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<DATE>2007-06-01</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A Few, and New
OBSERVATIONS,
VPON
THE BOOKE
OF
GENESIS.
The mo&s;t of them certaine,
the re&s;t probable, all harmele&s;&s;e,
&s;trange, and rarely heard off before.</P>
<P>By IOHN LIGHTFOOTE
<HI>Staffordiens.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI>
Printed by <HI>T. Badger</HI> in the yeare,
1642.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO
My deare and loving Countrie|men
of the County of Stafford, and other
my friends r<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;iding in the City
of LONDON.
Health, Content, Pro&s;pe<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">ity, Eternity.</HEAD>
<P>_THESE few Collections (worthy and wor|thily
honoured Friends and Countrie-men)
were not intentionally and purpo&s;ely &s;tudied
for when I fir&s;t tooke them up, but I tooke
them upon another occa&s;ion. For having
&s;pent &s;ome yeares in compileing the Harmo|ny
of the foure Evaugeli&s;ts, among them&s;elves and w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">th the
Old Te&s;tament, and in exp<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">aining of their &s;ence and lan|guage,
and for that purpo&s;e having read over the Old Te|&s;tament
as expre&s;&s;ely as I could, to bring it to help and fur|ther
me in the works the&s;e ob&s;ervations, (and &s;uch other
upon the other Bookes) picked up by the way which I ob&s;er|ved
either very rarely, or not at all to have beene ob&s;erved
by any heretofore. That worke from whence this proceeded,
would now begin to creepe forth to the publicke view, were
but printing as pregnant a Mother for &s;uch babes as &s;hee u&s;ed
to be in former time. The&s;e &s;mall and few &s;parkes which
have flowne from that Auvile, I have cho&s;en to pre&s;ent to
<PB REF="3">
your hands and favourable acceptance, partly for a token of
my love and ob&s;ervance of &s;o worthy friends, and partly
becau&s;e that if the briefne&s;&s;e of the&s;e Collections (which I
have beene forced to straiten to this &s;mall compa&s;&s;e, that I
might relate them to the dimen&s;ion of &s;uch Bookes as are now
onely printed, for greater volumes than the&s;e doe not now
finde vent) If they &s;hould breed any &s;cruple or doubting, you
know where to finde the Author for further &s;atisfaction. If
the&s;e find ea&s;ie and gentle entertainment, more of the like
&s;tampe are ready to &s;hew them&s;elves in order upon the &s;uccee|ding
Bookes as the printing of the&s;e times will bring them
forth.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Yours ready to &s;erve
you. I. L.</SIGNED>
<DATE>Aug. 25. 1642.</DATE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>A Few, and new Ob&s;ervations,
VPON THE BOOKE
OF
GENESIS.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. I.</HEAD>
<P>_THE Scripture the word of Knowledge,
beginneth with the Story of the Crea|tion,
becau&s;e fir&s;t, the fir&s;t &s;tepp to|wards
the knowledge of <HI>God</HI> is by the
Creature, <HI>Rom.</HI> 1. 20. Secondly, the
Story of the Creation pleadeth for the ju&s;tice of <HI>God,</HI>
in planting and di&s;placing of Nations as he plea&s;eth,
&s;ince the Earth is his owne and he made it. Thirdly,
the Re&s;urrection is taught by the Creation, and the
end of the world from the beginning, for <HI>God</HI> that
made that to be, that never was, can much more make
that to bee, that hath been before, namely the&s;e our
bodies, Heaven and Earth, Center and circumference
created together in <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">he &s;ame in&s;tant, and clouds full
of water (not &s;uch as we &s;ee made by evaporation,
<PB N="2" REF="4">
but &s;uch as are called the <HI>Windowes or Cataracts of Hea|ven,
Gen. 7. 11. 2 Kings 7. 19. Mal.</HI> 3. 10.) cre|ated
in the &s;ame in&s;tant with them, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 2. The earth 
lay covered with waters, and had not received as yet
its perfection beauty and deckage: and that va&s;t vacu|ity
that was betweene the convex of tho&s;e waters,
and the concave of the clouds, was filled as it were
with a gro&s;&s;e and great darkne&s;&s;e, and the Spirit of
<HI>God</HI> moved the Heavens from the fir&s;t moment of
their creation in a circular motion, abo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e and about
the earth and waters, for the cheri&s;hing and pre&s;er|vation
of them in their new be<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">un being, and <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 3.
