Texts of Scripture Chaining the Holy Chronicle, Title page – Chief points
TEXTES of Scripture, Chayning the holy Chronicle vntyll the Sunne loſt his lyght, and the Sonne brake the Serpentes head: dying, riſing, and aſcending.
Search the Scriptures: for in them ye thinke to hauehave eternall life, and they are they which teſtifie of me.
Iohn. 5. 39.
Imprinted at London, for Gabriell Simſon and W. White: and are to be ſolde at their houſe in Fleetelane. 1591.
TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.
IN humane affayres (gentle Reader) of Princes reigne, the yeres wherin thinges fall out, are noted of common necesſitie for diſtinction and certaynety ariſing by recorde of tyme. But this recorde hath not of ancientie continued to poſteritie. For the Lord, who altereth times and ſeaſons, changeth ſtates in ſuch varietie, that the true report of theyr memory periſhed with them. For Diuine ſtories, tymes hauehave more vſe then for humane affayres: no leſſe then heauenly thinges ouermatch earthly. And as the worke of God is perfect: ſo he beginneth and continueth times regiſter, from the Creation to the Redemption. The golden Chayne which Salomon drew before the dore of the moſt holy Debyr, hath not ſo much admiration as this Chayne: continued from ſince Paradiſe was ſhut to Adam, vntyll the Lord opened the heauens vntounto the Thiefe, that craued remembrance in his kingdome. The Fathers in the nobleſt lyne, draw in their age theſe yeeres, ſlyding by the Sunnes courſe, from the promiſe made to Eue, vntyll one of thoſe Fathers fell once away from hope of that promiſe. Terah was he that fell away: after whoſe death the Promiſe is reuiued to Abraham. Thence the Lynkes of this holy Chayne are faſtened on other poyntes: ſtately in ſtory, to be ſoner marked: few in number, to be eaſely remembred: deepe in ſignification, to be carefully ſtudied. Theſe are, the Lambe and the Temple: fit ſtarres to draw out the tymes, vntyll the true Lambe buyldeth the Temple, rayſing vp the temple of his body. For the diſtance from the Promiſe vntounto the Lambe, euen the very day is by Moſes ſet downe. Likewyſe the diſtance thence, vntyll the buyldyng of the Temple by Salomon. Thence the whole yeres of Salomons reigne: and from the departure of ten Tribes vntounto the burnyng of the Temble. Ezek 4. How long the Temple lay without any decree of buyldyng it agayne, we may certainely gather by the whole Captiuity which Iudah ſuffered in Babylon. For Nebuchad-nezars houſe was to reigne Seuentie yeeres: and Iudah ſo long to be in captiuitie. VVherefore the beginnyng of that Captiuity muſt needes be, when Nebuchad-nezar tooke Ieruſalem, in the firſt of his reigne, and brought the nobleſt to Babylon. In the ninteenth yeere of Nebuchad-nezar the Temple was brent: and thereupon the thirde Captiuitie folowed. VVherfore fiftie ful yeres are to finyſh the Seuenty, when Cyrus came vp, and made a decree to buylde the Temple againe. Cyrus was not mooued ſo to do, vntyll Daniel was taught by an Angel, when Chriſt the true Temple woulde conſecrate him ſelfe. That he was taught: for the very houre, when he prayed, at the tyme of the euenyng offeryng, how long it ſhoulde be vntyll the Lord did make hymſelfe the euenyng Offeryng, when the vayle of the Temple rented. For this laſt part, the Lord hath taken ſpeciall care, ſo long before tellyng the matter playnely: and ceasſing further particulers beyonde that age, that men ſhoulde reſt in the playnnes of his worde, as his holy Prophetes then taught of Redemption.
