An Advertisement of Corruption in our Handling of Religion, Part 45 – Part 54

An Advertisement of Corruption in our Handling of Religion · Part 45 – Part 54

Of our yeelding vntounto this wicked article against the ſcope of the Old and New Testament.

DAniel, as I ſhewed, was taught by the Angel Gabriel, the very exact and ſtraight day for the kingdome of Chriſt: and to diſgrace that prophecy, M. Liuely wrote a great book: full of dotage from the beginning to the end: yet highly cōmended by our Arch. auctoritie, in the Libel, written againſt the Scottiſh miſt and Brettiſh nation. Alſo the laſt fourtene which are in S. Matth. cha. 1. all of Nathan; Salathiel, Zorobabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Sadock, Achim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Iacob, Ioſeph, Mary, Ieſus, Theſe were termed Dan. 7. The Kings of the moſt hige God: which ſhould poſſeſſe a kingdome for euer: And for vrging thoſe to bad religion and vexing of them the four Beaſtes were caſt into fier.The houſe of Nathan ſhould hauehave had more pompe then Salomons if the Kingdome of Chriſt had bene of this world. And theſe had not ſo bene vſed if Chriſt his kingdome had bene of this world. And Balaam ſpake of Meſsias, that ſhould vnwall all the ſonnes of Seth. Which terme Iekarker in Ebrew, to pull downe the walles, S. Paul expoundeth 2 Cor. 10. The weapons of our warfarr are not carnall, but mighty in God: to the pulling downe of ſtronge holdes, pulling down thoughts, and eueryevery high fort, that exalteh it ſelfe againſt the knowledge of God: and captiuing eueryevery thought into the obedience of Chriſt. Thus graciouſly Saint Paul expoundeth Balaams terme of pulling downe the wall. But while wee deny Salomons houſe to end in Iechonias, and make Salomon the youngeſt of Bethſebaes ſonnes, and Nathan his elder, and Patriarch: and inferiour to his younger: and againe giuegive yeares of gouernement to Rheſa,- without all ſtory, and bring the Kingdomes right to marie: and talke of Iewes mariage in their tribe for profe of kindred, by this pretenſed help of reconciliation, we hauehave diſturbed all the Bible, and become a ſkorne to all the Iewes. But one word of your Maieſties gracious mouth will baniſh that Table for euer.

Now that the ſimple may perceaue S. Matthew and S. Luke: their purpoſe ſhalbe told briefly. S. Matthew would teach Herodians & Pilateans concerning Christ the king of the Jewes: that earthly emperours ſhould feare no leſſe from him: for that his kingdome was not of this world. That may be kowen by conſidering his owne ancestours, from §§To Abrahā firſt Chanaan was promiſed.him to whom Chanaan was promiſed: & after the kings, which were not of his line: & againe his ancestours **Salomons kings were farre from our Lordes kindred off: 1000. yeres.two: and their houſe. From Abraham to Dauid all the fathers were godly: and Thamar, Rachab, Ruth and Bathſuagh, examples of faith, for all. David in rest had nere ouerthrowen his houſe. But Solomon with his houſe ſoone brede ruine, fewel for Ieremies lamentations: and funerall verſes for the buriall of Salomons race in Iechonias. Then cometh in Nathans houſe in Zorobabel and Salathiel fathers **Salathiel and Zorobabel.two to our Lord, after the fleſh: but turneth in Abiud &c. out of our Lord his line, yet all were godly and poore: and the ſaincts of the high Trinity, Dan. 7. For whom God overthrew the iron legged Macedonians and the former partes belly, breſt and head of the image. **Abiud Eliakim, &c were kinges by right: but farre from our Lord in kindred.And ſo telleth how in pouerty ſtandeth the kingdome of heauen: and Kings need not to feare loſſe by Christ. K. of Chanaan, receaving thence no peny, but vexed at his comming into the world. Now S. Luke going to ſhew his victory over Sathan bringeth him by Mary and Ely to Adam, taught in his firſt day who ſhould destroy Sathans workes. This meaned the Evangeliſt whom the former Table reiected: A right and plain Table ſhall follow.

