A Briefe Discourse of the Scriptures Declaring the seuerall Stories Liues and Deaths of the Fathers from the Creation of Adam vnto the death of Ioseph Very necessarie to be read and practised for easie vnderstanding of the Scriptures in a short time Imprinted at London by W. White dwelling in Cow-lane 1614. THE PRINTER To the Reader THis short Treatise Christian Reader of The storie of the Fathers from Adam to Ioseph comming to my hands and beeing well approoued of by many godly and discreetly zealous men for the worthinesse of the subiect I was at the earnest request of sundry my especiall good Friendes drawne to commit it as thou seest to the Presse for the benefite of many Of the Author hereof I finde no mention yet likely it is to haue been penned by an Attendaunt on that learned Diuine M. H. B. as a collection from his Notes or Readings Perused it hath been before the authorizing thereof for the print by a Diuine of mature iudgement who corrected such thinges as he found faultie therein Read it without preiudice or partialitie and I doubt not but the profite which thou shalt reape thereby for the increase of thy knowledge in holy Scripture will preserue thee from all repenting of thy paines W. W. A Briefe Discourse of the Scriptures declaring the seuerall Stories Liues and Deaths of the Fathers from the creation of Adam vnto the death of Joseph very necessarie to be read and practised for easie vnderstanding of the Scriptures in a short time Jehouah our God Jehouah is one Deut. 6.4 IEHOVAH is a name of great force to driue vs to the due reuerence of Gods eternall Maiestie for it conteyneth the Wisedome Power and Eternitie of God His Wisedome In giuing a Name vnto himselfe answerable to the glorie of his Maiestie This Name was had in such reuerence among the Iewes that they trembled to name or read it but vsed the name Adonai Lord. After their cōming frō Babel they neuer vsed the name Jehouah but a name of twelue letters conteining Father Sonne and Holy spirit Jehouah hath in it the fiue Vowels which are the sinnewes of all Tongues And as without them no tongue can be expressed so without the true knowledge of Iehouah no flesh can be saued It signifieth Prayse mee the eternall God It conteineth in it Father Sonne and holy Ghost His Power In that from Iehouah all creatures haue their breathing and their being which also in Iehouah is closely expressed For as it consisteth of fiue vowels so hath it two hh which Sholers call Aspirations or Breathings which two Aspirations make vp the number of 7. which is the number of the Sabboth S. Paul closely alluding to the name of Iehouah sayth that from him we haue our breathing and our beeing and in Esay 57.16 the Lord sayth The blasting goeth foorth from me and is included in the body I made the breath So often therefore as we breath we are to remember the Power and Maiestie of Iehouah His Eternitie Is closely expressed in these three Letters י ו τ Whose terminations are Jod vavv be is a signe of the Futertense Presentense Preterperfectense This is made plaine in Apoc. 1.4 Who was is wil be to come Our God Herein is expressed the Humanitie of Christ for it is neither added to the Father the first person in Trinitie nor to the holy Ghost the third person but to the Sonne the second person who was to become ours by taking our nature vpon him Some hold it not to be meant of the Humanitie of Christ but for a word of separation of the God of the Iewes from the Gods of the Gentiles To remooue such absurditie the holy Ghost in Mark 12.29 when there was no difference betweene the Iew and the Gentile repeateth the very words of Moses Deut. 6.4 The Lord our God The Lord is one Thrise naming God as commaunding vs thereby to vnderstand Father Sonne and Holy spirit For this is alwayes to be obserued Whatsoeuer God speeketh of himselfe is to be taken in the heauenliest vnderstanding that can be made of it Iehouah our God Iehouah is one There be three in Heauen The Father the Worde and the Holy Spirit And these three are one 1. Iohn 5.7 The Trinitie is heere described to be one vnited Godhead distinguishable in persons but vndeuidable in coeternitie one in three and three in one GOD who Created Redeemed and Sanctified all One onely wise God who was shewed in the Flesh was iustified in the Spirit was seene among Angels was preached to the Gentiles was beleeued on in the World receiued vp into Glorie 1. Timo. 3.16 Which to know is the first and chiefest poynt of all saluation as Iohn 17.3 This is eternall life to know the Father and him whom he hath sent Iesus Christ Which must be obteined by the true vnderstanding of the Bible as Iohn 5.39 Search the Scriptures and in them ye shall find eternall life Some will say it is enough to know Christ crucified Pilate Herod and Iudas the traytor knew that yet went to eternall destruction Wherefore saluation consisteth not in outward knowledge but in renewing the spirit of our vnderstanding which standeth first in the knowledge and feare of God then in the knowing of our selues which are the first two steps to saluation For true Knowledge is the mother of Godlinesse and as the Eye is the light of the Body so is Vnderstanding the light of the Minde This a man hauing truly learned he is to meditate of the graces of Christ offered vnto vs by his Word God hath chosen vs in Christ before the foundation of the World c. Ephes 1.4 HErein we are to consider the louing kindnesse of God to exceed our desertes in louing vs to saluation before we were The Papistes hold merites of saluation which cannot any way hold seeing God of his vnspeakable grace hath elected vs vnto saluation before we knew him This mysterie of Gods Election is not fully receiued of all because men take not words of Scripture in their proper sense as they are layde downe Election is the eternall counsell of God for the sauing and reiecting of some before the beginning of the world The Heathen neuer receiued comfort by this for being told before of thinges afterward to come to passe they could not know the reason but thought that the actions of men were gouerned by the motions of Starres and the course of Nature and not by the decree or fore-purpose of God who worketh euery thing according to the counsell of his owne will not according to our reason Then some will say if God decreeth euery thing why punisheth he any thing It is answered that punishment commeth from God by the iust desert of the rancor of mans minde Election of his free grace which he bestoweth vpon whō he will as he saith Rom. 9.15 I will haue mercie on whom I will haue mercie Therefore the first thing we ought to know is our
striuing for darknes we become children of darknes so lose the light of eternall life as the Iewes and Romanes did whose recompence hath followed The one depriued of their earthly glorie the other aduanced to glorie to be a staine of eternall damnation In the begining was the word c. Iohn 1.1 THese words In the beginning are the first wordes in the old Testament whose first word in the Hebrew is Bara which consisteth according to the Hebrew of three letters which closely conteine in them Father Sonne and Holie Ghost as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Ben which singnifieth Sonne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Abba which is Father and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Ruach Hakodesh which is the Holy spirit Thus the Trinity is closely contained in the first word but in the first verse is expressed in open wordes In the beginning God made heauen and earth and the spirit of God mooued vpon the waters and God said Let there be light This is expounded Iohn 1.1 in these wordes In the beginning was the Word the Word was with God and that Word was God shewing that Word in this place is taken for the Sonne of God by whom he made the world as Iohn 1.3 By him were all things created And Heb. 1.2 God made all things by his Sonne who ruleth all things by his mightie power Wherefore Christ in the dayes of his flesh chose the trade of a Carpenter Iohn 6.42 Math. 13.55 And in Esay 43.10 It is sayd This record you must beare me your selues saith the Lord that I am God and euen he I am from the beginning I doe the worke who shall let it Thus saith the Lord the holy one our redeemer Wherein is distinctly expressed Father Sonne and Holy Ghost He was the Light and that Light was the life of man Iohn 1.4 LIfe and light is not here carnally meant but spiritually To which two thinges Aaarons Iewell of Vrim and Thummim had a full relation Vrim signifying Light of the minde Thummim Perfection of vertue which bringeth life to the soule As Iohn 1.9 Christ is the true light that lightneth euery man And hee that abideth in this light hath euerlasting life 1. Iohn 1.5 God is light and in him is no darknes at all If wee walke in light euen as he is light then haue we fellowship with him and the blood of Iesus Christ shall giue vs life and cleanse vs from our sinne We the gentiles were darknes but now are light in the Lord. Ephes 5.8 The vnderstanding of the stories of the Bible doth giue a great light to the mind of man and the practise giueth life vnto euery one that embraceth them as Deut. 8.3 and Mat. 4.4 Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God The despisers of religion continue in darknesse and light to them is death as 1. Iohn 2. 