Commentary Upon Acts, Title page – Dedication 2
A COMMENTARY UPON THE Acts of the Apostles: Chronicall and Criticall. The Difficulties of the Text explained, And the times of the Story cast into ANNALS. The First Part. From the beginning of the Booke, to the end of the Twelfth CHAPTER. With a briefe Survey of the Contemporary Story of the JEVVES and ROMANS. By JOHN LIGHTFOOTE Staffordiens, a Member of the Assembly of Divines.
London, Printed by R. C. for Andrew Crooke and are to bee sold at the Signe of the Green Dragon in Pauls Church-yard, 1645.
TO The Right Honourable the Truly Noble and Renowned ROBERT EARLE OF ESSEX, &c.
Illustrious Sir,
THE inducements that have swayed mee to the Compiling of this Tripartite History, have been, partly, for mine owne satisfaction in the survey and prospect of the times and occurrences of the world, coincident, and contemporary with those of the Church: partly, for the satisfaction of the Reader in the same contemplation; and for the mixture of some delight with that satisfaction, in such a mixture of variety. But chiefly, for both our observation of the hand of God, good and gracious in the preservation and propagation of his Church, and just and avengefull in his indignation and judgements upon those two Nations that persecuted the Church▪ if they could have done it, to the death, and that executed to the death the Lord of the Church, the Lord of Life: For as there were two Theeves that were crucified with our Saviour, the one on the right hand, and the other on the left; so were there two worse by far that crucified him, the Iew and the Roman: The former of ignorance, and so shall once obtaine mercy; the latter even against the confession of his innocency, and so shall perish for ever. Both persecutors of the Church, as well as crucifiers of the Lord of it, the Iewes while they continued to bee a Nation, the Romans while the Church shall bee a Church. The consideration of this very thing, doth not onelyonly warrant, but even challenge a mixture of study of the Story of these three together, that the footsteps of providence might bee traced the more clearly in those two impressions of Mercy and Judgement dispensed in the world, in their contrariety, the former to the Church, and the latter to these two Nations, the enemies and persecutors of her, and of her Lord. I have therefore taken them up in one discourse from that very time that th…se two people did undoe themselves, by doing violence to the Lord of Glory; and for how long a processe of time the discourse doth carry them on, this volumne will speak for the present; mine intentions aime at a longer extent, if the Lord permit.
The Story of the Church I have traced in the Acts of the Apostles, and there have rather set my selfe to explaine and cleare what difficulties are in the Text, then to write out the full History and Occurrences that are there related; for since the Euangelist hath done it with a divine Pen, it was utterly needlesse, that I may say no more, to redoe it with mine.
The times of the Stories there, I have been the more curious to search after, and to settle as neare as I can, and to bring into Annals, not onelyonly for the profit that ariseth to the Reader from the knowledge of them▪ which is not little; but also for the bringing and reducing of the Story of the other Nation, into a parallel and collaterall current and coincidency with them. What difficulty I have met withall in this particular, any one will readily judge that doth but observe how sparing the holy Ghost hath been through all that Booke, to expresse the circumstance of the time with the relation of the things. And what I have done towards the fixing of the times in this difficulty, I have tendered under the notion of conjecture, for I could goe no further; yet have I grounded those conjectures upon such reasons, as are much to m…ne owne satisfaction in that matter, and so it may bee they will bee something to others.
I have led on the Story in this present piece, but to the end of the Twelfth Chapter; for thitherto hath the Evangelist that wrote the Booke, more especially discoursed the planting of the Church, and the propagation of the Gospel among the Iews. And as for the rest of the Booke, from thence to the end, that bringeth the Church and Gospel among the Gentiles, I have reserved it for another part, if the Lord vouchsa…e life, leisure, and assistance.
The customes and carriage of those Apostolicke times in Worship and Discipline, I have been sparing in discussing; for the Text, for as far as this present discourse goeth, is sparing in offering occasion to fall upon such a thing: in that part that is behind, where the Epistles of Paul are to be taken into hand, as they fall in in time, such considerations will bee usefull, and they will bee inevitable.