The right reconciliation of Saint Matthew and Saint Luke.

DAVID.

* Theſe bad three: and worſe Iehoiakim Saint Matthewe omitteth.

ZOROBABEL.

Thus the Table neuer had doubt. For ſeeing Salathiel was the ſonne of Neri (by S. Luke) a priuate man: who muſt needs be a father naturally, & not as K. Baaſa, whoſe family was rooted out, was father to King Achab, in the ſpeach of King Benadad: and ſeeing God ſware that Iechonias ſhould dye childleſſe: as auctour of the Kingdomes ruine: there, and not in Ochoſias ſhould the Iewes place the Catachreſis of begetting. Our Lord doeth nothing but he telleth his ſervants the Prophetes: But he told not that hee would end Salomons houſe in Ochoſias, and would not paſſe ſo great a matter in ſilence: a matter the greateſt for the kingdomes of this world. Therefore Salomons race ended not in Ochoſias ▪ but our right Reuerend Fathers are vnſpeakably to ſeeke for the trueth of holy ſtory. And Aggei with Zacharie help S. Luke to be vnderſtood. Aggei bringeth wordes from God for Zorobabel, that he ſhalbe a ſignet vponupon the finger of God at the day of glory when the Macedonian kings ſhould be ſhaken: and our Lord ſhould come into the world 29.Rabbi Nehumias in Pet. Gal told: This time 50 ye. Meſsias ſhal be borne. & ſo thē m…ght all the natiō hauehave tolde by Moſes & Dan 9.Dan 9 yeares (by Num. 4.) before hee entred into the worke of the Tabernacle. And ſo by Moſes and Daniel, in Aggeis time his nation knew in what yere the weſt Cittim named Num. 24. generally, and Dan. xi. more diſtinctly, ſhould hauehave a full token of Empire & the Macedonians ſhould be vtterly beſtript of all gouernement. Then Zorobabel in Chriſt ſhould be a ſignet vponupon the finger of God. Zorobabel a poore gouernour of 49000. captiues which left Babel, hauing litle but what Daniel gote by his wiſedome, to help the Iewes home: Zorobabel, poore in ſpirit, and looking for a citie whereof God was the builder: & ſoone called away from Sion to Suſan, as a Pilgrome and ſtranger on the earth.

But God ſware (as was noted from Ier. 22.) that if Iechonias were a ſignet vponupon the finger of the Lord, he would pluck him thence.

Therefore Salathiel may no further be ſonne to Iechonias then a ſucceeder in governement, as Achab is ſonne to Baaſa: rooted out, 1. K. 20.34. Heathen vſed Adoption: but Ma. tom. 4. tract. de regib.Dauids houſe was bound to the next man of kindred. And in adoption the terme begetting is vſual as in a naturall father: So Ovid, the mirrour of plaine Latin ſpeaketh of Iulius and Augustus. Metam. 15. being of ſeuerall families by the father ſide: and Augustus is progenies of Iulius: and,

— Nec enim de Caeſaris actis,

Vllum maius opus quam quod Pater extitit huius.

And againe:

Scilicet aequoreos plus est domuiſſe Britannos, &c.

quam tantum genuiſſe virum.

