An Advertisement of Corruption in our Handling of Religion, Part 38 – Part 42
Of confounding S. Mathew, and S. Luke, and the Kings.
A Table is prefixed afore the N.T. which daſheth al the Goſpell if it be regarded: in theſe wordes it ſtandeth.
A Table to make plaine the difficulty that is found in S. Matthew and S. Luke, touching the generation of Ieſus Chriſt the ſonne of Dauid, and his right ſucceſſour in the kingdome: which deſcription beginneth at David and no hygher, becauſe the difficultie is only in his poſteritie.FOR better vnderſtanding of the contents of this Table, ye ſhall note, that the Evangeliſts S. Matth. and S. Luke, hauehave diverſly recited the generation of our Saviour Chriſt, according to the fleſh, and yet tende both to one end: that is, to prooue, that (according to that which is written of him in the propheſies) he is diſcended of the royall blood of David, & rightly ſucceeded him in the kingdome. So the diverſitie of the ſayd recital conſiſteth in this: that Saint Matthew ſetteth forth the ſaid generation deſcending from father to ſonne, and S. Luke aſcending from ſonne to father, which comes all to one end. But to ſhewe the agreement of Saint Luke with Saint Matthew, wee hauehave here ſeth foorth the generation by him deſcribed, deſcending after the order of Saint Matthew: to the end that the one may bee conferred with the other. Furthermore, Saint Matthew deſcribeth the generation of Ioſeph, though it belong nothing to Ieſus Chriſt, after the fleſh, and Saint Luke, that of the virgin Marie: for it was very neceſſary to recite both, foraſmuch as women were commonly reputed of the line or kinred of their huſbands: and ſo aſwell on her huſbands ſide, as on her owne ofſpring, it is manifeſt that ſhe was of the royall line of Dauid.
| Saint Matthew. | Saint Luke. | |
| David begate | ||
| Salomon king. | Nathan the kings brother. | |
| Roboam. | The poſteritie of Solomō leaft in Ochoſias, wherby the kingdom was tranſported to the line of Nathan, in the perſon of Ioas ſonn to Iuda. | Mathatha |
| Abia. | Menna. | |
| Aſa. | Melcha. | |
| Ioſaphat. | Eliacim. | |
| Ioram. | Iona. | |
| Ochoſias. | Ioſeph. | Iuda. Iuda of the line of Nathan, engendred Simeon, called Ioas, which came to the royall ſeate, becauſe the poſteritie of Solomon fayled in Ochoſias: and therefore the kingdome belonged to Nathans poſteritie, according to the ordinance of David, as Philo reciteth, that is, the yongeſt of the children of Berſabe (which was Solomon) ſhould raigne after him, & that, if the poſteritie fayled, the kingdome ſhould come to the poſteritie of the next younger, which was Nathan, and therfore Nathan was called Ahiſchar, that is to ſay, Brother of the Prince, & they of his poſteritie Ahiſcharim, that is to ſay, Brother of the Prince, and Mathitim, which ſignifieth, giuen to ſucceede. The ſaide Philo reciteth, that the poſteritie of the ſayd Nathan, was ſo honored of the King Ioſaphat, that he called his children the brothers of Ioram his ſonn, and their children the brothers of Ochoſias his Nephewe: and this is the cauſe why the Scriptuere ſaith, that Ioas was the ſonne of Ochoſias, though he were not his naturall ſonne, but the ſonne of Iuda deſcending from Nathan. Note, that Saint Matthew going about to deſcribe the generation by fouretienes, did firſt leaue out Ioas, Amazias, and Azarias, which are ſett in betweene Ochoſias the laſt of the race of Solomon & Ioathan. Further, he hath left out Achaas, and Ioacim placed betweene Ioſias and Iechonias. All which we hauehave here ſet in their order, to make the ſame deſcription more perfect and plaine. |
