A Treatise Proving Melchizedek to be Shem, Title page – Dedication
A treatiſe of MELCHISEDEK, prouing him to be SEM, The father of all the ſonnes of Heber, the fyrſt king, and all kinges glory: by the generall conſent of his owne ſonnes, by the continuall iudgement of ages, and by plentifull argumentes of ſcripture.
Heb. 7. 4. Now conſider how great HE is.
Imprinted at London for Gabriel Simſon and William White. 1591.
OMNE BONŪ SVPERNAE
To the right Honorable Syr WILLIAM CECILL, of the honorable order of the Garter Knight, Lord Burghley, Lord Treaſurer of Englande: grace and peace from the iuſt king of peace.
THe heauenly ſayinges of Moſes (Right Honorable) concerning Melchiſedek Gen. 14 and the commaundement of conſideryng howe great the party is. Heb. 7. can not well take place in our hartes, vnleſſe the perſon be knowen: that all ſpoken of hym may be taken in due ſenſe. For eyther we ſhall clymbe three ſteppes too hygh with Melchiſedekians, Hierax, or yet Origen, who make hym more then a mortall wight: or we ſhall fall too low, with the common Greekes, who make hym eyther a Chanaanite, or leaue hym to be an obſcure man. But when we find out certaynely who the perſon is, then we may ſafely examine all that is ſpoken of hym. And in my opinion, that which is written of hym, reacheth ſo farre both to the firſt Adam one way, and to the ſeconde Adam an other way, ſtyll ouerſhynyng Aarons ceremonies: that an errour in this matter wyll no leſſe frette the webbe of holy Story, then the worke of a VVeauer is hurt, when many thriddes in one place are pulde away, which reached through the whole peece. In a matter of this weight, I iudged my labours ſhoulde be well ſpent, that I myght both ſhake off quite, from all myndes which vſe my paynes, that which is to be reiected: and helpe to ſettle better the ancient trueth. To that ende I handle the chiefe diuerſitie that hauehave been touching Melchiſedek: and ſpeake for one opinion more at large: which Hebrewes alwayes helde, and Latines moſt commonly: that Sem the father of all the ſonnes of Heber, muſt needes be the man. Whereas many and great men thought otheryſe: but neyther the moſt ancient, nor the moſt part, nor onelyonly of the beſt: I leaue all to the Reader to iudge: who, yf he be of Learnyng wyll eyther (as I truſt) folow the oldeſt opinion continued ſtyll, or without blame geue others leaue to folow it. In choſing a particuler Iudge, I finde your Lordſhyp, meete to geue a right cenſure in difficulties: and I ſuppoſe you wyll delyght to heare what antiquity ſpeaketh, and the matter it ſelfe in this cauſe. You ſhall finde this matter muche lyke that, wherein once your L. beſtowed long tyme in ſpeach with me: and many of the very ſame poyntes (though to an other concluſion) wyll here offer them ſelues. As the other, in my mynde, were of profite to be knowen: ſo by theſe I truſt, the ſtudent in Diuinitie wyll thinke hym ſelfe ſomewhat holpen. And that both may come togeather, yf it be not a trouble to your leaſure to remember, it wylbe a benefite to Scholers for to marke how ſome Counſellers looke into theyr ſtudies, and teach by ſodayne demaundes what poyntes experience of whole kingdomes require to be playnely taught in the worlde: which the common ſort lytle thynke of: and for want of indgement raſhly diſpiſe. Fiue yeeres ago your L. requeſted me to repayre to the Court, concernyng the Greeke tranſlation of the Hebrew Prophetes preſented to you, and concernyng peruſing of the Englyſh: to hauehave more integrity and playnneſſe accordyng to the Hebrew and the Apoſtles Greeke. Then you afforded moſt wyllingly three houres ſpech for matters of chiefe and generall vſe, and of great hardneſſe: in ſuch ſort that I was amazed how you ſhoulde hauehave eyther ſuch leyſure, to be ready in them, from your politicall affayres and ſtudies, or ſo right and profounde a iudgement for the bones in the body of Scripture, as Diuines ſkant thinke of, tyll great errours driue them to conſider. Beginnyng from the Greeke, you demaunded why the 70. ſhould not be more accompted then the Hebrew, ſeeing the Apoſtles folow it: Reaſon beyng rendred, that they