The Story of the Iewes out of their owne Josephus and Philo, Egesippus, and others, the Reader will generally finde to be but a Commentary upon their owne words, His blood bee upon us and upon our children, written even in Letters of their own blood from time to time. For when that perverse and ungodly generation, had so farre refused the Gospel, and their owne good, that it had crucified the Lord that tendered it to them, ex illo fluere: from that time forward their ruine and decaying is written in all their stories in such Capitall Letters, that hee that runs may read it, and he that reads them, reads them not, if hee doe not observe it. This short tract of time that this Volume containeth, will tell you of three or four, or more such Anatomy Lectures in lesse then twelve yeares space; of many, and many thousands of that Nation, that perished and were miserably destroyed in Judea, Alexandria, and Babylonia; and this but as a Preface and beginning of sorrowes and miseries that were to follow in the destruction of the whole Nation, for despising and destroying of him that held out life unto them, but they chose his and their owne death. Some of the same Authors that have given us these prologues of their miseries, will continue the scene with further Tragedies, till their utter extirpation: and we shall borrow an abridgement thereof from them, in the parts succeeding, if the Lord carry us on, and prosper us in that worke.
And how gratefull and excellent a worke and paines might it bee, if where Josephus and Egesippus end their Story, and where Jerusalem ended her dayes, thence some learned and industrious pen would out of the Iewes own Talmud and Rabbins, and other writers, continue the story of this dispersed and condemned nation till these later times, for the Illustration of the truth of those predictions of Scripture that foretell their doome, and for the evidencing of that justice that hath ever since haunted them, for the murder of the righteous one whom they crucified.
These are the two maine things that I looke upon in relating those stories that this volume doth exhibite; if the Reader who hath more leasure shall dilate his meditations upon so sad spectacles to further extent, hee hath saved my labour, and it may be not lose his own.
The Roman History, which is the third that we have to deale withall, I must referre to the Reader to find expressions by which to character and censure it, for I confesse I want them: It is so full of truths so horrid and monstrous, (if I may epithite so glorious a name as truth with so vile and base adjectives) that it even gluts the eyes and amazeth the heart of the Reader, and though hee cannot gainsay the truth of the things, yet cannot hee tell what to say to them, they are so hideous: such monsters of bloodshed and crueltie, prodigies of lust and beastialitie, Gorgons of excesse and luxury, and in briefe, the very perfections of all vitiousnesse and impietie, that it were most unfit to name them with a Christian story, were they not most fit to prove Gods high displeasure against that Antichristian Citie: I have taken them up as I have found them in their owne Historians, some here, some there, abridged them as much as possible to save what labour I might, and laid them in their proper times according to the d…rection of their owne Annalists. Politick or Ethicall or other observations upon them I referre to others to make, it is a thing that suited not either with my leasure or my purpose: I onelyonly shew the monster, every eye desireth to look upon such a beast: let them read upon him as their judgement leads them: onelyonly this let mee mind them to observe, that no small judgments are to bee read in so great sinnes, and that that Citie is very unlikely to be the head of the Church, that is so visibly the very taile of the Devill. Rome had murdered the Lord of holinesse at Jerusalem, and Rome wallowes in such murders and unholinesse at home, and wh…ther shee be the likelier to bee owned by Christ for Zion or Babylon, may any one censure.
Now the reason of mine addresse unto your Honour, most noble Heroe, with this my undertaking as an oblation, you may read it in your owne worth and noblenesse, and you may read it in your relation to mine owne native Country: for the one ingageth, the other inboldneth, and both overcome mee to owe all the service I can to so much worth, to evidence this service by all means I can to so great noblenesse, and to hope for acceptance of this what I …an from that relation. Sir, this worke is a fruit that grew in your owne Staffordshire (this is the onelyonly comfort that is now left to that poore Countrey that wee may call her yours) it grew with your name and memory upon it at its very first appearing: It hath been in devoting to you all the while it hath been in growing, and now it is come to this maturity, it is doubly yours, as a fruit of your owne Country, as a vow of mine owne heart: To beg accep…ance were to seem to doubt it, which suspition your noblenesse cannot suffer to nest in me: This onelyonly let me beg of your expectance: that whereas mine ingagement was and your challenge might bee of a worke of *A second part of the Harmony of the Evangelists.another nature, you will bee pleased to interpret, that this hath not prevented that that it should not come forth, but onelyonly outrun it, that this might come to doe you homage first; that that is not lost though this bee found that is in the wombe though this first borne.
