be the chiefest end and mark whereat man ought to shoote it must nedes be concluded that those mens studyes and labours deserue the greatest prayse which are employed to the attayning and directing of others therevnto Wherein as God in all ages hath alwayes stirred vp some who haue taken great paynes therein to the publike commoditie of others So in my simple iudgement neyther this present worke neyther the Author thereof deserueth the least commendation And albeit I wote full vvell that so the worke it selfe be good it is not greatly materiall what the workeman be yet like as good Wyne is then best vvhen it is drunke out of a cleane vessell and good meat then best delighteth when the dresser therof is cleanly So this Booke which of it selfe I doubt not to be such that it will be liked of all those who delight in God and godlynesse I trust euen for the Authors sake it shall neuer awhit the woorse be welcome Of vvhose syncere lyfe and great prayses although there is good cause why I shoulde speake for that hee hath bene of long time throughly knowne to me and I am assured his vertues and integritie to bee such that if I shoulde saye there are fevve his like to bee founde I trust for saying the truth no good man woulde be offended Yet partly for that I am not ignorant that no man delighteth lesse to heare his owne praise than he doth partly for that there be many causes why I should rather honour him than for lacke of sufficient skill and abilitie meanelye prayse him I will leaue him to thy particular iudgement gentle Reader and to the testimoniall of the vvhole vvorld vvho I doubt not vvill say no lesse but that he is a man vvithout fraude or guile and such one as feareth God. As touching the Booke it selfe good reason it is ech man shoulde vse his ovvne iudgement and opinion But if my simple Testimoniall maye preuayle I dare vvarrant it to bee such that vvhat studie soeuer thou shalt bestovve in reading the same it shall vvell requite thy paynes And though the Author be such that he rather delighteth in good and vertuous lyfe than maketh boste of anye great learning Yet such hath his paynes bene herein that very good Clarkes neede take no scorne to receiue some light from this his Candell In summe the Booke is of God and his holy Saintes and therefore to be reuerenced collected out of Scripture and therefore no vaine fable written briefely and therefore not tedious set forth in playne and simple vvyse and therefore the better for thy capacitie ▪ truely reporting the lyfe and death of such as eyther for sinne and those to be auoyded eyther for vertue and those to bee imitated haue mention made in Gods holye Booke All that is vvritten therein is vvritten for thy helpe and instruction Vse it then to that ende that the Authour meaneth that is Not onely to increase thy knovvledge and so to be made more learned but also to increase thy vertuous life and so to become the better Man. R. M. ¶ The lyues of holy Saincts Prophets Patriarches c. AAron was the sonne of Amram and brother to Moses and of the Tribe of Leui. Hys mothers name was Iochebed sister to Caath the father of Amram Hée was appointed of God to be Moses interpreter and also his Prophet what tyme as God sent Moses to Pharao to poure out hys plagues vpon him He tooke Elisaba the daughter of Aminadab of the Tribe of Iuda to wyfe He was the fyrst Byshop of the Iewes And left with Hur to gouerne the people in the absence of Moses while he was in the Mount wyth god And in the meane time the people beyng yet infected wyth the ydolatrie of Egipt cryed out against Aaron to make them goddes to go before them Then Aaron perceyuing the people inclyned to ydolatrie and also thinking they woulde rather forgoe the same than to forsake their precious Iewels sayde vnto them Plucke of the golden earerings in the eares of your Wyues your sonnes and of your daughters and bring them to mée The people did so Aaron made thereof a Calfe Which when the people sawe and behelde they were excéeding gladde And began now to worship and honor the Calfe as a godde hopping and daunceyng for ioye But the Lorde aboue beholding theyr wickednesse tolde it to Moses and sent him downe post haste to refourme their wycked attemptes Who then comming downe from the Mount wyth the Tables of God in hys hande and drawyng néere to the host hée sawe the Calfe and the people daunceyng before it Which sight so kindeled the wrath of Moses grieued hys heart so sore that he threwe the Tables oute of his handes tooke the Calfe and burnt it in the fyer and stampte it all into powder and ashes which he threwe into the water and forced the people to drinke it Then he demaunded of Aaron what the people did to him that he had brought so great a sinne vpon them Aaron sayde let not the wrath of my Lorde ware fierce thou knowest the people that they are set on mischiefe For they sayde vnto mée make vs goddes to go before vs for we wote