Holy writynges touching theſe poyntes, I hauehave ioyned togeather. The playnnes whereof, yf any ſtryue to ouerthrow, I wyll no more yeelde to him, then Iob woulde to Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad. Although many differ in their Chronicles, yet theſe places onelyonly being noted, all ſtrife ceaſſeth. One, that after Terahs death, Abraham at ſeuentie and fiue yeeres olde, receyued the Promiſe: whereof I hauehave diſputed at large in the treatiſe of Melchiſedek. An other, that three hundreth and ninetie yeeres. Ezek. 4. are from Ieroboams drawyng Iſrael away to the burnyng of the Temple, with the third captiuitie: which time, both in particulers, many hauehave caſt aright: and for the general ſumme theſe agree: Iohn Caluin vponupon Ezek 4. Gerard Mercator, Clement Schubert, Math. Beroald, Ioſeph Scaliger, Henry Bunting. An other is, that Nebuchad-nezars houſe reigned but ſeuentie yeres: which the Talmud, wherin lieth all Countrey-Iewes conſent, expreſſely holdeth: alſo olde Tatianus in Euſebius, and old Grecians commonly, no leſſe of antiquity then the Apoſtles age: in hym, and in Clemens, with late writers very many, from Dan. 1. and Ier. 25. and the common rate of ages, in ſuch as were caried captiue: and ſaw both the fyrſt Temple, and the ſeconde buylded. The fourth knot is, the Seauens of Daniel: wherein the proprietie, as Daniel vnderſtoode it, and penned it, ſhoulde ſuffiſe.
Theſe foure places ryghtly holden, ende the endles controuerſies. Reade the textes, and vnderſtand them. The Lord teach vsus ſo to number our dayes, that we may bring the hart to wyſedome.
H. B.
The chiefe poyntes of the holy Chronicle.
FRom the firſt Promiſe of Chriſt, to reſtore life vponupon death, brought in by the Serpent: vntounto the ſeconde Promiſe made to Abraham vponupon the death of Terah: whom firſt of the Fathers the Serpent drew to Idolatrie, are yeeres.
2083. That ſpace is recorded by the particuler Fathers.
From the Promiſe vntounto the Lambe, appoynted to expreſſe the Lambe of God, are yeeres.
430.
From the Lambe, to the beginnyng of the Temple: a ſhadow of the truer Temple, are yeeres.
480.
From the buyldyng of it, vntounto the burnyng: or rather the captiuitie vponupon that, are yeeres.
427.
Thence to the end of the Captiuitie, where Cyrus mad a decree of building it againe, are yeeres full.
50.
Thence, vntyll the Temple of our Lord his body aroſe the thyrde day, are yeeres.
490.
The whole ſumme is.
3960.
Textes of Scripture, chayning the Chronicle vntill the Sunne loſt his lyght, and the Sonne brake the Serpentes head: dying, ryſing, and aſcending.
ADAM lyued an hundrethGen. 5. 3. and thirtie yeeres, and begate Seth.
Seth lyued an hundreth and fiue yeeres, and begate Enoſh.
Enoſh lyued nintie yeeres, and begate Kenan.
Kenan lyued ſeuenty yeres, and begate Mahalaleel.
Mahalaleel lyued ſixtie and fiue yeres, and begate Iered.
Iered lyued an hundreth ſixtie and two yeres, and begate Henoch.
Henoch liued ſixtie & fiue yeres, and begate Methuſelah.
Methuſelah lyued and hundreth eightie and ſeuen yeeres, and begate Lamech.
Lamech lyued an hundreth eightie and two yeeres, and begate Noah.
And Noah was fiue hundreth yeeres olde: and Noah begate Sem, Cham, and Iapheth. And Noah was ſixe hundreth yeeres olde when the flood of waters was vponupon the earth.
SEM was an hundreth yeeres olde, & begate Arphaxad Gen. 11. 10.two yeeres after the Flood.
Arphaxad lyued fiue and thirtie yeres, and begate Selah.
Selah lyued thirtie yeeres, and begate Eber.
Eber lyued foure and thirtie yeeres and begate Peleg.
Peleg lyued thirtie yeeres, and begate Regu.
Regu lyuen two and thirtie yeeres, and begate Serug.
Serug lyued thirtie yeeres and begate Nahor.
Nahor lyued nine and twentie yeres, and begate Terah.
Terah lyued ſeuentie yeeres, and begate Abram, Nahor, and Haran. So the dayes of Terah were two hundreth and fiue yeeres, and Terah died in Haran.
The Promiſe made to Abram, when his Father was dead. Actes. 7.
