A Pisgah-Sight of Palestine, Frontispiece – Encomium
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A Pisgah-sight of PALESTINE and The CONFINES thereof, with the HISTORIE of the old and new TESTAMENT acted thereon.
By Thomas Fuller B. D.
Gen. 43. 11.
Take of ye. best fruits in ye land in your vessels, and carry downe ye man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and Myrrhe, nuts and Almonds.
Ierem. 8. 7.
Yea, ye stork in ye heaven knoweth her appointed times, and ye turtle, and ye Crane, and ye Swallow observe ye time of their coming, but my people know not ye iudgment of ye Lord.
Votum Authoris Terrestres Solymas mihi quiscrípsisse de disti, Coelestes tandem d…s habitare, Devs.
Printed by M. F for Iohn Williams at ye Crowne in… St Paules Churchyard
A PISGAH-SIGHT OF PALESTINE AND THE CONFINES THEREOF, WITH The History of the Old and New TESTAMENT acted thereon.
BY THOMAS FVLLER B. D.
GEN. 43. 11.
Take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and Myrrhe, nuts and Almonds.
JER. 8. 7.
Yea, the Stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times, and the Turtle, and the Crane, and the Swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord.
LONDON, Printed by I. F. for Iohn Williams at the signe of the Crown in Pauls Church-yard. MDCL.
To the Right Honourable ESME STUART, Earl of March, and Darneley, Lord Leighton &c. Son and Heir to the Illustrious JAMES Duke of Richmond and Lennox.
MY LORD,
COnsulting with my self about a Patron for this Book, I concluded to make choice of such a Person as should be both of most noble extraction, and of spotless innocency: So that in this captious Age, none should presume to charge him with the least offence in thought, word, or deed. For justly fearing too many faults might be found in the book it self, I desired to make some amends by dedicating it to One free from all exception.
Your Honour is the first in our Nobility, whom I finde qualified according to my desire; descended from the best Houses in England, Scotland, and France. And as it happeneth in a Constellation, that the Lustre thereof, amounting from many Stars together, darkeneth the light of those particulars, which produced it: So in your Honours Pedegree, the collective splendour obscureth the distinct brightness of those severall families whence the same resulteth.
Now that your Honour cannot be taxed with any actuall offence, your tender Moneths not as yet compleating a Year; do sufficiently evidence. Whose innocence is the most entire Relique of our Primitive integrity; and most perfect pattern of our future felicity. Yea some admiring what motives to mirth Infants meet with in their silent and solitary smiles, have resolved (how truely I know not) that then they converse with Angels, as indeed such cannot amongst mortals finde any fitter Companions.
One, or more of these three main Ends are aimed at by Authors in all ingenuous dedications; Hope to receive protection; Desire to derive instruction; and Zeal to express affection.
For the first, though you cannot by your Power, yet you may by your Innocence be an excellent Patron to protect our ensuing Work. In these civill wars, some have saved themselves from the sword, with no other shield then bearing a Babe in their armes, which rebated their enemies fury into compassion. So, when some shall be ready to wound our Book with their censuring Darts, they will be mollified into mercy finding your innocent Name prefixed in the Front thereof.
As for deriving instruction, I confess your Honour as yet incapable thereof. But seeing Infants clothes are providently made with the biggest, to which they will grow up in process of time; why may not books (the clothes of the minde) be proportioned above their present capacity, in hope they will seasonably shoot up to the understanding thereof? And untill such time as your Lordships judgment can reap profit from our Descriptions herein, may your eyes but take pleasure in the Maps which here are presented unto you.
But the last, not least consideration in my choice of your Honour, is my ambition to tender my humble service thereunto; The rather because ESME*Or Amedcus the Topl…ll Saint of Aul…igney. your auspicious Name promiseth, in my apprehension, some good success, now at the third return, as long since at the first imposing thereof on your Ancestour.
For Esme Lord Aulbigney (a place of great priviledges in the Province of Berry, first by the King of France bestowed on [and still possessed by] your Family, in reward of their signal service to that Crown) about two hundred years since proved the happy reviver of your family almost extinguished for want of a Heir, and by his virtuous demeanour added much honour thereunto.