And truly I could not but e…cuse, nay I could not but approve the forwardnesse of this to outrun his fellow and to get the birthright, when the onelyonly aime of it was that it might bee your first homager. And I cannot but hope that your Noblenesse will gently interpret of this errour of observance, as an offence of a most veniall nature, when the utmost damage that accrews upon it is but delay, and not detriment, and when the summa totalis of the payment, namely my service is the same, though there bee some difference in the coine. It hath been the course of my studies in elaborating the Harmony of the foure Evangelists; and this history, to let them grow up and thrive together, for me thought there was some equalitie in the division, to part my studies, betwixt the story of Christ in the Evangelists, and the story of the Church in the Acts of the Apostles, and to make the history of the other two nations my recreation. And I cannot but accordingly be affected with the same method of their production that was of their generation, and allow them their vicissitudes now as they had them then: Your Noblenesse will gently dispense with these strivings and contendings where the prize and mastery aimed at, is, which shall first serve you. In your hands I leave this oblation to doe you fealtie till his fellow come up to him: and in the hands of the Lord I leave your Honour, as in the hands of a faithfull Creator and Redeemer, to be kept in weldoing: Hee blesse you with the blessings of the right hand and of his left hand here, and crowne you with his bless…dnesse of his presence, and the joyes at his right hand hereafter: So ever prayeth
Your Honours most devoted servant, JOHN LIGHTFOOTE. From my Study, Decemb. 1. 16…5.
TO My DEARE and DEARLY Honored and beloved native Country the County of STAFFORD.
My deare Mother,
THese following collections came out from you, and they returne unto you: they were made when I lay in your lap, with your other children, you then prosperous, and wee happy in your prosperitie. Woe is mee my mother, that your condition is so farre altered from those times, and that our happinesse is so farre perished in your condition. How hath the Lord clouded the mother of my people in the day of his fierce anger! and how doth shee now sit in midnight, that once was clothed with the very Sunshine of the nooneday! Ah my deare Country, I have much bitternesse for thy sake that the hand of the Lord is so gone out against thee. How is thy plenty turned to pining, and thy flower to witherednesse! How is thy gold become dim, thy candle darknesse, and thy violl the voyce of those that weepe! Deare mother, how are you become not your selfe! And Staffordshire to bee sought in Staffordshire it selfe, and not to bee found! Her children either fled, or destroyed, or become her destroyers; Her townes desolate though full of inhabitants and people, her people perished though alive and healthy, her peace gone, her joy vanisht, her comforts none, her hopes as little: Shee a mother forsaken, a woman forgotten, left of friends, tortured by enemies, helplesse in her selfe, hopelesse in her helpers. Wo is mee my mother, that thou hast borne mee a man of these sorrowes, that I have seene thee a woman of these miseries! It is the Lord, wee have sinned against him, wee have sinned and hee hath not spared. I need say no more, I can say no more: teares take up, and prayers, and patience must make up the rest: I have spoke thus much that my dearest native countrey may have a testimony, that no distance, no condition can make mee forget her. Forget my country? let my tongue forget her art and my pen her profession, if Staffordshire bee not ever in my chiefest thoughts. Put up these teares into that bottle where are the heartiest drops that are wept for you in those your sorrowes, and lay up this volume amongst those records, that shall speake of the duty, remembrance and observance of your faithfull children to you to future ages; And owne deare mother, amongst that number that most sincerely and intirely love you, honour you, and moane after you, the heart and affections, prayers and groanings, Ah poor Staffordshire, poore Staffordshire,
Of Thy most mournfull but most faithfull sonne and servant, John Lightfoote. London, Decemb. 1▪ 1645.