Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 8 · Chapter 25
CHAPTER XXV. Of their civill counting of their times, and firſt of their Houre.
Of their times.THe Greekes deriue the houre from foreign, terminare, becauſe it meaſured the times of the yeare; or from foreign custodire, becauſe they fained that the houres kept Apolloes gates; but it ſeemeth rather to bee derived from the Hebrew word [Or] lux, and hence the Egyptians call the Sunne foreign Apollo.
The Greekes at the firſt had no other diviſion of the yeare but into foure ſeaſons, which they called quatuor horae anni: and the Latines called them quatuor tempeſtates anni. The like diviſion they made of the day, and they ſaid, ſolis occaſus ſuprema tempestas eſto.
Afterward they divided theſe tempeſtates into ſo many houres in the day, thoſe houres were either called horae minores, and they were meaſured by the Zodiack, and planetarie or unequall houres, becauſe of the obliquitie of the Zodiacke; or elſe they were called horae equinoctiales equall houres, becauſe of the ſtreightneſſe of the Equinoctiall.
The Iewes at firſt learned the diviſion of the day into whole houres from the Romanes, for before this the houres were either halfe-houres, or foreign occaſionall houres, as to dine and to ſuppe; So the houres of dinner and ſupper were deſcribed of old by drawing of water, as Rebecca came out to draw water, Gen. 24.11.Septuaginta dixerunt foreign. Dinner and Supper deſcribed by drawing of water. This was the evening time when women came out to draw water. So they noted the dinner time by drawing of water, Ioh. 5.31. when the woman of Samaria came out to draw water, then the Diſciples brought meat to Chriſt and deſired him to eate; This was dinner time.
Of the houres upon Ahaz Diall.
THe houres ſet upon Ahaz Diall were unequall, or planetarie houres, becauſe this diall was made upon a polar ground.
Fiue ſorts of Dials.There are fiue grounds upon which a diall muſt be made; Firſt upon the elevation of the Equinoctiall, whoſe houres are alwayes equall. Secondly verticall, and it ſheweth onelyonly from ſixe to ſixe equinoctially. Thirdly meridionall, which ſheweth the houres from the riſing of the Sunne … the mid-day, upon the Eaſt ſide, and from the mid-d… till the Sunne ſet upon the Weſt ſide. Fourthly horizo…all, which hath no ſhadow under the Equinoctiall, or neere the Equinoctiall. And the laſt is the polar diall, which followeth the Zodiacke, and the houres are contracted upon the South ſide of the Equinoctiall in the Winter, and enlarged upon the North ſide in the Summer.
VponUpon what ground Ahaz Diall was made.This Diall of Ahaz could not be made upon an equinoctial ground, becauſe the houres of the Equinoctiall diall are equal. Secōdly, it could not be made verticall, becauſe the verticall ſheweth onelyonly from ſixe to ſixe, and not the riſing and ſetting of the Sunne. Thirdly, it could not be made meridionall, becauſe the Eaſt ſide & the Weſt ſide are divided by the meridionall, and it wanteth the twelfth houre. Fourthly, it could not be made horizontall, becauſe they lay ſo neere the Equinoctiall that the ſtyle could caſt no ſhadow. Therefore it behoved to be polar, and the houres behoved to be unequally divided for Summer and Winter, or elſe they behoved to hauehave two Dialls, one for Summer, and another for Winter.
The forme of this Diall was Hemiſpheriall, or an halfe Circle.
What things are to be conſidered in this diall.In this Diall we hauehave to conſider theſe points; Firſt, that the lines were but halfe houres upon the diall, and not full houres. Secondly, that this miracle hath been wrought when the Sunne was in the height, for if it had beene in the declination, or in the after-noone, then it could not hauehave gone forward ten degrees; or if it had beene ſoone in the morning, it could not hauehave gone backe ten degrees. Thirdly, this miracle was wrought in the Summer time, the day being at the longeſt; it could not be brought backe ten degrees in the winter day, for when the day is ſhorteſt, the Sunne ariſeth to them at ſeven of the clocke: neither could this miracle be wrought at the Equinoctiall, for then they could not hauehave diſcerned the Sunne to caſt a ſhadow upon the diall, becauſe then the ſhadow is ſo long; but the Text ſaith, that the Sunne went backe ſo many degrees upon Ahaz diall, 2 King. 20. Therefore it ſeemes to hauehave beene wrought in the Summer time, at the longeſt day, when it was drawne backe from the eleventh houre to the ſixt, which is one houre after the Sunne riſing; for in the longeſt day it ariſeth to them at fiue of the clocke in the morning.
