Observations Natural and Moral, Part 1

Observations Natural and Moral · Part 1

p. 129EXERCITAT. Of Numbers Weights and Meaſures.

Levit. 19.35. Yee ſhall doe no unrighteouſneſſe in judgement, in mete-yard, in weight, or in meaſure.

THe Lord commanded his people to deale juſtly and uprightly every one with another, The Lord would have his people deale …ly one with another.that they might be like himſelfe who made all things, in number; weight and meaſure, Wiſd. 11. By theſe three the equity of all things is tryed out, and therefore the Lord ſetteth downe precepts to his people, and rules in the Scripture, how they ſhould number, weigh and meaſure all things, and every one of theſe depend p. 130upon another; for he that numbereth rightly doth meaſur…ightly, weigheth …

… by order of nature, for … things muſt goe in the firſt place, by the which meaſure is found out; and …umber and meaſure find out weight; therefore wee muſt explaine the rules of numbers in the Scriptures, then the meaſure ariſing from thence, and thirdly the weight, ariſing from them both.

The rules whore by every thing was numbred in the Scripture, The rules whereby every thing is meaſured.beginning from the greateſt to the leaſt, according to the Hebrewes and Romans were theſe.

Regula:

The higheſt rule of diſtance is a thouſand cubits, and the leaſt a finger breadth amongſt the Hebrewes; and p. 131amongſt the Romans the higheſt a myle, and the leaſt a graine, whereby not onelyonly the diſtance of …ing is numbered; but alſo their numbers.What the Hebrewes mile was.

The Hebrew myle was a thouſand …, Num. 35.5. the bounds of the cities of the Levites … mealured in the fourth verſe, to be a thouſand cubits, but in the fift verſe to he two thouſand cubits: the firſt is to be underſtood from the Citie to the wall, but the ſecond, How the either of the Levites are ſayd both to be a thouſand and to be two thouſand cubits from the wall.from the wall ſouthward to the wall oppoſite northward, and ſo the like meaſure from the eaſt to the weſt.

The ſame was the meaſure of the outmoſt part of the campe to the Tabernacle, from the ſouth part of the campe to the north part; and this was called a Sabbath dayes journey, Act. 1.12. A Sabbath …ayes ourney what.ſo farr… diſtant was mount Olivet from Ieruſalem; but a Sabbath dayes journey is as much ſpace as they had to goe from their houſes to the Synagogues.

Againe there was foreign , the Latines called it Stadium a furlong, and eight of theſe made a myle, as Luk. 24.13. Emmaus was diſtant from Ieruſalem ſi… …, that is, foreign .3½ of a mile. So Ioh. 6.19. A fuelong is the eight part of a mile.the Diſciples rowed five and twenty or thirty furlongs, that is, 3½ or 3¼ of a mile. So Ioh. 11.18. Bethania was nigh towards Ieruſalem fifteene, furlongs, that is, 1 1/… of a mile. The Apoſtle, 1 Corinthians 9.24. ſpeaking of the Chriſtian race alludeth to this, when he ſaith, Alluſion. They which run foreign … race, run all; but one receiveth the victory. Thus was the new Ieruſalem meaſured, Reve. …1.16. and he preaſured the Citie with the re…d…twelve thouſand furlongs. And Iohn ſpeaking of the judgements of God which were to come upon the earth, ſaith, that the blood came out of the winepreſſe even unto the horſe bridles by the ſpace of a thouſand and ſixe hundreth furlongs, … 14.20. So that fur long is the eight part of a mile.foreign ….

Thirdly, there was [Izamid] Ingerum, … Acre which p. 132was two hundred and twenty foot alwayes in breadth and length, Eſa. 5.10. ten acres of vineyard ſhall yeeld one bath; an acre is about the third part of a furlong.

Fourthly, foreign calamus.was [kanna] calamus, a reed and funiculus a line, A twofold uſeof the reede.and they had a twofold uſe, firſt they ſerved for meaſuring of their ground, and building; and ſecondly for demoliſhing of their building. For meaſuring of the ground, Alluſion. as Ioſhua divided the land of Canaan by a line: to this David alludeth Pſal. 16.6. my line is fallen in pleaſant places: Alluſion. and ſo Paul alludeth to this meaſuring by the line, 2 Cor. 10.13. We will not beaſt of things without our meaſure, but according to the meaſure of the line which God hath diſtributed to us, a meaſure to reach even unto you. They meaſured their buildings with the …ine and re…e.So they meaſured their buildings with the reed and line, both the length and breadth and height of them: The Angell meaſured the Temple to be reedified with a reed, Ezek. 40. and with a reed the Angell meaſured the ſpirituall Temple, Revel. 21.15. He that talked with me had a golden reed to meaſure the city and the gates thereof and the wall thereof.The ſecond uſe of the line.

The ſecond uſe of the line was for demoliſhing and cutting away the ſuperfluous parts of the building, and it had a plummet or ſtone hanging downe from it: to this the Lord alludeth, Alluſion. 2 King. 21.13. I will ſtretch over Ieruſalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the houſe of Achab. Alluſion. So Eſa. 34.11. he ſhall ſtretch out upon it the line of confuſion and the ſtones of emptineſſe.

The fourth was [amma] a cubit, foreign cubitus. A Cubit what.which was a foote and an halfe; it was from the knop of the elbow to the point of the middle finger. By this meaſure Noah meaſured the Arke, Moſes the Tabernacle, and Salomon the Temple: this cubi… was the rule of their other meaſures, and was laid up in the ſanctuary to be kept as the ſhekell was, foreign …. A pal… or ….therefore it was called the holy cubit.

The firſt was […ereth] ſpithama or great palme, p. 133which was halfe a c…bite or twelve fingers broad. This meaſure is made mention of in theſe places, Exod. 28.17. the breaſtplate was a palme long and a palme broad. So 1 Sam. 17.4. his ſtature was ſixe cubits and a palme or a ſpan. So Eſa 40.12. who hath mete out the heaven with the ſpan or palme? and Ezek 43.14. the ditch was a palme without the borders of the Altar.

The ſixt was a foot, foreign pes.a meaſure amongſt the Romans whereby they meaſured their paces, and it contained three palmes.

The ſeventh was [tephah] the leſſer palme being foure finger broad, Exod. 25.25. foreign palmus minor.thou ſhalt make unto the table a border of an handbreadth round about: Alluſion. So the thicknes of the braſen ſea was a handbreadth. David alludeth to this meaſure, Pſal. 39.6. ecce palmorum depoſuiſti dies meos, thou haſt meaſured out my dayes or thou haſt made my dayes an hand breadth, or foure fingers breadth in length.foreign digitus.

The eighth was [etzbang] a finger broad, this was proper to the Phyſitians whereby they meaſured their hearbs and roots: of this meaſure mention is made, Iere. 52.21. and the thickneſſe thereof was [arbang etzbagnoth] foure fingers; and the High prieſts under the Law meaſured the incenſe [kamiza] with his ring finger, this was the leaſt meaſure amongſt the Hebrewes and it contained foure graines.

Laſt was granum, a graine of barley, granum. which was the leaſt meaſure amongſt the Romans, and now amongſt the Mathematicians whereby they meaſure all diſtances by proportion.