9. He that saith hee is in light and hateth his brother is in darknesse and walketh in darknesse and knoweth not whither he goeth because the darknesse hath blinded his eies 1. Iohn 5.11 But God hath giuen vs eternall life and that life is in his Sonne who layed downe his life for his Sheepe Iohn 10.15 Wherefore while wee haue light let vs walke beleeue in the light that we may be the children of the light Iohn 12.36 The first Adam was made of the Earth earthly c. The second was made a soule giuing life c. HEre before the comparison betweene Adam and Christ we are to consider the Creation wherein we are to vnderstand the Creation of the Heauen Earth and Sea all the hoast of them which doe consist of Wightes visible and inuisible Inuisible as Angels Visible as Sunne Moone Starres Fishes Fowles Plants Hearbs Grasse Beastes and such like which God created before he created Adam by Christ for Adams sake because he purposed not to take the nature of Angels or of any other creature but of Adam and that he might be knowne in his power and louing kindnesse to Adam by his workes For he fore-purposing to make Adam both King and Father of all the Earth would not haue his wittes entangled with cares for this life but to haue his affections setled on heauenly things that he might continue holy and blamelesse before him as Mat. 6.25 Take no care what you shall eate or what you shall drinke nor yet for your body what rayment you shall put on Behold the Fowles neither sow nor reape and your heauenly Father feedeth them Are yee not much better then they How much more then shall he doe the same for you For he knoweth yee haue need of all these thinges But first seeke the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse Math 6.33 For no mans life standeth in the aboundance of thinges which he possesseth Now followeth Adams creation HEe was made the sixt day as it is gathered in September of the dust of the earth vpon Mount Moriah which is a Mountaine adioyning to the gates of the Garden of Eden into which Garden hee was put to dresse it about sixe of the clocke in the morning as we account when men commonly goe to labour as should appeare by the Psal 104.23 where it is said Adam goeth foorth in the morning to his labour This is not particularly meant of Adam but generally of all men no doubt alluding to the time of Adams creation Hee had dominion giuen him ouer all things and witte like to an Angell to giue names to all Beastes free libertie to eate of all the Trees in the Garden The Tree of knowledge of good and ill onely excepted As if God should haue said vnto him as Moses afterwardes sayd to the Children of Israel I set heere before you life and death eate of the one and liue and eate of the other and die eternally Yet could not he be content with this glorious estate but did eate of the forbidden Fruite by the perswasion of the Woman which God framed out of Adams Ribbe and ioyned to him to be an helpe for him before they had continued in Paradice one day as it is written Psal 49.20 Adam being in honour continueth not a night but is like to the Beastes that perish which Woman was deceiued by the subtiltie of a Serpent that is of the Deuill speaking in a Serpent which Beast was fittest to possesse to the deceiuing of her because he excelled all other Beastes in the Field in witte For if an Asse had sayd so much to her as did the Serpent it is very likely shee would haue examined the cause further But hee hauing once been an Angell of light but not keeping his first originall being throwne downe from Heauen continuing his knowledge though he lost his vertue was not to seeke either for meanes matter or oportunitie enuying their estates to bring his murtherous purpose to passe for so is he called the Serpent the old Deuill or Satan who was a
Murtherer from the beginning but knowing the prohibition commeth to the Woman saying Yea hath God said yee shall not eate of euery Tree in the Garden To whom the Woman answereth saying Wee may eate freely of the fruite of the Trees of the Garden but as for the Tree in the middest of the Garden God hath sayd Yee shall not eate of it nor touch it least happily you die Out of which speaches the Serpent being a Ramping and a roaring Lyon going about seeking how he might deuoure her quickly sucketh aduantage finding her to haue digressed from the wordes of the Commandement adding thereto a tricke of his owne head sayth to the Woman Yee shall not die at all but you shall be as Gods knowing good and euill In that hee saith Gods hee meaneth not the true God for whatsoeuer hee speaketh is to be taken in the worst meaning that can be made of it but he meaneth you shall be in the state of Damnation as Deuils which are called Princes Gods of the World And likely enough that hee touched the Fruite because shee added to the commandement the word touch Now the Woman beholding the fruite that it was Good to eate Pleasaunt to the eyes A tree to be desired to get knowledge She tooke of the fruite did eate gaue also to her husband he did eate These 3. properties aboue are expounded in Iohn Wantonnes of the eies Lust of the flesh The pride of life By reason of which sinne Adam and Eue seeing their owne nakednesse sowed figge-tree leaues together and hidde themselues from the presence of God among the Trees of the garden their soules beeing then in the state of Damnation with a light shining in darknesse but their Darknesse not comprehending the same shewing thereby the weaknesse of their nature and of their posteritie God but a little leauing them to their selues that when they had sinned they had rather hide themselues in Darknesse and seeke to stockes and trees that haue no helpe in them than to God that made them But Dauid afterwards being clothed with the spirit of wisedome and vnderstanding acknowledgeth the power of God to ouer-reach the compasse of mans vaine imagination when he sayth Whither shall I flie from thy presence If I take the winges of the Morning and flie to the vttermost partes of the World thou art there If I climbe vp to Heauen thou art there If I goe downe to Hell thou art there also For God who made the eye shall not he see all the dwellers vpon the earth who hath weighed all men in a ballance numbring the dayes verie haires of the head diuiding to euerie one their double portion according to the fore-purpose of his election being a righteous Iudge sparing not the person of Adam though he were a King and the stateliest King that euer should be but calleth him to account in the coole of the same day wherein he was created and fell punisheth him though not according to the desert of his transgression like a mercifull Iudge that would saue as a Father that pittieth his owne child knowing wherof he was made and that he was but dust sayth to Adam What hast thou done and leauing him to consider of his sinne goeth to the woman in like tendernesse saying What hast thou done as if he should haue said Oh daughter haue I made the heauens the hoast therof that is Angels Sun Moone and Starres c. to be thy seruants and the earth and all that therein is to be obedient to thy call breathing into thy nostrils life whereby thou becamest a liuing soule in the image of God that is in righteousnesse and true holynesse to be a temple and a Tabernacle for the holy of the holyest to dwell in and hast thou defiled the same with fond lusts regarding the wordes of the Serpent the Father of lyes not respecting my power and my seueritie that as I made thy body and soule so I could destroy the same whereby thou hast purchased the execution of my law established at thy creation to thee and thy husband what hast thou done But God hauing examined the matters and finding them both guiltie and the malice of the Serpent to bee the cause of their guiltinesse neuer stayeth iudgement nor vouchsafeth once to reason the matters with him but presently curseth him and punisheth Adam and the woman and curseth for their sakes the earth plants and whole course of