Concerning the Truth of Christian Religion, Chapter 26
The xxvj. Chapter.
That the things which seeme most woonderfull in our Scriptures, are confirmed by the Heathen themselues: and a solution of their cheefe Obiections to the same.
NOw that wee knowe that it is God that speaketh in the Scriptures; there should remayne no more for vsus to doe, but to hearken vntounto him with silence. For seeing he hath made al things by his word; his worde cannot hauehave sayde any thing which he hath not bene able to doe. And if we crouch, and lay our hand vponupon our mouth at the sight of a Kings Seale: surely it were more reason that wee should dispose our mynds to beléeue, and our willes to obeye without scanning, wrangling or gaynsaying, when wee see the expresse signing and seale of God in his Scriptures. Howbeit, to the intent wee may leaue no cause of doubt to the Reader: forasmuch as some hauehave presumed to obiect, I desire that I also may hauehave leaue to assoyle their demaunds. Now therefore, let vsus see what is obiected against vsus, as well by the Infidels of old tyme as of our daies.An obiection concerning the witnesse of the Greekes. First of all, As great account (say they) as you make of your Scriptures; there is no record yéelded vntounto them by any of our auncient Authors Gréeke or Latin, as Plato, Aristotle, Theophrast, and the rest of so many Philosophers,The Answere. Historiographers, & Poets. This is euen as much as if a man should aske witnesse of the men of Perow, concerning the Histories of Fraunce or Spayne. For in the times whereof our Scriptures speake, what were the Greekes and Romaines in respect of the Iewes, but sillie sauage people that fed vponupon Mast? Or soothly it is all one, as if a man should aske a childe of the things that were done afore he was borne; considering that the latest Histories in our Byble, are of more antiquitie than the Schooles of Greece, or the vse of reading was in Rome. Nay moreouer, from the tyme that the Greekes knewe there was an AEgipt, they went thether to Schoole, and there had communication with the Iewes, (as I hauehave proued alreadie) at whose hands they reaped that little knowledge which they had concerning the true God, the creation of the world, and the fall of Man. Insomuch that Plato alledgeth our Authors vnderunder these words; As the authors of old tyme report, or as it is reported in the auncient Oracles. And Numenius hauing espyed that Plato could not get that skill frō elswhere than out of Moyses, termeth him Moyses speaking in ye language of Athens, that is to say, translated into Greeke. The Histories of Greece begin about the tyme of Cyrus. But (sayth Aristobulus Aristobulus writing to Ptolomy Philo…netor. lib. 1.) the lawe of Moyses and the departing of the Israelites out of AEgipt, were translated into Greeke afore ye reigne of Alexander, yea or of the Persians themselues. Which is as much to say, as that the Greekes euen from their first vpspring, or at leastwise from the first tyme that they began to knowe themselues, heard speaking of our Scriptures and were desirous to hauehave them. And Hecataeus Hecateus concerning the Iewes.the Abderite who attended vppon Alexander in his Conquests, made a booke purposely of the Iewes, which thing he did not of any of all the florishing Nations which he had seene in his voyage. Also Herennius Philo Herennius Philo concerning the Iewes.hauing read the sayd Philosopher, sawe him so wonderfull in the things that he had learned of the Iewes, that he beléeued him to hauehave bene become a Iew, and to hauehave bene conuerted to their lawe. Anon after, when the tyme of the calling of the Gentiles approched, that it behoued the Prophesies to bee made knowne to the whole world; to rid away all suspition of contryuing them vppon the euents; God did put into the heart of Ptolomie Philadelph King of AEgipt, to make a Librarie, in the which (by the counsell of Demetrius Phalareus a Disciple of Theophrastus) it was his will to hauehave the Byble of the Hebrewes, and therefore at his great charges caused it to be translated into Greeke. The Historie of this translating is set out by one Aristaeas a Chamberlaine of King Ptolomies; who with another named Andrew, was sent to Eleazar the Highpriest of the Iewes to fetch the Byble and sixe men of eueryevery Trybe that were learned in both the Languages, to translate it. And he sayth that Demetrius Phalareus made report vntounto the king, that these Scriptures were the onelyonly writings that were diuine in déede;Aristaeas concerning the translation of the Threescore and Ten Interpreters. and that therevpon the King asked him in his presence, how it happened that he had not those bookes sooner, seeing hee spared not for any cost, and that Iewrie was so nere hand? Wherevnto Demetrius answered, that they were written in a peculiar language, and therefore that it behoued him to write to the Highpriest to hauehave Interpreters: according to which aduice, the King sent Ambassadours with letters and presents to Eleazar, (of which Ambassadours he himselfe was one): And that by the consent of all the people,Eusebius in his eight booke of the preparation to the Gospell. the threescore and twelue Interpreters were sent into into AEgipt. Yea and in this Historie (which is extant still at this day) ye may see the Copies of the letters that were written from Demetrius to Ptolomie, from Ptolomie to Eleazar, and from Eleazar to Ptolomie. And the said Aristaeas addeth, that when the Byble was once translated & perused in the presence of the chiefe Péeres of his Realme, the King caused a solemne curse to be proclaymed with loude voyce, against all such as should ad any thing to it, take aught from it, or alter aught in it. And afterward (sayth hee) when the King vppon further reading therof, did maruel that of so many things and so worthie of remembrance, there was no mention made by the Historywriters and Poets of Greece: Demetrius Phalareus answered him, that it was a diuine lawe, giuen of God, which ought not to be touched but with cleane hands, (as Hecataeus himself writeth) affirming moreouer that Theopompus a Disciple of Aristotles had done him to vnderstand, that whereas some had gone about to disguise the Scriptures of the Iewes with Gréeke eloquence, they were striken with amazednesse for their labour, and vppon prayer made vntounto God were warned in a Dreame, that they should forbeare to vnhallow or defile those heauenly matters, with the glosse of their owne inuentions. Yea and that Theodotus a Tragicall Poet had told him, that because he intended to hauehave intermingled some matters of the Scriptures with his Tragedies, that is to wéet, by drawing grounds of his Poetries out of the Byble, as other Poets had done with the warres of Thebes and Troy: he had suddeinly forgone his sight, which was afterward restored agayne vntounto him vppon continuall prayer and long repentaunce.Origines in his fourth booke ageinst Celsus. And this befell iust in the same tyme that the Greekes and Romaines did but begin to deale with Philosophie. Also Numenius the Pythagorist, whom many preferre before Plato, made so great account of the Scriptures, that his booke of Welfare, of Number, and of Place, and his booke intytled The Lapwing, were full of texts alledged out of Moyses and the Prophets with great reuerence: And he is the same Philosopher whom Plotin had in such estimation, that he voutsafed to write a Cōmentarie vponupon him. But I would that the Greekes should but shew me the like record of their owne writings and of their owne lawes, not in our bookes, but euen in their owne bookes; and I beléeue that no indifferent person would refuse that offer.