| Simeon called Ioas, which begate | ||
| Amaſias. | The names here conteyned, aſwell on the leaft ſide, as on the right, iſſuing frō Ioas, hauehave diuers names, & yet are all one perſon. Therefore note, that the perſons on the leaft ſide, named by Saint Ma. are the very ſame that are otherwiſe named by S. Lu. on the right ſide, till Salathiel. | Leui. |
| Azari… | Matthat. | |
| Ioatham. | Ioram. | |
| Achaz. | Eliezer. | |
| Ezechias. | Jeſu. | |
| Manaſſes. | Her. | |
| Amon. | Holmadā. | |
| Ioſias. | Coſan. | |
| Achaas. | Addi. | |
| Ioacim. | Melchi. | |
| Iechonias. | Neri. | |
| Salathiel. | Salathiel. | |
| Zorobabel which begate | ||
| Abiud. Eliacim. Azor. Sadoc. Achin. Eliud. Eleazar. Mathan. Iacob. Ioſeph the huſbande of Mary the virgin mother to our Sauiour Chriſt. | After the people were returned in to the land with Zorobabel, being delyuered from the captivity of Babylon, he governed the ſame people 58. yeres, & left diuers childrē, among whō Reſa and Abiud were the cheefe. So the governement & rule ouer the people, remayned to Reſa & his poſteritie, vntill Janne, and thēce diſcended the virgine Marie, as is declared in the generatiō deſcribed by Sa. Lu. & Ioſeph ▪ her huſband deſcended frō the ſaid Zorobabel, by Abiud, brother to Reſa, as S Matt. delareth in the generation by him deſcribed. | Reſa which governed 66. yeares. Ioanna. 53 yeares. Iuda, 14. Joſeph. 7. Semei. 11. Mathathias. 12. Nathat. 9 Nagge. 10 Heli. 8. Naum. 7. Amos. 14. Mathathias. 10. Ioſeph. 66 Ianne. 16. Melchi. Leui. Matthath Hely, called Ioachim. Foraſmuch as it ſeemeth that S. Luke maketh no mention of the generation of Marie, but rather of Ioſeph: for hee vſeth theſe wordes, That Ieſus was counted the ſonne of Ioſeph, which was of Heli, that is to ſay, the ſonne of Hely: we muſt vnderſtand that in this place the name of ſonne is taken for the name of ſonne in lawe, and that Saint Luke meaneth that Ioſeph was the ſonne in law to Hely, for that he tooke to wife the Virgin Mary, daughter to the ſayd Hely, which maner of ſpeach is common in the Scripture: for wee finde that Noemi called Ruth her daughter, which was but her ſtepdaughter, her ſonnes wife. Mary the mother of Christ. |
| IESVS CHRIST. |
Of the faultes conteyned in this Table.
THE cockles of ſea-ſhores, and the leaues of a foreſt, and the granes of the Popy may as well be numbred as the groſſe errours of this Table, diſgracing the ground of our owne hope.
That Salomons houſe ended not in Ochorias.
THat Ioas was ſonne to Ochorias properly, we may bee ſure: becauſe 2. King 11.2. cha. 13.1. ch. 14.13. 1. Chro. 3.11. 2. Chro. 22.11. cha. 23.3.ſix times the Scripture termeth him ſo. And if he had not bene ſonne in proprietie the repetitions muſt hauehave opened that. Prophets repeat not narrations without ſome change, if the matters could ſuffer. And if Salomons houſe had there ended, ſome ſpeach had bene of it in the holy ſtory. And all the Thalmudiques holde that the kings of Iuda vntounto Sedekias were of Salomons loynes. And if our Goſpel croſſed the plain ſtory, all Iewes would ſweare God neuer penned it. And well might they. So our Diuinitie giueth ſtrong occaſion to reiect the Goſpell of our owne ſalvation.
That King Ioas, Matth. 1. is not Simeon, Luk. 3.
1 SAint Luke writing of the true light, was to refuſe darknes. But if hee had called king Ioas, Simeon: all the world would hauehave ſayd hee loued darkenes. Ioas was famous, Symeon was not heard off, but in priuate record.