were to folow it, becauſe Heathen commonly knew no other Bible. You further examined how farre they folowed, and in eache kinde tryed out the matter. Their ſtrangeneſſe of imitation was, in that they refuſed not bare faultes of Grammer, as often appeareth: to teach vsus not to fight for wordes: Secondly, they folowed the 70. where they hid their mynde, as in Kenan, Gen. 11. and Luk. 3. and in Seuentie and fiue ſoules, for Seuentie▪ Gen 46. Acte. 7. or deale as Paraphraſtes or abridgers: which often they do. Thirdly, in ſome rare vſe of a worde. One example of that offered it ſelfe. Heb. 10. which myſtaken by Tranſlaters, putteth all men to a plundge. For it is ſayd: No further offeryng remayneth for ſinne, yf we after knowledge of the trueth ſinne foreign whiche ought not there to be tranſlated willingly: rather of pretended malice, from Exo, 21. 13. where foreign is in Hebrew Zadah, inſidiatus, lying in wayte, or iazid. 14 wylfull, or malicious ſpitefull. And ſo the diſputation was playne agaynſt the Iewes, wylfully faythles: and no further griefe to diſtreſſe the conſcience of any. This was examined as a thyrd kinde of the 70. folowed. You examined likewiſe, turning to your Bible the 70. Tranſlations refuſed: when a chiefe matter was weakened by the 70. therefore Paule ſayde, for this cauſe foreign, I rayſed vp, not foreign Thou haſt been ſuffered aliue: Rom. 9. 17.becauſe he woulde expreſſe the Hebrewe more playnely.Exod. 9. 16. Moreouer for heauenly eloquence, how the Apoſtles departed from the Tranſlation: namely Heb. 1. 3. that your L. diligently tryed by Eſay. 4. and other places. Neither was the Hebrew left vntryed with the 70. for a rare text: or in ſome vſe an onelyonly: VVhy we ſay Pſalm. 2. Kiſſe the Sonne: where the Latin hath after the Greeke, Amplectimini eruditionem. The openyng of that drewe more matter. I anſwered, that by both Tranſlations it myght appeare, that the Hebrew worde was Bar. Now the Hebrew worde Barar (To teach) might by proportion of language hauehave Bar for doctrine: though ſo in vſe any where it commeth not: but for a ſonne, it doth in the Prouerbes. 31. 2. Bar, and Dan. 3. Bar: and in the new Teſtament Actes. 4. Bar-nabas was expounded, Sonne of conſolation. This text litigious, for the wryting amongſt the Romiſtes, for the meanyng with Iewes folowyng the 70. your L. mooued to be expounded. For the Tranſlaters I geſſed, that eyther they feared to tranſlate for Heathen, vngrounded vponupon the Trinitie a diſtinct ſaying of one perſon, The Sonne, leaſt Heathen ſhoulde turne it to a wrong meanyng: or they marked it not. As in Daniel they knew not how to tranſlate Iccaret… Mesſiah: Mesſiah ſhalbe killed: becauſe they vnderſtoode not the matter: or they feared to publyſhe it in a playne phraſe, and in Greeke. VponUpon mention of Daniel, your L. requeſted an opening of the whole Booke, and examined the particulers: what tymes or yeeres it conteyned, what Empires: and how the Image legges, which were to be made duſt, before the Stone was made a Mountayne, myght not be taken for the Romans. For ſo we ſhoulde conclude with Iewes, that Chriſt is not yet come: as alſo by the fourth Beaſt: yf we made it the Romanes. And for the golden text of Daniels Seauens, your L. had read ſome that I then had not, of great accompt. It woulde be too long to runne now through all. I coulde not faſter runne then through any part of myne owne ſtudies, then you purſued in demaundes for the chiefe matter. Your ſhortneſſe in propounding queſtions, readineſſe in conceyuing a full anſwere, diligence in trying Scriptures, dexteritie in replying vponupon colour of doubt, quickneſſe in trying what confidence I had in myne aſſertions: and laſtly, ſinguler gentlenes of encouraging my ſtudies, with entreatie to repaire often to you: theſe partes do aſſure me of a Iudge fitte for wyll and ſkyll. VVherefore I willingly reuiue the memory of your Lordſhyps ſpech: to liue through all memory: and to ende as I began: to your Lordſhyppes protection I commit this Treatiſe, to finde intertaynement: but ſo farre as trueth ſhall be ſeene to require.
Your Lordſhyps to commaunde: HVGH BROVGHTON.