As they are very ſimple in learning, that know not Britanie famous 2000. yeares agoe: Before Brennus ſpoiled Delphos and Graecia with his **A Britane word for three horſes to every captaine: vſed in PauſaniasTrimarchiâ of our Britanie, and are bare Chorographers that know not all borne within our Iland ſeas to be: — Penitus toto diuiſos orbe Britannos So they hauehave litle ſtomake againſt Italy, that would not remember this place of Naſo. And as the Emperours are famous Diui: So the firſt beginning in Diuus Iulius and Diuus Augustus is famous, thus: Ne foret hic igitur mortali ſemine cretus Ille Deus faciendus erat. Hence to all learned and ſpecially to vsus, the terme of begetting for a ſucceſſour ſhould bee familiar. Thus I ſpeak only for the ſimple: as for our right Reverend Fathers they doe take it for ſucceſſiō in all after Ochoſias: as begotten of him by ſucceſſion: and all that like of them for the phraſe there cānot miſlike the Catachreſis in Iechonias and Salathiel. And all muſt graunt that Salomons houſe muſt be brokē off: vnleſſe they will make two Salathiels and two Zorobabels: the one couple fathers to Ioſeph, the other to Mary: So doe ſome learned, but vnlearnedly. For Zorobabel Aggei 2. was both heyr to Salomon, and father to our Lord. And they had bene raſh namegeuers that ſhould name a couple of ech family with the ſame names to diſturbe all the world. Now that Zorobabel the gouernour in Salomons houſe cometh of Nathan, Zacharie ſheweth: naming Leui, and his chief family, Simeon, & Dauid with **Salomon had no… ben omitted, if Zorobabel had come of him.Nathan: as chief in his family, Ch. 12.10. So this cauſe is paſt doubt to cleare the Table: that in Iechonias not in Ochoſias Salomons houſe was buried: that family & kingdome ſhould end togeather. That Ier. 22. & all lam. might be plain And an other as great a dotage as any euer came from brainſick head hauehave the right reverēd Fathers ſold to torment the ſimple who over the realme hauehave marked them: how they make Ochoſias to be two yeares Elder then his Father: and many yeares Elder then his Mother.

Of Ochoſias or Achaziah made Elder then his Father.

OF King Ioram thus it is written, 2. Chr. 21.20. When he beganne to reigne he was thirty and two yeres old: and reigned in Ieruſalem eight yeres, and liued wretchedly. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David: but not among the ſepulchres of the Kings. And the inhabitants of Ieruſalē made Achaziahu his youngeſt ſonne King in his ſteed: for the men of warre that came with the hoſt of the Arabians, had ſlayne all his eldeſt ſonnes: and ſo Ahaziahu the ſonne of Iehoram King of Iuda was made King.

**Which is to be vnderſtand that he reigned twenty yeres his father yet liuing, but after his fathers death was confirmed King, whē he was fourty and two yeares old.Two and fourtie yeares old was he when he began to raigne, and he raigned one yeare in Hieruſalem: his Mothers name was Athalia, the daughter of Amry.

Of the errours how many very groſſe follow vponupon one.

1. OChoſias is called the youngeſt, and made king by the people. That had bene needles if he had reygned twenty yeares afore.

2. Beſides his father reigned but 8. yeres: And foure of them with Ioſaphat. And it were ſenſeles to make him reigne 16. yeres or 12. at the leſt afore his father.

3. Mōreover, nether was Ioſaphat king in Iuda: nor Achab king of Iſrael: nor Ioram borne 42. yeres afore Achazias death. So, elder then his Father and Mother and Mothers houſe ſhould he be. For Omri was not thē ſetled King: but only made King by his ſouldiers: vponupon the death of Zimri. And Tibni was made King by his men: and foure yeares were ſpent, before the people made Omri King. Now by our Biſhops notes Achab and Ioſaphat ſhould bee in affinity by their Children, Ioram and Athalia before they were borne. This note of 42. yeres hath troubled Britanie 42. yeres and more. And here again the terme ſonne, referred to the kingdom of Omri, which ſtood 42. yeres, into which yere Achaziahu fell being of his owne age but 22. yeres, the terme ſonne cauſed the diſturbance. The Ebrew Doctours many hundreth yeres agoe in Seder Olam warned the world of this phraſe. And Levi S. to Gerſon vponupon the text: in the great Maſſoritique Bible: the beſt work that euer by mans witt, came into the world: which if your Maieſty would cauſe all that you would preferre to know readily, you ſhould hauehave in few yeres lerned Diuines: by that & other Ebrew helpes. But very few in the world vnderſtand it: for the 848. margent readings: and further it is hard. Yet one profeſſour might ſoon make a 1000. kunning.