not what is become of Moses the man that brought vs out of Egipt Then I required to haue their golde and Iewels which they brought vnto mée and I did cast them into the fier and thereof came out this Calfe Moses then vnderstanding the matter commaunded the children of Leui to fall vpon the ydolaters and slue of them about thrée thousande persons After this it came to passe that Aaron and Miriam his sister did grudge against their brother Moses bicause he had taken an Ethiopian to wyfe saying on this wyse hath the Lorde in déede spoken onely through Moses and hath he not spoken also by vs The Lorde not content wyth this their contemning of Moses auctoritie was sore displeased and stroke Miriam wyth a foule leprosie Which so much discomforted Aaron to sée his syster so fowlye arayed and disfigured that he humbled himselfe to Moses and sayde Alas my Lorde I beséech thée put not the sinne vppon vs which we haue foolishlye committed sinned Oh let hir not be as one deade of whom the fleshe is halfe consumed when he commeth out of hys mothers wombe And so thorowe Aarons intreatie Moses prayed vnto God and Miriam was healed Finally when Aaron had lyued one hundred xxiij yeares hée dyed in mount Hor as the Lorde had foretolde And hys sonne Eleazar succéeded in his rowme Abacuck the Prophet was of the Tribe of Simeon He prophecied of the taking of Ierusalem by Nabuchodonosor This Prophet on a time had prepared potage and other vittayles for the haruest folkes And going to the fieldes to bring the same to the reapers an Aungell of God spake vnto him and sayde Go and cary the meate that thou hast prepared into Babilon and gyue it
transgressed his commaundement and tolde him the waye and meanes how he should search it out which thing being done he founde that Acan had taken of the spoyle at Iericho a Babilonish garment two hundred sicles of siluer and a wedge of golde which being tried and brought forth before the whole congregation Iosua tooke Acan his sonnes and daughters cattell goodes and all that he had and caryed them out to the valley of Acor where they were stoned to death and consumed with fire Achab the sonne of Amrie began his reigne ouer Israel in the xxxviij yeare of the reygne of Asa king of Iuda He tooke Iezabel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sydonites to wyfe by whose meanes he fell into all wicked and straunge Idolatrie and cruell persecution for the which God plagued him so that in thrée yeares space neither dewe nor rayne fell downe from aboue to moysture the earth whereof ensued so great a Murrayne of men and beastes that innumerable dyed thereof and all the fault and cause of this plague he layde on Elia the Prophete and sought by all meanes howe to destroye him This king was so wicked that Scripture sayeth he had euen solde himselfe to worke wickednesse and yet notwithstanding God gaue him a marueylous victorie of Benhadad king of Siria who had in his companie .xxxij. kings with whome he fought twyse and bette him and at the thirde time brought him into so miserable a case that he was fayne to humble himself to Achab with a rope about his necke who neuerthelesse had pitie on that wicked King and made a bonde with him and let him go Nowe for this mercie which Achab had shewed to Benhadad whome the Lorde had cursed and put into Achabs handes to be slayne God was angry with Achab and promised his vtter destruction for the same This gréedy Cormorant was not content with his kingdome and spoyle of his victories which God had giuen him but caused Naboth that innocent man to be murdered onely to haue his vineyarde which laye so nye his nose whose bloud did craue such vengeance of God that worde was brought him by the Prophet Elia that in the same place where dogges had licked the bloude of Naboth shoulde dogges lycke his also and that he woulde doe vnto Achab and his posteritie euen as he had done to the house of Ieroboam and Baasa which terrible threatnings of God so feared Achab that he repented and humbled himselfe in sackecloth for the which the Lorde deferred hys plague and woulde not performe it in Achabs dayes but in the tyme of his sonnes reygne Finallye it came in the mynde of Achab to go into Siria to recouer the Citie of Ramoth which he claymed by inheritance And trusting more to the counsell of foure hundred false Prophetes than he did to Micheas the true Prophet of God he tooke his iourney towardes Ramoth and being in battell agaynst his enimies the Sirians he was shot in wyth an arrowe standing in his Charet of the which stroke he dyed And then when his Charet was had to the poole of Samaria to be washed the dogges lycked vp the bloude that ran thorow the Charet and so was the worde of the Lorde fulfilled which he had spoken before concerning the same He reigned .xxij. yeares Achaicus was a faythfull Christian brother whome Saint Paule sent wyth Stephana and Fortunatus from Philippos to the