Here followeth another obiection:An Obiection concerning the style. Namely that the Scriptures hauehave a simple, bare, and grosse style: but if they were of God, they would speake farre otherwise.The Solution. I demaund of them, whither mens styles ought not to be according to the persones that speake, and whither the grace of eloquence cōsist not in obseruing séemelynesse; as namely whither the eloquence of a Subiect, ought not to differ from the eloquence of a King; the eloquence of a child, from the eloquence of a father; and the eloquence of an Aduocate, from the eloquence of a Iudge; or whether by the Rules of Rhetorick, that which is eloquence in the one, shall not bee foolishnes in the other? Therefore if the Lawyer or Aduocate will pleade eloquently, he must moue affections: to the intent he may moue other men, hee must first mooue himselfe. The Iudge must vtter his wordes grauely, and he must also be vnflexible and vnintreatable, without moouing and without affection. The King must simply and absolutely commaund; for hee is both the voyce of the Lawe, and the rule of the Iudge. But if either the King come to perswade, or the Iudge to debate cases; then must the one put on the state of an Aduocate, and the other the state of a subiect, and lay aside the state of a King and Iudge. What then I pray you shal become of the law of God the King of kings, who is infinitely further aboue ye greatest Monarkes, than the greatest Monarkes are aboue their meanest Subiects; and who excéedeth alyke both the Iudges and the parties that are to be iudged? We would hauehave him to vse Inductions as Plato doth, or Syllogismes as Aristotle doth, or pretie sleightes as Carneades doth, or outcryes as Cicero doth, or fyne conceites as Seneca doth. We would hauehave him to vtter his words by weight, that they might fall in iust measure and sound; and to interlace some farre sought words, some allegoricall matters, and some strange deuises wherwith comon vse is vnacquainted. If we should sée a Kings Proclamations set foorth in such a style, which of vsus would not by and by note it as smelling to much of the Inkhorne; and which of our Eares woulde not rather glowe at it; than lyke of it? Surely then, the simpler that Gods Lawe is, the better doth it beséeme the Euerlasting; considering that the simpler it is, the more it resembleth the voyce of him that can doe all things; yea and (which more is) the simpler it is, the better doth it fitte all people. For the Lawe that is ordeined for all men without exception, ought to be as an ordinarie foode, or rather as a common kynd of bread applyed to the taste and relishe of all men. But what will you say if the Scriptures hauehave in their lowlynes more statelynes, in their simplicitie more profoundnes, in their homelines more allurance, and in their grossenesse more lyuely force & sharpnes, than are to bee found any where els? Wee reade in the first chapter of Genesis, God created heauen and earth; God spake, and the waters were seuered from the earth; Hee commaunded, and the earth brought foorth herbes. There is not so very an idyot or so simple a man, but he can vnderstand these things, I meane so farre as is requisite to his Saluation, yea and consent at the very hearing of them, that the things must néedes bee as it is sayd there. But if a man will wade déeper into the matter, as how God hath in all eternitie chosen (as ye would say) one instāt whereat to begin this worke, without stuffe or matter to woorke vppon; and how he made it by his onelyonly bare word: they be such bottomlesse déepes, as will make euen the stoutest afrayed, and enforce the wysest to stoupe to the skill of the lowly and little ones, so excellent is the simplicitie of the Scripture, both to instruct the lowly, and to confound the prowd both at once. In our Bible we hauehave Histories, and in Histories what desire wee? A trueth: for that is the very substance of them. Now what greater proofe of trueth can there be, than simplicitie? A style or maner of indyting that setteth downe things past before our eyes, as if they were presently in doing? What greater token would we hauehave thereof, than (in our reading) to féele the very same affections which those felt of whom we reade: Let the hardest hearted men, and the most vntoward in the world go reade the Histories of our Byble, as how Isaac was led to be sacrifized, how Ioseph became knowen agein to his brethren, how Iephthe was vexed with the méeting of his daughter, or how Dauid was gréeued at the death of Absalon: and (if they will say the trueth) they shal féele a certeine shuddering in their bodyes, a certeine yirning in their heartes, and a certeine tender affection all at one instant, farre greater than if all ye Oracles of Rome or Athens, should preach the same matters whole daies togither. Let them reade the same stories ageine in Iosephus, to whom the Emperour Titus caused an Image to be set vp for the elegancie of his historie, and they shal find that after his inriching of them with all the ornaments of Rhetoricke, he shal leaue them more cold and lesse moued, then he found them. And that is because that in very deede, true beautie desireth no peynting; but the more naked it is, the more it allureth; and (as Iewellers and Lapidaries say) the fayrer that any Precidus Stone is, the lesse doth it néede both of Gold and of woorkmanship. And soothly to set vp our Scriptures vponupon high words, is nothing els but to set vp a well proportioned tall man vponupon a Scaffold, which diminisheth somewhat of his naturall proportion, and yet addeth not any whit to his stature.
Also in our Scriptures we hauehave Prophesies, and in those Prophesies we hauehave threatenings, exhortations, and vehement spéeches. And it is in such matters, that the Orators are woont to thunder and to mount vp into their loftie spéeches, In this kynd, the Latins make greate account of Cicero. But I report me to al such as hauehave read both of them with lyke iudgment, what comparison there is betweene him and Esay? betweene his flattering insinuations with chyldish excuses of ignorance, and the enterances of Esay, lyuely, graue, and ful of maiestie? Betweene his long Periods too the which hee herkeneth so deuoutly; and the others cutting woords which are as thounderstroks dubbled, to daunt the stowtest stomacke that is? But among all the Greeks, Cicero Ci…ero in his Tusculane Questions.himself wondereth at AEschines ageinst Demosthenes in acerteine place, where he layeth open his iniuries, and passions ageinst him, in déede more lyke a bedlem than a man in his right witts. And what eloquence, what force, or what percing hath that place (I beséech the Readers with all my hart to reade bothe the one and the other) in comparison of this beginning of Esayes? Herken ye Heauens (sayeth he) and giuegive eare thou Earth; for the Euerlasting hath sayd, I hauehave norrished Children and brought them vp, and they hauehave rebelled ageinst me. The Oxe knoweth his owner, and the Asse his maysters cribbe: but Israell hath not knowen me, my people hauehave no vnderstanding; Ah sinfull people, people loden with iniquitie, too what purpose should yee bee chastysed any more, sith ye heape sinne vponupon sinne? The whole head is sicke, and all the body is ful of sores. From the sole of the foote to the crowne of the head▪ there is not any sound part. What abundance of kindnes, and eloquence, of humilitie and haultines, of reasons and affections, is there in these feawe woords? And how much greater should wee find them in their owne Language and in their owne accents?Osorius the Portingale. Truly some great learned men of our tyme (which thing I think not to be any abatement of their commendation) hauehave vndertaken to make Paraphrases vponupon this Prophet and others, ful of goodly sentences, and humane eloquēce, which hauehave serued fitly to giuegive him the greater grace. And if our Rhethoritians fin… fault with those similitudes as ouer homely: I would hauehave them to tell me to what vse Similitudes serue, but to make things cléere; and what is the meane to make matters cléere, but by taking Similitudes from things best knowen? And what manner of ones were the Metaphors of the Romanes, but at the first rude and homely, and afterward taken from warres, and in processe of tyme taken from pleading and oratorie, according as they grew to be more corrupted? And what els are ye Similitudes of Cicero himself in his treatyse of old age, but lykenings taken from husbandrie and Uynes, bycause he himself delyghted in those things? To be short, when it commeth to the pursewing of a Similitude euidently, to the setting downe of a Desolation lyuely, too the reprouing of vyces sharply, or to the promising of deliuerance brauely: our Prophets do setfoorth eueryevery thing so naturally, so presently, so forcibly, and so lyuely; as that it appeareth manifestly that they had the persones, the places, the tymes, and the things themselues whereof they spake, al present before their eyes: yea and that maner of indyting is comon to all our Prophets vniuersally. Of all these things I requyre none other witneses, than our verrie despysers of God themselues, whose contempt of our Scriptures, which they neuer had leysure to reade, entereth for the most part vnderunder this colour, that some mayster of arte which neuer red any more than his Cicero, ne can skill to discerne what beséemeth eyther others or himself, hath skorned the things which he hath not the skill eyther to peyse or to prayse. From such people (say I) springeth the contempt of our Scriptures, specially in Italy; who being out of their Schooles are not able to say one woord to the purpose, no nor scarcely so much as simply to talke. Politian (sayth Viues) did altogither despyse the reading of the Scriptures. Therefore let vsus sée what he commended. He spent his whole lyfe in scanning whether a man should pronoūce Vergilius or Virgilius; Carthaginenses, or Carthaginienses; Primus, or Preimus: and if he had any further leysure, he spent it in making some gréeke Epigram in the commendation of Lechery and Sodomy. A graue iudgment soothly for vsus to set our mynds vppon. Another called Domitius Calderinus, turned yong men from the reading of the Scriptures: but what goodly matter tooke he to occupye himself withall? Forsoothe he passed his lyfe in making a Comment vponupon Virgills Priapus, a booke which all men that hauehave any péece of manhod in them are ashamed euen too speake of. But what greater proofe of the prayse of our Scriptures would wee hauehave, than that such persones doe despyse them? Contrarywise, Marsilius Ficinus, and Iohn Erle of Mirandula the honour of Italy and of his age for skill in all sciences, hauing read all the good authors in the world, came at length to rest themselues in our Scriptures, and were in the end out of lyking with al others; but as for these they could neuer hauehave their fill of them. If there were no more but ye affirmation of the one, & the deniall of the other; vntounto which of them I pray you ought we rather to yéeld? Nay, I dare say, and I will mainteine it among all such as knowe what it is to speake to the purpose, & accordingly as may best beséeme eueryevery man; that our scriptures are written in such wise, as may most fitly beséeme both God the author of them, and the matters that they treate of, and the partyes to whom they be spoken; and that a more séemely style than that cannot be imagined, eyther for God; (for he is our Prince; and it beseemeth not Princes to perswade): or for the matters; for they be holy and graue, and graue matters (as sayeth Aristotle) should not be peynted: or for the partyes to whom they be spoken; for they were folk of all sorts without exception; and lyke as all of them were bound to beléeue and obserue them, so was it behooffull that al should vnderstand them.