Whether went the Sunne backe ten degrees, Queſt. or did the Sunne ſtand ſtill, and the ſhadow goe backe upon the lines, [as Abulenſis upon 2 King. 20. holdeth, the ſhadow went backe ten degrees;] or did the Sunne go back and the ſhadow alſo?
If the ſhadow had gone backe, and not the Sunne, Anſw. the miracle had not beene ſo great, for when the Sunne goes forward naturally, the ſhadow goeth backward, now if the ſhadow had gone backe in an inſtant, and the Sunne ſtood ſtill, it had beene a miracle quoad modum, Three ſorts of miracles.ſed non quoad ſubſtantiam, and it had beene but a miracle in the third degree; A miracle in the higheſt degree is, when nature had never a hand in a thing, as to make the Sunne goe backe ſo many degrees, or to ſtand ſtill. A miracle in the ſecond degree is this, when nature had once a hand in producing of a thing, but when nature fayleth once, it cannot reſtore it to the former caſe againe. Example. Nature bringeth forth a man ſeeing, now when he becommeth blind, nature cannot reſtore him to his ſight, and when he is reſtored to his ſight againe, it is a miracle in the ſecond degree. A miracle in the third degree is this, when nature in time could doe ſuch a thing, but cannot doe it upon a ſuddaine. Example. Peters Mother in law was ſicke of a Fever; Nature in time could cure one of a Fever, but Chriſt curing her upon a ſuddaine, this is a miracle in the third degree. Example 2. When a lumpe of figges was layd to Hezekias boyle, the figges in time would hauehave matured this boyle, and broken it, but when the Lord doth it upon a ſuddaine, this is a miracle in the third degree. So for the ſhadow to goe backe when the Sunne goeth forward, this is naturall to it, but for the ſhadow to goe backe upon a ſuddaine, this was a miracle in the third degree, but when the Sunne and the ſhadow both went backe, this was a miracle in the firſt degree, & quoad modum & quoad ſubſtantiam.
Queſt. What confirmation of his faith had this beene, if the Sunne had gone forward ten degrees, that had beene but the ordinary courſe of it?
Anſw. If it had gone forward ten degrees in an inſtant, that had beene a miracle; but when it went backe ten degrees peice by peice, this was a greater miracle; therefore he choſe rather that it ſhould goe backe ten degrees.
Object. If the Sunne went backe onelyonly, and not the ſhadow, then it ſhould hauehave beene knowne through the whole world, and ſome of the Heathen would hauehave made mention of it in their writings; as Dionyſius Areopagita maketh mention of the Eclipſe of the Sunne in Chriſts Paſſion.
Anſw. The heathen in their writings might hauehave made mention of it which are not now extant: In the Booke of Iaſon there is mentiō made of the ſtanding of the Sunne and Moone in Ioſhua's dayes, and that Booke is periſhed now; ſhall we ſay then, that nothing is written in this Booke, becauſe this Booke is not extant?
Whether was this a greater miracle when the Sunne went backe in Hezekias dayes, Queſt. or when the Sunne ſtood ſtill in Ioſhua's dayes?
If ye will reſpect them to whom this miracle was wrought in Ioſhua's dayes, it was a greater miracle; Anſw. Whether this miracle or that in Ioſhua's dayes was greateſt?it was wrought for the confirmation of all Iſrael, and this was wrought but for the confirmation of Hezekias; Secondly, Ioſhua's day was longer than Hezekias day; Hezekias day was but twentie two houres, and Ioſhua's day was twentie and foure: Ecclus 46.4. Stetit Sol & una dies facta eſt in duas, Did not the Sunne goe backe by his meanes? And was not one day as long as two.
