Miscellanies Christian and Judaical, Chapter 40 – Chapter 45
CAP. XL. Mazkir neshamoth: or the Remembrancer of soules: in the Iewes liturgy: printed at Venice.
THe Lord remember the soule (or spirit of Abba Mr. N. the sonne of N. who is gone into his world: wherefore I vow (to giuegive) Almes for him, that for this, his soule may be bound vp in the bundle of life, with the soule of Abraham, Isaac and Iacob, Sarah, and Rebecca, Rahel and Leah, and with the rest of the righteous men and righteous women, which be in the garden of Eden. Amen.
The Lord remember the soule of Mris. N. the Daughter of N. who is gone to her world. Therefore I vow: &c. as in the other before. Amen.
The Lord remember the soule of my father and my mother, of my grandfathers and grandmothers, of my vncles and aunts, of my brethren and sisters, of my cosens and cosenesses, whether of my fathers side, or mothers side, who are gone into their world. Wherefore I vow, &c. Amen.
The Lord remember the soule of N. the sonne of N. and the soules of all my cosens and cosenesses, whether on my fathers or mothers side, who were put to death, or slaine, or stabd, or burnt, or drowned, or hanged for the sanctifying of the name of God. Therefore I will giuegive Almes for the memory of their soules, and for this let their soules bee bound vp in the bundle of life, with the soule of Abraham, Isaac and Iacob, Sarah and Rebecca, Rahel and Leah, and with the rest of the righteous men and righteous women which are in the garden of Eden. Amen.
Then the Priest pronounceth a blessing vponupon the man that is thus charitable, as it followeth there in these words.
Hee that blessed our father Abraham, Isaac and Iacob, Moses and Aaron, Dauid and Salomon, he blesse Rabbi N. the sonne of N. because he hath vowed Almes for the soules whom he hath mentioned: for the honour of God, and for the honour of the law, and for the honour of the day: for this the Lord keepe him, and deliuer him from all affliction and trouble, and from eueryevery plague and sickenesse: and write him and seale him for a happy life, in the day of Iudgement: and send a blessing and prosper him in eueryevery worke of his hands, and all Israel his brethren, and let vsus say Amen.
Thus (courteous Reader) hast thou seene a Popish Iew interceding for the dead: hauehave but the like patience a while, and thou shalt see how they are Popish almost entirely, in claiming the merits of the dead to intercede for them: for thus tendeth a prayer which they vse in the booke, called Sepher Min hagim shel col Hammedinoth, &c. which I hauehave also here turned into English.
Do for thy praises sake, Do for their sakes that loued thee, that (now) dwell in dust. For Abraham, Isaac, and Iacobs sake. Do for Moses and Aarons sake. Doe for Dauid and Salomons sake. Doe for Ierusalem thy holy Cities sake. Doe for Sion the habitation of thy glories sake. Do for the desolation of thy Temples sake. Do for the treading down of thine Altars sake. Do for their sakes who were slaine for thy holy Name. Do for their sakes who hauehave bene massacred for thy sake. Do for their sakes who hauehave gone to fire or water for the hallowing of thy Name. Do for sucking childrens sakes who hauehave not sinned. Doe for weaned childrens sakes who hauehave not offended. Do for infants sakes who are of the house of our Doctors. Do for thine owne sake if not for ours. Do for thine owne sake and saue vsus.
Tel me gentle reader foreign &c. whether doth the Iew, Romanize or the Roman Iudaize in his deuotions This interceding by others, is a shrewd signe they hauehave both reiected the right Mediator betweene God and man, Christ Iesus. The prophane Heathen might hauehave read both Iew and Papist a lecture in his, Contemno minutos istos Deos, modo Iouem propitium habeam, which I thinke a Christian may well English: let go all Diminutiue Diuinities, so that I may hauehave the great Iesus Christ to propitiate for me.
CAP. XLI. Of the Latine translation of Mat. 6.1.
ALmes in Rabbin Hebrew are called foreign Tsedhakah righteousnesse, which word the Syrian Translator vseth, Mat. 6.1. Act. 10.2. and in other places. From this custome of speech, the Roman vulgar Translateth, Attendite ne iustitiam vestram faciatis: One English old manuscript Testament, is in Lichfield Librarie, which hath it thus after the Latine: Takith hede that you do not your rigtwisnes before men to be seyne of hem, ellis ye shullen hauehave no mede at your fadir that is in heuenes. Other English Translation, I neuer saw any to this sense; nor any Greeke coppie. It seemes the Papist will rather Iudaize for his owne aduantage, then follow the true Greeke, The Septuagint in some places of the old Testamēt, hauehave turned Tsedhakah Righteousnesse, foreign Almesdeeds, to little or to no sense. As the Papists hauehave in this place of the new Testament, turned foreign Almesdeeds, by foreign Righteousnesse, to as little purpose. In the Hebrew indeed, one word is vsed for both: Tsedhakah for Almesdeeds, which properly signifies Righteousnesse; vponupon what ground I know not, vnlesse it be, to shew that *St. Chrysostome hath such a touch.Almes must be giuen of rightly gotten good, or else they are no ri…hteousnesse: or they are called zadkatha in Syrian, Hu ger Zadek lemehwo, they are called righteousnesse, because it is right they should be giuen, and giuen rightly. The Fathers of the Councell of Trent speake much of the merit of Almes; whom one may answer in the very words of their vulgar, Attendite ne iustitiam vestram faciatis. Take heed you do not make them your Iustification.
CAP. XLII. An Embleme.