But now enter they into the matter of them. The Scriptures Obiections concerning the vncrediblenesse of things in the Scriptures.(say they) doe tell vsus things vnpossible and vncredible, more lyke the fond fables of Poets, than the reportes of sound Histories. I would hauehave them tell mée to whom they be vnpossible, & to whom they bée vncredible? séeing they father them not but vponupon God the maker of Heauen and Earth, to whom all things are alike easie? The Poets say that Iupiter thundreth aboue, and that Neptune turmoyleth the Seas, and rowleth vp the Earth: and wee knowe that both Iupiter and Neptune were men as we be: and therefore we say iustly that they report Fables; for they father things vponupon men which are aboue the abilitie of man to doe, and which surmount the power of all Creatures. But when things that are vnpossible to Creatures, are reported of GOD, whose power is infinite: although men doubt whether they were doone or noe; yet can they not deny but that hee was able to doe them. And if their suspecting of them bee because they reade the lyke things in their owne Fables; I hauehave proued already, that these things were written long tyme afore they had either wryters of Histories, Poets, yea or any writing at all. And therefore they ought to thinke that their Fables were deuised vponupon our Histories, and their Leasings vponupon our truethes. For lyke as a man hath bene afore his portraiture, good Coyne afore counterfet Coyne, a true Seale afore a forged Seale, and a true Copy afore a forgerie: so also was the true declaration of things afore Fables: according to this rule of the Philosophers, That euill hath not any being of it selfe, but in another thing, ne is properly a substance, but a corruption of a substance. Therefore we beléeue not the Fables of Homere, nor the Inuentions of Euripides and Sophocles, made vponupon the battell of Troy; and yet wee deny not but there was a Warre of Troy. As little also doo wee beléeue the Romanes which vaunt of the twelue Péeres of Charles the greate the King of Fraunce; and yet wee doubt not but there was a greate Charles that did greate things in his tyme, and had greate store of Noble Parsonages in his seruice. To be short, had there neuer bene any Dogge, Horse, Beare, or Lyon in the world; neither Poets had feined, nor Peinters had peinted vsus any Cerberus, Pegasus, or Chymere. Lykewise, had there not bene a trueth of the things whereon the Poets made their Fables, we should not hauehave had at this day any Fables in the Worlde.The Creation of the world and of Man. Let vsus come to particularities. In all the whole Scripture there is not a more woonderfull thing, than the Creation of the world and of man: And if we admit those two poyntes, nothing ought to séeme straunge vntounto vsus in the residew of the Byble. For all the miracles which wee wonder at, are but sparkes of the infinite power which vttered it selfe at that tyme in the creating of all things. Now I hauehave proued alreadie both by liuely reasons, and by witnesse of the auncient writers, that the world and al things therein were created, and that they were created by the only will of God, at such tyme as pleased him; and that it cannot bée otherwise imagined. Uppon this trueth hauehave the Phenicians and AEgiptians fashioned their Fables; saying that in the beginning there was a darknesse, and a spirituall Ayre, and in an infinite Chaos; that this spirit couered the Chaos: and that of the coniunction of them twayne, was bred a certeine Moth, that is to say, a certeyne slyme, whereof all liuing things were ingendred. It can not be denyed but that this was a mistaken Copy of the holy and natiue Copie written by Moyes.
Concerning the creation of Man, the AEgiptians say hee was created both Male and female. Herevpon Plato gathereth that he was a Manwoman or Herkinalson: and the Scripture had sayd that God had created them Male and female. So befalleth it properly to a Portrayture that is drawen by another. That which is taken at the lyuely image, loseth a little of his nature. That which is taken at the Patterne, loseth somewhat more; And so from one to another, they varry in the ende so farre from the very originall, that a man can scarsly find any resemblance thereof.The fall of Man. The fall of man hath bene proued of mée by many reasons, and approued by all the Philosophers, and euen by the very feeling of our corruption. All men are inforced to confesse it. But Moyses is the only man that setteth vsus downe both the Historie and the cause therof. Herevpon the Emperour Iulian quareleth, thinking it straunge that a Serpent should speake, which is no more but that the diuell spake by the Serpent. And what is there herein, which befell not dayly among the Gentyles? diuels, to deceiue men, spake to them from out of Images. The Féend of Dodon spake out of an Oke. Phylostratus sayth that an Elme spake to Apollonius of Thyaney: A Riuer (sayeth Porphirius) saluted Pythagoras. Euen Iulian himself & his Philosopher Maximus, heard the diuell speake in diuers voyces & in diuers maners: & in al this geare there is thought to be no straungenes at all. For séeing that the diuell of himselfe is not visible to our eyes; must hee not bee faine to put on a borowed shape? And if he borowe one, why should he rather take some other shape than the shape of a Serpent? And if he speake; why should he not speake as well by the mouth of a Serpent, as of another liuing wight? and as well of a liuing wight, as of a thing that hath no lyfe? Nay further, this creature hath a manifest figure, in that it trayleth vponupon the ground, and liueth of the dust: and in that wée by our winding away from God to the base and Earthly things, are brought to the same poynt at this day.
We reade of the men of the first age,The ege of the first men. that they liued seuen, eight, or nine hundred yeres: which thing some thinking to be incredible, hauehave imagined that those yéeres were but moneths, notwithstanding that in the historie of the vniuersall Flud which insewed, the monethmonth is set downe to be of eight and twentie daies, and the yéere to be twelue moneths, and that otherwise wee must be faine to admit, that they begate Children at lesse than ten yéeres of the sonne. And yet is that one of the griefes which they conceiue against our Scriptures; as who would say it were not as easie vntounto GOD to extende our liues vntounto ten thousand of yeeres, as to a hundred, to God I say who hath made both the life it selfe, and the yéeres, and the worlds of yeeres. Yet notwithstanding, Manethon the AEgiptian, Berosus the Chaldean, Moschus, Hestiaeus, and Hierom, who wrate the Stories of the Phenicians, doe confirme the saying of Moyses concerning the first men. Also Hesiodus, Hecataeus, Acusilaus, Hellanicus, and Ephorus agree thereunto: affirming that they were ordeyned to liue so long tyme, as well for to studie the Sciences, as to inuent the Handycrafts; and specially for the finding out of Astronomie, because (say they) if they had liued lesse than sixe hundred yéeres, their obseruations had bene in vayne, because the great yere cōtinueth so long. To be short, the matter was so cléere, & so common in all auncient Histories, that Varro passeth it not ouer as a light thing, but laboureth to yéeld a cause thereof.
