Grounds of Divinity Study, Title page – Dedication
A REQVIRE OF AGREEMENT To the groundes of Divinitie ſtudie: wherin great Scholers falling, & being caught of Iewes diſgrace the Goſpel: & trap them to deſtruction.
By H. B.
1611.
THE AVCTOR. TO THE LERNED TEACHERS of Salvation that know Great Britane ſpeach.
IEwes ſcattered over the world, having Satan breathing in them, the more they are provoked to beleve, the more they offre them ſelues to the Serpent to be deceaued & to deceaue, from that plainnes that is in Chriſt. Since ambaſſedour Barton of Godly memorie moved a principal Rabbi at Stanpol, to write to Englād for Ebrew explication of our Goſpel, the Iewes of Prage, Francfurt, Hanaw & others beſtir them ſelues to ſerch our croſſing of the holy ſtory. They plead that as ours teach, Meſſias Kindred is not in the Godſpel: how he cometh from Dauid. And infer, ſoundly vponupon our treaſon, that ſo the Goſpel should not be from God. So they ſay, that by ours, Mathew and Luke be vnreconcileeble: who bring ſalathiel, as we ſay, the one from Iechonla of Salomon, as al of trueth muſt graunt, our blindes doth: the other of Neri of Nathan Salomons brother. And they well think… that men of grace should never be caught in ſuch vmpoſſibilities. So they ſay, we as they, make the Romanes the fourth Kingdome in Daniel: which was to be deſtroyed before Chriſt should come in the flesh, and, that for ending, Moyſes Law, by Daniels ſeauens: we hauehave … many mindes and heades: wheras ſo weighty a matter should hauehave conſent of all Chriſtendome. Alſo they obiect that our beſt ſpent 60. yeres to prove that we hauehave not the New Teſtament pure: which God had kept pure if he had geven it. And that we hauehave 20. Opiniones for our Principal article of Deſcent to Hell. To all theſe I anſwear: and pronounce all, a the an, which after warning will trap them to Eternal deſtruction. And to their modeſt I open our myſteries.
To the Right Worſhipfull, the Governour, Deputies, Asſistantes, and Generaltie, of the Famous companie of Marchants ADVENTVRERS. Grace, peace, and ſucceſſe in their adventures.
THE Tribes of Iacob, Right Worſhipfull, which were placed vponupon the Sea for Marchandiſe, had ſtones in Aharons Right-care, remembrancing daily their Navigation, to be aſſured of Gods protection. Iſachar had the blew Saphir, the sky colored, to truſt in God: when Coelum vndique, & vndique pontus, as Maro ſpeaketh. Zabulon had the Iahalom, the Sardonyx, named in Ebrew of beating, as in Homer, Gallie-men beate the ſea with their ores, and ſtill yet doe in Gallies. Aſer had the ſtone called the Sea: Tharaſſis, thalaſſa in Greeke, is the Sea: and happy Aſers ſtone. And theſe Tribes have ſpeciall bleſsing in Moyſes. That they ſhall ſucke the riches of the Sea: and the hid wealth of the Sand: and, be of force al their dayes. And fame of the Phoenices for navigation in Tyrus and Sidon, among Graecians, was for theſe Tribes; as we may gather by ſcripture. How Salomons ships went with Chyrams to Tarſis or Tarteſs, the Law telleth, and Ariſtotle harpeth vponupon it.. Ariſtotle telleth that Phoenices went to Tarteſus, beyond Spaine, and for their countrey trash had ſuch ſtore of ſilver that they made their very ancores of ſilver, even to ſpare ſo much in their fraight, being full laden with ſilver, that if they kept their yron, ſo much ſilver muſt be caſtaway. Aristotle ſeemeth to have mished in the word Tarieſs, which meaneth the ſea: and not one ſoile: in Chanaan ſpeach. And for Cethem of Ophir, this honoreth Iſraels travelling far. I asked a ſimple mariner which had ben in the weſt Indians, what they called gold there: he ſaide Cethem, iuſt the ſcripture terme: and yf Spaniards of late for ſome conceipt did not give gold there that name, Salomons Fleete may well ſeeme to have gone into thoſe quarters, and marchantes of Iſraell to have shewed there that they worshipped the God of Heaven: and to have invited ſome home with them. And whereas Ariſtotle writeth of the Carthagineans, that beyond Hercules pillers they found an happy ſoile: and Plato of a moſt large Countrey, as now we know, Phoenices and Iſachar with Zabul on might well give the occaſion to all this. So honorable would the Law have Merchants care, & Gods care for them that know him. But without ſingular bleſsing of God, marchants ſuffre great loſſe: it were to be wished that all of ſtately Companies should have the chiefe groundes of holy learning knowen. Iſachar is cō mended above all Tribes for skill in times what Iſrael should doe: as how the feaſtes of Paſcha and all appendantes by the Heavens courſe should be ruled. As of neceſsitie they were to be Mathematicianes that goe to the ſea: ſo this Tribe paſſed them that kept at home. And now a dayes men for ſo much match Iſachar, for Marchandiſe, but not many Nations for skill of holy Law, yet in England Merchandes hauehave bene a great help to hold the Goſpel, mainteyning our beſt lerned abroad, to reſtore the trueth, after our holy martyrs calling for vengeance from vnderunder the altar rowled vp the Popes heaven, as a booke rowled: I will shew them S. Iohns Apocalyps wherof I giuegive you the ſum, by chapters, that they may ſee the marow of his booke. He telleth that Chriſt shewed the ſtate to come to the end of the world & a viſion of him ſelf: as vntounto Daniel, ch. 10. this doth he, ch. 1. And in ſingular ſweetnes to the ſeauen ſtarres in the ſeauen Golden Candelſtickes all theſe partes be applyed with addition againſt all Arianes that the Eternal, the Sonne of God, the creatour of the world, is hee that appeared vntounto Daniel. So Iohn expoundeth Daniel, into ſalvatiō of al Iewes of Grace. This goeth through, ch. 12. In eaſy facility.
