Harmony Upon 1 Samuel, Title page – To the reader
AN HARMONIE VPONUPON THE FIRST BOOKE OF SAMVEL, WHEREIN ACCORDING to the Methode obserued in HEXAPLA vponupon GENESIS, and EXODVS, but more compendiously abridged, these speciall things are obserued vponupon eueryevery Chapter:
The diuers readings compared, doubtfull questions explaned, places of Scripture reconciled, Controuersies briefly touched, and morall collections applied.
Wherein aboue foure hundred Theologicall questions are handled, with great breuitie and much varietie, by the former Author of Hexapla on GENESIS.
Printed for L. GREENE of CAMBRIDGE. 1607.
And are to be sold in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Sunne by Richard Bankeworth.
TO THE MOST EXCELLENT, VERTVOVS, AND RIGHT Noble Prince; HENRIE by the grace of God, Prince of Wales, and heire apparant to the most famous Kingdomes of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
MOst Noble Prince, I had not presumed to present these fewe lines to your Highnes viewe, but that I remembred that wise saying, vntounto the which your Princely nature will subscribe:foreign. Although thou art borne a King, yet heare as a mortall man: which sentence is much better expressed in Scripture,Psal. 82.7. I saide ye are gods, and ye are all children of the most High, but ye shall die as a man, &c. Which place is thus interpreted by our blessed Sauiour, If he called them gods, to whome the word was giuen: Ioh. 10.35.because they heard and receiued the word, they are so called: Nothing maketh a mortall Prince more like in earth to the immortall Prince and great King in heauen, then to be willing to heare, as Gods eares are open vntounto the complaints and suits of all: So your princely humilitie and humanitie beeing apt to receiue and regard, what is presented and exhibited, hath emboldened me thus to write, and to offer vntounto your Highnes this simple gift, as a testimonie of my seruice and dutie.Ex histor. Aeliaen. One writeth that Socrates that graue and wise Philosopher, seeing Alcibiades very insolent, and much lifted vp, because of his grounds and possessions, which he had gotten about Athens, brought him to a place of the citie, where he shewed him a mappe of the whole earth: wherein hauing found out Athens, he was bidden by the Philosopher, to point out his owne grounds: which beeing not there noted, he further said vntounto him, Why art thou proud for those things, which are not extant in any part of the earth. foreign.But herein your Highnes is much vnlike, who, though this famous Island of Great BRITTAINE, wherein your Hon. lot lieth, be no small or obscure part in the terrestriall Globe; yet doth, and must rather affect the euer-during kingdome of heauen, then the transitorie glorie and pompe of the world: as that kingly Prophet Dauid, hauing a goodly earthly portion, euen that famous and flourishing kingdome of Israel, yet reioyced more, that he had his part in Gods kingdome: thus sweetly singing, The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cuppe, Psal. 16.7, 8.&c. the lines are fallen to me in pleasant places: I hauehave a faire heritage.
Of this worthie Prince Dauid this first booke of Samuel treateth, setting forth his princely vertues, and worthie acts, his anointing and inauguration to the Crowne, beeing yet but very young, his ouercomming of Goliath, his patience in trouble, faithfulnes in his seruice to Saul, his meekenes, euen in sparing his enemie: which with other his excellent vertues, are thus elegantly described by Ambrose: Quam mitis David, humilis spiritu, sedulus corde, facilis affatu, &c. fortis in praelio, Lib. 2. offic. c. 7.mansuetus in imperio, patiens in convitio. How milde was Dauid, humble in spirit, carefull in heart, affable and gentle: valiant in battell, milde in gouernment, patient in reproch. Againe, the same father thus further commendeth the worthie acts of Dauid: Facta sancti David consideremus, quomodo Goliam interfecit, Apolog. Dav. c. 6.Sauli pepercit, convitiantem Shemei sustinuit, &c. Let vsus consider the acts of Dauid, how he slue Goliath, spared Saul, endured railing Shemei. The first of these is most for your Highnes imitation, that as he in his young yeres encountred with Goliath, slue him, and cut off his head: So your Highnes following the worthie example of our Dauid the Kings sacred and Christian Maiestie, oppose your selfe, euen in these your tender and springing yeares to that Goliath of Rome, and professe your selfe an aduersarie to the whole bodie of Popish and Antichristian superstition: your princely youth is no let to your religious profession: as Ambrose saith of Honorius the Emperour beeing yet but a child: Non moveat