Corinthians with his Epistle Achior was Captaine gouernour of all the Ammonites vnder Holofernes and had the spirite of Prophecie so plentifull in him that when Holofernes demaunded what maner of people the Iewes were hée stepped forth before him and sayde If it please thée O Prince I will tell thée of a truth what they be They are a people which came of the generation of the Chaldeys and bicause they woulde not serue their goddes nor yet followe their customes they went and dwelt first in Mesopotamia worshipping one God that made heauen and earth at whose commaūdement they went from thence and dwelt in the land of Chanaan where in processe fell so great a dearth that then from Chanaan they went downe to Egypt and dwelt among the Egiptians foure hundreth yeares In the which space they grewe to a mightie number and were sore oppressed of the king of that lande but assoone as they cryed to their God for helpe he sent downe such plagues vpon the king and all his lande that he was fayne to suffer them to departe yet when they were gone and the plague ceased he then pursued to haue brought them backe agayne into bondage But God perceyuing his people to be in a strayte opened the Sea before them and brought them thorowe on drye ground and closed the sea vpon their enimies and so drowned Pharao with all his hoste And nowe being passed the redde Sea they came to the wildernesse of Mount Sinay where the waters being bitter he made them swéete and fedde them forty yeares with meate from heauen They had such power of their God that they cast out before them the Chananites the Pherisites the Iebusites and the Hethites with many great Nations mo For so long as they stoode in awe of their God and did not offende him so long was no Nation yet euer able to molest or hurt them But if anye time they declyned from his wyll and ordinance then were they quickly destroyed in battell and brought to captiuitie and bondage Wherefore O Prince let inquisition now be made whether they haue offended their God or no and if they haue then let vs goe agaynst them for God shall deliuer them into thy hande But if they haue not displeased their God he will so defende them that we shall not surely be able to stande before them but become a reproche vnto all the worlde Now was Holofernes so madde with Achior that he commanded his men to carie him to the Iewes that he myght perishe with them in their destruction And as they went towarde Bethulia with Achior and saw they might not come nye the Citie without great perill of their lyues They went to a trée and bound him fast to the same and so leauing him went their wayes Then came the Iewes to Achior and loosed his bandes had him into the Citie and set hym before the Senators who demaunded the cause wherefore the Assirians had so cruelly vsed him to whome he declared the matter in order as he had spoke it before to the prince Holofernes which being done the whole assemble gaue prayses and thankes to God which had giuen to Achior being an heathen man such boldnesse of spirite to sette forth his power and glory And from that time forth they comforted Achior and had hym in great estimation who fell from his heathenishe beliefe and put all his trust in the liuing God and became a Iewe and was circumcised and numbred among the people of Israel he and
reasoning the matter Iesus ioyned himselfe personally with them as a wayfayring man desirous to knowe whereof they talked so sadly To whome Cleophas made aunswere and sayde art thou only a straunger in Ierusalem and hast not knowne the thinges which haue chaunced there of late ▪ of what things sayde Iesus ▪ Of one Iesus of Nazareth which was a Prophet mightie in déede and word before ▪ God and all the people and howe the hye Priest and our Rulers deliuered him to be condemned to death and haue crucified him but we trusted that it had bene he that shoulde haue deliuered Israel and as touching all these things to day is euen the thirde day that they were done Then Iesus opened the Scriptures to Cleophas and the other and being knowne of them at the last by breaking of breade they returned to the Apostles at Ierusalem and tolde them all what they had hearde and séene of Iesus by the way to Emaus Clement was one of Paules labour fellowes in the Gospell among the Philippians as Paule himselfe reporteth saying And I beséech the faythfull yokefellow helpe the women which laboured with mée in the Gospell with Clement also and with other my labour fellowes whose names are in the booke of life Crescens what tyme as Paule sent for Timothy was departed from Rome into Galatia for businesse he had there whereof he certifieth Timothy saying Crescens is gone to Galatia and Titus vnto Dalmatia Crispus the chiefe ruler of the Synagoge at Corinth after he had heard Paules preaching beléeued in the Lord he and all his householde and were Christened in the name of Christ Iesu Cornelius was an heathen man