Twelve hou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">es did &s;he heavens thus move in darke|ne&s;&s;e,
and then <HI>God</HI> commanded and there appeared
light to this upper <HI>Horizon,</HI> namely to that where <HI>Eden</HI>
&s;hould be planted [for fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> that place e&s;pecially is the
&s;tory calculated] and th<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">re did it &s;hine other twelve
houres, declining by degrees with the motion of the
heavens to the other <HI>Hemi&s;phere,</HI> where it inlightned
other twelve houres al&s;o, and &s;o the fir&s;t naturall day
to that part of the world was &s;ix and thirty houres
long, &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">ng wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Io&s;huaes</HI> day, <HI>Io&s;h</HI> 10. And &s;o long
was our S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">our clo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ded under death.</P>
<P><HI>V.</HI> 6 When the l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ght began to &s;et to the <HI>Horizon</HI> of
<HI>Eden,</HI> &amp; the evening or night of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> 2d. day was come,
<HI>God</HI> commanded that the Ayre &s;hould be &s;pread out
in&s;tead of that vacuity, which was betwixt the waters
upon the Earth, and the waters in <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">he clouds, and in
foure and twenty houres it was accompli&s;hed, and the
Ayre &s;pread through the whole univer&s;e with the
motion of the Heavens. In this &s;econd dayes worke
it is not &s;aid as in the re&s;t that <HI>God &s;aw it good,</HI> becau&s;e
<PB N="3" REF="4">
whereas this dayes worke was about &s;eperation of
waters, they were not perfectedly and fully parted,
till the waters which covered the Earth were couch|ed
in their channells, which was not till the third day:
&amp; there it is twice &s;aid that <HI>God &s;aw it good</HI> once for the
intire &s;eperation of the waters, and againe for the
fructification of the ground.</P>
<P><HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 9. In the new created ayre the <HI>Lord</HI> thunder|ed
and rebuked the waters, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 104. 7. So that they
ha&s;ted away and fled all we&s;tward, into the chan|nells
which the Lord had appointed for them. And
&s;till as they flowed away, and dry land appeared the
earth in&s;tantly brought forth trees and plants in their
&s;everall kindes. This production was onely of the bo|dies
and &s;ub&s;tances of them, for their verdure and
maturity was not till the &s;ixt day: And now was <HI>Eden</HI>
planted with the bodies of all trees fit for meat and de|light,
which by the time that <HI>Adam</HI> is created are
laden with leaves and fruit.</P>
<P><HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 14. The Moone and &s;ome &s;tarres created be|fore
the Sunne: She &s;hone all the night of the fourth
day in her full body, and when the Sunne appeared in
the morning, then was her light augmented, yet her
body ob&s;cured from the World till the &s;ixt day at
even, which was her prime day, and &s;he &s;hewed her
cre&s;cent and gave light to <HI>Adam,</HI> who was but new|ly
got at that time out of the darkene&s;&s;e of his fall, by
the lu&s;ter of the promi&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 21. Whales onely of all brutes &s;pecified by
name, to &s;hew that even the greate&s;t of living crea|tures
could not make it &s;elfe.</P>
<P><HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 25. Bea&s;ts wild and tame created, and all man|ner
<PB N="4" REF="5">
of creeping things, and the World furni&s;hed with
them from about <HI>Eden</HI> as well as with men: of cleane
bea&s;tes were &s;even created, three couples for breed,
and the odd one for <HI>Adams</HI> &s;acrifice upon his fall,
but of uncleane onely one couple for the propagati|on
of the kinde.</P>
<P>26 Man created by the <HI>Trinity</HI> about the third
houre of the day, or nine of the clocke in the morn|ing.</P>
<P>CHAP. II. The three fir&s;t ver&s;es, that treate of
the in&s;titution of the Sabboth, are according to their
proper Order of time, to be taken in at the end of the
third chapter.</P>
<P><HI>&V;er&s; 4 &amp;c.</HI> On the morning of the &s;ixt day a mi&s;t,
that had gone up from the Earth fell downe upon it
againe in raine or dew, and watered the Earth, with
which watering the trees and plants budded to maturi|ty
in a trice: this dew being as a naturall cau&s;e there|of,
yet the effect being withall exceeding &s;upernatu|rall,
becau&s;e &s;o &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">eedy.</P>
<P><HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 7. Of the du&s;t of the Earth thus watered, <HI>God</HI>
created the body of man, and to this the P&s;almi&s;t
alludeth, <HI>The dew of thy youth, P&s;al.</HI> 110. 3. And in|to
that Earth &s;o prepared, he breatheth the Spirit of
Life and Grace, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 4. 24.</P>
<P><HI>Ver&s;. 10. Eden</HI> watered by a river that overflow|ed
it once a yeare, after the manner of <HI>Nylus</HI> and <HI>Jor|dan.</HI>
chap. 13. 10.</P>
<P>To <HI>Adam</HI> thus created and made Lord of the crea|ture,
the Lord him&s;elfe bringeth the creatures to re|ceive
their names, which hee giveth to them agree|able
to their natures, and that at the fir&s;t &s;ight, &s;hew|ing
<PB N="5" REF="5">
at once his dominion over them, and his wi&s;edom,
among them all he &s;eeth no fit match for him&s;elfe, but
by &s;eeing every one of them mated, and that they
came before him by paires, he is brought to bee &s;en|&s;ible
of his owne want of a fellow: which thereupon
<HI>God</HI> provideth for him out of his owne body of a rib,