ANd God ſayd to Abram, Get thee out of thy land,Gen. 12. 1. and from thy kinred, and from thy fathers houſe, vntounto the lande that I wyll ſhewe thee. And I wyl bleſſe them that bleſſe thee, & curſe them that curſe thee, and in thee al the families of the earth ſhalbe bleſſed. And Abram went as the Lord commanded him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was ſeuentie and fiue yeres olde, when he departed out of Haran. Then Abram toke Sarai his wyfe, and Lot his brothers ſonne, and all their ſubſtaunce that they poſſeſſed, and the ſoules that they had gotten in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Chanaan: and to the land of Chanaan they came.
The departure from Egypt, or Paſſeouer, and Law.
SO the peregrination of the chyldren of Iſrael, whichExod. 12. 40. 41. 42. were ſoiourners in Egypt, was foure hundreth & thirtie yeeres. And when the foure hundreth and thirtie yeere were expired, euen the ſelfe ſame day departed all the hoſtes of the Lorde out of the land of Egypt. It is a nyght to be kept holy to the Lorde, becauſe he brought them out of the land of Egypt: this is that nyght of the Lord, which al the children of Iſrael muſt keepe throughout their generations. This is ye law of the Paſſeouer. &c. The Law which was foure hundreth and thirtie yeresGal. 3, 17. after, can not diſanull the Couenant that was confirmed afore of God in reſpect of Chriſt, that it ſhould make the Promiſe of none effect.
The Temple of Salomon.
ANd in the foure hundreth and foureſcore yeere (after1. Kin. 6. 1. the childred of Iſrael were come out of the lande of Egypt) and in the fourth yeere of the reigne of Salomon ouer Iſrael, in the monethmonth Zif (which is the ſecond monethmonth) he buylt the houſe of the Lorde.
The whole time of Salomon, and the diuiſion of the kingdome.
THe time that Salomon reigned in Ieruſalem ouer1. King. 11. 42. all Iſrael, was fourtie yeeres.
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Iſrael were1 King. 12. 1. 2 20. 19. come to Shechem, to make him king. And when Ieroboam the ſonne of Nebat heard of it (who was yet in Egypt, whyther Ieroboam had fled from king Salomon, and dwelt in Egypt.) And when all Iſrael had heard that Ieroboam was come agayne, they ſent and called him vntounto the aſſemblie, and made him king ouer all Iſrael: none folowed the houſe of Dauid, but the tribe of Iudah onelyonly. And Iſrael rebelled agaynſt the houſe of Dauid vntounto this day: and ſayd. What portion hauehave we in Dauid? we1. King. 12. 16. 17. hauehave none inheritaunce in the ſonne of Iſhai. To your tentes, O Iſrael: now ſee to thine owne houſe, Dauid. So Iſrael departed vntounto their tentes. Howbeit ouer the chyldren of Iſrael, which dwelt in the cities of Iudah, did Rehoboam reigne ſtyll.
The Captiuitie of ſeuentie yeeres, nineteene yeres before the burnyng of the Temple. This captiuitie muſt needes begin with the firſt yeere of Nebuchad-nezar, ſeeing his houſe reigned but 70. yeeres, and ſo the Hebrewes continually, and moſt ancient Grekes hauehave helde it: Grekes, both the prophane and Chriſtians.
IN the thirde yeere of the reigne of Iehoiakim king ofDan. 1. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 21. Iudah, came Nebuchad-nezar king of Babel vntounto Ieruſalem, & beſieged it. And the Lord gaue Iehoiakim king of Iudah into his hand, with part of the veſſelles of the houſe of God, which he caryed into the houſe of Shinar, to the houſe of his God, & he brought the veſſelles into his gods treaſurie. And the king ſpake vntounto Aſhpenaz the maiſter of his Eunuches, that he ſhoulde bring certayne of the chyldren of Iſrael, of the kinges ſeede, and of the princes: chyldren in whom was no blemyſhe, but well fauoured, and inſtruct in all wiſedome, and well ſeene in knowledge, and able to vtter knowledge, and ſuch as were able to ſtande in the kinges Palace, and whom they myght teach the learnyng and the tongue of the Caldeans. And the king appoynted them prouiſion eueryevery day of a portion of the kinges meate, and of the wine which he dranke, ſo nouriſhed them three yeeres, that at the ende thereof they myght ſtand before the king. Now among theſe were certayne of the chyldren of Iudab. Daniel, Hananiah, Miſhael, and Azariah. And Daniel was vntounto the firſt yeere of king Cyrus.