A Wall in Rome had this picture. A man painted naked with a whip in one hand, and foure leaues of a booke in the other, and in eueryevery leafe a word written. In the first, Plango, I mourne; In the second, Dico, I tell; In the third, volo, I will; and in the fourth, facio I do. Such a one in the true repentant. He is naked, because he would hauehave his most secret sinnes laid open to God: He is whipped, because his sinnes do sting himselfe: His booke is his repentance; His foure words are his actions: In the first hee mournes, in the second he confesses, in the third hee resolues, and in the fourth, hee performes his resolution. Plango, I mourne, there is sight of sinne and sorrow, Dico, I tell, there is contrition for sinne and confession; Volo, I will, there is amending resolution: Facio, I do, there is performing satisfaction.
CAP. XLIII. Mahhanaijm. Gen. 32.2.
ANd Iacob went on his way, and the Angels of God met him: And Iacob said when he saw them, This is the Host of the Lord, and he called the name of the place Mahanaim.
The word is duall, and tels of two armies and no more, what these two armies were, the Iewes according to their vsuall veine, do finde strange expositions. To omit them all, this seemes to me to be the truth, and reason of the name. There was one companie with Iacob, which afterwards he cals his armie; and there was another companie of Angels, which he cals the Armie of God. These are the two Armies that gaue name to Mahanaim; two armies, one heauenly, and the other earthly: and from this I take it, Salomon compares the Church, *…nt. 6.…to the companie of Mahanaim: for so the Church consisteth of two Armies, one heauenly like these Angels, which is the Church triumphant, and the other trauailing on earth like Iacobs armie, which is the Church militant.
CAP. XLIIII. The booke of Psalmes.
THe Psalmes are diuided into fiue bookes, according to the fiue bookes of Moses: and if they bee so diuided, there be seuentie bookes in the Bible; the vnskilfull may finde where any one of these fiue bookes end, by looking where a Psalme ends with Amen, there also ends the booke. As at Psal. 41.72.89.106. and from thence to the end.
These may euen in their verie beginnings be harmonized to the books of the Law.
Genesis. The first booke of Moses telleth how happinesse was lost, euen by Adams walking in wicked counsel of the Serpent and the woman.
Psal. 1. The first booke of Psalmes tels how happines may be regained, if a man do not walke in wicked counsell, as of the serpent & woman, the diuell and the flesh.
This allusion of the first booke Arnobius makes
Exodus. The second book of Moses tels of groaning affliction in Egypt.
Leuiti. The third booke of Moses is of giuing the law.
Numbers. The fourth booke of Moses is about numbring
Deutero. The last booke of Moses is a rehearsall of all.
Psal. 42. The second booke of Psalmes begins in groaning affliction. Psal. 42 43.
Psal. 73. The third booke of Psalmes tels in the beginning, how good God is for giuing this law. This allusion Rab. Tanch. makes very neere. Ps. 90. The fourth booke begins with numbring of the best Arithmetick: numbring Gods merciemercy, Psal. 90.1. and our owne dayes, ver. 12.
Psa. 107. So is the last booke of the Psalmes from Psa. 107. to the end
In the Iewes diuision of the Scripture, this peece of the Psalmes, and the bookes of the like nature, are set last: not because they be of least dignitie, but because they be of least dependance with other bookes, as some of them being no storie at all, and some, stories and bookes of lesser bulke, and so set in a fourme by themselues. The old Testament books, the Iewes acrostically doe write thus in three letters foreign or foreign, euerie letter standing for a word, and euerie word for a part of the Bible. foreign or foreign for Aorajetha, or Torah, the law: foreign for Nebhijm the Prophets: foreign for Cethubhim, or bookes of holy writ: this diui…ion is so old, that our Sauiour himselfe vseth it in the last of Luke, and ver. 44. All things written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets and the Psalmes. By the Psalmes meaning, that part of Cethubhim, in which the Psalmes are set first.
CAP. XLV. Of the Creation.
TWo waies we come to the knowledge of God; by his workes and by his word. By his works we come to know there is a God; and by his word wee come to know what God is. His workes teach vsus to spell; his word teacheth vsus to read. The first are as it were his backe parts, by which we behold him a farre off: The latter shewes him to vsus face to face. The world is as a booke consisting of three leaues, and euerie leafe printed with many letters, and eueryevery letter a lecture. The leaues heauen, the aire, and earth with the water. The letters in heauen, eueryevery Angel, Star, and Planet. In the aire, eueryevery meteor and foule. In the earth and waters, euerie man, beast, plant, fish, and minerall: all these set together, spell to vsus that there is a God, and the Apostle saith no lesse though in lesse space, Rom. 1▪ 20. For the bIn the Syrian trā slation it is the hid things of God.inuisible things of him, that is, his eternall power and Godhead are seene by the creation of the world, being considered in his workes. And so Dauid, Psal. 19.1. It is not for nothing that God hath set the Cabinet of the vniuerse open, but it is because he hath giuen vsus eyes to behold his treasure. Neither is it for nothing that he hath giuen vsus eyes to behold his treasure, but because he hath giuen vsus hearts to admire vponupon our beholding. If wee marke not the workes of God, we are like stones that hauehave no eyes, wherewith to behold. If wee wonder not at the workes of God, when wee marke them, we are like beasts that hauehave no hearts wherewith to admire. And if wee praise not God for his workes, when we admire them, we are like deuils that hauehave no tongues wherewith to giuegive thankes. Remarkeable is the storie of the poore old man, whom a Bishop found, most bitterly weeping, ouer an vgly toad: being asked the reason of his teares, his answer was, I weepe, because, that whereas God might hauehave made mee as vgly and filthy a creature as this toad, and hath not, I hauehave yet neuer in all my life beene thankefull to him for it. If the works of the creation would but lead vsus to this one lecture, our labour of obseruing them were well bestowed. How much more when they lead vsus farre further.