which part of him might be&s;t be &s;pared. And thus the
Creation endeth in the making of the woman.</P>
<P>CHAP. III. The woman thinking it had beene
a good Angell that &s;pake in the trunk of the <HI>Serpent,</HI> &s;he
entereth communication with the Devill: who per|ceiving
her both to adde and to dimini&s;h to, and from
the Commandement that was given them, groweth
the more impudent to tempt, and &s;educeth her by the
<HI>lust of the fle&s;h and the lu&s;t of the eyes, and the pride of
life,</HI> as 1. Iohn 2. 16. And &s;hee per&s;wadeth her hu&s;|band,
and &s;o they both are fallen on the very &s;ame
day that they are created, <HI>Gen. 9. 1, 2, 3. P&s;al.</HI> 49. 12.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t is promi&s;ed before the man and the woman
are cen&s;ured: and they are que&s;tioned al&s;o before they
be &s;entenced, but &s;o was not Satan, for <HI>God</HI> had mer|cy
in &s;tore for them, but none for him. The cur&s;e is not
upon man him&s;elfe but upon the Earth, to teach him
to &s;et his affections on things above and not on the
cur&s;ed ground, and not to look for an earthly Kingdom
of Chri&s;t on this Earth which the Lord hath cur&s;ed.</P>
<P><HI>Adam</HI> apprehendeth and layeth hold upon the
promi&s;e by Faith, and in evidence of this his faith he
calleth his wives name <HI>Eve</HI> or <HI>Life,</HI> becau&s;e &s;hee was
to be the mother of Chri&s;t according to the fle&s;h, by
whom life &s;hould come; and of all beleevers that by
<PB N="6" REF="6">
faith &s;hould live in him, for an outward &s;igne and &s;eale
of this his Faith, and for a further and more lively ex|pre&s;&s;ion
of the &s;ame; God teacheth him the rite of
&s;acrifice, to lay Chri&s;t dying before his eyes in a vi|&s;ible
figure: And with the skins of the &s;acrificed
bea&s;ts <HI>God</HI> teacheth him and his wife to cloath their
bodies. And thus the fir&s;t thing that dyeth in the
world is Chri&s;t in a figure.</P>
<P>At the end of this third chapter imagine the three
fir&s;t <HI>ver&s;es</HI> of chapter. 2. concerning the Sabbath to
be ob&s;erved, to come in, and &s;uppo&s;e the texture of
the &s;tory to lye thus. <HI>Adam</HI> thus fallen, cen&s;ured
recovered, in&s;tructed and expelled <HI>Eden</HI> on the &s;ixt
day, the next day following he by <HI>Gods</HI> appoint|ment
keepeth for a Sabbath or an holy re&s;t, and &s;pend|eth
it onely in divine duties. Now the rea&s;on why it
&s;tandeth in the place where it doth, chap. 2. Is part|ly
becau&s;e <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> would lay the &s;even dayes, or the
fir&s;t weeke of the world altogether without interpo|&s;ition,
and partly becau&s;e he would &s;hew by &s;etting
it before <HI>Adams</HI> fall, that had hee per&s;i&s;ted in inno|cency,
yet mu&s;t he have ob&s;erved a Sabbath.</P>
<P>The &s;eventh day or Sabbath is not bounded in the
text with the &s;ame limits that the other dayes are, for
it is not &s;aid of it as it was of them, <HI>The Evening and
the Morning were the &s;eventh day,</HI> becau&s;e a time &s;hould
come when it &s;hould have a new beginning and end,
and though to the <HI>Iewes</HI> it was from Even to Even yet
from the beginning it was not &s;o expre&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>CHAP. 4. <HI>Cain</HI> and <HI>Abel</HI> twinnes of one birth; and
fir&s;t was borne he that was naturall, and after he that
was &s;pirituall.</P>
<P><PB N="7" REF="6">
The faith of <HI>Abell</HI> appeared in the very materialls
of his &s;acrifice; it being of &s;laine bea&s;ts and &s;o a re|pre&s;entation
of the death of Chri&s;t: for this, it is fired
from Heaven, and <HI>Caines</HI> is not, though his drye eares
of Corne were materialls farie more combu&s;tible.
<HI>Cain</HI> and <HI>Abell</HI> were both their own Prie&s;ts, for it can|not
be proved that Sacrifices were ever offered but up|on
emergent occa&s;ions, till the Law fixed it for a
common &s;ervice: and he that had &s;uch an occa&s;ion,
had libertie to be his own Prie&s;t, even under the Law
as it appeareth by <HI>Gedeon, Manoah, &amp;c.</HI> and then much
more was that liberty before.</P>
<P>The word <HI>Sinne,</HI> in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 7. &s;eemeth rather to &s;ig|nifie
an offering or attonement for &s;inne then puni&s;h|ment:
For fir&s;t <HI>God</HI> commeth not to deject <HI>Cain</HI> low|er
then he was, but to rai&s;e him from his dejection, as
it appeareth both by his deigning to give him an O|racle
from Heaven, and al&s;o by the words wherewith
he beginneth. Secondly if the words, <HI>Sinne lieth at
the doore,</HI> intend &s;uddain Iudgement ready to devoure
him, what dependance can the words following have
with the&s;e? <HI>If thou doe not well, thou &s;halt certainely be
puni&s;hed, and thy brothers de&s;ire &s;hall be &s;ubject to thee:</HI> for
this were to threaten poore <HI>Abell</HI> more, or at lea&s;t as
much as <HI>Cain.</HI> Thirdly the Originall word <HI>Chateath</HI>
as it &s;ignifieth <HI>Sinne,</HI> &s;o al&s;o doth it the &s;acrifice for
&s;inne, as <HI>Ho&s;. 4. 8. 2 Cor.</HI> 5. 21. And all along <HI>Leviticus,</HI>
and it was the cu&s;tome, according to which <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>
&s;peaketh as be&s;t knowne, to lay the Sacrifice at the
Sanctuary doore.</P>
<P><HI>Ver&s;. 14. Cain</HI> &s;en&s;ible of his puni&s;hment though
<PB N="8" REF="7">
he was not of his &s;inne, beggeth of <HI>God,</HI> that he might
die to ea&s;e him of it, <HI>Therefore let any one that findeth
me kill mee,</HI> but this <HI>God</HI> denyeth to him re&s;erving him
to a lingring puni&s;hment: and <HI>Caine</HI> being a&s;&s;ured of
long life, giveth him&s;elfe to all &s;en&s;uality, to &s;weeten
it as much as he can, and this is the way of <HI>Caine, Iud.
