A Consent of Scripture, Preface

A Consent of Scripture · Preface

The Preface, ſhewyng the ſumme of the Booke, directions to the Reader, and the olde reading of the Law and the Prophetes.

THE holy writers hauehave a perfect conſent,The ſumme of the Scripture. Iohn. 17.John 17 in their doctrine of lyfe eternall: which as from one mouth teach, how that ſtandeth in knowing the true GOD, who is but one; and the ſending of IESVS CHRIST. All Families were hereby to looke for grace, in all Countries and Ages. Some ſpeciall the holy Writers do mention,The olde vvorlde, & the vvorlde novv. for the olde worlde, and the worlde now. Ten of the fyrſt are Fathers, not onelyonly to our LORD, but to all Nations. They were al faythfull, and ſhoulde mooue their Chyldren to beare in their breſtes VRIM and THVMMIM, Fayth and LoueLove. They had Abel an enſample of being faythful vntounto death for Chriſt, to fynde an eternall crowne of life. Cain and his houſe warned them of their corruption, taken from Parentes, that they ſhoulde looke for regeneration.Iob. 22, 16. 1. Pet. 3, 19.Job 22:161 Pet 3:19 The deſtruction of the men that delyted in Caines wayes, whoſe bodyes wrinkled by the deluge, whoſe ſpirites are in priſon: Theſe ſhew that the eternall ſpirite of Chriſt, hath in long patience a …uſt kingly anger. Of this olde Worlde, the Writers olde and new, teach the ſame. Their places are lytle mentioned: but§§Our Fathers ages. The beginning of Geneſis is fitted to the capacitie of chyldren. our Fathers ages are wonderfully layde downe by the heauenly Father, teachyng vsus as babes be taught. Thriſe they are reckoned: how olde they were when they begate their ſonne: how long they lyued after: and how much thoſe two numbers make. This ſheweth that the Story is penned for the ſimple and chyldren. The ſundry compariſons wyll occupy the wyſeſt. The olde Families of the worlde now, are ſet foorth ſufficiently.‡‡Sem kepeth a name vntyl Chriſt Luk. 3.Luke 3 Sem keepeth in one lyne a name vntyll he commeth, who is bleſſed for euer: whoſe name none knoweth but hym††Apo. 19, 12. felfe.**Gen. 9. Babel.Gen 9 VntoUnto Sem and his bleſſing al his Families, Iapheths and Chams were to looke: they ſoone turned aſyde. For, buyldyng BABEL to make them ſelues a Shem or name, deſpiſing SEM, they founde a Shame. Their tongues became ſeauentie of one: their dwellynges were parted accordyngly: their whole ſtate was a Confuſion, and they periſhed for euer, that repayred not to Sems Tentes. The fyrſt Families Moſes nameth, and their places: which the Prophetes deſcribe where they dwelt, by their merchandize,Virgil Geor. I … vnderunder Aſſur & Catrim are comprehended the generall oppreſſours: and the Churches chiefe ſtories are in the lov… & high Ieruſſalem. as to Tyrus Eze. 27. or by their Warres. The Heathen kept ſtyll a memory of theſe fyrſt poyntes, but full of fables. Coeum and Iapet, they beare in mynde, whom they call the ſonnes of the earth: Sem they forgate, and all aboue. The Families ſcattered from Babel, left their names vponupon their Countries, which yet abyde in Greke writers. Their Warres generall agaynſt the faythfull, Moſes prophecyed, vnderunder Aſſur, and Cittim. The Prophetes and Apoſtles recorde what fell out. Cities here, chiefly two for name are to be marked: the low IERVSALEM, (which the faythfull ſtyl helde, or looked to holde, vntyl the LORD came) and the high IERVSALEM buylt by the GOSPEL eueryevery where, which Cittim or Italy, that deſtroyed the low, ſhoulde labour alwayes to beſiege, tyll GOD ſendes his enemies a finall deſtruction. The courſe of times with the Lord his nation was truely kept of the faythfull and faythleſſe. From the creation to Abrahams promiſe: thence to the comming from Egypt, to the foundation of Salomons Temple, to the Captiuitie & burning of the Temple, to the returne to buylde it:‖‖The generatie is in Math, … and Luke 3. for the 490 yeere. Dan. 9. shake the Grekes accōp…, vvho ouerreach 100 ….Luke 3Dan 9 and thence to the death of our Lord. For eueryevery partition of theſe tymes, auncient conſent of Hebrevves and Grekes may be brought. I wyll labour to ſet foorth all theſe poyntes brefly, from the beginning, folowing the order of tyme meaſured by Stories of our Lord his kinred. The places of auncient dwellinges ſhalbe ioyned in one Map, of the north part, when Chams houſe, Sems, and Iapheths, all three in Daniel fight with the auncient kingdomes agaynſt the bleſſed of Sem and kingdome of Chriſt. That Mappe was to be larger in breadeth then the quantitie of this Booke.One Mappe vvas to be made of the oldeſt names: & an other