Now for times to come, this appeareth ch. 4. God on a throne ſitteth a Iudge, like Iaſper, for Beniamins temple: & Sardius▪ as Ruben: to fight for the tribes. And Chriſtianes, in ſtate Perſones, are 24. Bishops, and beſides goodly, this in ch. 4. Then the Lambe & Lion openeth the booke of ſeauen ſeales, ch▪ 5. then he cometh further, againſt Caeſſ. on horſe, white, with plaguing riders, vponupon red, black, Pale: For the martyrs, who crave to deſtroy the Empire, but are bid to expect Diocletianes Perſecution. Then shal their profane world be rowled vp, ch. 6. After that, a generall apoſtaſie cometh, ch. 7. How that falleth out, the ſeaventh ſeale doth shew. Chriſt ſtandeth at the golden altar: to receaue all prayers, & Rome bends a policy againſt all this. Thervpon Chriſt, as in Ezekiel, caſteth fier into the earth: & Angels trumpetters ſound how hayle and fyre is mixt with blood: by that, Popes be made a mountayne: ſo a mountaine of fyre caſt into the worlds ſea: to ſet all on fyer. when the ſtar Byshop falleth from his heauens, to turne the law waters, into wormewood and to darken the chief ſun, mone, and ſtarres: comming vp by falling & by turning the Scriptures into gal, ſone darkning the third part of the Church: that three woes are pronūced ch. 8. By his keyes of the pit, whēce he fetched the woorwood of his haereſies, he bringeth Locuſtes of monkes to devour all the weſt, & able to make warres, and becometh King of Locuſtes: and maketh warres: and ſo becommeth a fyrie mountaine, to make hayle and fyer mixt with blood. This was one woe. He weakened the Eaſt Empire to ſet vp the Saracenes: and is plagued from Emphrates: as his Idolatrie and treacherie turned away the Eaſt, chapt. niene. Chriſt reviveth the Goſpell, when men eat the litle booke, teaching againe, How he is the Angell of Covenant, and mediatour for the faithfull, capit. 10. Martyrs bringe policies to ſee what the king of Locuſtes his citie or Policie is: and he falleth, and the Goſpell is reſtored: and he falleth with worldes end, capit. xj. The ſame matter is repeated for Caeſars and Pope in a Dragon of Roman armes. As it was called Egypt, capit. xj. and Pharaoh, a Dragon, Eſai 27. The vpper part of the Dragon is shewed to be the Romane Empire: one compiled of the foure in Daniel: and the taile is expounded to be the beaſt ariſing from the earth, capit. xj. or King of Locuſtes, capit. 9. he reviveth the former Empire, ſo, that none can live in it, without his marke, capit. 13. His marke is to force Chriſtians to Idolatrie. For which vilanie Roman Babylon is told of a fall, capi. 14. By vrging Idolatrie, he driueth from his Aegypt, the Church through a ſea of fyre and faggot, into the wildernes. Where the tabernacle built hath a ſmoke of Gods anger, and Angels ſeauen plague him as he plagued all vnderunder the ſeauen trumpets, ch▪ 16. The beaſt reviued hath no difference from the former: but in bloody colour, & the daughter Rome riding vponupon it, all bloody, ch. 17. Rome shall fall as Babylon & Tyrus did, ch. 18. It shall fall when all nationes ſing Haleluiah, vponupon the deſtruction of the wicked, with vnderſtanding. Then the Word of God wil catch the beaſt falſe Prophet: the whole dragon reviued, & caſt him into a Lake burning, with fyer & Brimſtō. Which is the ſecōd death, ch. 19. But the Roman Dragon shal be tyed a thouſand yeres, before the King of Locuſtes deceaueth generally. But then he makes a new Gog & Magog. for the old Ieruſalem: & thervpon shal be deſtroyed, as the old was, by the firſt cōming, ſo he by the ſecond, of Chriſt, from a throne of Iudgement: as the old Gog & Magog was, ch. 20. As Iohn in Patmos ſaw the heauenly Ieruſalem: So Patmos the church toſſed with Aegean waues shalbe in Gods ſight ſuch as Eſay, Ezekiel, Aggei & Zachary ſpake of. Chriſt ſaluteth vsus poore heathen with his owue moſt gracious voice. To him that loued vsus, & hath washed vsus from our ſinnes by his blood be all honour and glory for euer▪
Amen.