ver&s;.</HI> 11.</P>
<P>Ver. 23. <HI>Lamech in horrour of Con&s;cience for his Po|lygamy,</HI>
which now began to be examplary to the ge|nerall
corruption of the world, acknowledgeth his
&s;inne &s;eaventie times greater than <HI>Cains,</HI> and his de&s;ert
of puni&s;hment proportionable: for <HI>Cain</HI> had &s;laine but
one man and but the body, but he by his evill exam|ple
had killed old and young and their very &s;oules: and
therefore he maketh his complaint to his two wives
that had brought him to it.</P>
<P>CHAP. V. A Chronicle of 1556. yeares: and
all the yeares are reckoned compleat but onely <HI>Noahs</HI>
five hundreth yeere, in <HI>ver.</HI> 32.</P>
<P><HI>Ver. 3. Seth</HI> borne in Originall &s;inne: the Father
of all men in the new world after the floud, <HI>Numb.</HI>
24. 17.</P>
<P><HI>Ver. 23. Enoch</HI> liveth as many yeares as be dayes in
a yeare.</P>
<P>Tho&s;e that lived neerer the floud lived the longer un|marryed
becau&s;e they would not generate many chil|dren
for the water.</P>
<P><HI>V.</HI> 29. Noah a comforter, becau&s;e in him liberty &s;hould
be given to the World to eate fle&s;h.</P>
<P>CHAP. VI. In the generall corruption of the
World, <HI>Noah the eight per&s;on</HI> in de&s;cent from <HI>Enoch,</HI>
<PB N="9" REF="7">
in who&s;e time profanene&s;&s;e began, as 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 5. E&s;cap|eth
the abominations and de&s;olation of the times.</P>
<P>CHAP. VII. VIII. IX. <HI>The floud:</HI> the Bea&s;ts in
the <HI>Arke</HI> live without enmity, which &s;heweth how
the words, <HI>Gen.</HI> 3. 15. about enmity with the Serpent,
are to be under&s;tood, the Serpent and <HI>Noah</HI> are now
friends each to other: this is alluded to, <HI>E&s;ay,</HI> 11. 6. 7
<HI>Noah</HI> is in the <HI>Arke</HI> ju&s;t a compleate and <HI>exact yeere
of the Sun,</HI> but reckon'd in the text by <HI>Lunary Moneths.
Vniver&s;all darkne&s;&s;e</HI> all the fortie dayes raines. <HI>The doore</HI>
of the <HI>Arke under water:</HI> The <HI>Arke</HI> draweth water
<HI>eleven Cubits.</HI> The waters when they came to abate
while they lay above the Mountaines, <HI>fell but one Cu|bit
in foure dayes,</HI> but farre fa&s;ter afterward. After their
comming out of the <HI>Arke</HI> for a whole halfe yeer
together, <HI>Noah</HI> and his family, and all the Creatures
live upon provi&s;ion that was &s;till in the <HI>Arke,</HI> for they
came out ju&s;t upon the beginning of Winter, when
there was neither gra&s;&s;e corne nor fruits till another
&s;pring: The forbidding to eate fle&s;h with the bloud,
condemneth the Doctrine of <HI>Tran&s;ub&s;tantiation.</HI></P>
<P>CHAP. X. XI. <HI>Seventy Nations</HI> di&s;per&s;ed from <HI>Ba|bel,</HI>
but <HI>not &s;eventy Languages:</HI> the <HI>fifteene</HI> named in
<HI>Act.</HI> 2. were enough to confound the worke, and they
may very well bee &s;uppo&s;ed to have been the whole
number. <HI>Sem</HI> as he &s;tandeth in the front of the Ge|nealogy of the new world, hath <HI>neither Father nor Mo|ther</HI>
named nor <HI>beginning of dayes nor end of life. Na|hors</HI>
life is &s;hortned for Idolatry.</P>
<P>CHAP. XII. <HI>Abraham</HI> at 75. yeeres old receiveth
the promi&s;e, and commeth into <HI>Canaan</HI> and ju&s;t <HI>&s;o
<PB N="10" REF="8">
many</HI> yeeres did <HI>Sem</HI> live after <HI>Abrahams</HI> comming
thither and &s;o might well be <HI>Melchizedeck</HI> in chap. 14.</P>
<P><HI>Ver. 6. 7. Abraham</HI> buildeth <HI>an Altar</HI> neere, if not
<HI>upon mount Gerizim</HI> the hill of ble&s;&s;ing: and <HI>ver&s;</HI> 8.
Another altar he buildeth neer unto, if not <HI>upon mount
Ebal,</HI> the hill of cur&s;ing, <HI>Deut</HI> 27. And &s;o taketh po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion
of the land by faith in the very &s;ame place,
where his &s;onnes the I&s;raelites did take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of
it indeed, <HI>Io&s;h. 8. 12. &amp;c.</HI> 30.</P>
<P><HI>V.</HI> 11. When he is ready to enter into <HI>Egypt</HI> whither
famine drave him, as it did his po&s;terity afterward, hee
is afraid of his life in regard of <HI>Sarah,</HI> who being <HI>a
white woman</HI> would &s;oone be taken notice of by the
<HI>Aegyptians</HI> who were <HI>blackmoores.</HI> This was one mai<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e
inticement to <HI>Io&s;ephs</HI> mi&s;tres to ca&s;t an eye of lu&s;tful|nes
upon him, becau&s;e he was a white man and &s;he a
Moore. Of the &s;ame complexion was <HI>Pharaohs</HI> daugh|ter
whom <HI>Solomon</HI> tooke to wife: of whom that in the
fir&s;t and literall acceptation is to bee under&s;tood,
which &s;piritually is to be applied to the Church, <HI>Cant.</HI>
1. 5. 6. <HI>I am black but comely:</HI> and I <HI>am black becau&s;e
the Sunne hath looked on mee,</HI> and that <HI>P&s;al. 45. 13. The
Kings Daughter is all glorious within:</HI> for &s;he was a
Blackmoore without.</P>
<P><HI>V. 20. Pharaoh</HI> plagued for <HI>Sarais</HI> and <HI>Abrahams</HI>
&s;ake who was an <HI>Hebrew Sheepheard,</HI> giveth charge to
the <HI>Aegyptians,</HI> making it as it were a law for time to
come, that they &s;hould not conver&s;e with Hebrewes
nor with forraine Sheepheards, in any &s;o neere famili|arity
as to eat or drinke with them, which the Aegyp|tians
ob&s;erved &s;trictly ever after, <HI>Gen.</HI> 42. 32. and 46.