This miracle was wrought at three of the clocke in the afternoone, for the Moone was a quadrant of the Heaven diſtant from the Sunne, and quarter Moone; for Gibea was Southweſt from Megiddo where they did fight, and there the Sunne ſtood, and Ajalon where the Moone ſtood was Southeaſt.
Quest. How ſtood the Sunne here at three afternoone Southweſt from the Moone, ſeeing it is ſaid to ſtand in the midſt of Heaven.
Anſw. There is a twofold midſt, the firſt medium aequidiſtantiae, and the ſecond is interpoſitionis; Medium aequidiſtantia. interpoſitionis.the Sunne is in medio aequidiſtantiae, when it is in the middle point, betwixt the Sunne-riſing and the Sunne-ſetting, this is in the midſt of the day; but it is in medio interpoſitionis, when it is in any part of the Heaven betwixt the two extreames, it was now but in medio interpoſitionis.
Againe,This miracle was wrought twentie dayes after the Equinoxe. this miracle was wrought twentie dayes after the Equinoxe; for Ioſhua inſtituted the Paſſeover Cap. 5. the fourteenth day of Niſan, which was at the Equinoxe, and that Moone had but fourteene dayes to runne to the change, and now the Moone was before the Sunne; but when the miracle fell out, the Moone was behinde the Sunne, and it was quarter-Moone; ſo that the fourteene dayes of the old Moone, and the eight dayes of the other Moone, made up twenty dayes after the Equinoxe.
Ioſhua's day was 24. houres.Thirdly, Ioſhua's day was twenty-foure houres, nine houres alreadie paſt, and three houres to the Sunne-ſetting; then the Sunne ſtood a whole Equinoctiall day, which all being joyned together, maketh twenty-foure houres, then it is ſaid Ioſh. 10.14. That there was no day like to it before or after, which muſt be underſtood, that there was no day before or after like unto it for length.
Hezekias day was 22. houres.Hezekias day was but twenty-two houres in length, which is proved thus; the Sunne had runne twelue degrees already forward upon Ahaz Diall, which maketh ſixe planetary houres; then it goeth backe againe tenne degrees, which maketh fiue planetary houres, and this made eleven houres.
Queſt. Might not the Sunne hauehave gone backe to the Sunneriſing, and ſo hauehave made ſixe planetary houres?
Anſw. Not; becauſe the Sunne caſteth no ſhadow upon the Diall of Ahaz an houre after it riſeth, and an houre before it ſet; neither upon any other Diall, for then the ſhadowes are ſo long, that they ſhew not the houre, it went backe then but to the houre after that it aroſe, which was the ſecond planetary houre, then it had fiue planetary houres to the midſt of the day, which made up ſixteene houres; and ſix houres to the Sunne-ſetting, which maketh in all twenty-two houres.
Now to make ſome application and ſpirituall uſe of theſe Dials.
The ſpirituall uſe of theſe Dials.Chriſt before his Incarnation was like to the Sunne ſhining upon the Equinoctiall Diall, where the ſhadow is very low; ſecondly, before Chriſt came in the fleſh, there were many Ceremonies, and a long ſhadow, but ſince Chriſt came in the fleſh, this is like the Sunne ſhining upon the Polar Diall, the ſhadow is ſhort and the Sunne is neerer.
Thirdly, our eſtate in this life compared with the life to come, is like to the meridionall Diall; for the meridionall Diall ſheweth not the twelfth houre; ſo in this life, we ſee not the ſonne of righteouſneſſe in his brightneſſe.
Fourthly, our eſtate in this life, is like the verticall Diall, which ſheweth neither the riſing nor ſetting of the Sunne; ſo in this life we know neither our comming into the world, nor the time when we are to goe out of it.
Fiftly, our eſtate in the life to come is like the Horizontall Diall, for as the Sunne ſhineth alwaies upon the Horizontall Diall; ſo ſhall the Sunne of righteouſneſſe ſhine alwayes upon us in the life to come.