dwelling in Cesarea and a Captaine ouer a bande of men which were in Italy This man notwithstanding he was a Gentile borne and in office a man of Armes yet he was a good lyuer and feared God as it well appeared chiefely in two pointes which was in liberally refreshing the poore and néedy and his continuall praying vnto the lord In the which prayer as he was on a time occupyed aboute the ninth houre of the day which was a little before Supper tyme he saw in a vision an Angell of God comming to him and calling him by his name saying Cornelius thy prayers and thine Almes déedes are come vp into remembraunce before God wherefore sende to Ioppa for one Symon whose Sirname is Peter he lodgeth with one Simon a Tanner whose house ioyneth vpon the Sea side and he shall tell thée what thou oughtest to doe Then Cornelius sent for Peter against whose comming he had called togithers all his kinsmen and speciall friends And when Peter was come Cornelius mette him and fell downe at his féete to worship hym which thing Peter would not suffer forasmuch as he was but a man as Cornelius was And so going in with hym he founde a great companie gathered togithers vnto whom he sayde Yée know how that it is an vnlawfull thing for a man that is a Iewe borne to company or come to one that is of an other nacion But God hath shewed me that I shoulde not make any man common or vncleane Therfore came I vnto you without saying nay assoone as I was sent for I aske therefore for what intent haue yée sent for me Then Cornelius sayd Foure dayes ago and euen about this same houre I fasted and at the ninth houre I prayed in my house and behold a man stoode before me in bright clothing and sayde Cornelius thy prayer is heard and thine Almes déeds are had in remembraunce in the sight of God sende therefore to Ioppa and call for Symon whose Sirname is Peter he is lodged in the house of one Symon a Tanner by the Sea side the which assoone as he is come shall speake vnto thée Then sent I for thée immediately and thou hast well done for to come Now therefore are we all here present before God to heare all thinges that are commaunded vnto thée Then Peter preached the worde of God vnto them and whyle he was yet preaching the holy Ghost fell vpon them all so that in the ende Cornelius with all his Company there present were Baptized in the name of Christ Iesu Chore was the sonne of Iezchar the sonne of Caath the sonne of Lénie This Chore of a stoute and prowde heart enuied and detested Moses the true seruant of God and raysed vp a sedicion agaynst him and Aaron hauing with hym Dathan Abiran and On Thrée great Captaynes beside 250. other noble men that tooke his parte which insurrection by the power of man was vnsuppressable But almighty God caused the earth to open and swallow them vp with theyr Wyues Children and all their substaunce ¶ Here is a question to be mooued If all the substaunce of Chore with his wife and children were swallowed vp of the earth with them How can that be true which is written in the tytle of the. 41. Psalme that the children of Chore were eyther the makers or the singers or the setters forth of that godly Psalme Aunswere is made Numeri 26. where it is written that when Chore was swallowed vp of the earth God miraculously preserued certayne of his children of whose ofspring there came very excellent learned and notable wyse men and speciallye these foure Ethan the Ezrachite to wéete that was borne in the town called Ezrachi Heman Calcal Darda which foure so farre excelled all other in wisedome and learning that the wisedome of Salomon was compared to be as great as theirs These foure are called the children of Chore not that they were the naturall children of Chore but that they came of the ofspring of the children of Chore which God had miraculously preserued from the great gulph and gaping of the earth For it is well knowne that Chore liued in Moses time agaynst whome he was the chiefe in stirring vp of rebellion against him Agayne Ethan Heman Calcal and Darda liued and florished in Salomons tyme which was 480. yeres or therabout after that Chore was killed So that these men could not be the naturall children of Chore but are called his children and his sonnes bicause they came of his progenic and ofspring Cirus King of Persia in the first yere of his reigne deliuered the people of Israell out of captiuitie and gaue them libertie to go and builde the Citie of Ierusalem and the Temple of God againe which Nabuchodonosor had destroyed and sent with them all the vessels of golde and siluer pertayning to the house of the Lorde which were in number 5400. And the number of the whole congregation that returned from the captiuitie of Babilon were .xlij. thousande thrée hundreth and thrée score beside their seruantes and Maydens which were 6337. and among them also were 200. singing men and women And of this Cyrus it was prophecied by the Prophet Esaye long before Cyrus was borne that he shoulde deliuer