For the punishment of Mankynd there flowed a generall Flud.The generall Flud. What Nation hath not beléeued it, and what Author hath not spoken of it? Among the AEgiptians, Phenicians, Greekes, and Romaines nothing was more common. And because they had heard that it befell in the primetyme of the world, and were ignorant in the accounts of yt tymes; eueryevery writer of Histories did set it downe in the tyme which he thought to be of most antiquitie: as for example, the Thebanes referred it to the tyme of Ogyges, the Thessalyans to the time of Deucalion, and so forth of others. Moreouer, in Brasilie, in the new Spayne, and in the Florida, the beléef thereof is common, and all of them impute it to mans sinne, and to the wrath of the highest powred out vponupon mankynd. But let vsus come yet to more particular poynts. God commanded Moyses to make an Arke for the sauing of himselfe and his household, and for the preseruing of the seede of the world there. And he reckoneth vp vntounto vsus all the whole length, breadth and depth thereof: which is a proofe that he had the trueth it selfe, wherof the residue had but the fame. Yetnotwithstanding, Alexander Polyhistor, and Abydene doe write,Alexander Polyhistor. Abydemus alledged by Cyrill in his first booke against Iulian. that Saturne foretolde vntounto Xysuthrus the Flud ere it came; and that he made him an Arke, to saue all kynd of Cattell with him: That he preserued his holy writings by ingrauing them in certeyne pillers at Heliopolis in AEgipt, and sayled in his Arke towards Armenie: that after certeyne daies he sent foorth certeyne Birds, which found no drye ground: that at the end of certeyne other daies, he sent out certeine other Birds: and that in the end perceiuing drye land, hee came downe out of the Arke in Armenie, where (by their saying) the remnants of the Arke are diligently kept by the Inhabitants, who helpe themselues with it in many diseases. And their talking of Saturne is according to the maner of the Greekes, who surmised ye Iewes to hauehave worshipped Saturne, because they kept holy the seuenth day. And it may bee that Xysuthrus may in the Assyrian tung betoken as much as Noe, who in diuers places had diuers names as wee reade. Neuerthelesse, this difference serueth vsus for a profe, because we see it is not a simple supposall, but a firme tradition from the Father to the Sonne. The same thing is reported by Berosus, Iosephus in his first booke of his antiquities. chap. 3.not the counterfet Berosus, but the same Berosus whom the auncient writers alledge; and by Ierom the AEgiptian, Mnaseas the Phenician, and others. Yea and they ad further, that the place where Noe came downe out of the Arke was called Saleh Noah, in Gréeke foreign, that is to say Noes comming downe; and that it was at a certeine Mountaine called Baris or Paropanisus, which (according to their language at that tyme) seemeth to come al to one.In his treatise that beastes are capable of reason. Also Plutarke speaketh expressely of the Doue that Deucalion sent out of the Arke to seeke drye land: and Phauorinus and Stephanus speake of the place where the Arke rested; which cannot be vnderstood of any particular flud of Thessalie, which doubtlesse was contriued out of the other vniuersall flud. Now therefore not knowing what to replye in this behalfe, they picke a quarrell at the measure of the Arke, imagyning it hard for God to doe that which they themselues can not doe. But besides that the Arke was a figure of the Church whereinto all Nations should one day be gathered and saued; Origen sheweth to Celsus the Epicure by the Geometricall Cubit, that it was of a marueilous greatnesse and capacitie. And Buteon a Mathematick declareth expressely in a booke, what it conteyned foote by foote. To be short, sith we reade that the Flud was vniuersall, considering that that could not be but by Gods appoyntment, who notwithstanding intended to saue those that were his: the sight of such a myracle ought to make all the residue credible, without alledging of measures in a power which is without measure. For wheras some will néedes impute that Flud to a certeine great Coniunction of Planets which was at that tyme; I send them to the Earle of Mirandula, Iohn Picus Erle of Mirandula against Astrologers.who not only proueth that there was not then any great Coniunction at al, but also that although there had bene one, yet they could not assigne it to the named poynt; but rather that by their owne rules the Coniunction was such at that tyme, that it betokened rather an vniuersall burning than an vniuersall drowning of the world.
At the going away of this Flud, the Scripture telleth vsus of a Ham or Cham Cham.which discouered ye shame of Noe his father. The Chaldees say it was Zoroastres, who would with his Charmes hauehave made him barren. The Greekes after them feyned their Iupiter Hammon to hauehave gelded him. Thus turned they the Historie into a fable. Likewise Iaphet is none other than the Iapetus of the Poets, who tooke the renewing of the world after the Flud, for the very first creation thereof. Then followeth consequently the confusion of the tongues.The confusion of tongues or languages. It is a very cléere case that languages are to no vse, but in respect of the diuersitie of them; insomuch that if there were no moe but one in all the world, it were méere foundnesse to knowe any moe than that. Therefore like as reason hath led vsus to one first man, so ought it also to leade vsus to one first language; which was but one alone, like as there was but one man alone with his wife. If the diuersitie of them consisted as now, but in proprietie of phrases and forme of wordes, it might be sayd that they had bene altered by processe of tyme. But it is well knowne that there are many Languages, whose very originall words are farre diuers and vtterly vnlike one another, sauing in some fewe words that hauehave bene brought out of other Countries by Trauellers and trade of Marchandise, which hauehave eueryevery where reteyned still the same names they had in the place from whence they came. Ye will say then that men inuented them when they conueyed Inhabiters abroade to people other Countries. But what a vanitie had that bin? What life of man could hauehave suffised to do it? What benefite could hauehave insewed of it, either to ye inuenters themselues, or to their followers? Nay, who seeth not that it had bene a publicke miserie? not a knowledge, but an ignorance; not a pleasure, but a hell to posteritie? Certesse, wee say therefore that reason leadeth vsus to that which the Scripture sayth; namely, that at the beginning there was but one language: That the diuiding of Languages came not of men, but that the diuiding of men came of the diuision of Languages: and that it was not a deuice of men (who at that tyme were sufficiently occupyed in the néedfull knowledge of nature, and in the finding out of profitable Arts and Sciences) but a punishment cast of God vponupon mankynd. Let vsus see how the auncient writers do further these reasons. The common opinion is (say Abydenus and Alexander Alexander Polyhistor. Abydenus. Sibylla. Euseb. lib. 9. cap. 4. de prepar.) that men being bred of the earth, and trusting in their own strength, would needes in despight of the Gods goe reare a Tower vp to the Sunne, in the same place where Babylon now is: and that when they had raised it very high, the Gods ouerthrewe it and cast it downe vponupon their heads with a great wind: and that at that tyme began the diuersitie of Languages: wherevpon, the Hebrewes called that place Babel. Of these things speaketh Sibill also in her verses in the selfesame termes. And Hestiaeus and Eupolemus doe ad, that the Priests which scaped from thence, gate themselues with the misteries of their Iupiter (the same was eyther Nembrod or Iupiter Bele) into the Plaine of Sennaar, from the which place men departing by reason of the confusion of tongues, began to seuer themselues abroade to people the rest of the world. Here it pleaseth Iulian to fall to scoffing. For (sayth hee) a great sort of such globes as the whole earth is, being heaped one vponupon an other, were not able to reach halfe way to the Sphere of the Moone. Genes. 11.But the reason of this enterprise of theirs is euident; namely that their intent was to hauehave had a refuge ageinst the height of the waters, if any flud should come ageine, that is to say, to make a banke ageinst Gods wrath, which it had bene better for them to hauehave pacified by prayer. And this pryde of theirs is not to be thought so straunge a matter, considering how wee reade in the Histories of the Greekes, that one Xerxes sent letters of defyance to the Sea: and in the Histories of the Romaines, that one Caligula vndertooke a quarrell against Iupiter. And Iulian himselfe was not a whit wiser, when he would néedes take vponupon him to impeach the kingdom of God, by prohibiting the Christians to reade Poets. And whereas Celsus will néedes beare himselfe on hand, that the sayd Historie was taken out of the fable of the Aloides: all men know that Homer was the first Author of that fable, who came a long tyme after Moyses. And in good sooth, these particularities of the confounding of Tongues, of the dispersing of men abroade, of the place where it befell, of the naming of Phaleg who was borne at the very tyme of the diuision, and such other circumstances; doe euidently shewe that Moyses speaketh not at rouers: whereof there is also this further profe, that the Originals of Nations according to the diuiding of households at that tyme, are not read of in any other Author.