aetas, principis perfecta aetas est, est enim perfecta aetas, vbi perfecta est virtus: Honorius iam pulsat adolescentiae fores, provectior aetate, quam Iosias. Let not his age mooue you, a Princes age is perfect: for age is perfect, where vertue is perfect: In obit. Theodes.Honorius is at the next doore to a young man, elder somewhat then Iosias. Democrates among the Athenians beeing very aged, going vp to the toppe of the tower panting and breathing, but of no strength, said, that all the citie of Athens was like him: for they breathed (that is,foreign. attempted much) but preuailed little. But God shall giuegive vntounto your Highnes strength, not onelyonly to attempt, but to accomplish great things for the seruice of his Church: that Deborahs prophesie shall be verified in you, to be as the Sunne, when he riseth in his strength: Iud. 5.31.and Iaakobs blessing take place, pronounced vponupon Iudah: Thine hands shall be in the necke of thine enemies: Gen. 49.8.thy fathers sonnes shall bow downe vntounto thee: So that, when His excellent Maiestie hath finished his faithfull seruice to God here in earth, and runne out his happie course, which God graunt he may hold out long, we may say of your Highnes, as Ambrose of Honorius the Emperour, after the death of Theodosius: Theodosius tantus Imperator recessit à nobis, In obi…. Theodos.sed non totus recessit, reliquit enim nobis liberos suos, in quibus debemus eum agnoscere.
Your Excellent Highnes bounden in all dutie and seruice, ANDREVV WILLETT.
Certaine aduertisements to the Christian and courteous Reader.
IN this Commentarie vponupon the first booke of SAMVEL, I hauehave followed a more compendious course, then in my larger Treatise vponupon Genesis, and in the like vponupon Exodus, which is now readie to come forth. And hereunto I was mooued by these reasons: first, in regard of the Readers, who as they are delighted with varietie of questions, so the same is more welcome when it is accompanied with breuitie: short treatises also are more easily purchased, eueryevery one cannot reach vntounto the price of larger volumes. Beside, in respect of my selfe, I saw, that a mans whole life sufficed not to goe thorough all the bookes of the Scriptures in that large and ample manner. And further, whereas in these Theologicall discourses, published in the vulgar tongue, the profite of the vnlearned is cheifly intended, whereas the learned may helpe themselues with treatises in other languages, I thought it not needefull curiously to handle obscure and difficult questions, but in such familiar and plaine manner, as might best serue for the instruction of all. Some are too large in the discussing of questions, and resolving of doubts: and some againe are too short: of the first sort, were some of the auncient writers,Hieron. advers. Ioan. Hierosol. who as Hierome saith, Vix singulas quaestiones explicare multis voluminibus potuerunt: could scarce handle seuerall questions in many volumes. And of the other sort he thus writeth, Repertus est nostris seculis haud grandis homunculus, qui de cunctis quaestionibus vno linguae rotatu sole clarius coruscaret: A certaine fellowe is found in our age of no great account, which with one turne of the tongue can make any question as cleare as the Sunne. I hauehave laboured in this booke to take a course betweene both, neither to be superfluous in vnnecessarie prolixitie, nor obscure in affected breuitie.
Those seuerall points, which in the larger Hexapla I seuerally handled, I hauehave for breuitie sake, intermingled together: namely touching the diuerse readings, the explaning of questions, the deciding of controuersies, and applying of morall places▪ The capitall letters eueryevery where vsed, shew the authors names,A. Arias Mont. C. Chalde. S. Septuagint. L. Latine text. I. Iunius. V. Vatablus. B. the Bish. transl. G. Geneva. Pell. Pellicane. Bor. Borrhaius. Mar. Martyr. Osiand. Osiander. as is here expressed in the margen: whether this method which I hauehave here propounded to my selfe, or that in my former workes shall prooue more profitable, or beneficiall to the Reader, I leaue to the blessing of God, and the iudgement of the iudicious Reader. In this course, which I am entred into to profit my selfe and others, many rubbes and lets I hauehave had to hinder me, virulent pennes, and invectiues, forraine suits and troubles in law, beside some domesticall cares: some of which God hath giuen happie issue vntounto, and so he will, I doubt not in his good time to the rest: that (to vse the Apostles words) I may fulfill my course with ioy, Act. 20.24.and the ministration which I hauehave receiued of the Lord Iesus, to testifie the Gospel of the grace of God. Amen.