Of the terme Kingdome, tranſlated reigne how it maketh K. Baaſſa warre ten yeres after that he was dead.

IN the third yere of Aſa King of Iudah began Baaſſa to raigne ouer Iſrael twenty and four yeres, 1. K. 15.33. So he died in the ſix and twentieth of King Aſa. Yet in the ſix and thirtieth yere of the reigne of Aſa came Baaſſa King of Iſraell againſt Iudah: By our Biſhops tranſlation: that Machmadiſtes may by our Diuinitie look for their falſe Prophete to reviue, as did Baaſſa by our Bible. When Gentlemen find ſuch matters in our Bibles they ſee no hope of knowledg, & ſome hauehave turned to deny God to be the auctour of it. Ezra (1. ch. 16.) meant by Malcuth the kindome of Aſa: parted from Iſrael then ſix and thirty yeres. Wherein the twelue tribes thriſe twelue yeres forgat the glory of Davids houſe: ſo that Iuda it ſelf was plagued. God caſteth the Chronicle & other numbers into pleaſant and ſenſible meditations of his providence. And therefore Ezra tooke his accompt frō the Kingdome of Iuda, which Aſa held. In the ſame tenour of number of 3000. ſouldiers Ioſ. 7. for Achans theft, even thirty ſix were ſlaine: thriſe twelue. And after vengeance vponupon Achan twelue thouſand of men, women and Children were ſlaine, by the 12. Tribes.

For the booke of the Iudges.

THE actes of the Apoſtles are drawen no better vntounto the booke of Iudges: to corrupt many other bookes: euen where S. Paules wordes would hauehave found moſt high admiration: and vtterly damne the Thalmudikes of extreeme blindneſſe in the Iudges ſtory. Our errour ſhalbe firſt handled: And afterwardes S. Paules plainnes ſhalbe ſhewed: if God will.

Of Act. 13. v. 20. perverted to ruinate many bookes.

OVR tranſlation thus ſpeaketh: Hee gaue vntounto them Iudges about the ſpace of 450 yeres. Here Beza ſayd, the text was corrupted: to deny that we had a New Teſtament: and the Popes tranſlation turneth back from Ioſua to Iſaaks birth: without all reaſon. S. Paul meant: after a ſort 450. yeres. Proprely 339. from Ioſuahs death to Elyes. Within which times Iudges of puniſhment oppreſſe an hundreth and eleuen yeres: ſo ariſe 450. And 19. textes belonge to that text of Saint Paul. Which anone ſhalbe layd downe. Our Biſhops abſurditie thus appeareth: yeares are from the coming frō Egypt vntounto the building of Salomons Temple, 1. K. 6.480. Now if the the Iudges had 450. Thirty of the wildernes would make vp the number: that the ſtoryes of Ioſuah, Samuel, Saul and Dauid ſhould bee all fables: and no time for David to be in the world. So our Biſhops Bible might wel giuegive place to the Al-koran peſtred with lies.

Of wrong to Matth. 1. Luk. 3. Ruth. 4.1. Chr. 2.

RAchab Booz, Obed Ieſſei, are anceſtours to David: borne ten yeares after Elies death. And Ioſuah reigned 17. yeres. Though Rachab were new borne when Iericho fell: yet ſhe muſt be about 120. when ſhe bare Booz, and hee 120. muſt beget Obed: and he 120. muſt beget Ieſſe, and he nere that muſt beget David. By the true Chronicle they were incredibly old, but for Gods auctority. And to adde an hundreth & eleven yeres moo, to four perſons, that is a matter of extreeme overſight. And thus the actes ill tranſlated brought our right Rerevend FF. to diſgrace many holy bookes with incredible groſnes in overſight: where they might hauehave made all the world admire the Apoſtles learning: how, to ſhew the diſturbance of the times, as though the heauens were troubled, he reckoneth the oppreſſours yeres alone: although they were within the cō pany of the defenders times.