As vayne also is this saying of theirs, that the burning vp of Sodom is taken from the tale of Phaeton, Sodom. Galen in his booke of simples. Pausanias in his Eliaks. Solinus in his Polyhistor. Tacitus in his last booke.which is in déede as farre from it as Heauen is from the earth. For euen at this day there are yet still to bee séene the remaynders of Gods wrath, noted by Strabo, Galen, Mela, and others: namely the bitter Lake wherein nothing can liue; the banks thereof lyued with Bitumen; the Stones stiuking and filthie; the trées bearing fruites fayre to the eye, but falling to Cinder and smoke in the hand; which things we reade not of to hauehave bin séene any where els, and yet in a valley most beautifull to behold, where stoode at that tyme fiue Cities, or according to Strabo thirteene, which were all consumed with fire for sinne ageinst nature. And Iosephus sayeth that the Image or piller of salt whereinto Loths wyfe was turned, was to be séene there euen in his dayes. These are the greatest woonders of the booke of Genesis. The residew thereof consisteth in the historie of Abraham and of his Children. As for the Princes of those dayes, we hauehave nother Pedegrée nor historie of them among the Heathen wryters: and therefore it is the more to be woondered at, that they hauehave spoken of our Shepherds.Eusebius. li. 9. de praepar. Cap. 4. For Berosus sayeth that about a ten generations or descents from the vniuersall Flud, there was amōg the Chaldees a great man that excelled in Astronomie. And that by him Berosus ment to betoken Abraham, Eupolemon Eupolemus in his booke of the Iewes.declareth: for he sayth that in the sayd tenth generation, Abraham Abraham and his race.was brone in Camerine a Towne of Babylonie, otherwise called Vr or Caldeople; who inuēted Astronomie among the Chaldees, and was in the fauour of God, by whose commaundement hee remoued into Phenice, where hee taught the course of the Moone, of the Sunne, and of the Planets, whereby hee greatly pleased the King: notwithstanding that he saith hee had receiued it from hand to hand from Enoch, whome the Greekes (sayeth hee) called Atlas, vntounto whome the Angelles had taught many thinges. Also he rehearseth the Battell that was made by Abraham for the recouery of Loth, the interteinment of Melchisedek, the ouerthwarts that Abraham indured for Sara his wife in AEgipt, and the Plague thot God did cast vponupon Pharao to make him to deliuer her to Abraham agein. And Artabanus Artabanus in his Historie of the Iewes.in his storie of the Iewes reporteth almost the selfesame things; adding, that of Abraham the Iewes were called Hebrewes, wherin the néerenesse of the names deceiued him. Melon Melon against the Iewes.in his bookes ageinst the Iewes, wrate that Abraham had two wiues: and that by the one of them which was an AEgiptian, he had twelue children, among whom Araby was parted, which euen in his tyme had twelue Kings still: (Those were the twelue Sonnes of Ismaell the Sonne of Abraham by Agar the AEgiptian, which are set downe by name in Genesis,) And that by the other (which was a woman of the Countrie of Syria,) he had but onelyonly one Sonne named Isaac, who lykewise had twelue Sonnes, of whom the yongest was called Ioseph, of whom Moyses (sayth he) descended. Also Alexander setteth foorth Abrahams sacrifice at length, and the children that he had by Chetura. And in his historie he alledgeth one Cleodemus a Prophet, otherwise called Malchas, whom he affirmeth to agrée with Moyses in the Historie of the Iewes. Ageine, Hecataeus the Abderite hauing bene in Iewry, did purposely make a booke of Abrahams lyfe, which thing he had not of his owne maister King Alexander. To bee short, that which Orpheus sayeth of a certeine Chaldee vntounto whom onelyonly God manifested himselfe, seemeth to be spoken of Abraham. For he had bin conuersant in AEgipt, where the renowme of Abraham was so greate, that euen in their Coniurings they made expresse mention of the God whom Abraham had worshipped. The same Alexander writeth the fleeing of Iacob for feare of his brother Esawe; his abode in Mesopotamia; His seuen yeeres seruice; his marying with two Sisters; the nomber of his Children; the rauishing of Dina; the slaughter of Sichem; and likewise the selling of Ioseph; his imprisonment, his deliuerance for expounding of Dreames; His authoritie in AEgipt; His marying with Askeneth the daughter of Pethefer the Highpriest; His two Sonnes by name which were borne of her; the comming of his brothers into AEgipt; the Feast that he made them; the fiue partes which he gaue to Beniamin (whereof this Historiographer intendeth to yéeld a reason) the comming of Iacob & of his whole household into AEgipt; of what age eueryevery of them was; and how many Children eueryevery of them had. And so hee bringeth vsus downe from Noe to the Flud, from the Flud to Abraham, from Abraham to Leuie, and from Leuie to Moyses; howbeit euer among with faultes in reporting the things done, with differences in accounting the yeres, and with some additions of small importance here and there; which serue to shewe that he had not those Histories immediatly out of the Byble, but out of some other bookes which he had séene elsewhere. The selfesame things did Theodotus conuey into his Poetrie: and likewise Philo Biblius, Nicholas of Damasco, Aristaeus, and others. Of whom this latter made a peculiar description of the storie of Iob, how he was tempted as well by the Diuell as by his neighbours; affirming him to hauehave bene the Sonne of Esawe dwelling in the marches betweene Idumea and Araby, which thing he could not hauehave red in the Scripture. To be short, the places which beare the name of Abraham both in Damasco, in Chaldee, and in the Land of Chanaan; and of Ioseph in Egipt, together with the well of woonderfull antiquitie neare to Ascalon, do giuegive vsus assurance both of their abode in Palestine, and of their remouing into Egipt. And Manethon the Historioghapher of Egipt setteth vsus downe their originall, and their comming downe into Egipt, terming them in his language Shepeheredkings, which was, because that as wee reade in the Scriptures, their wealth consisted in Cattell. But of all these auncient writers wee hauehave but fragments, such as wee could gather together out of auncient Authors.
Now let vsus come to Moyses. Alexander sayth that he was the sonne of Amram the sonne of Elat, the sonne of Leuie, the sonne of Iacob, and so foorth: that is to say, a naturall Israelite and not an AEgiptian. But let vsus heare Artabanus Artabanus concerning the Iewes.concerning his first comming vp, and the discourse of his whole life. He sayth that Meris the sonne of Kenephris King of AEgipt, being vnable to hauehave children, adopted a childe of the Iewes called Moyses, and instructed him in the lawes; who afterward gaue letters to the AEgiptians, and was reputed of them as a God and named Mercurie: That Kenephris beeing enuious of his reputation, sent him into the warres against the Ethyopians, with an armie of Iewes vntrayned, to the intent that both he and they might hauehave perished together: And that Moyses demeaned himself so wisely, that the Ethyopians being ouercome, had him in such estimation, that they receiued Circumcision of him: That at his returne, great countenance was made vntounto him, howbeit that he perceiuing it to be done vponupon an euill mynd, withdrew himselfe into Arabie, where he maried the daughter of Raguel a King of that Countrie: In ye which meane time, the King of AEgipt that had oppressed the Iewes with so many toyles and (to the intent he might the more safely kill thē) had appoynted them a certeyne Liuerie; dyed very suddenly of a Leaprosie. These things are not reported by Moyses; for he wrate not any thing to the aduauncement of himselfe, but treated altogether of Gods victories, and not of his owne. But in the selfesame Author there followeth the calling of Moyses. This Moyses (saith he) was occupyed in continuall prayer to God for the deliuerance of the people: And one day as he was earnest in praying, there issewed a fire out of the earth, where was not any fit matter to burne, and a voyce tolde him that he should deliuer the Iewes and bring them into their Countrie. Wherevpon without raising of any force, he by the counsell of his wiues father, declared the will of God to the King, who by and by committed him to prison. But the prisondoores were opened vntounto him by myracle, and he went to the Kings bedside, and summoned him again to obey God. And when the King had asked him the name of the GOD, Moyses told it him in his eare, whereat he fell into a swound, but Moyses raised him vp againe by the hand, and the Priestes that made a scoffe at it dyed out of hand. He declareth afterward that the King required signes, and that Moyses turned his Staffe into a Serpent: That he smote the riuer of Nyle and made it to ouerflowe: That he strake it againe, and it returned within his bankes: That therevpon the Priestes of Memphis were commaunded to doe the like matter vppon paine of their life, and that they by Arte Magicke brought foorth a Dragon, and chaunged the colour of the riuer: by meanes whereof the King became so proude, that he hardened his heart against the Iewes: That then Moyses smote the earth with his Rod, and the earth brought foorth first venemous Flyes, next Frogges, then Grashoppers, and afterward other