in the dayes of Dauid and Salomon In the fiue and Twentieth yeare of our being in captiuitie in the beginning of the yeare in the Tenth day of the Moneth in the Fourteenth yeare after the Citie was smitten the hand of the Lord was vpon me and brought mee into the Land of Israel in a diuine vision and set me vpon a verie hye Mountaine wherevpon was as the building of a Citie And behold there was a man with a reede to measure it So in the Ap. 21. Iohn sayth The Angell caried me away in the spirite to a great and a hye Mountaine and he shewed me the great Citie holy Ierusalem descending out of heauen from God and I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God almightie and the Lambe are the Temple of it 3446. Euilmerodach two and Twentie yeres OF him no euill is spoken in the Scripture something is spoken in his praise that he entreated fauourably Ieconias King of Iudah Zorobabel His name signifieth Free from confusion This was perfourmed in him when as hee with Iesus the Son of Iehosadach Ezra 3.2 ledde the people from Babell which signifieth Confusion and builded the Altar of the Lord to offer burnt offerings thereon as it is written Exod. 23. This deliuerance was prophesied of Zorobabell by Haggai the prophet Cap. 2. I will take thee O Zorobabel the Sonne of Selathiel and make thee as a signet vpon my right hand 3469. Baltazar Three yeares HIs name signifieth a searcher of treasuâ—â—â— He was verie wicked as was
remaine in cloysters and secret places as women and crowns vpon their heads declaring their imperiousnesse and winges like the wheeles of chariots prepared for warre their speedinesse to bloodshed and tayles like Scorpions out of the which proceeedeth poyson to fill the cup of the strumpet which sitteth vpon the scarlet colored beast out of the which the Princes of the earth doe drinke and are drunke with the abhomination of her fornications These are as we call them Abbots Monkes and Friers and Nunnes which like Locusts destroy the fruites of the earth liuing by the sweat of other mens labours who receiue wages of the beast and the false prophet bearing his marke in their foreheads whose name is Abadâ—on that is Destruction He is also called Antichrist that is contrarie to Christs figured before Christs byrth in Antiochus the vild the little horne who prophaned the Temple of God erecting the Idoll of Iouis Olympi in the temple of God changing the lawes that Moses gaue speaking presumptuous words against the God of gods and exalting himselfe aboue all that is called God But hee went to Geheana So shall the Antichrist and the beast be destroyed according to Numbers 24 but hee shall perish in the end because hee prophaneth the temple of God changing times and seasons forbidding marriages sitting in the temple exalting himselfe aboue all that is called God speaking blasphemously I am God vpon earth perswading Gog and Magog the foure quarters of the earth to goe fight for the holy Crosse at Ierusalem for which there were nine mischieuous voiages made to the great bloodshed of many And as his mischieuous prankes were figured in Antiochus so the time of his gouernment which shall bee to the end of the world was in Antiochus likewise figured One thousand two hundred and sixtie daies two and fortie moneths a time two times and halfe a time Vnto this proper time of three yeres and a halfe of Antiochus rage is the whole time of the rage of the Antiochian Antichrist alluded as Beda and diuers godly men doe expound the place the storie compelling them so to vnderstand it And power was giuen to him ouer all kindreds and people and tongues and nations and all that dwâ—lled on the earth worshipped him whose names are not written in the booke of life of the Lambe which was killed from the beginning of the world which Lambe only was found worthy to open the booke and the Seales Ap. 5. 6. Vnto whome thousand thousands cryed with a loud voice saying Worthy is the Lambe that was killed to receaue power and riches and wisedome and strength and honour and glorie and blessing who standing vpon mount Syon had with him One hundred fortie and foure thousand hauing his name and his fathers name written in their fore-heads and they sang the song of Moses the seruant of God and the song of the Lambe saying Great and maruailous are thy works Lord God Almightie iust and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who shall not feare O Lord and glorify thy name For thou onely art holy and all Gentiles shall come and worshippe before thee for thy iudgements are made manifest Ap. 17. 18. Chapters Where the woman that maketh drunke with her fornications the Kinges of the earth with her beastly corporation is sayd to goe into perdition whose destruction was figured in the fall of Babilon and in the destruction of Tyrus in Iere. 51. Ezech. 27. For the Gospell of saluation appearing againe in the world men fall away from the throne and the beast so that Kings eate his flesh in denying his power and refusing to beare his marke whereat both Heauens and holy Apostles and Prophets reioyce saying Halleluiah Saluation and glorie and honor and power be ascribed to the Lord our God for true and righteous are his iudgements for hee hath iudged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath auenged the bloud of his seruants of her hand And againe they sayd Halleluiah and smoake rose vp for euermore And the Heauens opened and behold A white Horse and hee that sat vpon him was faithfull and true and in righteousnes doth hee iudge and make battaile his eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many crownes and he had a name written that no man knewe but hee himselfe and hee was cloathed in a vesture dipt in bloud and his name is called The Word of God and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords and the beast and the Kings of the earth and their warriours gathered together to make battaile against him that sat on the Horse and against his souldiers and the beast was taken with him that false Prophet that is to say the Popes or Antichrist that wrought miracles before him with which he deceaued them that receaued the beasts marke that is the Popes Bulls and them that worshipped his image These both shal be cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone Hee that testifieth these things saith bee it I come quickly Amen Euen so come Lord Iesus FINIS Deut. 6.4 Rom. 8.34 Esay 43.25 Ioh. 6.44 Phil. 2.13 2. Cor. 3.5 Esay 51.12 Psal 130.7 1. Pet. 1.2 Psal 90.2.3 Rom. 9.11 Malach. 1.2.3 Iohn-13 18 Psal 135.6 Rom. 11.5.6 2. Thes 2.13 Rom. 8.30 Rom. 8.14 Esay 5 4.7.8.10 Psal 37.33.34 Psalm 103.10.11 Psal 103.14 Esay 54.17 Esay 57.20 Psal 73.4.5.6 Psal 73.18.19.20 Iere. 12.1 Iere. 18.6 Ro. 9.21.22 Esay 45.7.8.9.10 Prou-29 6 Esay 50.1 Psal 104.35 Psal 59.12 Psal 62.4 2. Thes 2.11.12 Psal 51.4 Iohn 1.9 1. Iohn 1.5 Mercurius Tresmegists Eight Ten. Twelue 2083. 430. 2140. 20. 215 2513. 430. 400. Exod. 17. Numb 20. Numb 24. 50. 7. 45. Deut. 33. 339. 450. 2774. 2797 2801 2819 2825. 2833. 2843. 2850. 490. 3368. 3401. 70. 490. 390. Ezech 40 Esay 21. Esay 46. 70. 490. 49. 2519. 3691. 3704. 3706. 3710. 3743. 3757. 3764. Dan. 9. 3942. 12. Luke 3. 236. 70. 490.