vvith later names of dvve…lers. The Romanes are not in the Image Dan. 2. or beaſt. Da. 7.Dan 2 In it Pictures are grauen, onelyonly of the tyrannous kingdomes that Daniel ſpeaketh of, who are conſumed by the byrth of our Lord, whereof the Romanes are no part. For all the Image, and fourth Beaſt was to periſh before the incarnation of Chriſt. Ievves do conclude agaynſt vsus, againſt trueth, and their owne ſaluation vponupon that our errour. Doubtles Rome in the ende reuiueth their impietie, folowyng their manners very neare: wherby many hauehave thought Daniels Prophecy to blame the Romanes. For playnnes and diſtinction herein, I wyll in a Mappe of an other quantity ſet downe Rome, and ſome other later names of Countries, with ſome ancient, as the ſtory ſhal require: and compare alſo by moſt liuely Pictures out of Scripture, the Romans with Daniels Kingdomes. This whole Vew I call A CONCENT OF SCRIPTVRE, becauſe it would ſhewe that. Through the booke are other Titles touching time & perſon, for the preſent matter. And wheras I often compare briefly, later writers with former: to ſhew the Reader how he him ſelfe may do that more at large: I lay downe fyrſt in this Preface a table of the Ievves, ſhewing how they read the Prophetes. Phariſees they are at this day, who keepe a recorde of this: and of the Phariſees of olde,Math. 23, 2.Matt 23:2 for this much the Lord gaue a teſtimonie that they ſate in the Chayre of Moſes. Elias in Thiſhi in the worde PETARAH, recordeth this occaſion, to hauehave been the beginning of Petaroth: that when Antiochus Epiphanes forbade to reade MOSES law (**Iſaac ben Arama. fol 2 b which was the parted into ſo many‖‖Thoſe ſections they call Petaroth expoſitions. Directions for the Reader. Sections, as be Sabbothes in an yeere.) In ſteade of Moſes they choſe a part of ſome Prophet lyke vntounto it: which cuſtome of readyng they kept ſtyll, after their libertie reſtored to vſe Moſes and his ceremonies freely. Before you come to that Table, I wyll here geue direction for the reading of this Booke, touching the two Tables conteynyng the Fathers ages, and certayne other poyntes. The number vnderunder the Father ſheweth what his age was when the Sonne ſet in that lyne was borne. The other numbers ſhew his age at the Nephewes byrth ouer agaynſt it: or at the iſſue of the matter, noted in that lyne. Afterwardes you hauehave ſundry tytles of their tymes parted: as Promiſe, Egypt, Temple, Diuiſion, Captiuitie, Seauens, whereupon the chiefe knottes ſtande. Alſo the tymes are noted by our Lordes byrth,Manifeſt faultes as Luke for Mat. Aſa for Achaz, and ſuch, many the Readers gentlens muſt amende. by the age of the Worlde, and ſundry perticuler men, which the Reader may know in markyng what man famous in Story is agaynſt the fyrſt number. Moreouer, touchyng the Columne, vnderſtande that you ſhalbe often to marke by the matter, that the ſayinges depend not vponupon the next aboue them, but vponupon thoſe that be on the other Columne oueragaynſt them. A marke you hauehave to note an vncertaynetie in the tyme of ſome Stories, that touch not Chronicle: this is the forme of it. ‡ as in Hezron: but there the Corrector was deceyued, who placed his byrth neare Ioſephes death, though he was borne before Iacob came to Egypt. Other notes touchyng tymes, two of one kynde ſhewe, eyther that the Narration is dryuen from the due tyme: and ſhoulde looke to the marke of the ſame forme: or compareth one Kinges reigne with an others, as you oft ſhall fynde in Iudah & Iſrael. Teſtimonies I cite ſhort: and in one clauſe drawen from ſundry, I name but one Author, when about that place I had named ſome other, for moſt of the matter there layde downe. The common Latine tranſlation, whoſe ſoeuer it is, I named it as the Title goeth, Ierom. Abbreuiations chiefly be theſe. b. for borne, d. for dyeth, y. for yeeres. Once faulty C. for Ch. Chriſtes. For other names, Antiochus Epimanes, and Epiphanes, Appian Archelaus, Artaxact, Athenaeus, Carthuſianus, Clemens Alexandrinus in Stromatibus, Cedrenus, Dio. for Dioniſius, Hal…carnaſſeus, Diodorus Siculus, Hyſtaſpis, Elias Leuita, Epiphanius, Euſebius, Florus, Herodotus, Homer, Iliades Horace, Ierome, Ioſephus, Ireneus, Iuſtin the hiſtoriographer, Iuuenal, Maſſecheth, once faulty for Halacoth in Maymony, Nazianzenus, Pauſanias, Plato, Plutarch, Polybius, Ptolomy in Almageſto, Rabbi Abraham, Sadaias, Strabo, Thucidides, Tully, Valerius maximus, Virgil, theſe be the moſt names, noted by abbreuiations: other wordes ſhortly named, by the matter may be geſſed at, or be ſo common, that eueryevery one knoweth them.