foorth to pray And as Holofernes laye stretched along vpon his bed ouercome with Wyne Iudith stoode by his beddes syde and prayed on this wise O Lorde God of all power strengthen me and haue respect vnto the workes of my handes in this houre that thou mayst set vp thy citie of Ierusalem like as thou hast promised O graunt that by thée I may performe the thing which I haue deuised and so tooke downe his swoorde and holding him fast by the heaire of his head sayde Strengthen mée O Lorde God of Israel in this houre and with that smote off his head and rolled the deade bodye asyde and got hir foorth to hir mayde and put the headde in hir Wallet went foorth togithers as though they had gone as their custome was to praye And so passing by the hoste and comming nyghe to the Citie of Bethulia she called to the watchmen to open the gate for God is with vs quoth she and hath shewed his power in Israel And when the gates were set open the people receyued hir yoong and olde with such ioye as neuer the lyke was séene Then sayde Iudith Oh prayse yée the Lorde and giue thankes vnto our God which hath not taken away his mercy from the house of Israel but hath destroyed our enimies this night by my hande And beholde here his head whome the Lorde hath slayne by mée his minister and returned his handmayde without any reproche of vylanie wherefore giue praise and thanks to our God ▪ whose mercye endureth for euer Nowe take the head and hange it vpon the hyest place of your walles and in the morning when the Sunne appeareth go foorth with your weapons like valiaunt men and make as though yée woulde set vpon your enimies who will then prepare them to Armour But when they shall go to rayse vp their Captayne and finde hym without a heade there will such a fearefulnesse fall vpon them that euery man will séeke to saue himselfe by flying then doe yée followe them without all care for God hath deliuered them into your handes And so the Israelites followed the Assirians which kept no order and siue them downe right And when they had slayne all their enimies and gathered vp the spoyle they gaue the Tent of Holofernes and all that belonged to hym vnto Iudith by whome God had so mightyly wrought their deliueraunce had hir in great honour all the dayes of hir lyfe who at the age of an hundred and fiue yeares dyed and was most honorably buryed in Bethulia beside hir husbande ¶ Iudith he that prayseth or confesseth Gen. 26. g. ¶ Iudith the daughter of Bery an Hethite was wyfe to Esau the sonne of Isaac Act. 1. 7. a. Iulius was an vnder Captaine of the bande of Augustus to whome Paule with other prisoners were committed to be caryed to Rome and of him gentlye intreated ¶ Iulius Downe or downie and full of fine beares K. KEdorlaomor was King of Elam Who with thrée Kings mo that tooke his part fought with the King of Sodome and the King of Gomorra and other thrée on their parties which fiue kings had ben .xij. yeres in subiection vnder him in the valley of Siddim put them to flight and spoiled the cities of Sodome and Gomorra where they founde Lot Abrahams brothers sonne and caried him away with all the goodes of Sodome and Gomorra which goodes with Lot also were recouered againe by Abraham Ketura was Abrahams wyfe who bare vnto hym sixe sonnes L. LAban the sonne of Bethuel called also Nahor Abrahams brother had two daughters the one named Lea and the other Rachel which two he marryed to Iacob his sisters Sonne as in the storie of Iacob is at large set forth Lamech the sonne of Mathuselah came of the generation of Cain and was the first man that tooke him two Wyues whereby the lawfull institution of mariage which is that twoo shoulde be one fleshe was first in him corrupted His twoo wyues were called Ada Zilla By Ada he had twoo sonnes Iubal and Tubal By Zilla one sonne called Tubalcain and a daughter called Noema He siue Cain but not willingly and tolde his wiues saying I haue slaine a man vnto the wounding of my selfe and a yoong man vnto mine owne punishment If Cain shall be auenged seauen folde truely Lamech seauentie times seauen folde When Lamech had liued 182. yeres he begotte a sonne and called his name Noe of whome he prophecied saying This shall comfort vs from the workes and labours of our handes in the earth which the Lord hath cursed He liued 777. yeres and dyed Lazarus was a certaine man dwelling in the towne of Bethania which towne pertayned to him and his sisters called Martha and Marie Magdalene And being sicke on a time his sister Marie sent vnto Iesus saying Oh Lorde beholde he whome thou loouest is sicke At whose request Iesus when he sawe his time tooke his iourney into Iewrie to visite his friende Lazarus who was deade and buried foure dayes before his comming Then Iesus who was not ignorant of that which was done went to his graue wherein they had layde him and sayde Lazarus come forth And forthwithall