nature and made them of obedient seruants rebellious enemies to Adam and his posteritie And because Adam was not deceiued but the woman became into the transgression he maketh her will subiect to the desire of her husband increasing her sorrowes her conceptions Thus he chastiseth them but giueth them not ouer but pronounceth to the woman a short but a pithy sentence That the seede of the woman should breake the head of the Serpent That is to say I will cause one to be borne of the Womans seede which shall subdue the Diuell and the Diuell shall doe his endeavour to trip vp his heeles by tempting him The particulers wherof Adam neglected not to examine and the Woman likewise vnderstanding from hence duly marking and imbracing the same that God had a purpose to saue her gathereth from these wordes matter enough to saue her and all the world after her which receiue like comfort of the same Promise For she rightly vnderstood that this Seede must needs be Christ who must come and take Adams nature vpon him who should be subiect to death that hee might ouercome him that had power of death For she knew and so did Adam that if euer man being but onely man might worke his owne redemption himselfe was likeliest to haue done it because he was the chiefest of all the men that euer should be in the world But Adam beeing the goodliest man and not able to doe it him selfe hee knew it must needs be God who must appeare in the similitude of Adams nature and suffer death that hee might rise againe to sit at the right hand of his Father to make intercession for the Sonnes of Adam They both the Man and the Woman embracing this obtained the fauour of God and Adam called his Wiues name Euah that is Life to shew that whosoeuer beleeued as she beleeued should be partakers of eternall life as it is written Rom. 10.9 Whose confesseth with his mouth and beleeueth with his heart that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of the liuing God hee shall be saued But Adam and Euah were driuen out of Paradise and Cherubines where set to keepe the way of the Tree of life and they were cloathed with Skinnes as it should appeare with the Skinnes of Beastes to shew their beastlinesse which God for them had slaine to offer for sacrifice to teach them the vse thereof For no doubt God would not destroy the beastes to haue them spoyled seeing that Adam was not to eate any And wee see that Kaine Abel offered
sacrifices as being taught from Adam whose sacrifices were of two sortes Abel offered as appeareth in sinceritie of religion The other for outward ceremonie voyd of true religion Wherefore to Abel and his offering God had respect but to Kaine and his offering hee had no regard Wherefore Kaine being possessed with the Poyson of the Serpent enuied Abel because his workes were good and his owne euill and killed him and being asked of God why hee had slaine his brother in steede of asking pardon of God hee said that his fault was greater then that Gods mercie could forgiue it Against whom Saint Augustine cryeth vehemently that by how much lesse the mercie of God could be inferiour to the fault of Kaine seeing that to forgiue is a thing proper to God and to reuenge and punish is farre estranged from his nature by so much more great was the offence of Kaine in the wordes he said then in the murther he did seeing that by the stroke of the Sword hee tooke away but the life of his Brother but by the blasphemie of his tongue he gaue death to his owne soule To kill his Brother was euill done but to dispaire in Gods mercie was euen a transgression of the Diuell For more do we offend God to esteeme him without mercie then in any other sinne we commit against Man For which God curseth him giuing him a marke of a guiltie Conscience alwayes accusing him of sinne against God and inhumanitie against Nature Wherevpon he goeth vp downe wandring as one finding no rest or peace like an excommunicate person from the place of true Religion into the land of Nod which signifieth Fugitiue This Kaine was the eldest Sonne of Adam whom hee named Possession for so doth Kaine signifie as if he had gained a goodly Possession But seeing what might be the comfort of such Possession he calleth his other Sonne Abel that is Vanitie to shew that if a man haue neuer so large Kingdomes or Possessions or be neuer so nobly borne as Kaine was except the Sonne of God it is all but Vanitie and vexation of minde It is not to be vnderstood that Adam had now no more Children but Kaine and Abel for doubtlesse Adam had many more Children as may appeare by Kaines Storie For it is sayd that Kaine departed into the land of Nod and knew his Wife which must needes be Adams Daughter and married before the murder for we are not to thinke that Adam would afterward haue bestowed his Daughter vpon a Reprobate The holy Ghost nameth onely three of Adams Sonnes Kaine Abel and Seth to make a proportionable number answerable to the number of the letters of the wordes of the Holy tongue or the tongue of Adam For vpon three letters doth euery word in that tongue consist Kaine doth represent the afflicters of such as in this life esteemed the World and the pleasures thereof Vanitie which is Abel And Seth whose name signifieth Setled or Foundation to shew the assurance of his Fayth in the Promises of God to the confirming of our Fayth which was that from him must come that Seed of the Woman that should bruse the head of the Serpent This sentence they and wee and all the World were and are bound to take notice of For this we ought to know and beleeue so assuredly that wee might shew our selues setled vpon a sure Foundation not vpon Sandes where Sea and Wind may ouerthrow vs but vpon the Rocke Christ Iesus that our building may remaine as the Mount Sion and as the heauenly Ierusalem which is builded foure square of three foures of precious Stones that howsoeuer wee be tossed with afflictions of this life we may stand firme acknowledging Iehouah to be the one true and euerlasting God Father Sonne and Holy spirit and that his mercie is like to eternall Mountaines that cannot be remooued wherewith he loued vs vnto saluation before the foundation of the World Thus duely considering his Power and Wisedome in the particular actions of the Creation Adams fall the Promise of eternall life Adams Fayth and his Sacrifices the shadowes of our Redemption the Seauenth day and the vse thereof wee shall spend our dayes in beholding our end and neuer doe amisse sorrowing with a godly sorrow as Enosh whose name signifieth Sorrow did For as in our dayes so in his men fell from the true Religion of Adam of Seth and other Godly men which were then aliue turning the grace of God into wantonnesse marrying Wiues of Kaines poysoned seed respecting Beautie and other outward giftes rather then Vertue not remembring their Grandmother Enah that for beholding the Beautie of one forbidden Fruite commending it to Adam for the pleasantnes of the Taste and the vnlawfull desire that she had of diuelish Knowledge not long before was driuen out of Paradse whose blessing of Procreation was ioyned with sorrow of Conception Whose innocent Soule by breaking but one Commandement became guiltie of eternall death lost the whole glorie of Paradise and was driuen out into Mountaines as not worthy to enioy the benefite of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden But Enosh being a Godly man and knowing that the fruites of worldly sorrow are likewise eternall Death and of Godly sorrow Repentance which word signifieth a changing of Iudgement from Ignorance to true Knowledge to the renewing of the spirit nameth his Sonne Kenan Contrite or Repenting or a looking backe into their impieties detesting their vaine conuersation to the killing of sinne in him selfe and to the imbracing of righteousnes For it is not onely required of a man to eschew euill but withal to do good to flie darknesse if we will enioy the light to follow the right way if we will not erre to auoy de the myre durt if we will be cleane and without spot and forbeare to be euill if we will begin to be good For it is not enough for a Valiant man to doe what he may but also he is bound to attempt nothing but what he ought And as repentance is the fruit of godly sorrow so thankfulnes to God for deliuerances from like trials proceedeth from Repentance Therefore Kenan the Contrite nameth his son Mahalaleel My praise God which none can doe effectually without a lowly minde sanctified first by Grace by the subduing of the flesh Mahalaleel knowing that such fruite is required of such a tree nameth his sonne Iared the Lowly which giftes of grace God bestoweth vpon such onely as he accepteth vnto himself as it is written Blessed is the man vnto whom God imputeth not his sin c. So that a man hauing thus purged himselfe from the iniquitie of wicked men marking the rules of Gods eternall Wisedome He shall be a vessell sanctified vnto honour meete for the vses of the Lord 2. Tim. 2.21 Therefore Iared the lowly nameth his sonne Henoch the Holy Now God commanding al men to direct their steps by the straight line of his word first layeth downe