34.</P>
<P><PB N="11" REF="8">
CHAP. XIII. <HI>Abram and Let quarrell,</HI> and part
<HI>in the valley of Achor:</HI> and this is at the very &s;ame time
of the yeare that I&s;rael came into the Land, <HI>viz.</HI> in
the fir&s;t moneth of the yeare, or Abib,</P>
<P>CHAP. XIV. <HI>Noah</HI> in the ble&s;&s;ing of his &s;on <HI>Sem,</HI>
maketh him in a &s;peciall manner Lord of the Land of
<HI>Canaan, Gen.</HI> 9. Hither therefore came <HI>Sem,</HI> and built
a City, and called it after his owne peaceable condi|tion
<HI>Salem:</HI> here he reigned as a King, but &s;o quiet|ly
and retiredly as that he was a Prie&s;t al&s;o. In this &s;e|que&s;tration
of the father from worldly cares and af|faires,
<HI>Elam</HI> his elde&s;t &s;on and heire apparent, though
he were &s;eated farre di&s;tant in the Ea&s;t, yet it concern|eth
him to have an eye to <HI>Canaan,</HI> and how matters
goe there, for the land by beque&s;t of his grand-father
<HI>Noah,</HI> de&s;cended to him as by the common law. <HI>This
title bringeth Chedorlaomer</HI> an heire of <HI>Elam</HI> from <HI>Per&s;ia</HI>
into <HI>Canaan,</HI> when the five Cities of the plaine rebell.
Into this warre he taketh three partners <HI>younger bro|thers
of the Hou&s;e of Sem, Amraphel of Arphaxad,</HI> King
of <HI>Chaldea, Arioch</HI> of <HI>Lud,</HI> King of <HI>Ella&s;ar</HI> bordering
upon <HI>Babylonia</HI> and <HI>Tidal</HI> of <HI>A&s;&s;ur</HI> King of Nations,
and late built <HI>Niniveh.</HI> The&s;e foure thus banded to|gether
and all children of <HI>Sem,</HI> and all in claime of
his land again&s;t the u&s;urping <HI>Canaanite,</HI> are re&s;olved
to march over and &s;o they doe, all that Country both
within <HI>Iordan</HI> and without. Their fir&s;t inrode is up|on
the <HI>Rephaims</HI> that lay mo&s;t North and lay fir&s;t in
their way; and &s;o over run, the <HI>Zuzims</HI> in <HI>Ammon,
Emims</HI> in <HI>Moab, Horites</HI> or <HI>Hivites</HI> that were <HI>Troglo|dytes</HI>
or dwelt in the rocky Caves of Mount <HI>Seir</HI> in
<PB N="12" REF="9">
<HI>Edom,</HI> as <HI>Ier. 49. 10. Obad. ver.</HI> 3. And all the <HI>Canaanites</HI>
South-Ea&s;t and full South to <HI>Hazezon Tamar</HI> a point
below the dead Sea: There they turne in to the land
of <HI>Canaan</HI> properly &s;o called, and as they had &s;ubdued
all the Countries from North to South without <HI>Ior|dan,</HI>
&s;o now they intend to doe from South to North
within. And &s;o they did: but when they were come
to <HI>Dan</HI> the North out-going of the land, <HI>Abram</HI> o|vertaketh
them and conquereth the conquerours, and
now he is doubly titled to the land, namely by pro|mi&s;e
and by victory. This <HI>Sem</HI> or <HI>Melchizedeck</HI> ob|&s;erveth
upon his returne with triumph, and perceiveth
that it was he and his po&s;terity to whom the Lord had
de&s;igned that Land in the prophetick &s;pirit of <HI>Noah,</HI>
and had refu&s;ed the heires that were more apparent in
common law and rea&s;on: and therefore <HI>hee bringeth
forth bread and wine the be&s;t fruites of the land, and ten|ders
them as livery and &s;ei&s;in of it,</HI> to him, whom he per+ceived
that God had cho&s;en and pointed out for the
right heire.</P>
<P>CHAP. XV. All feare of claime by any of <HI>Sems</HI>
&s;onnes was now pa&s;t, becau&s;e of the late conque&s;t, but
onely of <HI>Aram</HI> the younge&s;t, who had no chalengers
or children, in the warre of him was <HI>Eliezer</HI> de&s;cend|ed
who was <HI>Abrams</HI> chiefe &s;ervant, and where is the
title by <HI>Sems</HI> re&s;ignation, was to de&s;cend to <HI>Abram</HI>
and his heires, <HI>Eleazer</HI> was like to bee next if <HI>Abram</HI>
had no child of his owne. When this jealou&s;ie &s;ome|what
troubleth <HI>Abram,</HI> God removeth it by the pro|mi&s;e
of a &s;onne of his owne Loynes: and by a Co|venant
with &s;acrifice, even of all manner of creatures
that were to be &s;acrificed.</P>
<P><PB N="13" REF="9">
CHAP. XVI. <HI>Abram</HI> a&s;&s;ured of a &s;on of his owne body
(but not whether by <HI>Sarah</HI> or not) taketh <HI>Hagar</HI> to compa&s;&s;e
the promi&s;e, &s;he wearied out by <HI>Sarai's</HI> &s;trictne&s;&s;e, is travailing