strange things: Wherevpon (sayth this Historiographer) there hath growen a custome of keeping and reuerencing a Rod in their Temples euer since, because they holde opinion that Isis is the Earth, which beeing striken with that Rod, brought foorth those things. In the end there was (sayth he) such an Earthquake ouer al AEgipt, that the King determined to let that people go. But in this poynt the Priests disagree. For the Priests of Memphis say that Moyses marking the tyde passed the Sea at a low water. But the Priestes of Heliople say, that the Kings intent was to pursew the Israelites to recouer the Iewels which they caryed away with them out of AEgipt, and that Moyses being warned of God strake the Sea, which gaue place to him and al his people, and that the AEgiptians were partly destroyed with thunder and lightening, and partly drowned in the same waters. When they were passed the Sea, they liued thirtie yeeres in the wildernesse and were fed with a certeyne Snow, which God did rayne downe vponupon thē from heauen. And this Moyses was a man of a tall stature, browne, with long heare on his head and a long beard, and a countenance full of maiestie; and when he did all this worke of his, he was fowerscore and nine yeeres old. We reade the same things written by Demetrius and Eupolemus Gréeke Historiographers, who doe ad many particularities moe: and Manethon nameth the King Tethmosis vnderunder whom these things were done. Also Numenius the Pythagorist sayth, that he had read the life of Moyses in Histories worthie of credite: and he rehearseth how he was taken out of the water; how he was brought vp in the Court; that afore he was Circumcised, he was called Iehoiachim; Secundum Mystas.howbeit that by report of such as professed the knowledge of Misteries, he had a secret name in heauen, to wit Melchi; that he wrought great myracles before the King of AEgipt; and that certeyne Magicians called Iannes and Mambres would hauehave done the like: which are things that are not set downe in our Scriptures, but must néedes be had of them out of the holy Registers of AEgipt. And in very déede, in the Coniurations of the AEgiptians, Origines against Celsus lib. 4.they vsed these words to the Deuils, The God of Israell, the God of the Hebrewes, the God that drowned the AEgiptians with their King in the red Sea: which sheweth euidently that the matter was commōly knowen and out of al doubt. And I remember not any Author that denyeth Moyses to hauehave conueyed the people of Israell out of AEgipt with great myracles. For soothly it had bin a myracle of all myracles, to hauehave made them to suffer so many aduersities without myracles. But yet some Authors hauehave attributed those myracles to Magicke, and othersome to naturall reasons. There is (sayth Plinie) a kynd of Magicke, which dependeth vponupon Moyses Moysessis Myracles.and the Cabale; but yet had Magicke neuer so great scope (sayth he) as vnderunder Nero, neither was it euer found to be more feeble and vayne. And in trueth, what likenesse is there betwéene the Illusions of a Magician, which vanish away in the twinckling of an eye, and ye leading of a mightie great Nation through the Sea, and (which more is) the mainteyning of them from hunger & thirst so long a time? But yet hath the Scripture prouided against this slaunder. For no lawe els in the world doth so expressely forbid Magick, as doth the lawe of Moyses: and the Cabale whereof Plinie had heard speake,In sted of Cabala, Plinie hath Iocabela. is further of frō such doings, than eyther Arithmeticke or Grammar. And whereas others doe report, that Moyses marked the ebbing of the water that he might passe the red Sea: surely they make the counsell of the AEgiptians very grossewitted, in casting themselues away so rashly. Nay I say further, that if it had bene so, the waters that drowned the one people would not hauehave spared the other. But eueryevery man knowes that the Gulfe of Arabie is not subiect to such tydes as those are: and though it were, yet cannot the like cauill take place in all the residue of the myracles that are attributed vntounto him. As vnméete also to bee admitted, is the slaunder of Iustine the Historiographer and others, That Moyses was driuen out of AEgipt because he was a Leaper, and that he caryed all the Leapers of the Realme away with him. For it is a cléere case by record of all auncient writers, that the people whom he caryed away, was a straunger in AEgipt: and when he himself rehearseth openly the benefites which that people had receiued at Gods hand, You knowe (sayth he) that there hath not bene any sicknesse or disease among you, since the tyme you came out of AEgipt. And on the contrarie part he menaseth them with the Plagues, Byles, and Botches of AEgipt, if they offended God. Insomuch that whereas in any other auncient lawes, there is no mention made of any order for them that are infected with the Leaprosie: in this Law (as though GOD had ment to preuent that slaunder) they be separated from the companie of men, their clothes are to bee layd away, their houses to be scraped, and certeyne other things are to be done; which is a sufficient proofe, that those which gouerned that people and had authoritie ouer them, were no Leapers.
This people then went out of Egipt: Exod. 12.and the Scripture sayeth that they were Sixhundred thousand men on foote, besids women and Children.The nomber of the children of Israel. Heare ageyn they krye out: They were but threescore and ten when they went into Egipt; and how then is it possible that they should be so manie at their going out? I wilnot alledge any miraculousnes, though the Scripture declare that that people increased very greatly; insomuch that it termeth them by the woord Frye, as though it spake of Fisshes. But I beséeche them to make somewhat a nearer reckening, not with the largest, but after the ordinarie maner, what nomber myght rise of threescore and ten persones in fower hundred yeeres or thereabouts, which was the tyme that they were in Egipt; and they shall find their full nomber afore they come to Twohundred and fiftye yeeres. After the same maner do we sée that Thréescore households of Arabians, passing into Affrica in the tyme of the diuision vnderunder Calis, had peopled it throughout in lesse than thréehundred yeeres: insomuch that euen at this day, the Prouinces beare the names of Beni Megher, Beni Guariten, Beni Fensecar and so foorth; that is too say the Children of Megher, of Guariten, and of Fensecar. And there was not that Familie which peopled not some one Shire or other. Also the West Indyes which hauehave not bin knowen vntounto vsus aboue one hundred yeeres, will within one hundred mo be peopled with Spanyards. To be short, Viues saith, he sawe an honest man in Spayne, which had peopled a village of a hundred houses with the issew of his owne body, so as the names of kinred fayled. And this present yeere there dyed a noble Ladie in Germanie, which had seene a hundred and threescore Children borne of hirself and hirs; and yet the one half of hir Children dyed afore they were maryed; and those that are maryed are of age to hauehave manie mo. Their saying therefore bewrayeth a manifest ignorance, lyke as theirs doth who being ignorāt of progression in Arithemetik, will easely bargayne for a horse or some other thing, to giuegive eueryevery day doble for it during a whole mooneth, beginning with a pennye: who by that tyme that they come but too the midds of the mooneth, begin to perceiue that which no reason could hauehave beaten into their heads afore, namely that all the goods they hauehave are not able too serue the turne.
After Moyses succeded Iosua,Iosua. who brought the people into the promised Land, so as ye Chananytes did partly flée before him, and partly were made tributaries vntounto him. He that shal reade the voyage of this people from iourney to iourney, and consider the bounds and coas…s of their porcio…s; will byandby iudge the trueth of the storie. But yet Procopius in his historie of the Vandales,Procopius in his secōd book of the warres of the Vaudales. leaueth vsus a notable marke thereof in these words. Al the Country (saieth he) which lyeth from Sidon to Egipt, was in old tyme called Phenice; and they that wrate the History of the Phenicians, report that in old time it was all vnderunder one only King. In these costes dwelt the Gergesites, Iebusites & other nations, who at such tyme as they sawe the great army of Iosua comming towards them, remoued into AEgipt. But within a while after, bycause that Country could not beare them, they passed into Afrik, where they buylded many Cities and peopled the whole Country euen to the Pillers of Hercules, and their language is half Phenician. Also in Numidy (among other Cities) they builded Tingit, the seat whereof is very strong, where are two Pillers of white stone to be seene nere vntounto a greate Fountain, wherein are grauen these words in the Phenician tongue: we be those that fled from the Robber Iosua the sonne of Nun. Such (sayeth he) is the original of those Nations, whom we call at this day Maurusians. And Eupolemus sayeth that Iosua Prophesied a hundred and ten yeeres, and placed the Tabernacle in Silo. From thence he leapeth to Samuel, & form Samuel to Saule, whom he affirmeth to hauehave bin anointed at Gods commandment; and so to Dauid, whom (taking the one for the other) he calleth the sonne of Cis.