his will what we ought to doe to please him and then induceth vs thereunto not onely by hope of eternall life but promiseth vs in this life long and happy dayes as in the eternall Law is expressed Loue God aboue all and thy neighbour as thy selfe that thy dayes may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee c. Henoch therefore being assured of the infinite mercies of God towards him and his seed by fayth still beholding as in a glasse the Redemption by the Sonne of God the summe of all saluation nameth his sonne Methushelah Long life or Speare-death For euen as the poynt of a Speare keepeth off that which would otherwise destroy euen so Methushelah kept away the Flood a long time from drowning the World But because men should not thinke that any liueth without calamities least outward happines should make men to forget God Methushelah hauing heard his fathers and himselfe also being a Prophet preach of the destruction of the World by the Flood calleth his sonne Lamech that is Stroken or Heart-wounded which is to be vnderstood that in respect that he being neere those times of dangers many of his posteritie were like to be drowned not onely in the flood but eternally tormented for ioyning with the wicked mockers which despised the preaching of the Fathers But although God throweth mens consciences downe for a while with griefe of other mens iust punishment yet he rayseth them vp againe giuing them hope of his assured Promises and a sweete comfort of eternall life Lamech being thus strengthened with the fayth of his Fathers ayming still to the sentence of Saluation pronounced in Paradise calleth his sonne Noah Restorer or Comforter saying This Sonne shall comfort vs concerning the sorrow of our hands and concerning the earth which the Lord hath cursed Wherein he sheweth that he both looked backward to the Creation formard to the Redemption by Christ The Seed of the Woman that should bruse the head of the Serpent Thus much for the vse of the names of the ten Fathers before the Food in generll Now followeth the liues and deaths of the Fathers in particular and first of Adam There is a great doubt made of the time of the yeare of Adams Creation and of the day of his fall and is refused as a thing vnprofitable to be knowne and Vnpossible to be prooued First for the time of his Creation IT is certaine hee was created in September at the time that Fruits be ripe which is at the fall of the Leafe And that was the fittest time seeing in the course of Nature there was no fitter time to expresse the nature of Adams fall And as the fall of Adam was answerable to the fall of the Leafe because by his fall death was brought vpon all So the death of Christ beeing contrary to Adams fall because it brought life to all the fittest time to resemble this life in the course of Nature was the Spring Therefore Christ dyed at the Spring to deliuer vs out of the spirituall Prison when as all thinges shew them-selues to be deliuered out of this earthly Iayle Now for the day of Adams fall IT was on Fryday the sixt day the day of Adams creation at the time of eating For we doe not read that euer Adam did eate before he did eate of the forbidden fruite Therefore when by the storie the time of eating cannot be seperated in time reason sheweth vs to ioyne them in time For Satan was a murderer from the beginning and wee must bring it from the beginning as neare as can be not crossing any Scripture The searching of this matter is not of small importance For from the true vnderstanding of the Creation we see the clearenes of the Redemption and not marking the Creation aright is the cause of much folly and they that misse of the lawes of Creation are sure to misse of the lawes of Redemption and Moses making mention of many Times hee would not haue omitted the time of the Fall except it had been done presently after the Creation therefore Adams fall must needs be layd as neere the beginning as may be not crossing the Storie The bare Narration sheweth that no famous action went betweene the Commandement and the Fall And the shortnesse of the time doth shew the force of the Aduersarie Besides it is a great sinne to say that any man except Christ could fulfill perfectly any one poynt of the Law for thereby we darken the glory of Christ and prooue him not to haue performed the whole Law If Adam had continued vntill the Sabaoth in his innocencie no doubt he would haue kept a perfect Sabaoth And if he had kept a perfect Sabaoth he had performed some part of the Law and thereby been 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 Sabaoth he would haue performed the ordinances of the Sabaoth which was to eate of the Tree of life for God after his fall setteth Cherubins to keepe the way of the Tree of life least Adam eating should liue for euer Whereby it appeareth that if he had eaten thereof before he had not fallen Therefore it cannot be that Adam continued perfect vnto the Sabaoth And further it is written Psal 49.20 Adam beeing in honour continueth not one night but is like to the Beastes that perish Cedrenus a Greeke writer sayth That Adam fell the sixt day of the first weeke Saint Augustine sayth The Woman straight way after her creation before she accompanied with Adam became into the transgression otherwise Kaine had been conceaued without sinne Theophilact vpon Matthew sayth That as Man was formed the sixt day and did eate of the Tree the sixt houre so Christ reforming Man and healing the fall was fastned to the Tree the sixt day and the sixt houre And in the storie of the Creation in Genesis presently after the fall Moses speaketh of the Redemption And without we compare the Creation with the Redemption we misse of all For Adam to be compared with Christ is the summe of all And wherefore should all the actions of the Redemption be accomplished in such rarenesse except to be answerable both to the fall and to the time of the fall Wherefore it is needfull we should know our thraldome if we will receiue comfort by the Redeemer thus First Christ the Restorer was borne of a Virgin Why Because by a Virgin destruction came to the world Chrysostome compareth Eue and Marie togeather thus Eue being a Virgin hearing the wordes of the Serpent and beleeuing them brought foorth Death The Virgin Marie hearing the wordes of the Angel Gabriel and beleeuing them brought foorth Life Againe why should Christ die on the sixt day rather then on the fifth or fourth And why was there darkenesse vntill the coole of the day rather then till the Sunne setting But to make the
Redemption answerable to euerie part of the Fall because God according to the secret counsell of his owne will before the foundations of the earth were layd would make the art of Saluation so easie and the harmonie of the Bible so tunable that no musicke in the world can be more pleasant to the eare then the meditation of the loue of God towardes vs in Christ is comfortable to the heart of man Therefore the meditation of Adams fall and the victorie of Christ ought to be continually in our mindes Adam dieth THe Hebrewes descant very strangely vpon the Arithmeticke of Adams yeares which he liued which were 930. vpon a sentence in the 24. of Iob where it is sayd All the dayes of man vpon earth are but a shadow as if hee should say All the dayes of Adam are but Abel for Adam in Hebrew signifieth Earth and Abell signifieth shadow or vanitie Whereby we are taught that from the Earth we came and to the Earth we must returne againe according to Gen. 3.19 Wee are also to vnderstand from hence that although God deferre his punishmentes yet hee is mindfull of his promises for not one tittle or iod of his Word shall passe as appeareth in Adams death which God before had promised and was accomplished though it were 930. yeares after Wherefore howsoeuer we be setled on the pleasures of this life or be aduanced to thrones of Maiestie as Adam was we are to know that it is but a Steward-ship bestowed vpon vs for a season and that in this world we are to looke for no abiding place for we are but Grasse we are consumed as Smoake our dayes come to an end A thousand yeares in Gods sight is as yesterday He turneth Adam to dust and sayth Returne to dust yee sonnes of Adam He bringeth