2 Again, if Salomons houſe was ended for badnes in Ochoſias, he that firſt of Nathan ſhould ſucceed, had bene a good man. As God changeth dignities for a better to ſucceed. But Ioas the king was worſe then Ochoſias. For he fell to ſtrange Gods: and kild Zacharie the ſonne of Barachias, or Iehoiadagh. And our Lord Mat. 23. maketh him as a new Cain. And the Iewes in Ieruſalemy, in their treatiſe of poenance fol. 69. hold, that for his ſinn the temple and nation was deſtroyed, and 80. thouſand ſacrificers deſtroyed for the blood of Zacharie.
And thus they augment the matter, ſaying fo. 69. Col. 1. Seauen tranſgreſsions Iſrael tranſgreſſed that day. They kild a Prieſt, and a Prophet, and a Iudge, and ſhed innocent blood, and polluted the court betwixt the altar and the Temple (as our Lord telleth them the ſame) and it was the expiation day. And when Nebuzaradan came thither he ſaw the blood vponupon the pauement: and aſked whoſe blood was this. They ſay, the blood of a Sacrificer, and a Prophete, and a Iudge which prophecied against vsus all that thou hast done vntounto vsus: and we ſtood vp against him and kild him Then he cauſed 80000. youthes of the ſacrificers race to be there killed for him. Thus they write: in their Rhetorique amplification of murthering the prophet, as their maner is: feigning narrations to make lively ſhort ſpeaches. And this much doeth the Scripture ſpeake: 2. Ch. 24. of Zacharias and Ioas.
The ſpirit of God came vponupon Zacharia the ſonne of Iehoiada the prieſt, which ſtood by the people, & ſayd vntounto them, thus ſayth God, Why tranſgreſſe you the cōmaundements of the Lord, that ye can not proſper? For becauſe ye hauehave forſaken the Lord, he alſo hath forſaken you.
And they conſpired againſt him, and ſtoned him with ſtones, at the commaundement of the King, euen in the court of the houſe of the Lord.
And ſo Ioas the king remembred not the kindneſſe which Iehoiada his father had done to him, but ſlue his ſonne: and when hee died, hee ſayd, The Lord looke vponupon it and require it.
And when the yeare was out, it came to paſſe that the hoſt of Siria came vp againſt him, and they came againſt Iuda and Hieruſalem, and deſtroyed all the Lords of the people from among the people, and ſent all the ſpoyle of them vntounto the king to Damaſcon.
For the Sirians came with a ſmall company of men, and the Lord delyuered a very great hoſt vntounto their hand, becauſe they had forſaken the Lord God of their fathers: and they gaue ſentence againſt Ioas.
And when they were departed from him, they left him in great diſeaſes, and his owne ſervants conſpired againſt him, for the blood of the children of Iehoiada the prieſt, and ſlue him on is bed, and he died: and they buried him in the citie of David, but not in the ſepulchres of the King.
Thus ſhamefull King Ioas lyeth in the holy Scripture: and yet our right reuerend Fathers would make him Father after the fleſh to the King of glory: who was to make his true Fathers the patrones of vertue in their ages: and the Scripture well vnderſtood, ſhewed that in all places. But weake is the hart of our teachers: to make him father to our Lord, who was a Cain to the Prophete that taught of our Lord his kingdome.
Of Ioachaz a younger brother made Father to Ioakim two yeres his Elder.
NO better maſters of art be our Doctors in this Table for Amaſias, Achas, Manaſſes, and Iehaiakim: men extreemly hated of God. And one thing is of moſt vntolerable groſnes: that Achaaz (by true print, Ioachaz ſonne to Ioſias made king at 23. and after three monethes removed by Pharaoh: who preſently made Iehoiakim king being 25. yeres old): that this Ioachaz is made father to his Elder brother.Greater meanes then ever Ovid ſpake in fables: brought vponupon our holy Ghoſpell. And Saint Luke muſt be in the ſame dotage: that Addi muſt be Ioachaz a younger brother, and Melchi both his ſonne, and elder brother. Machmad, Lucian, Ovid, & all narratours of monſtrous are not ſuch in their faculties, as our right reuerend Fathers, in giving occaſion to make the Goſpell worſe thē the Al-koran. And yet worſe foloweth.