to her own Country <HI>Aegypt,</HI> and by the way hath a vi&s;ion of
the Angell of the Covenant, which was &s;trange to her to have
<HI>vi&s;ios</HI> out of <HI>Abrams</HI> hou&s;e: <HI>therefor &s;he called the name of the Lord
that &s;pake unto her; Thou art the God of vi&s;ion: for &s;he &s;aid, did I
here al&s;o looke after a vi&s;ion,</HI> in a place &s;o far di&s;tant from <HI>Abrams</HI>
family? and the well al&s;o where hee &s;pake unto her was cal|led,
<HI>The well of the lively one of vi&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P>CHAP. XVII. <HI>Circumci&s;ion in&s;tituted in Hebron, and about
the time of Ea&s;ter</HI> the place and time of the year where and
when the Bapti&s;t was borne, who was to bring in Bapti&s;me
in&s;tead of circumci&s;ion. <HI>Abram</HI> and <HI>Sarah</HI> upon Circumci|&s;ion
&s;aith <HI>Rabbi Plenahem,</HI> were as new creatures, and there|fore
al&s;o mu&s;t they have new names.</P>
<P>CHAP. XVIII. The <HI>three Per&s;ons</HI> in the Trinity in the
&s;hape of 3. men appeare to <HI>Abraham</HI> and dine with him, and
eate <HI>the First fle&s;h</HI> that is mentioned eaten in all the Scripture
<HI>Abraham</HI> beggeth for <HI>Sodom</HI> till he thought he had bin got|ten
within the compa&s;&s;e of righteous ones in <HI>Lots</HI> family,
and then he cea&s;eth.</P>
<P>CHAP. XIX. The Son and the Holy Gho&s;t come into <HI>So|dome</HI>
to de&s;troy it, and now they are called Angells, becau&s;e
they were &s;ent, by the Father, <HI>Lots</HI> wife is <HI>&s;truck dead with
lightning,</HI> and &s;tiffened and fixed in the place where &s;he &s;tood,
and <HI>of a &s;alt</HI> and bracki&s;h <HI>&s;mell,</HI> and therefore called <HI>a pillar of
&s;alt: Sodom</HI> de&s;troyed by a &s;trange fire, and the memoriall
of &s;o great a Iudgement pre&s;erved to this day by as &s;trange a
water; <HI>Iordan</HI> before that time had an i&s;&s;ue further, but from
that time it plea&s;ed God to &s;top it, and to lay that valley up
on a fatall poole. <HI>Lot</HI> had <HI>two Daughters</HI> at the lea&s;t that <HI>pe|ri&s;hed</HI>
<PB N="14" REF="10">
in the fire and brim&s;tone, as well as he had two that e|&s;caped.
It is ob&s;ervable how &s;oon after the in&s;titution of Cir|cumci&s;ion
tho&s;e Cities c<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">me to de&s;truction, which &s;o hide|ou&s;lly
abu&s;ed that member, wherein the Covenant for the
land was &s;ealed.</P>
<P>CHAP. 20. 21. <HI>Abraham</HI> flitteth into the land of the <HI>Phi|li&s;tims,</HI>
that <HI>I&s;aac</HI> might bee borne out of the land of <HI>Cannaan</HI>
properly &s;o called for the greater my&s;tery to his birth. God
him&s;elfe commeth in vi&s;ible forme, as c. 18. <HI>Sarah hath once
a greater mea&s;ure of the Spirit of Prophe&s;ie then Abraham,</HI> name|ly
in the matter of ca&s;ting out the bondwoman and her &s;on.
There is good <HI>probability of I&s;maels &s;alvation. Abraham</HI> con|&s;ecrateth a
grove at <HI>Beer&s;heba,</HI> that he might have <HI>hallowed wood,</HI>
for his &s;acrificing fires, as well as holy fire for his &s;acrifices.</P>
<P>Chap. 22. <HI>Abraham</HI> pa&s;&s;ed through <HI>ten temptations,</HI> and
the &s;acrificing of his &s;onne the la&s;t and greate&s;t.</P>
<P>Chap. 23. When <HI>Rebeccahs</HI> &s;un is ri&s;en in the la&s;t chap. <HI>Sa|rah</HI>
&s;ets in this. The fir&s;t foot of land, and all the land that
<HI>Abraham</HI> hath in <HI>Canaan</HI> in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion is onely a place of bu|riall:
God by this very thing drawing him, and his to looke
after the &s;pirituall part of the promi&s;e.</P>
<P>Chap. 25. At what time <HI>Abraham</HI> married <HI>Keturah</HI> is un|certaine:
the text hath laid it after <HI>I&s;aacs</HI> marriage, becau&s;e it
was fit that all the actions of <HI>Abraham</HI> which any whit con|cerned
the promi&s;e, &s;hould be handled fir&s;t and together, be|fore
the other which either did not at all or did it the le&s;&s;e.
But that <HI>Abraham</HI> was married to this woman, long before
<HI>I&s;aacs</HI> marriage or <HI>Sarahs</HI> death, is probable upon the&s;e con|jectures.