Theſe many are ioyed to the defenders: not as though they defended ſtill the people ſo long, but becauſe their laſt dealings were ſo long from the former ſtate.

Othoniel 40.

Ehud 80.

Barak. 40.

Gedeon 40

Abimelech. 3.

Thola, 23.

Iair, 22. Iephthe, 6.

Ibſan, 7.

Elon, 10. Abdon, 8.

Samſon, 20. Ely, 40.

The whole ſumme is 339.

The puniſhing Iudges hauehave within this time Cxj. yeres thus.

Cuſan, 8,

Moab, 18.

Siſera, 20. So 339. and 111. make 450. after a ſort: wherein Saint Paul regarded the Iewes manner of ſpeaking to the phraſe: as I will ſhewe by two examples.

Madian, 7.

Ammon, 18.

Philistines, 40.

How Samſon that iudged but 20. yeares is ſaid to Iudge Iſrael 40.

THus writeth Elias Leuita, (the best learned Iew that ever holp Christians) in his preface to Bomberges Bible in Hebrew with the Maſſoreth and chief Rabbins. We find in the Ieruſalemy, (the eldeſt volume of the Iewes Pandectes or Doctrinale is ſo called) that Samſon iudged 40. yeares. It teacheth that the Philistines were afrayd of him 20. yeres after his death: as in his life time. And in all the copies that we hauehave, it is written: TWENTY yeares. Thus farre goeth the commentary. Now I ſee there is no doubt touching the text, in this of Samſon. For the right ſtandeth, as the Draſſ, or comment vponupon the phraſes telleth: WHEREFORE is it ſaid twiſe, Iud. 15. vlt. and Iud. 16. vlt. and he iudged Iſrael 20. yeres. Rabbi Acha ſaid. The text doeth teach: that the Philistines were afrayd of him 20. yeres after his death: and 20. yeres in his life time: and ſo ariſe, FOVRTY by two ſeverall times. But the Thalmud ſaid not that the text hath, and he iudged Iſrael fourtie yeares: but that he iudged Iſrael 40. yeres according to the manner of ſpeaking to the phraſes. And here cometh a ſweate elegancy: which is worthy marking. So farre goeth the Thalmud and commentary vponupon it. Theſe wordes the learned Elias bringeth againſt ſome ſimple: who might thinke the text corrupt: by reaſon that the Thalmud differed. To whom he ſheweth, the ſpeach to regard the phraſe, and not proprietie of the text.

How the Septuaginta alter the very true text for Elyes 40. yeares to agree with the Iewes manner: reckoning after the phraſe

Lxxii are in ſhortnes called Lxx.THE auncient Lxxij. tranſlaters gaue Ely but 20. yeres, as notes warne vponupon the Romane edition of Xystus: & that with Euſebius teſtimonie. But later copiers ſeeing the Ebrewe ſure, & not knowing how the 70. hid their mind: alter the tranſlation, & giuegive Ely fourty yeares, as the Ebrew hath And thus the Lxx. teach that the Iewes highly regarded the phraſe: for memory of ſtory, to make their nation ready in the numbers vſed in the holy Scripture.

How Ioſephus reckoneth the Iudges times as Saint Paul doeth.

IT is moſt certen that Iſraels age ſince God called them frō Egypt, at the laying of Salomons Temples foundatiō, was 480 yeres. As Noahs whē he began the Arke. And like matters doeth God caſt into like times, through the Bible, And Ioſephus could not bee ignorant of the time. Yet in ſteed of 480. yeares he reckoneth 592. taking Cxj. from the Iudges and beginning from Moſes going vntounto Pharoah. So it is to be ſeene, Ioſeph Antiq. 8.2. This ſheweth that S. Paul was brought vp at the feete of Gamaliel: that ſpake thus learnedly, to ſhew the Iewes that he knew Rabbiniques as well as the beſt of them: but held Chriſtianity the only learning: which to the perfection of ſtory ouer matching all euen in ſchole elegancy, addeth the logique, that draweth vntounto the life in Chriſt.