our yeares to an end as it were a tale that is told Wherefore let vs pray to God with Moses To teach vs to number our dayes aright that we may apply our heartes vnto Wisedome Adam commeth short of 1000. yeares so much as is the dayes of mans life Iared Methushelah and Noah ouer-reached Adam in long life because of the power of the word of God Hee 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 gouernement taught them humane artes who was fittest to doe it being a King to commaund whom he would and what he would and hauing witt 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 till he might haue a stately Court Now if a King should commaunde a Diuine to make Adams Will from his Storie he would make it in this sort O my Sonnes gather you togeather and harken vnto the wordes of your Father Adam the last that euer he shall speake vnto you I was voyde of saluation and enioyed not happinesse by disobeying which disobedience I then practised when I harkened to the perswasion of Heua and did eate the forbidden Fruite I then felt the heauie iudgementes of God against sinne and saw my nakednesse whereof I was ashamed Thereby I brought death vpon all my posteritie which Curse had continued if the Mercie of God had not remooued it by offering a Blessing in the Seede of the Woman I haue ruled you all the dayes of my life as a Father that you may learne to choose Gouernours which resemble Fathers in behauiour I haue instructed you to loue obey their gouernment you must know that as my saluation resteth vpon beliefe in the Seede 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 be saued by the Arke yet seuen onely shall keepe sinceerely the beliefe in this Promise of the Seed of the Woman My dayes haue been long with the rest of your Fathers but the end of all flesh is come vpon mee for out of the Earth I came and to the Earth I must returne Now compare Christ with Adam The first Adam was made a soule hauing life of earth earthly therfore by the earthly one came Disobedience Sinne. Iudgement Condemnation Death The second Adam was wade a spirit giuing life from heauen heauenly Therefore by the heauenly one came Obedience Grace Forgiuenesse Iustification Life Adam was created on the sixt day did eate of the tree the sixt houre Was made a man without a Father made not inferior to the Angelles â— 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 darknes from the sixt houre vntill the ninth houre Christ Reforming man and healing the fall is fastened to the tree the sixt day and sixt houre Was made a man without a Father Made lower then the Angels is crowned with glory all the Angels worship him being man whereby we may know the world was made subiect to 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 darknesse to couer the whole earth from the sixt houre till the ninth houre Adam By breaking one Commandement lost all Was called to accompt the ninth houre Was debarred of the Tree of life Was driuen out of Paradise Was the head of his Wife was a King Prophet Sacrificer Liued 1000. yeares wanting 70. Christ By fulfilling all the Commandementes brought life to all At the ninth houre yeeldeth vp the ghost goeth to giue accompt to his Father Is the true Tree of life on that day openeth Paradise to the poore Theefe The Head of the Church was a King Prophet Sacrificer Was borne 70. yeares before 4000. Because these two Tables consist onely of Numbers and that Numbers in the Scriptures are great helpes for the vnderstanding of the same before we 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 ONE One Expressing the vnion of the God-head and from thence the vnitie of all Godly as being members of one head Christ Iesus which is made plaine Psal 133.1 Behold how good and comely a thing it is for Breathren to dwell togeather in vnitie THREE Three Expressing the distinguished Trinitie within which number many excellent things fall out still to put vs in minde of the vndeuidable coeternity of Father Sonne and Holy Spirit Adam Kaine Of Adam the eldest extreame wicked Abel Seth Noah Iaphet Sem Cham Of Noah the youngest wicked Terah Haran Nachor Of Terah the middlemost was wicked Abram To shew that neither in eldest youngest
thanks and all our actions may tende to the acknowledging of the Redemption by Christ For so doth Dauid In this 19. Psalme hee beginneth with the Creation and endeth with the Redemption Let vs therefore with him also say Psal 103.1 Prayse the Lord O my soule and all that is within mee prayse his holy name which forgiueth all thy sinne and healeth all thine infirmities which saueth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with mercy and louing kindnesse And Psalm 105.1 O giue thankes vnto the Lord and call vpon his holy name tell the people what thinges hee hath done O let your songes be of him and prayse him and let your talking be of all his wondrous workes Reioyce in his holy name Let the heart of them reioyce that seeke the Lord. O seeke the Lord and his strength seeke his face euermore Mahalaleel died being 895. yeares old Iared borne when Mahalaleel was 65. yeares old For this number 65. it is the halfe of 130. HIs name signifieth Lowly or Meeke Hee was 162. yeares old before he marryed because at that time he had knowledge of the Flood that it should come therefore he consecrated his sonne to God How precious a vertue this Meekenesse is and how highly to be imbraced wee may know by open experience if wee examine how God from the beginning hath gouerned the World for God respecteth not the person of any man that he should feare him Hee ouerthrew the rebellious Nimrod and the rest of the Nephewes of Noah that would haue a Name and turned their speach into Babling Hee plagued that flouting Ismael and quayled that doughtie Esau Hee drowned stout Pharaoh in the red Sea and ouerthrew the iron Chariots of Sisera at the waters of Mageddon Hee smote diuers Nations and slew mightie Kinges Schon King of the Amorites and Ogg the King of Basan and all the Kingdomes of Canaan Hee foyled the proud Philistine and heawed the horne of Agag in peeces Hee made Iesabel a prey for Dogges and wicked Achab to be slaine in the vallie of Iesrael Hee made king Ioakim to be buried like an Asse and prophane Nebuchadnetzar to eate Grasse like an Oxe Hee made drunken Baltasar to tremble like a Leafe and Antiochus the vilde to be deuowred of Wormes to shew that he regardeth not proud lookes or feareth the Kinges displeasure For hee setteth vp Kinges and pulleth downe Kings as Luk. 1.48 Hee looked on the low degree of his Handmayde Hee hath shewed strength with his Arme Hee hath scattered the proud in the imaginations of their heartes Hee hath put downe the Mightie from their seates and hath exalted the Humble and Meeke As Ioseph out of the Dungeon Dauid from the Sheepcoates Daniel from the Lyons denne Peter and Iohn from mending their Nettes and made them Rulers ouer mightie Nations and Teachers to the Princes of the earth Matth. 5.5 Therefore blessed are the meeke for they shall receiue the inheritance of the earth Christ being meeke was led as a Sheepe vnto the slaughter not epening his mouth Iared died being 962. yeares old While hee liued there was no proclayming of the Flood but presently after there was 7. Henoch the seuenth borne when Iared was 162. yeares old HIs name signifieth Holy or Dedicated to God The name sheweth his fathers affection in giuing him vnto God answerable vnto Abraham in offering Isaacke Henoch of Kaine was contrarie in signification to this Henoch the one Dedicated to God the other to the Possessions of this World For Kaine after his curse wandring to the land of Nod buildeth a Citie and calleth it after the name of his sonne Henoch The other Henoch though indeed a rare man yet was 65. yeares without anie mention of his integritie And after that his holinesse is made manifest in this that he found fauour with God his calling was very glorious being made a Preacher to declare saluation to all that would beleeue in Christ and his owne actions of life to be performed in the highest degree of vertue Whereby we are taught to be holy and blamelesse before God not giuing our members subiectes vnto wantonnesse or pleasures of this life but esteeming the world as though it were not and possesse it as though we possest it not putting on the New man Christ Iesus that we may be holy euen as he is holy 7. You haue heere the number of Seuen to shew that Henoch is the seuenth from Adam for so he is called in the Epistle of Iude. Hee was no doubt a very rare man seeing that he is commended of the Holy Ghost to haue Walked with God to haue his yeares answerable to the dayes of the Sunne registred to be the