1. He that held it &s;trange to have a &s;on at an hun|dred
yeeres old, it is not like he would marry at an hundred
and forty. 2. In c. 24. 36. when the &s;ervant is to make the
match for <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> he &s;aith that <HI>Abraham</HI> had given all his e&s;tate
<PB N="15" REF="10">
to <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> which had bin unnece&s;&s;ary to mention, had he had
no more children but <HI>I&s;mael</HI> who was gone from his hou&s;e
long before.</P>
<P><HI>Abrahams</HI> di&s;po&s;ing of his &s;ons into the Ea&s;t Countries or
<HI>Arabia,</HI> was not upon u&s;urpation, but upon ju&s;t claime by
conque&s;t, c. 14. All the&s;e countries were of the land of <HI>Cana|an,</HI>
&amp; of the promi&s;e and therefore are circumci&s;ed ones &s;eat|ed
in them in&s;tead of <HI>Canaanites.</HI></P>
<P>When the text hath recited the&s;e &s;ons of <HI>Abraham</HI> and their
&s;ettlement, it bringeth him and <HI>I&s;mael</HI> to their graves: Not
that they died before the birth of <HI>Iacob,</HI> and <HI>E&s;au</HI> as the text
hath laid it, for <HI>Abraham</HI> lived till they were fifteen yeeres
old, and <HI>I&s;mael</HI> till they were at their climactericall yeer of
63. but now hath <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> no more to &s;ay of them, and therefor
he concludeth their &s;tory at once. <HI>E&s;au</HI> borne all hairy over
like a kid, but of a reddi&s;h colour, and therefore they called
him <HI>E&s;au, Factus, made,</HI> and perfected already as having both
his beard and <HI>pubes</HI> as &s;oone as he was borne.</P>
<P>In a &s;ore yeere of famine in the land, <HI>E&s;au &s;elleth his birth|right
for want of meate.</HI></P>
<P>Chap. 26. The famine that had cau&s;ed him to part with his
birth-right cau&s;eth <HI>I&s;aac</HI> his father to part out of the land of
<HI>Canaan.</HI> The Phili&s;tims <HI>Africans</HI> by de&s;cent <HI>Gen.</HI> 10. 14. and
tawny like them) doe &s;oone e&s;py the beauty of <HI>Rebeccah</HI> a
white woman.</P>
<P>Chap 27. <HI>I&s;aac</HI> being arrived at the age of 137. yeeres, at
what age <HI>I&s;mael</HI> his brother had died, by his example, begin|neth
to thinke of his own death, and to di&s;po&s;e him&s;elfe for
that. He &s;endeth <HI>E&s;au to hunt</HI> for veni&s;on <HI>for a triall,</HI> whether
he &s;hould ble&s;&s;e him or no, for mi&s;&s;ing of veni&s;on before, hee
had lo&s;t his birth-right, and if he mi&s;&s;e to day as he did then,
it would be a &s;ure &s;igne that he mu&s;t lo&s;e the ble&s;sing: And
<PB N="16" REF="11">
&s;o though <HI>I&s;aac</HI> had pa&s;&s;ed away the maine ble&s;sing at una|wares,
yet when <HI>E&s;au</HI> commeth home &s;ped of a prey, he &s;eeth
that it was the will of God he &s;hould have &s;ome ble&s;sing, and
&s;o ble&s;&s;ed him al&s;o. <HI>E&s;aus</HI> garment, in which <HI>Iacob</HI> obtained
the ble&s;sing, <HI>were the garments of the Prie&s;thood</HI> which belong|ed
to the fir&s;t borne.</P>
<P>Chap. 29 30. <HI>Iacob stronger then three men,</HI> and rolleth away
the &s;tone from the wells mouth alone, which they could not
doe with all their &s;trength united he is deceived by <HI>Laban</HI> by
a &s;uborned per&s;on, and imbraced <HI>Leah</HI> thinking hee had im|braced
<HI>Rahel,</HI> as he deceived his father by a &s;uborned per&s;on,
taking on him to be <HI>E&s;au</HI> when he was <HI>Jacob:</HI> He <HI>&s;erveth</HI> in
hard&s;hip in <HI>his marriage weeke,</HI> &amp; bringeth fe&s;tivity to other;
but labour to him&s;elfe; <HI>Io&s;eph, Zebulun</HI> and <HI>A&s;her</HI> were in their
mothers wombes at the &s;ame time, but <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> borne la&s;t, <HI>Di|nah</HI>
was not borne in the&s;e &s;even yeeres unle&s;&s;e &s;he were a
twin with <HI>Zebulun. Reuben</HI> about five yeeres old following the
reapers findeth Mandrakes and bringeth the <HI>Apples</HI> thereof
to his mother, for which poore rate <HI>Iacob</HI> is in manner &s;old
for a time by <HI>Rahel.</HI></P>
<P>Chap. 31. <HI>Rahel</HI> &s;te<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">leth <HI>Labans Teraphim for a civill u&s;e:</HI> to
pre&s;erve the memory of &s;ome of her ance&s;tors whereof they
were the pictures, and which <HI>Laban</HI> had impiou&s;ly <HI>Idolized.</HI></P>
<P>Chap. 32. <HI>Iacob for di&s;tru&s;t in the promi&s;e</HI> &s;o farre upon <HI>E&s;aus</HI>
approach that he &s;endeth him above a thou&s;and cattell of all
&s;orts of which he had vowed the tithes to the Lord, and be|fore
he paid them, is met by the way by the Lord, <HI>and in dan|ger
to be killed by him:</HI> but by prayer and &s;upplication he pre|vaileth
with the Lord, and e&s;capeth onely with a lame leg.