But betwéene Iosua and Saul, we hauehave the time of the Iudges; in the storie of whom some hauehave marked, that the mightie deedes of Hercules are feyned out of ye doings of Sampson, and the vow of Agamemnon out of the vow of Iephtha. Dauid Saul. Dauid.(saith ye same Author) subdewed the Ammonites, Moabites, Itureans, Nabatheans and other nations that extend vntounto the Riuer Euphrates, and made the King of Tyre and the Phenicians tributarie to him. Afterward and Angell called Nathan shewed him the place where the Temple should bee builded, for the which he prepared woorkemen, and rigged foorth Shippes at the Cittie of Melan in Araby. and sent them to an Ile of the red sea called Vrphen, from whence he fetched great quantitie of Gold, Copper,The Scripture of the Prophet. Ceder wood and such other things. Notwithstanding (saieth hee) the Angell would not that he should buyld the Temple, because he had bene steined with blud in the Warres; and so that worke was reserued to Salomon his Sonne, who came to the Crowne at the age of twelue yeeres. And of how great riches Dauid was,Iosephus libr. Antiquit: 15. Cap. 16. & lib. 16. cap. 11. & of the Iewish warres. lib. 5. cap. 2. it may appéere by his tumb, wherein after the custome of those tymes, he did lay vp great treasures. For about an eighthundred yeres after, Hircanus béeing assayled by Antiochus the godly, tooke thrée thousand Talents out of one vault to content him withall. And within a while after, Herod opened another vault and found as much there. What notable things reade we of Salomon? Salomon.First his building of the Temple, which is described (saith Iosephus) as well in the Chronicles of the Tyrians, the Competitors of the Iewes, as in ours. And in their Treasorie are kept the Letters of Salomon to Hyram King of Tyre, and Hirams letters vntounto him;Iosephus in his antiquities. lib. 8. cap. 2. Euseb. lib. 9. cap. 4. which make mention of the great nomber of Carpenters that Hiram sent vntounto him; of the order that Salomon tooke for the finding of them by imposts, and of the Contribution that eueryevery Prouince made to that ende; which things are reported at length by Eupolemus also, and likewise by Alexander Polihistor, Hecataeus the Abderite, Dius a Phenician, and diuers others, yea and that so particularly and with such care, as that there is not that measure, vessell, toole or instrument of the Temple, which they hauehave not noted, which thing we reade not that they hauehave done in the behalfe of any of their owne Temples. Yea and the Tyrians doe note the very yere and the day thereof in their Chronicles; to witte, that it was a hundred fortie and thrée yeres and eight moonethes afore their buylding of Carthage. Secondly the Scripture maketh great commendations of Salomons wisedome; insomuch that the Quéene of Saba came from a farre to see him. And we reade in Plutarke, Plutarke in his feast of Seuen Sages.that it was a custom among the Kings of old tyme, to put questions one to another, to trye the abilitie of their wittes, and that a certeine prayse was appoynted for him that wonne the victorie.Iosephus li… cap. 2. And Dius an Historiographer of the Phenicians, rehearseth the Riddles and Questions that Salomon sent to King Hiram, saying that it cost Hiram very much because he was not able to assoyle them, vntill at length he found a yong man of Tyrus named Abdemon, who decyphered vntounto him the most part of them. And as touching the Quéene of Saba, who came from the Ile of Meroe to sée Salomon; the Chronicles of AEthiope report that her name was Makeda, The History of Ethiop. Makeda.and that she had a sonne by Salomon, which was named first Meilirh, & afterward Dauid, whom she made her Heire of that great Empire which we now adayes doe call Prester Iohns Land. Likewise it reporteth that she caried with her twelue thousand Iewes, of eueryevery Trybe a thousand. And because the noblest men of that Countrie, do vaunt themselues to bee of the blud of Israell; although they hauehave receiued the Gospell, yet doe they reteine Circumcision; not that they thinke it necessarie to saluation (say they;) but to kéepe still the prerogatiue of their blud.
What remayneth yet further? The Sayling of Salomons Shippes; which lasted thrée yeeres; and that séemeth vntounto them incredible. And so by that rule, let vsus alwaies be at this poynt, neuer by our good willes to beléeue that which wee vnderstand not. But who is he at this day whom the Spaniards and Portingales hauehave not perswaded that? Specially the Portingales, which are a yere and eight moonethes a making their voyage, notwithstanding that they hauehave both the vse of the Compasse, and better knowledge of the Seas, and more certeine Harboroughs, and a shorter cutte. And surely it is not to bee passed ouer lightly,…. Chron. 3. that the Gold that was brought home by the sayd Nauigations, is called in Hebrew in the duall nomber Paruaim, as if a man would say, brought from the Perous, or from the Indies as well the East Indies as the West Indies, Gilbert Genebrand in his Chronologie.as a certeine learned man of our tyme hath noted. So is the wood Brazill called by the name of the countrie of Brasill from whence it is brought: and Machoachan the Drug, by the name of Machoachan the countrie, and so foorth of other things. For as touching the Nauigation to the Indies by the red Sea, it was ouer comon, both to imploy so much tyme about it, and also to make so great a matter of it.
In the Histories of the Kings following,The remouings of the ten Trybes. 1. Kings. 15. the chiefe things that are to be marked, are the thrée remouings away of the tenne Tribes of Israell, the first vnderunder Phacea the Sonne of Romelia and Oseas Kings of Israell, by Tigbath Phalassar and Salmanasar Kings of the Assyrians. The maner whereof was that the Israelites were caried away into farre Countries,2. Kings. 17. 4. Esdras. 13. (specially the best sort of them,) and other Nations were placed there in their stead. For the Israelites were conueyed thence into Media, and receiued the vninhabited Countryes to dwell in, and of them came partly the Cholchians who in the time of Herodotus Herodotus li. 2.caused themselues to be circumcised; and partly the Tartarians, who about the yere of our Lord a thousand and two hundred, ouerwhelmed the earth lyke a waterflud vnderunder the leading of Cingi, and afterward did set vp the Empire of the greate Cham. And in very deede they were Circumcised afore they euer heard of Mahomet; and they yéelded willingly to goe to his Lawe, so much the rather because it seemed to hold of theirs. And the word Tartars or Totaras signifieth Remnants or Leauings in the Syrian tongue. Uerily euen among the Hordes of the Tartars, in the furthest part northward, there are which hauehave reteined still the names of Dan, Zabulon & Nepthaly; and therefore it is not to be wondered at, that there be so many Iewes in Russie, Sarmatia, and Lituania, and so the néerer to the Tartarians still the mo. The same hath no lesse lykelyhod of trueth concerning the Turkes. For the word Turk in Hebrewe, signifieth banished men, and is taken in way of reproche. And it is very lykely, that Mahomet to eschewe the offending of those so great Nations, which at that tyme began to awake, held still Circumcision, and the Cleansings, and the Ceremonies of Moyses Lawe.
As touching the remoouing away to Babylon, which was peculiarly of the trybe of Iuda: Alexander Polihistor saith expresly, that in the time of Ioachim King of Iuda, Ieremy was sent vntounto them from God, to foretell them of extreme calamitie, because they worshipped an Idoll called Baall; Ioachim commaunded him to be burned quicke; and that Ieremy sayd further, that the King of Assyria should make them labour to digge a Channell to sayle out of Euphrates into Tygris: The Deliuerance by Cirusand that vponupon that hope Nabuchodonozor putting himselfe in Armes with all his power, spoyled Samaria, tooke Hierusalem, and led away Ioachim prisoner. The same thing is witnessed by Diocles, and likewise namely by Berosus the Chaldean, who sayeth that the sayd captiuitie indured thrée score yéeres and ten. Alpheus addeth that Megasthenes an auncient Author writeth, that Nabuchodonozor at his returne home, was striken with madnesse, and dyed crying incessantly to the Babylonians, that a great mischief was neere them, which all the power of their Gods could not stay. For (quoth hee) a Hafeasse of Persia shal come and make vsus his thralles. The man that he spake of was Cirus; Iosephus in his Antiquitie. lib. 8. cap. 4.who (as Alexander Polyhistor and Hecateus the Abderite doo witnesse) builded vp the Temple of Hierusalem ageine.
As concerning Sesakes voyage against Roboam, Herodotus speaketh euidently enough, albeit that he name him not, declaring that he crept vppon his belly to AEgipt, Syria, and Palestine. And the storie of Sennacherib is there vnderunder that selfesame name, and how hee was slayne at his comming home,1. Kings. 14. Herodotus li. 2 and that an Image was set vp vntounto him with this inscription, Learne by me to feare God, for a memorial of Gods iudgement against him. Moreouer, Menander an Ephesian made mention in his Tyrian Historie, of the great Drought that was in the tyme of Achab, 1. Kings. 18.and of the abundance of rayne that was obteyned by the prayers of Helias: after ye imitation whereof, the Greekes feyned the like of AEacus. And Iosephus witnesseth that hee had read the storie of Ionas in many Commentaries; the which is rife in rememberance yet still among the Arabians of Affrick. And as touching the greatnesse of Niniuie, it is described fully alike in Diodorus.Diodorus li. 3.
The token that God gaue to Ezechias by making the Sunne to retyre backe certeyne degrées, was registred in the Chronicles of the Babylonians, and of the Wisemen of Persia; Esay 38. Denis in his Hierarchie.the which token (some say, and not without some ground) was giuen so vntounto him, because he delighted in Astronomy, and had reformed the Hebrewe Calender. But many auncient bookes are lost, which might tell vsus much more of these matters. Neuerthelesse, I would fayne hauehave these controllers of our Scriptures, to tell me if they hauehave any Historie among the Heathen, that hath moe witnesses of the trewnesse thereof, than the Historie of the Iewes. And whether any, euen of the greatest Empyres of the world, be so confirmed by the Histories of frends, as the Historie of that little Nation is confirmed by his enemies.