seuenth from Adam a Sabaoth keeper for his yeares do agree with the number of the Sabaoth which number of Seuen or of the Sabaoth throughout the Bible doth still put vs in minde of the Creation and so of the true keeping of the Sabaoth For in the beginning God made the World in sixe dayes and rested the seuenth and hallowed and sactified the same and commaunded it to be kept Holy throughout all generations And to resemble the same in his Creation before there was a Sabaoth he made the seuen Starres in the Heauens which the Philosophers call Planets which haue force in the whole course of Nature which he in his wisedome placed there that the very Heathen and such as would not take notice of the Sabaoth might haue the name thereof in their mouthes although they made no vse therof in their heartes Henoch is taken vp being 365. yeares old His taking vp did shew what should be the state of the Godly Hee was taken vp in despight of the wicked and in recompence of his owne fayth Hee was taken vp 57. yeares after Adams death all the Fathers being then aliue And it may be the Fathers did see him taken vp as a figure of Christes 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 blessinges on him in an other kind His yeares are answerable to the dayes of the Sunne 365. yeares a yeare 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 Hee is also sayd to haue Walked with God to be a preacher of Righteousnesse to be taken vp These foure speciall commendations are of equall glorie and wee may be assured by these testimonies that his Godlynesse was verie 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 been 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 religion 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 giue iudgment against all men and 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 Now compare him with Christ Henoch Was a Prophet for hee 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 Christ Was a Prophet prophecied of the destruction of the world did the will of his father Is the bright Sonne of Iustice whose dayes in the Psalmes are likoned to the dayes of the Sun In the Scriptures is the seuenth that ascended To weete 1. The sonne of the Widow of Sarepta 1. King 17.22 2. The Shunamites sonne whom Eliseus brought againe to life 2. Kings 4.35 3. The Souldier buried by Elizeus corps 2. kin 13.21 4. Iairus daughter Math. 9.25 5. The Widowes sonne Luke 7.15 6. Lazarus Iohn 11.44 7. CHRIST That is 3. in the Old Testament New Testament and the Lord was the seuenth Methushelah borne when Henoch was 65. yeares old His name signifieth Long life or Speare death Methushelah died being 969. yeares old Sem being 98. the seuenth that died after Adam as his father Henoch was the seuenth that was borne after Adam He died but a few daies before the Flood to shew that hee being a iust man kept away the Flood and lacked but 31. yeares of 1000. Now it is not to be vnderstoode that he liued full 969. yeares for hee liued but a few dayes of his last yeare For if his yeares be cast you shall see he dieth in the yeare of the Flood The Flood came not in the first month because Methushelah theÌ„ liued The tenth day of the second month the Flood came Methushelah was dead before that time His dayes were the exact rule of the Flood for so long as he liued the waters could not ouerflow the earth hee beeing dead the waters might aske God whether they should now worke vengeance to the wicked No saith God Noah shall mourne him a month as the children of Israel mourned Iacobs death afterwardes this month of sorrow beeing ended then they demaund of God againe whether now the wicked should bee ouerwhelmed with waters God answered no for Noah shall haue a Sabaoth of preparation This being finished the Flood couereth the face of the earth Methushelah spoyle death or Speare death Christ Died and rose againe and reâ—iâ—ed that he might be Lord of quicke and dead Suffered death that by his death he might ouercome him that had the power of death Lamech borne when Methushela was 187. yeares old HIs name signifieth Striken or Heart-wounded Hee is called so in respect of some inward griefes that hee should beare for the afflictions of the world You haue an other Lamech of Kaines house but of contrary nature to this Lamech Lamech of Kaine was a striker Lamech of Seth striken the one a Preacher of destruction to the world the other an example of impietie to the world and being 1600. yeares after Kaine knew Kaines storie Hee had two Wiues it was not so from the beginning Some hold that he was the first that had two Wiues but doubtlesse many others had the like but God in one doth shew the manners of the rest He saith to his Wiues I will kill a man c. So that as the world began with killing so it continued in wickednesse and violence The other Lamech doth make a confession full of contrition and in naming his Sonne Comforter 600. yeares before the Flood sheweth that he was a Prophet of very liuely skill Lamech died fiue yeares before the Flood being 777. yeare old and Sem 93. His age runneth vpon seuens for what he wanted in long life hee had it in casting a sweete account If Lamech had had the age of his Fathers he might haue seene the Flood Compare him with Christ Christ is both outwardly stricken and inwardly wounded Outwardly when in the open Hall he was buffeted scourged spitted at and vpon the Crosse pierced both handes feete and sides Inwardly when he was reuiled with blasphemous speaches at his death and when in stead of Drinke to comfort him they gaue him Gall and Myrre mingled togeather but most especially when his gyltlesse soule did suffer vnconceaueable torments to redeeme our gyltie soules and bodyes from the thrall of Satan as may appeare when from his sides issued Water and Blood Noah borne when Lamech was 182. yeares old HIs name signifieth Comforter or Restorer The fayth of Lamech no doubt was cleare concerning saluation by the seede of the woman in that hee named his sonne Comforter or Restorer As if he had said though for inpiety 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 fayth Adam after hee had transgressed by eating of the forbidden Fruite was saued In this fayth Abel offered vp a greater Sacrifice then Kaine In this fayth Henoch walked with God and was no more seene for he was taken vp In this fayth all the Fathers obtained eternall life In this fayth 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 the Sabaoth by the full number 10. you haue the number 70. which throughout the Bible is famous and of great force for light in the Sorie In this tenth age Gods iustice ouer all flesh was extended Compare him with Carist Noah Was a preacher of righteosnesse Found grace before God Christ Was the true preacher of righteousnesse Dan. 9.24 Grew in fauour with God and man Luke 2.52 Noah was a King Prophet Sacrificer Christ was a King Prophet Sacrificer In Noahs 480. Cxx. Yeares begin Gen. 6. WHerein Noah made the Arke
Sonne from the malice of Athalia which had destroyed all the rest of the Kings seede and dieth being 130 yeares old While he liued Joas kept Religion and Worshipped the God of his Father After his death he fell away and suffered incense to be offered in the groues to whom Zacharias the Sonne of Barachias said Is this the reward of all my Fathers paines that as soone as my Father is dead you forsake the true God and worship the Gods of the Nations For which cause Ioas caused him to be slaine betweene the Alter and the Temple So that as death is contrarie to life and as at the birth of Seth and Abraham the graces of God were manifested to the world so at Iehoiadahs death the Tribe of Iuda lost all Religion It is a question how Torah being an Idolater could name Abram Hie Father son so doth the word signifie Hee might guesse like a worldly man that his Sonne Abram should be likely to be Rich and Mightie and so should haue many vnder him Howsoeuer it was this is certaine that God directed the tongue of this Idolater to set foorth and preach his glory though his life had no shew of vertue Here is an other question to be discussed of the age of Terah when he begat Abram Of Terah his age when he begat Abram SOme will haue Abram to be borne at Terahs Seuentieth yeare because in Gen. 11.26 it is sayd Terah liued seuentie yeares and begat Abram Nachor and Haran Wherevpon they gather that Abraham was the first borne because hee is put in the first place and that hee was borne in that yeare of Terah to wit the Seuentie But they marke not that Terahs Sonnes are reckoned not according to their age but according to their dignitie as Gen. 5. The sonnes of Noah Sem Cham and Iaphet are so rehearsed that in the