he came out of his graue bounde hande and foote with his graue clothes vpon him and a napkin bounde about his face who being vntyed came forth of his clothes as whole and as lustie as euer he was in all his lyfe For the which myracle the Iewes sought not onely how they might put Iesus to death but Lazarus also vppon whome the myracle was done bicause that for his sake manye of the Iewes went awaye and beléeued on Iesus After this about a sixe dayes before the feast of Easter came Iesus to Bethania againe where they had prepared him a supper at the which Martha serued him but Lazarus sate at the Table with him as other did Lazarus the poore begger which laye at the great mans gate full of botches and sores euen ready to die for hunger coulde not be relieued with so much as one crum of the scrappes which fell from the rich mannes boorde when he made his earnest peticion for them where as the dogs were fed with great lumpes cantels of good bread yea he found more fauour and gentlenesse with the dogs than with the rich man For where as the rich glutton would refresh the poore begger with nothing of all his delicious and sumptuous fare yet the hungry dogges came and licked his sores But when it chaunced this begger to die he was caried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome And contrarywise the rich man then dying also being sumptuouslye buried was caryed into hell where in his torments he lifted vp his eies saw Abraham a farre of Lazarus in his bosome vnto whom he cryed saying O father Abraham haue mercy vpon me and send Lazarus hither that he may but dip the top
of Israel but forget them and put them cleane out of remembraunce Lornhama not obtayning Mercy S LVCAS EVANGELISTA Acta Apost Cap. 9. SAVLE SAVLE QVID ME PERSEQVERIS DOMINE QVID ME VIS FACERE ET DOMINâ— IHS Collo 4. d. Luke was a Phisition borne in the citie of Antioche 2. Tim. 4. c. and became Saint Pauls Disciple and companion in all Luke liued 84. yeares and was buried at Constautinople his traueyles He wrote the volume of his Gospell as he had learned of Paule and of the other Apostles as he reporteth himselfe in the beginning of the same worke saying As they haue deliuered them to vs which from the beginning saw them with their eyes and were ministers of the thinges that they declared But the volume called the Actes of the Apostles he composed as he had séene the story whereof came euen to Paules tyme being and tarying twoo yeares at Rome where the woorke was finished ¶ Luke his Resurrection M. MAacha the daughter of Thalmar king of Gessur was King Dauids wyfe and mother to Absalom Maacha the daughter of Absalom was wyfe to Roboam and Mother to Abia which Abia his father Roboam ordayned to raigne after hym for the loue that he bare to Maacha his mother aboue all the reast of his wyues â–ª Reade the storye of Asa Machabeus was the thirde sonne of Mathathias and after his fathers death he was made Ruler ouer the Iewes Who in the defence of the holye lawes fought most manfully against Goddes enimies during his lyfe Machir was the sonne of Amiel of Lodebar and a great friende to Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathas who kept him in his house tyll King Dauid sent for hym to his preferment Manahen the Sonne of Eady besieged Sallum King of Israel in Samaria and slue him whose Kingdome he possessed and began his raygne in the nyne and thirtie yeare of Azariahu King of Iuda And because the Citie of Tiphsah woulde not receyue him as there he destroyed the Citie and all that was within it And for this great wickednesse and tyrannie God styrred vp Phul King of Assiria agaynst him vnto whom Manahen gaue a thousande Talents of siluer to breake vp his warres which money he exacted of his people taking of euerye man of substannce fiftie Sicles He raygned ten yeares leauing Pekahia his sonne to succéede him Manahen which was brought vp of a Childe with Herode and his playsere at the last forsooke him and followed Christ Manasses the sonne of Hezekia was twelue yeare olde when he began his raygne ouer Iuda and wrought much euill before the Lorde For he buylt vp the hye places agayne which his father had destroyed He erected vp Altars for Baal and made Groues as Achab dyd and woorshipped all the hoste of heauen and serued them He offered his children in fire as the maner of the Gentyles was and gaue himselfe to witchcraft and Sorcerye and fauoured Soothsayers and such as vsed familiar spirits He set the Image of the groue in the house where the Lorde sayde he woulde put his name for euer Ouer and beyonde all these euils he shed so much innocent bloude that all Ierusalem was replenished from corner to corner wrought more wickednesse than dyd all the Amorites Wherefore the Lorde gaue hym ouer into the handes of the King of Assiria who tooke Manasses and bounde him with twoo cheynes and caryed him to Babilon Where at the last he so humbled him selfe to the