The same Name now returns on your Lordship, who found your Fathers house in point of posterity in as low a Condition. Indeed your Grandfather left a numerous off-spring, whom I may fitly compare to the many strings of some musicall Instrument. But amongst his male-issue (for the rest I pass by as silent strings, sending no sounds to posterity, but losing their own Surnames in their matches) One was soon fretted in pieces with sickness; Three more, cut off in these wars; One absent beyond the Seas, and not easily to be tuned to a married estate; and the other single string remaining [His Grace your Father] left altogether issueless untill your Lordships welcome Nativity.
But O! what melody can Heavens hand make on a Monochord? which since hath sent your Lordship on a good message I hope, to the Honest house of LENNOX.
But I grow tedious in a long Letter to a little Lord, and therefore turn my Pen into Prayers, that Christ would be pleased to take you up into his Armes, (whose embraces are the best swadling-clothes, as to streighten, so to strengthen you in the growth of Grace) to lay *Mark, 10. 16.his hands upon you and bless you, that you may grow in stature and favour with God and with Man; The daily desire of
YOUR LORDSHIPS humble Oratour Tho. Fuller. Waltham Abbey Iuly 7. 1650.
To the READER.
WHen Iacob had served Laban full seven years for his daughter Rachel, and now promised himself the possession of what he had long looked and much laboured for; his hopes were frustrated by theaGen. 29. 23. substituting of Leah in the room of her sister. And although it may be pleaded that Leah was not well qualified and highly meriting in her self, yet still Leah was not Rachel, and Iacob remained both deceived and injured thereby.
Many have long patiently waited, that I should now according to my promise set forth an Ecclesiasticall History; who now may justly complain that their expectation is abused, finding a Changeling in the place thereof, a Book of a far different Nature tendered in stead thereof. And should I plead with Laban the Custome of the Countrey, that it is not fashionable to*Gen. 19. 26. give the younger before the first-born; should I alledge for my self that this Book, containing matter of more ancient date, ought to precede the other, yet this, like Labans answer, will be taken rather as a …, then solid satisfaction.
But, Reader, let me plead in my just defence, that if you be pleased to peruse my bIn my Epistle to the Reader before the Holy State.promise, you will finde the same conditionall, and not obligatory, except (besides other requisites there expressed) Peace be first setled amongst us. And indeed the subject challengeth the same, seeing Truth cannot be matched to Safety in such Relations, till Peace shall first contract them.
Now herein I make my severest Creditour my sole Iudge, appealing to him whether the Premises be performed. True it is we have no Wars at this instant, yet we have Rumours of wars; and though the former onelyonly doth destroy, the latter also doth distract. Are these gloomy dayes already disclouded?(to use my own expression in mycIbidem. Promise) or rather is it not true in the Scripture phrase, that thedEccles. 12. 2. clouds return after rain? Indeed I am sorry that I can say so much in my own defence, and should account my self happy, if all other Breaches were made up, and I onelyonly to be punished for my breach of Promise. Which, notwithstanding all the difficulties of the subject, and distractions of our days, I hope in God, in competent time to effect, might but my endevours meet with a quiet residence, and proportionable incouragement for such undertakings.
Mean time accept of these my Labours, which by Gods blessing, and the bounty of my friends are brought into the light: Usefull I hope for the understanding of the Scriptures. What I have herein performed, I had rather the Reader should tell me at the end, then I tell him at the beginning of the Book. For the manifold faults herein, I doubt not but the ingenuous Reader (finding in Palestinee six Cities of Refuge, by Gods own appointment, for the safeguard of such as slew one unawares without malice prepense) will of his bounty build a seventh in his own bosome for my protection, when guilty of unvoluntary mistakes in so great a work. If thou reapest any profit thereby, give God the glory; To whose providence thou art committed byfJosh. 20. 7.
Thine in Christ Iesus THO. FULLER.
foreign.
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JOH. RIDLEY.