Now I wyll returne to ſpeake of the ancient maner of readyng Moſes and the Prophetes. S. Iames ſheweth Actes 15, 21. that Moſes was of olde tyme reade in the Synagogue in eueryevery Citie eueryevery Sabbath, Maymony writeth of that in Volume I. Birchath Cohenim from Cha. 12. that Moſes ordeyned that cuſtome: and that Ezra renued it after the returne: and that in his tyme,The Rabbines cōmonly make Ezra the autour of the Petarothes diſtinctions: not agreeing vvith Elias Leuita. (long before Antioch Epiphanes) Lectiones of the Prophetes were by him choſen out, agreeable in number and matter to the Lectiones in Moſes. They beganin the Feaſt of Tabernacles, and in a yeere finiſhed all. After the readyng of the Law and the Prophetes, they that woulde, hauing leaue of the ruler of the Synagoge, ſpake vponupon thoſe Scriptures. That we ſee was reteyned Act. 13, 15. I hauehave ſet downe their Sectiones, and Lectiones, as they part Moſes, and hauehave put forth their Petaroth at Venice by Bombergius in one Booke.

As their Leape yeere fell, ſo they dealt with their three laſt Lectiōs, accordyng to the number of their Sabbathes: as they did caſt their yeere.

The Ievv that readeth the Section now in the Iewes Synagoge, beginneth with prayſing GOD, who choſe Moſes and the Prophetes, and delyghteth in their moſt true wordes: lykewyſe endeth prayſing GOD, who ſpeaketh and perfourmeth: ſayth and ſtabliſheth: ſo that no one worde fayleth. Then he prayeth for ELIAS to come, and for the kingdome of DAVID in CHRIST. Yf the Caytifes would reade Mel…hies laſt ende, and fyrſt oration of the new Teſtament, and try all the new Teſtament with the olde, the Goſpel with Moſes, the Actes with the Kinges, and the Apocalypſe with all, they myght ſee how ELIAS, and that kingdome of DAVID is come: And ſee that the perfourmauuce which they extoll, is not cleere, without the new Teſtament. Aud for an expoſition of all their expoſitions, may they vſe the oration of the Angel delyuered at their deliuery from Babylon: Which I wyll tranſlate agreeably to the Ebrevv, that the Reader may ſee that, plainely at the firſt, to which through this Booke he muſt hauehave recourſe. Dan 9. 24.

SEAVENTIE SEAVENS (of yeeres) are cut out, for thy people, & for thy holy Citie: to conſume wickednes, and to abolyſh ſinnes, and to make reconciliation for iniquitie, and to bring righteouſnes euerlaſtyng, and to ſeale Viſion and Prophet, and to ſhew CHRIST the HOLY of HOLY. Know then and marke: from the outgoyng of the Worde, to returne and to buylde Ieruſalem, vntounto CHRIST the gouernour, ſhalbe ſeauen ſeauens (of yeeres) and ſixtie and two ſeauens: in th' other it ſhalbe reſtored and buylded, Streete and Wall: and troublous ſhall theſe times be. In that after the ſixtie & two ſeauens CHRIST ſhalbe killed: and not for him ſelfe: thereupon the Citie and holy place ſhall be deſtroy, the GOVERNOVRS owne people to come: and their ende ſhalbe with a Flood: and at the ende of warre, it ſhall hauehave a finall iudgement to deſolation. But he ſhall confirme the Teſtament for many the laſt Seauen: when in HALFE THAT SEAVEN he ſhall ende the Sacrifice and Oblation. Afterwardes by an Armie abominable he ſhall make a deſolation: euen tyll vtter deſtruction and finall iudgement flow vponupon the deſolate. And this much for the Preface.