NOw becauſe I wiſh your right worſhipfull company, by this paynes to be Iſachar & Zabulon, & grauen in blew Saphir, & Sardonyx, that will abide ſtriking, in the breſt of the high ſacrificer in the heauens: I will briefly touch the ſum of this booke. With three Iewes I had ſpech: At Amſteldem with Rabbi Farar a Phyſician: At Hanaw with the Synagoge Doctor Rabbi wolf: At Baſil, with a Rabbin moſt deſirous of chriſtianity. The other do meane no good. Farar obiected in a great aſſembly: ſayng your Principal ſcholers make Ioſeph ſon to Ely, and Salathiel to Iechonias, proprely both: and the fourth Kingdome in Daniel to be the Romane: and that to this day yee cannot agree what Daniels ſeauens meane: nor to defend our Greke Teſtament: nor to tell what our Crede meaneth. Beza and Calvin miſſe in the firſt three deadly: Liuely & Barlo moſt athean impudently in the fourth. And for the fift Beza ſpent ſixty yeres to prove the new Teſtamēt moſt corrupt, & for the ſixt, Geneva layd a trayn to kill you: for denying Catelthein eis haidou in the Crede to meane ſuffring of hel torment: and for ſaying, that by all Grekes it meaneth a paſſage vntounto Paradiſe. And at this laſt the Hanaw Iew fell back: that Hanaw builders hindered great Princes promiſes for Ebrew drawing of both teſtamentes vntounto Chriſt: becauſe you deſpiſed Geneva: having drawen all Churches vntounto them: and for Daniels … ▪ Genevit Scaliger checketh all former: ending them with Ieruſalem: as we Iewes doe: So for all ſix by Geneva your Goſpel should be nothing worth: as by Oxon▪ wher D. R. was ſuffred to ſay, the Angel meant no certaine time: but if he had ſayd: after 80 ſeauens Meſſias ſhalbe ſlain he had ſpoken proprely. They forget God, that dare teach Angels how to deliuer their Meſſage. I graunted that Geneva in all theſe taught poiſon to the Goſpell: and by blindenes wold make Churches a Synagoge of Satan: and this I wold make good. That Ieſus, Mary, Ely are Luc. 3. genealogied, not Ioſeph: that Iechonias only, as a King a ſucceſſor, begat Salathiel, that the Macedonianes were the fourth Kingdome in Daniel: that Beroaldus in Geneva rightly limited Daniels ſeauens. That Beza hath altered no text: only diſputed vponupon them: that for Luc. 3. he referreth the matter to others, and Mat. 1. and Daniels fourth Kingdome is well handled by Genevean Iunius and Tremelius. And the ſenat for all, yelded vntounto me: and Hanaw little ioyeth in any victory, Beza with Calvin did much good, in their kind: But I wold not hauehave them my auctours. Thus I diſputed with the Iewe. I alſo glaunſe at the Ieſuites: for Plantines Bible for faſtening to the Bible of the old Teſtament 1696 vniuſt blames: and denying the vowels to hauehave Gods auſtority: and for ſtealing the word Romylus from the Chaldy Eſ. 11. where Ionathan namely condemneth Rome, as S. Paul 2. Theſſ. 2. ſaith. Thence the ſtate wholy ſinfull ſhall ariſe: which ſhalbe overthrowen by lerning, and by the ſpirit of Chriſt. With the third Iew I ſpeak of the Apocalyps Image and beaſt anſwearable to Daniels Image and beaſtes: and Satan pictured from the Romane armes, him ſhewed. So the ſeven Angels trumpeters for Romes pluguing of the world, and ſeaven Angels revengers in the ſame tenour of Phraſe. In my Latin Con. I hauehave shewd the compariſon of both ſeauen Angels I wil now touch the Phraſes. The Bridgemaker to reſtore Kome, to be a woman riding vpō the old Empire, not reviued without blood, maketh the earth plagued that ſuffred him: So his goten earth is plagued with boyles of ſtate: when monaſteries wickednes is ſpied. He a mountaine was caſt into the ſea of nationes: his nationes feal blood, which they shed, ſtar wormewood turned the law waters into bitternes. His doctors fountaines and riuers bitter to death, now cauſe him blood. He darkened ſun of Iuſtice: ſun of Iuſtice maketh his bite their tongues: that what they ſpeake they vnpeake. He became a King of Locuſtes and a beaſt ch. 11. now the thone of the beaſt is daghkened. Euphrates was in ſtartes looſe: now ſtill. Martyrs earthquake ſhakes much & without Martyrs Baraks victorie is at Armageddon: & Ioſuahs haile: to the laſt victorie. Theſe matters I hope and wiſh to be as the Pearle Mat. 13. in all your trafiques: and I referre the ſucceſſe and your ſelues to the tuition of him whoſe will the vnconſtant windes do conſtantly performe.
Yours for all help to find the Pearle of heauen, Hugh Broughton.