Lorde that he had compassion vpon hym and restored him to his Kingdome agayne Who after that became a good man and put downe all such abhominacions as he before had mayntayned and reygned fiue an fiftie yeres leauing Amon his sonne to succéede Mardocheus the sonne of Iair was a Iew borne dwelling in the Citie of Susan and one of them which were caryed away from Ierusalem with Iechonia King of Iuda by Nabuchodonosor into Babilon This man had a fayre Damosell in his house named Hester his vncles daughter whose Father and Mother being dead he brought vp as his owne daughter so long till at last for hir bewtie fayrenesse she was taken vp by the Kinges commission with other mo had to the Court there to be brought vp at the Kings charges in an house appointed for that purpose the King had called them for And euery day would Mardocheus walke before the womens house to he are and know how Hester dyd what should become of hir whose lotte in processe was to be made Quéene in the steade of Vasthi late deposed And on a time as Mardocheus sate in the Kings gate he heard an ynckling of certaine treason conspired against the Kings owne person by twoo of his pryuie Chamber Bigthan and There 's which treason he caused Hester to open vnto the King and to certifie his grace thereof in his name Vpon whose certification inquirie being made founde true the conspiratours were put to death and the matter Registred in Chronicle for a remembrance of their acte After this bycause Mardocheus would doe no reuerence to Haman both he and the Iewes shoulde all haue béene slayne in one daye Whereof Mardocheus hauing knowledge he rent his clothes and put on mourning apparell and so ranne thorow the Citie of Susan where their destruction was denised Crying out vntill he came to the Kinges gate where he might not be suffered to enter in that araye Then Hester hearing thereof was sore astonished and sent him other rayment to put on But he refusing the rayment declared vnto the messenger the whole effect of Hamans commission and working and tooke him a Copye of the same to giue to Ester charging hir to go vnto the King for the lyues and â—afegarde of hir people For who can tell quoth he whither God hath called hir to the Kingdome for that purpose or no it may be that he hath And therefore if she nowe holde hir peace the Iewes shall haue helpe from some other place and so shall she hir fathers house be vtterly destroyed And so whyle Ester went about the deliueraunce of the Iewes Mardocheus was exalted into the Kings fauour to the great reioysing of all the Iewes whose wealth he sought so long as he lyued Reade the story of Ester and Haman Marie the Virgin and mother of God whose parentes are not expressed in Scripture was affianced to a certaine good man of hir owne stocke and Tribe which was of Iuda named Ioseph And before she came to dwell with him the Angell Gabriel being sent of God came and saluted hir saying Hayle full of grace the Lorde is with thée blessed art thou among women The Virgin séeing the Angel was sore abashed at his words and mused much in hir mynde what salutation that shoulde be Then sayde the Angell feare not Mary for thou hast founde fauour with God for lo
much kindnesse to his Father and to all his kinred After this Pharao rose there vp another which knew not Ioseph And he without all measure vexed the Children of Israel And thinking by his humayne wisedome to haue let their increase he coÌ„maunded the Mydwyues to destroye the men Children of the Hebrues assoone as they were borne Whose policie tooke no effect for Moses notwithstanding was preserued and brought vp euen in his owne house fourtie yeares And after the death of this Pharao there came an other whose heart God did harden and plagued him with tenne marueylous plagues before he woulde let the Israelites depart out of his lande And persisting in his obstinacie and frowarde heart God at the last drowned hym and all his hoste in the redde Sea. There was yet an other mightie Prince of this name whose kingdome ioyned so nyghe to Salomons that Salomon to make himselfe the stronger made affinitie with him and maryed his daughter And this Pharao tooke the Citie of Gaza from the Cananites and gaue it with the Countrey there about to Salomon for his daughters dowrye Finallye Pharao Necho in the dayes of Iehoahas the sonne of Iosia king of Iuda came and deposed hym making Elyakym his brother King in his steade and merced the lande in a hundred Talents of Siluer and one of golde and caryed Iehoahas awaye with hym into Egipt Phebe was a certayne woman which serued in the Congregacion of Cenchrea by whome Paule sent his Epistle to the Romaynes wherein he sayth in hir prayse and commendacion on this wise I commende vnto you Phebe our sister which is a seruaunt of the Congregacion of Cenchrea that yée receyue hir in the Lorde as it becommeth saintes And yée assist hir in whatsoeuer busynesse she néedeth