And whereas they obiect, that wee see no such myracles in our daies: I will prooue vntounto them in another place, that the like hauehave bene seene since, which hauehave proceeded from the same power. But it is enough for me at this tyme to put them in remembrance, that if true myracles had not bene wrought in the world, we should not hauehave had so many false myracles among the Heathen. Nay, I say more, wee should not hauehave so much as the very name of Myracle, which could not hauehave bene giuen at the first, but to things that excéede the abilitie of man, yea and of all other Creatures, as things rightly worthie of that name.
Now remaine the Absurdities which they will néedes finde, because they vnderstand not the reason.Obiections concrneing Absurdities. That law of yours (say they) stands talking of Beastes, of Pastures, of Oxen that dosse with their hornes, and of such other things. These are too base things for the word that procéedeth from GOD. Why say they not likewise, that they were too base things for God to create? And wherefore are Lawes made, but for the benefite of man? And although they might seeme vyle in respect of God; can they denye them to hauehave bene profitable in respect of men, at that tyme when men for the most part liued by grazing? But of these nice fellowes I would knowe what the Lawes of Plato were, and what the Lawes of the twelue Tables were, at such tyme as the Romanes were Tilmen and Grazyers? or what the Lawes of Venice were, when they were but Fishers? Yet do we reuerence those Lawes for their antiquitie; insomuch that if wée find but some old fragment of them, we thinke we hauehave a Iewell: and the Emperours of Rome being in their chief glorie, raced not out of their Digests the Lawes that begin thus, If Cattell: nor the Venetians their Statutes of Fisshing: nor the Frenchmen their ordinances of Hunting and Hawking; which might in many Coūtries seeme matters to be laughed at in our daies, and yet there were euen then which caryed them into other Countries, as necessarie to appease strifes in their due tyme and place. To bee short, as long as Rome was champyonground, it made Lawes against the harmes of Cattell. But when it fell once to building, it made Lawes for Gutters, Chanels and Sinkes. When it began to seeke the ruine of other men, it made Lawes of Battell, of Warfare, and of the sacking of Cities. And when it listed to destroye it selfe, it made Lawes of Rebellions, prescriptions and banishments. All the which were alike behoofull and necessarie in their tymes: and the first Lawmakers were no lesse honored than the latter: howbeit that the state of the Commonweale was worse and more corrupted in the latter tyme than in the other, because that whereas in the former tymes it had to do but with the repressing of Beasts, in ye latter tymes it had to deale with the brydling of men worse than wyld Beastes, or to speake more truely, men that were become wood beastes themselues.
They ad, God (say you) created all things: and yet notwithstanding Moyses denounceth some beastes to bee cleane and some vncleane. Whereto may these bee good? They ought to consider, that oftentimes the things which of themselues are cleane, become vncleane by the abuse of them, like as the thing that is good and wholsome by nature, becommeth euill and vnwholsome by excesse or surfeting. And in that respect hath Wine bin prohibited among many people, and there are fewe which hauehave not abhorred some Beastes or others; after which maner wee see that at Rome, such as had murthered their fathers or their moothers, were put into a Sacke with an Ape, a Cock, and a Uiper, and cast into the water; a thing whereof it were vneasie to yéeld a reason. But the sayd law of Moyses, not being vnprofitable, ne tending any higher than this present life, did not without cause put a difference betwéene brute things.Origen ageinst Celsus lib. 4. For if we looke well to it, it denoūceth al those brute things vncleane, whereby the AEgiptians made their diuinations or tooke their foretokens, as the Woolfe, the Foxe, the Dragon, the Hare, the Sparehauke, the Kyte, & so foorth. And that was to make the people of Israell to abhorre the vanities and abhominations of AEgipt; like as if a man would keepe his children from fire, he would prohibite them euen the Chimney. And because those abuses were knowen among them; the end and aimingpoynt of that Lawe, was the redresse of them. And therefore vppon this poynt, I desire our despisers to suspend their iudgement in the things they vnderstand not. For as in that tyme no fault was found with this difference in the Lawe of Moyses; so should no fault be found with many others at this day, if wee could set before vsus the same tyme againe. I omit concerning the things that liued vponupon pray, that ouer and besides that men tooke foretokens at them, they had this doctrine in them without much stepping aside from the letter, that men should not take away one anothers goodes. And as touching the Swyne, it is well knowne that for the inuention of Tillage which hee shewed to the AEgiptians by wrooting vp the ground with his groyne; they worshipped him as a God; in consideration whereof he was declared to be abhominable: besides the which thing, there appeared this euident allegorie, that men should not bemyre them selues in the dirt and dung of this world.
As for the Sacrifices, I hauehave touched them heretofore, and will treat of them more at large hereafter, forasmuchas they did put men hourely in rememberance of death dew for sinne, and of the necessitie of a sacrifice to cleanse away the same, namely of ye sacrifice of Iesus Christ then to come, which should serue for the clensing of all mankynd. But admit that God to bring vsus to obedience, had listed to giuegive vsus Lawes whereof we could not conceiue the reason? What is it more than many Princes and Lawemakers hauehave done, as Plutark sayeth? Or than we our selues do to our Children and Seruants? And yet who will think it méete that they should aske vsus a reason why we do so? Surely I desire no more, but that they which come to our Scriptures, should yeeld at leastwise the like regarde that they yeeld to Homer or Virgill. If they find in them any dark sentences; they say they will mark them with crosses and leaue them too Grammarians too martyr themselues withall. Therefore let them not thinke it straunge, that God hath left such things in his Scriptures, to humble the mynds of diuines withal. If in the Poet they meete any Solecismes, that is too say, incongruities of speeche; byandby they be elegancies or figures. Let them consider in the Scriptures also, that the thing which they think doth disagree at the first sight, wilbee found verie fit of him that vnderstandeth the figure. To be short if a Poet hauehave spoken a woord that seemeth needlesse or without reason; the Schoolemayster turneth it into al sences to find some sence in it: the Scoller is out of patience if his Mayster find none: and the Scholler will rather find fault with his Mayster, and the Mayster with his owne ignorance, than confesse any imperfection ar ouersight in the Poet. Now then if in these bookes confirmed with so manie Miracles and proceeding from soo greate authoritie, we m… offe…th things which to our fleshly wit séeme vnprofitable or absurd; it …ere good reason that wee should bee the more diligent and heedfull in serching them and in turning them into al sences. And if in the end of all this, we find not wherewith to satisfie vsus; let the hearer confesse his dulnesse of vnderstanding, and the teacher acknowledge his owne ignorance; and let vsus pray God to voutsafe to inlighten vsus with his Spirit.
Now I thinke I hauehave sufficiently shewed, by the antiquitie, the style and the matter, by the ende also and by the particularities of our Scriptures; that they be of God, and that they cannot procéede from any other than him. By antiquitie; for they bee the first of all writings, and God hath bin reuealed in them euer since there were any men. By their style: for they instruct the lowly, and pull downe the highmynded, speaking with like authoritie to all men. By their matter: for their onelyonly treating is of Gods doings and of his communicating of himselfe to men. By the marke whereat they aime: for they tende not to any other thing than Gods glorie and mans welfare. And by their singularnesse: for there are things without number, which cannot bee bred in the mynd eyther of man or Angell. The absurdnesse which wee suppose to be there, is but a seeming so to our ignorance: and the impossibilitie which to our seeming is in them, is but in comparison of our disabilitie. The truth of them is witnessed vntounto vsus in Histories, at leastwise if the case so stand that Gods word hauehave neede of mans record. He that is the Child of God knoweth his fathers voyce: but yet it may be that for the better confirming of him, my writing hereof shall not bee in vayne. Who so refuseth that, no man can perswade him thereto: but yet shall this serue to conuict him; and (by Gods helpe) a great sort which as yet hauehave had their eares so dulled with the noyse of this world, that they hauehave hetherto but ouerheard it, shall hereafter incline both their eares and their hearts thereunto. Now I beséech the almightie who spake the worde and the world was made, to speake effectually in our daies, and that the world may beléeue him. And because the marke that beléef shootes at, is the welfare of man: let vsus see what welfare wee finde in this word; which is our third marke of Religion, and shalbe the matter of the Chapter next following.