first place there is mention made of Sem who for all that was not the first borne neither could be borne in the Fiue hundreth yeare of Noah fith two yeares after the Flood in which yeare he begat Arphaxad hee was but an hundreth yeares old Now the first of this opinon whom I follow was Caluine that famous Doctor of the Church of Geneua who in his Commentaries vpon Gen. 11.27 expresseth it in plaine wordes Him followed Beroaldus who did much in the illustrating of time and Mangoldus This demonstration is set downe Act. 7. Abraham is said to goe out of Haran after his father Terah died Now Terah liued 205. yeares And Abraham went out of Haran in the 75. yeare of his age which yeares if you subtract from Terahs age there remaine 130. yeares in which Abrams natiuitie falleth The same may be confirmed by Sarahs age Abrams wife who is thought to be the Daughter of Abrams brother Abram exceeded her no more but ten yeares whereupon it followeth that hee was borne long after him that was both his Brother and Father in law Abram therefore was called and began his Peregrination in the 2084. yeare of the world the very same day that his posteritie went out of Egipt namely the 15. of Nisan as it is sayd in Exod. 12. The third ioynct of this first time which containeth the diuine couenant of Abraham endeth in the yeare when the Law was giuen in which the Israelites by the goodnesse of God were brought foorth and deliuered out of Egipt by many and strange Miracles This containeth 430. yeares which is confirmed by the testimonie of S. Paul who expresly sayth Gal. 3.17 That the Law began 430. yeares after the confirming of the Couenant or Testament And concerning the confirmation of which Couenant he speaketh he expresseth in that which went before namely of that same which was made when being called of God he went out of Haran For in vers 8. hee cyteth the same Promise In thee shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed Which Gen. 12. is rehearsed in the narration of his calling vers 3. Hitherto also it appertaineth which is written Exod. 12. vers 40. The Peregrination of the Children of Israel as learnedly and truely translateth that worthy man Beroaldus which they dwelt in Egipt was Foure hundred and thirtie yeares Which surely the Seuenty Interpreters so translate that they account the Peregrination of the Fathers made in the Land of Canaan in this dwelling Neither doth the place of Gen. 15. vers 13. concerning the Seede of Abrham to be afflicted 400. yeares hinder it For Abrahams Peregrination is to be deriued frō his Calling and his Seed began to be afflicted when Isaacke the Sonne of Promise borne 25. yeares after his Calling being a Child peraduenture of fiue yeares old suffered the scoffinges of Ismael borne of the Hand-mayde which surely the Apostle Gal. 4.29 expressely nameth Persecution Adde hereunto the rest which Isaacke and Iacob suffered among Strangers Now that time wherein the Israelites abode in Egipt that it is farre wide of 400. yeares is clearer then the light at noone day to them which consider that Koath the Sonne of Leui went downe into Egipt and liued 133. yeares and that his Sonne Amram liued 137. yeares Exod. 6. and that Moses his Sonne was 80. yeares old when he went out of Egipt All which make but 350. yeares and if from these those yeares be subduced which they liued after their Sonnes were borne the yeares remayning would be few But these thinges Doctor Beroaldus and others haue learnedly set foorth Those notable men Bullinger Phlinspachius Scalinger and others agree vnto it It is said that Terah being 70. yeares old begetteth Abram Haran Nachor The Iewes say That Abraham was the eldest but thereby they bring notable absurdities for they agree that Sara was Harans Daughter she is but Ten yeeres younger than Abram and then Abram being elder than Haran and yet married his daughter but Ten yeares younger then her Husband Haran must needes beget her at Nine yeares of age which is impossible Therefore it is certaine that Nachor and Haran were elder then Abram For if wee looke to Gen. 12. and consider that Abram being Seuentie and fiue yeares old receiued the promise and to Saint Stephens Oration Act. 7.2 by which it appereth that Terah was dead before Abram had the promise or else the promise might haue had reference to Terah as well as to Abram we shall by good Arithmetique cast Terah at the birth of Abram to be 130. yeares for take 75. yeares out of 205. which is the time that Tenah liued and there remaineth 130 the age of Terah when he begat Abram To inlarge this further If Abram had beene the eldest Sem would not haue giuen him the blessing for then he should haue died before Sem and men doe not giue their inheritance to their sonnes which die in their life but he would rather haue kept it for Isaack with whom he liued 50. yeares this may be made plaine by another of the same sort Rebecca being with child and they
vpon his head seeing he persecuted Isaacke Arphaxad died being 438. yeares old Gen. 11.12.13 Isaacke borne Gen. 21.5 when Abraham is 100. yeares old and Sara 90. yeares old according to Gen. 17.17 HIs name signifieth Laughter When Isaacke is promised Sara laughed so did Abraham so did Ismael laugh at Isaacke These three laughters in Hebrew are expressed by one word but there is great difference Sara Laughed as at a thing vnlooked for for she sayd I am now nintie yeares old and my Lord an hundred shall I now giue my selfe vnto lust seeing it ceaseth to bee with mee as with other Women And the Lord sayd Is any thing vnpossible with God Abraham laughed as reioycing thereat for it is sayd Abraham beleeued in God and it was reckoned to him for righteousnesse Jsmael laughed as flouting at Isaacke as though hee were such a goodly fellow in whom the Promise should be established You haue this Storie renewed againe in the New Testament For the Angell Gabriel sayth vnto Marie For with God nothing is impossible Elizabeth commeth to salute Marie and she sayth Blessed is she that beleeueth for those thinges shal be performed which are told thee from the Lord. It is sayd of Abraham that hee laughed when the Angell promised he should haue a Sonne thereby signifying his reioycing Isaacks life was answerable to this ioy for he had no affliction in Canaan onely he was driuen to goe to Abimelech King of the Philistines and dwelt in Gerar where he was somewhat iniured Abraham praying for Ismael that God would blesse him he sayth I will make of him a mightie Nation but in Isaacke shall thy seed 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 thinges 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 she 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 Isaacke children of the Promise But as then hee which was borne 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 her Sonne for the Sonne of the Seruant shall not be heire with the Sonne of the Free woman Then we are not Children of the Seruant but of the Free woman Gal. 4.21 2113. Ismael and Hagar are expelled Abrahams house Gen. 21.10 It was sayd vnto Abraham that his Seed should be afflicted in a Land that is not theirs 400. yeares and should serue them and they should intreat them euill Now if we reckon the time of the abode of the Children of Israel in Egipt wee shall finde it but 215. yeares for Iacob goeth into Egipt 185. yeares after the Promise of the 400. yeares So that they were not in Egipt full 400. yeares but they were afflicted first and last 400. yeares For Ismael the Egiptian flouteth Isaacke and beginneth the 400. yeare And Pharaoh the Egiptian in the end of 400. yeares afflicteth the Seed of Isaacke And as the Seed of Sem were afflicted by Cam 400. yeares so afterwardes about that time were they also afflicted by Iaphets seede ruling in Egipt It may be obiected How is Ismael an Egiptian seeing hee is of Abraham Hee is by the Mothers side an Egiptian for Hagar was of that Countrie and by this exposition it falleth out to be true We haue for to warrant this the like in the Storie of the Kinges where one beeing an Egiptian is called of the Kinges seede because one of his Auncestors marryed with a wife of Iuda This Storie is mentioned in 1. Chro. 2 34. it is thus sayd Shesan had no Sonnes but Daughters and Shesan had a seruant an Egiptian named Iarchthang Shesan gaue him his Daughter to wife In 2. King 25.22 after that the King of Babel had ouerthrowne Ierusalem he left people in the land of Iuda to till the ground and to exercise manuall trades which were made tributaries and he set Gedoliah ruler ouer them Then came Ismael the sonne of Nethaniah to Gedoliah to Mizpah and Gedoliah sware vnto them that they should not feare