of your ayde for she hath succoured many and mée also Phigelus was one of them in Asia which had cleaued to Pauls doctrine and afterwarde forsooke hym Of whome Paule writeth to Timothy thus This thou knowest howe that all they which are in Asia be turned from me of which sorte are Phigelus and Hermogenes Philemon looke Onisimus Philetus was a certayne man in S. Paules tyme which erred from the truth saying that the resurrection was past already of whose errour Paule warneth Timothy saying on this wyse Study to shew thy selfe laudable vnto God a workeman that néedeth not to be ashamed destributing the worde of trueth iustlye as for vngestlye vanities of voyces passe thou ouer them for they will increase vnto vngodlynesse and their wordes shall frette as doth the disease of a Canker of whose number is Himeneus and Philetus which as concerning the trueth haue erred saying the resurrection is past alreadye and doe destroy the fayth of many Philip. To this man Antiochus the King at the day of his death coÌ„mitted the gouernance of his yong sonne Antiochus with the whole Realme during his nonage Which Philip afterward went into Persia with a great hoste leauing the Kinges sonne vnder the tuition of Lysias who in the absence of Philip made Antiochus King in his fathers steade adding to his name Eupater Then Philip hearing of this whose intent was to be King him selfe returned with the Kings armie out of Persia and came to Antioch where he got the dominion But Lysias hearing thereof made haste to Antioch where he fought with Philip and in â—ine got the Citie from him Philip a man borne in Bethsaida a Citie of Galile was called to be an Apostle After whose calling he went to Nathaniel and sayde we haue founde him of whome Moses in the Lawe and the Prophetes did wryte Iesus the sonne of Ioseph of Nazareth and so brought him to Iesus This is he whome Christ asked to prooue him where he might buye so much breade as woulde serue the company to eate that came vnto him who made aunswere that two hundreth penywoorth woulde not suffyce them to haue but euery man a little Also when there were certaine Gréekes which came to Philip saying they were desirous to sée Iesus Philip went and tolde Andrew And agayne Andrewe and Philip tolde Iesus Furthermore when Iesus reasoned with his Disciples about his father saying that they both knewe him and had séene him Philip sayd Lord shew vs the father and it sufficeth vs Nowe after the death of Christ and persecution that was about Steuen Philip went to the Citie of Samaria where he preached Christ and did not only conuert the whole Citie but also Simon Magus the Sorcerer who had of long time seduced the same Citie with his sorcerie and witchcraft And when he had thus sowen the worde of God among the Samaritanes the Angell of the Lord spake vnto Philip saying Arise and go towarde the South vnto the waye that goeth downe from Ierusalem vnto the Citie of Gaza which is in the desert And as he was going he met in the way by Gods prouidence a certaine man of Ethiopia a Chamberlaine and of great authoritie with Candace Quéene of Ethiope which had bene at Ierusalem to worship And returning homewarde sitting in his Chariot he readde the booke of Esay the Prophete Then Philip being commaunded by the spirite of God to go and ioyne himselfe vnto the Chariote went And when hée came neare and hearde him reading of Esaye the Prophet he sayde vnto the Chamberlayne vnderstandest thou what thou readest Howe can I quoth he except I had a guyde wherefore I pray thée come vppe and sitte with me The tenor of the Scripture which he readde was this He was ledde as a shéepe to be slayne and like a Lambe dumbe before his shearer so opened he not hys mouth Bicause of his humblenesse he was not estéemed But who shall declare his generation and his lyfe is taken from the earth When Philip had repeated thys Text vnto the Chamberlaine he sayde vnto Philip I pray thée of whome speaketh the Prophet this of himselfe or of some other man Then began Philip at the same Scripture and preached vnto him Iesus And as they went on their waye they came by a certayne water And the Chamberlayne sayde to Philip. Sée here is water what doth let me to be baptised Philip sayde if thou beléeue with all thy heart thou mayest And he sayde I beléeue that Iesus Christ is the sonne of god Then was the Chariot stayed till they both went downe into the water where Philip baptised him And assoone as they were both out of the water the spirit of the Lord caught away Philip so that the Chamberlaine saw him no more who went awaye reioyceing But the Aungell sette Philip downe in the next Citie called Azotus who walked thorowout the Countrie preaching in all the Cities till he came to Cesarea Philip the Euangelist was one of the seauen Deacons He dwelt in Cesarea and had foure daughters which did prophecie Phinehes the Sonne of Eleazar was so gelyous ouer the lawes of God