Miscellanies Christian and Judaical, Chapter 13 – Chapter 15
CAP. XIII. Of the Massorites.
THese men are held to be the Authors of the vowells and Accents: which opinion receiued by some (and those no ordinary men neither) I must needs confesse, I am not so fully satisfied for, as to beleeue it. I doe indeed admire the Massorites paines i… obseruation of them in the Bible, but I cannot guesse by that, that they hauehave done more then obserued: when a word, either in letter or vowell, goe… from ordinarie rules of Grammar, they hauehave marked, that it does so, which a meane Hebrician may do, but why it does so, there is either a right Iewish reason, or none at all giuen. To exemplifie in one, Gen. 14.5. the word kederlaomer, foreignis so strangely pri… ked, that one cannot passe it: I my selfe obserued it before euer I saw the Massoreth: and when I came thitherto them for a reason, they hauehave done no more but obserued it: viz. Tebhah hhatha &c. that Camets is written with two çeuaes: and so of others they seldome say more. Admirable is their paines, to prooue the text vncorrupt against a gaine saying Papist. For they hauehave summed vp all the letters in the Bible to shew, that one haire of that sacred head is not perished. Eight …undred eight and fourty marginall …otes are obserued and preserued for the more facility of the text. The middle verse of eueryevery booke noted, the number of the verses in eueryevery booke reckoned: and (as I said before) not a vowell that misseth ordinary Grammar which is not marked. So that if we had no other surety for the truth of the old Testament text, these mens paines (me thinks) should be enough to stop the mouth of a daring Papist.
CAP. XIIII. Of the marginall readings.
THat the margin should so often helpe the text (as I may so say) as in 848. places, may seeme to taxe the text of so many errours. But the learned can find a reason why it is so. I hope I may satisfie my selfe without any hurt, with this reason, till m… learning will affoord mee a better▪ Namely, that when they tooke i… hand to reuiew the Bible, after the captiuity (as all hold Ezra did) that they did it by more coppies then one: which when they thus varied, they would not forsake either, because they were loath to add or diminish therefore they tooke euen their varying, one in the text, and the other in the margin. Yet doe I not thinke it was done onelyonly thus, without some more speciall matter in some places: for the writing of Nagnarah so often Nagnar, foreigndoes make mee thinke (if I had nothing els to perswade me) that these marginals are not only humane corrections.
CAP. XV. Ex Kimchio in Ionah 1.
KImchi questioning why the book of Ionah should bee Canonicall, &c. giues one most comfortable reason, which vponupon reading I could not but muse on. His words are obseruable, and they are these. It is questionable why this Prophecie is written among the holy Scriptures, since it is all against Niniueh, which was Heathennish: and in it there is no remembrance (or mention) of Israel, and among all the Prophets besides this, there is not the like. But we may expound it, that it is written to be a *Heb. Musar. Instruction.checke to Israel, for loe a strange People which were not of Israel, was ready to repent, and euen the first time that a Prophet reproued them, they turned wholly from their euill: But Israel whom the Prophets reproued early and late, yet they returned not from their euill. Againe (this booke was written) to shew the great miracle, that the blessed God did with the Prophet, who was three dayes and three nights in the belly of the fish, and yet liued, and the fish cast him vp againe. Againe to teach vsus, that the blessed God sheweth mercy to the repentant of what nation soeuer, and pardons them though they bee many. Haec Kimchi. VponUpon whose last words I cannot but enter into these thoughts. Could wee looke for a truth from a Iew, or comfort from a Spaniard? And yet here the Spanish Iew affoords vsus both: comfortable truth, and true comfort. God will pardon the Repentant, there is a comfortable truth, and hee will pardon them of what nation soeuer if they repent, there is most true comfort. When a Iew thus preaches repentance, I cannot but hearken, and helpe him a little out with his Sermon. That as God is ready to forgiue the Repentant of what Nation soeuer, so for what sinnes soeuer, if they be truly repented. Here, I except the impardonable sinne, the sinne against the Holy Ghost: which what it is, the Scripture conceales in close words, partly because we should not despaire, if wee fall our selues, and partly because wee should not censure damnably of our brethren, if they fall into a sinne that is nigh this, so that not into it. To maintaine the Iewes words and mine owne, for pardon of Nations and of finnes, I hauehave as large a field as all the Countries and all the sinnes of the world to looke ouer. I will onelyonly for Countries confine my selfe to Niniueh, and for sinnes to Mary Magdalen. Niniueh a heathen towne, built by a wicked brood, inhabited by a wicked crew, yet repenting Niniueh is pardoned. Mary Magdalen a manifold sinner, a customary sinner, a most deadly sinner, yet repenting Mary Magdalen is forgiuen, The Iew brings me into two christian meditations about Niniueh, or into two wholesome Passions: Feare and Hope. God sees the sinnes of Niniueh, then I know mine are not hid, this breeds in me feare of punishment: But God forgiues the sinnes of Niniueh, then I hope mine are not vnpardonable: this breeds hope of forgiuenesse. Col debhaurau she amar lehareang libhne Adam (saith the Rabbin) bithnai im lo jashubhu. All the euills that God threatens to men, are threatned with this condition, if they doe not repent. As before the Iew spake comfort and truth, so here hee linkes comfort and terrour. God threatens euill, there is terrour, but it is with condition, there is comfort. Niniueh finds both in the story, Fourty dayes and Niniueh shall be destroyed, there is a threatned terrour: But the Lord repented of the euill that hee spake to doe vntounto them, and did it not, there is a comforting condition. So that as Dauid does, so will I hopefully and yet fearefully sing of mercy and judgement: First mercy, then iudgement: Mercy vponupon my repentance, lest I bee cast downe: and Iudgement vponupon my sinnes, lest I be lifted vp. Mercy in Iudgement, and Iudgement in mercy. Is there any one that desperatly reiects Niniuehs exhibited mercy? let him feare Niniuehs threatned iudgment, or is there any that trembles at Niniuehs threatned Iudgement? let him comfort himselfe by Niniuehs obtaining mercy. But in the mouth of two witnesses, let the mercy bee confirmed. Let mee take Mary Magdalen with Niniueh, and as I see in it the forgiuenesse of a multitude of sinners, so I may see in her, of a multitude of sinnes. Those many sinners pardoned as one man, those many sinnes made as none at all. Saint Bernard speaking of her washing of Christs feet, saies, shee came thither a sinner, but shee went thence a Saint: She came thither an Aethiope and a leopard, but shee went thence with changed skin, and cancelled spots. But how was this done? She fell at the feet of Christ, and with sighs from her heart, she vomited the sinnes from her soule, Prosternere & tu anima mea, as saith the same Bernard. And cast thou thy selfe downe, oh my soule, before the feet of Christ, wipe them with thine haires, wash them with thy teares, which teares washing his feet may also purge thy soule. Wash his feet, and wash thy selfe with Mary Magdalen, till hee say to thee as hee did to Marie Magdalen, thy sinnes are forgiuen.