to serue the King for by that meanes it should be well with them they should dwel with them in the Land But in the seuenth moneth Ismael the sonne of Nethaniah the sonne of Elishama of the Kinges seede came and slew Gedoliah and he died Heere Ismael which was by his Fathers side Iarchthange an Egiptian is called of the Kinges seede sixteene ages after because his auncestor Iarchthange married one of Iuda And surely it is likely by this that the Kings seede was wonderfully decayed when as one by an Egiptian 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 glorie of the Tribe of Juda which he openly shewed when he married his Daughter to an Egiptian 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 likwise Ismaels manners are as detestable as the earth can afford Thus you see how Ismael Abrahams sonne may rightly be called an Egiptian Sara reasoneth with Abraham concerning the sending away of Hager and Ismael she might haue great cause to be grieued at the flouting of Ismael for we may imagine her to haue vsed such like speaches as these I haue been content to haue gone with you from Vr of the Chaldeans from my Fathers house and mine owne kindred Besides the tediousnesse of the trauell I haue susteined great vexation and disquietnesse by the feare which I might haue when you went to fight with the foure Kinges For my behauiour towardes you it hath alwayes been pleasing My selfe being barren I gaue you my Mayde that yet by her I might haue children for this euen Hagar despiseth mee It had been better forme to let Eliazar of Damascus haue enioyed the Blessing Now God hath sent me a Sonne see how he 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 be heire with my Sonne Isaacke This dealing of Sara God approoueth and willeth Abraham to heare her voyce though it seeme grieuous to him Heere we may see by the mocking of Ismael that the wicked euer persecuteth the godly Asa maketh a Law that whosoeuer will not seeke the Lord God of Israel shall be slaine The wicked make as seueere Lawes But heere
concludeth the Fathers vnder the number of Two and twentie Iacob is called The beloued of the Lord before hee was borne in which he is answerable to Dauid whose name signifieth Beloued and to our Sauiour Christ of whom it was said This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased ISaacke is blinde Sem Heber and Abraham being dead onely Esau and Iacob aliue to enioy the Blessing after Isaacks death Now if we examine the sequell we shall see that if Isaacke had not been blinde hee would for his part haue brought destruction vpon the whole eart for hee would haue blessed Esau who vpon any occasion would haue sould it and besides being verie wicked in despising it would haue brought the heauy wrath of God vpon his posteritie for disobedience Therefore his blindnesse was a great blessing euen as Saint Paul speaketh Eueriething turneth to the best to the children of God Isaacke willeth Esau to goe and kill him some Venision that his soule may blesse him before he die So the Prophets vse to desire meate before they prophecie that being refreshed they may be the fuller of spirite and cheerefulnesse The Hebrewes dispute from this place whether Isaacke was growne into pouertie Some thinke hee was by reason of the famine which fell in Canaan and because the Philistines kept not couenant with him for which cause Sampson afterwards taketh occasion to plague them and that iustly Aben Ezra is of this opinion Rebecca she heareth this Commandement of Isaacke knowing that speedinesse in despatching is oftentimes a great cause of aduantage willeth Iacob to goe and fetch a Kid that therof she might make pleasant meate for Isaacke Iacob is affraid she comforteth him for she had her warrant from God that the elder should serue the younger and therefore shee boldly aduentureth Hee commeth to Isaacke who supposeth him to bee Iacob by his voyce but feeling the roughnesse of his handes and necke is perswaded that it is Esau and blesseth him When he was blessed in commeth Esau with his venison and prayeth his Father to blesse him Isaacke was now astonied to thinke of this subtiltie His spirite must needs be full of feare to thinke how hee whom he would haue blessed the Lord would not choose Isaacke therefore seeing the euent acknowledgeth the election of God in Iacob and concludeth that he shall be blessed Now heere is a question to be handled when Iacob sayth I am thy sonne Esau and Isaacke answereth It is Iacobs voyce Whether Iacob doth lie or noe This answere of Iacobs if we expound in the best sence is no lie for then it is no more but a kind of speach called Ironia So God speaketh in Gen. 3.22 Behold the man is become as one of vs to know good and euill So Christ in the Gospell commeth to his Disciples and finding them asleepe sayth Sleepe hencefoorth Wee may answere it further thus Iacob in respect of the purpose of God which chose him for the blessed might very well be called the onely Sonne Besides in regard of ciuil right now he was his eldest Sonne seeing he had bought the Birth-right of Esau Whether it were a lye or no we will leaue it to God and we can not altogeather condemne this answere seeing God approoueth it by giuing Iacob the blessing Plato sayth When men are dead we cannot aske them what they meant Therefore wee must expounde their speaches and their actions to the best meaning And further wordes are not alwayes to be taken in proper kind of speaking for Abram defendeth himselfe that Sara was his Sister to wit the Daughter of his Father but not the Daughter of his Mother Joseph sweareth By the life of Pharaoh if you take the words as they lie in proper sence he sinned greatly and was euen for his oath the worst of all Iacobs Sonnes But Salamo-Iirkie expoundeth him thus By the life of Pharaoh you are Spies that is Pharaohs life is a Wormes life which in account is no life euen so are ye no Spies in truth though you may seeme so to be So likewise Hushas answereth Absalom for when Absalom saw Hushai Dauids Counseller he asketh him Is this thy kindnesse to thy friend Why wentest thou not with thy friend meaning Dauid Hushai answereth Nay but whom the Lord and his people and all the men of Israel chose his will I bee and with him will I dwell This sentence hath a double meaning either that he meant to serue Absalom or King Dauid Therefore when things are spoken doubtfully we must marke how men may in wit expound them Abraham died Gen. 25.78 being 175. yeares old Hee was buried in Hebron Heber died Gen. 11.16.17 being 464. yeares old Hee was the longest liuer of any that was borne after the Flood Ismael died being 137. yeares old THe Prophet Esay cap. 60.7 prophecying of the calling of the Gentiles nameth the two eldest Sonnes of Ismael Nebaioth and Kedar saying The Rammes of Nebaioth shall serue thee and the Sheepe of Kedar shall be gathered vnto thee Againe he nameth two of Abraham by Ketura Sheba and Seba which two names doe also containe the Gentiles by Cham and the Gentiles of Sem by Iocktan So that vnder the names of the most worthy Gentiles which are the Gentiles by Abraham hee sheweth the calling of all the Gentiles in the World Whereby we are taught that Israels posteritie was not wholly rooted out of the fauour of God as Ameleckes was Iacob goeth to Laban Gen. 28.5 HEe goeth into the Countrie of Mesopotamia to Laban there he serueth twentie yeares This Laban was the sonne of Bethuel and brother to Rebecca and of the house of Nachor the brother of Abraham and Haran who remayned in the land of the Caldies after Abrahams departure so that Laban though of Mesopotamia yet is neere kinsman to Iacob Iacob in this Iourney goeth ouer Iordan with his Staffe and Scrippe as closely and secretly as he could that thereby Esau might not know of his departure for Esau was mighty and as it appeareth afterwardes had a band of foure hundred men Iacob going to Haran stayeth by the way all night because the Sunne was downe and layde of the Stones of the place vnder his head and slept There hee seeth the vision of the Ladder and when he awaketh he sayth Surely the Lord was in this place and I was not ware of it Then he rose and tooke vp the Stones and made a Piller and called it Bethel for he sayd this is no other but the House of Iehouah and the Gate of Heauen Hee seeth a Ladder c. THis Ladder representeth Christ the foote on the Earth his Humanitie and the toppe reaching to Heau enhis Deitie the Angels of God ascending and descending the Mediations betwixt God and vs and the Lord standing aboue vpon it the readinesse of the Father to receiue our Prayers This is expounded Iohn 1.51 Yee shall see the Heauens open and the Angels of God