Commentary on Daniel, Dedication 2 – Chapter 7
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, his gracious Lord.
RIght Noble Prince, it may seeme strange to some, that I offer vntounto your princely viewe, in these your Highnesse young and flourishing yeares, a Commentarie vponupon the most difficult and obscure booke of the old Testament: But I trust your Highnesse shall not thinke it vnseasonable, to be acquainted with the mysteries of holy Scripture in this your princely youth:2. King. 24. 2. As Iosias that godly king of Iudah,2. Chron. 34. 3. at the sixteenth yeare of his age did set his heart to seeke the Lord, and read vntounto his people out of the booke of God: So did Honorius the young Emperor season his first yeares with true religion and pietie: As Ambrose ioyneth them both together: Honorius iam pulsat adolescentiae fores, In obit. Theod. s.prouectior aetate quam Iosias, Hebrewe…. R. Saadiah. R. Levi. R. Ezra. R. Salamon. R. Moyses.Honorius now standeth at the next doore to be a young man, somewhat elder then Iosias: S. Luke wrote his Gospel to noble Theophilus, which name is interpreted, one that loueth God: whereupon Ambrose thus noteth, si Deum diligis, ad te scriptum est, and if thou louelove God, it is written to thee.Greekes. Iosephus. Origen. Theodoret. Oecumenius.
Touching the obscuritie of this booke, it is such, as that it is tempered as well with varietie of historie to delight, as with profunditie of mysteries to exercise the Reader:Latines. Ireneus. Tertullian. Eusebius. Hierome. Augustin…. Bernard. Rupertus. Lyraenus. Dionys. Carthu… ▪ as Augustine well saith of the Scripture in generall, si nusquam aperta esset, non te pasceret, si nusquam occulta, non te exerceret, if it were no where plaine and open, it would not feede thee, if no where obscure, it would not exercise thee.
This part of the Treatise I hauehave presumed to offer to your Highnes, as the former part I was bold to present to his Maiestie.New writers. Protestants. Melancthon. Oecolampad. Calvin. Pellican. Osiander. Pappus. Fulke. Napeir. H. Brough. Polanus. Genevens. This prophecie treateth chiefly of the alteration and chaunge of States and Kingdomes: of the honour and prosperitie of good Kings, and of the ruine and bad successe of hard and cruell Potentates: here we hauehave the most cleare prophecie in the Old Testament of the Messiah the Prince of Princes. These are subiects fit for Princes meditations, and matter meete for noble spirits to be occupied in.
I hauehave omitted no meanes (to my power) to helpe to furnish this matter: I hauehave therein abridged the best Commentaries, and Writers both old and new, as they are set downe in the margen:Romanists. Hug. Cardin. Caietan. Arias Ma…. Vatablu…. Pererius. Pintu…. Rhemists, with others. and some of them, which were decennali cur a elaborati, with tenne yeares trauell set forth, as Pererius confesseth in his Epistle Dedicatorie. This labour I hauehave vndertaken, not so much to redeeme the time, which otherwise might be mispent: for as Seneca saith, maxima pars vitae elabitur male agentibus, magna nihil agentibus, tota aliud agentibus, the greatest part of a mans life passeth away in doing euill, a great part in doing of nothing, and almost the whole, in doing other things then we should: neither herein doe I expect any terrene reward or recompence: The heathen Orator could say,4. …. Nullam mercedem virtus, quam hanc laudis gloriaeque desiderat, vertue desireth no other reward then praise and glorie: not that vaine praise of men in this life, which they hunted for, hauing no knowledge of God: but the praise of God in the next world: I chiefly then hauehave propounded to my selfe the profit of the Church of God: for as euerie one that liueth in the commonwealth, ought to seeke the good thereof: so eueryevery member of the Church should labour some way or other, for the edifying of the whole: If any mislike my diligence in writing, as this age wanteth not carpers, I much passe not for their vnfriendly censure, so that I may doe good to others: and here I may say againe with the Orator,…. Malui multis post diebus sententiam meam laudari, quam à multis hodie reprehendi, I had rather that my endeauour many dayes hereafter should be commended, then now of a fewe reprehended. I hauehave heretofore exercised my penne in handling of controversies against the common aduersarie, and as I was prouoked, hauehave written also in mine owne defence, both against forren enemies,… and some domesticall: But now, those occasions beeing if not altogether remooued, yet somewhat intermitted, I hauehave propounded vntounto my selfe this course in the explaning of Scripture: In which kind, as heretofore I hauehave exhibited to your Highnesse a briefe and compendiarie Treatise vponupon some part of Scripture,Harmonie vponupon the 1. of Samuel. so nowe I make amends with a larger Commentarie, whereof your princely pietie, vertue, clemencie (of the which of late I hauehave had particular experience) doe promise and euen assure me of your gracious acceptance: I then in signe of my dutie and thankfulnes, together with these my labours, do offer my selfe, and my best seruice to your Highnesse: whom I beseech God so to blesse and encrease with all spirituall and princely gifts, that the age following may say of your Highnesse, as Ambrose of Honorius after the decease of that good Emperor Theodosius, Ambros. in obit. Theodos.Tantus Imperator recessit à nobis, sed non totus excessit, reliquit enim nobis liberos suos, in quibus debemus eum agnoscere.
Your Highnes readie to be commanded in all dutie and seruice; ANDREVV WILLET.