This lamene&s;&s;e of <HI>Iacob</HI> was not reputed to him for a m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ime,
but like the honourable &s;cars of a valiant Captaine, for a &s;pe|ciall
dignity. For at <HI>Bethel</HI> he exerci&s;eth the part and office of
<PB N="17" REF="11">
a Prie&s;t, which if his halting had bin reputed for a maime he
had been di&s;abled to doe, and his po&s;terity in all &s;ucceeding
ages, re&s;erve the honourable memory of this his lamene&s;&s;e,
in not eating the &s;inew that &s;hranke. That was <HI>the first Cere|remonie</HI>
that di&s;tingui&s;hed <HI>I&s;rael</HI> for a peculiar people, becau&s;e
with this his lamene&s;&s;e <HI>Iacob</HI> is fir&s;t dignified with the name
of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> Circumci&s;ion differenced them not from the other
&s;eed of <HI>Abraham,</HI> by <HI>Hagar</HI> and <HI>Keturah,</HI> but this <HI>curio&s;ity in
meates fir&s;t beginneth Iudai&s;me. They refrained not to eat the joynt</HI>
where the &s;inew was, as a leg of Mutton or of Beefe, for the
legs of the Pa&s;&s;eover were to be eaten, <HI>Exod. 12. 10. but they
&s;pared the &s;inew.</HI> And that <HI>not in abomination</HI> or abhorring of it,
<HI>but in honour</HI> and &s;peciall re&s;pect, becau&s;e it bare the memori|all
of their fir&s;t naming <HI>I&s;rael:</HI> The portion of meat that <HI>Elka|nah</HI>
gave to his beloved <HI>Hannah, Manah Ahhath Appaijna</HI> the
<HI>portion of repre&s;entation</HI> may not unfitly be under&s;tood of this
joynt and the &s;ame peece of the meat did <HI>Samuel</HI> re&s;erve from
for <HI>Saul,</HI> in honour, <HI>The Cooke tooke up the</HI> leg, 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 9. 24.</P>
<P>Chap. 33. 34. <HI>Shechem an Hivite</HI> by originall, c. 34. 2. <HI>is an
Amorite</HI> by habitation c. 48. 22. So <HI>Anah the Hivite</HI> by de&s;cent,
c. 36. 2. <HI>Beeri the Hittite</HI> by habitation in one place, c. 26. 36.
and <HI>an Horite</HI> by habitation in another, chap. 36. 30. 24.</P>
<P><HI>Iudah was not at the murder at Shechem,</HI> but at <HI>Chezib</HI> upon the
borders of the Phili&s;tims, married and re&s;ident there, many
miles di&s;tant.</P>
<P>Chap. 35. The <HI>Pro&s;elytes of Shechem admitted to Iacobs fami|ly
by Bapti&s;me,</HI> for circumci&s;ion to the <HI>Shechemites</HI> was be|come
deadly.</P>
<P><HI>Benjamin borne by the &s;trength of the promi&s;e, v.</HI> 11. for <HI>Iacob</HI>
was now pa&s;t the naturall vigor of generating, and therefore
he ju&s;tly calleth his name <HI>Benjamin, the &s;on of the right hand.</HI></P>
<P>Chap. 36. Strange alteration of names in this chapter, from
<PB N="18" REF="12">
what they are in others, <HI>Iudith</HI> chap. 26. 34. called <HI>Aholiba|mah</HI>
becau&s;e of her Idolatry. <HI>Anah</HI> her father, chap 36. 2. <HI>an
Hivite</HI> by originall, is <HI>Beeri an Hittite</HI> chap. 26. 34. becau&s;e he
dwelt among them about <HI>Beer-la-hai-roi. Ba&s;hemath</HI> c. 26. 34.
is <HI>Adah</HI> here, to &s;hew Gods di&s;like again&s;t <HI>E&s;aus</HI> matches <HI>Ma|halath,</HI>
is <HI>Pa&s;hemath</HI> to &s;hew the <HI>Canaaniti&s;h</HI> qualities of a
daughter of <HI>I&s;mael.</HI></P>
<P>Compare this genealogy in this chapter with the &s;ame in 1.
<HI>Chron.</HI> 1. and <HI>Timna</HI> which is here a woman and a <HI>mans con|cubine,</HI>
is there made <HI>that mans &s;onne,</HI> for the Scripture u&s;eth
to &s;peake &s;hort in knowne &s;tories.</P>
<P>Chap. 37. When the text hath di&s;patched with <HI>E&s;au</HI> the
hater of his brother that lo&s;t his birth-right by his own fault,
it falleth upon <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> the hated of his brethren, that obtained
the birth-right by the fault of another. Hee feeding the flocks
with his brethren joyneth in company with the &s;onnes of the
handmaides, for <HI>Leahs</HI> children cared little either for them
or him. Among them where he thought to have re&s;pect, hee
found hard&s;hip for they made him as their &s;lave or &s;ervant,
<HI>Vehu nagnar, and he was a &s;ervant with the &s;onnes of Bilhah and
zilpah, ver.</HI> 2. This evill report of his brethrens u&s;age of him
he told his father, whereupon he made him <HI>acoate of divers
colours as abadge of the birth-right</HI> which his father intended
to conferre upon him, that his brethren for this &s;hould re|&s;pect
him the more. But this procureth their greater hatred,
<HI>Reuben</HI> only excepted who &s;ought his good though hee had
gotten his birth-right, which &s;heweth that the ince&s;tuous
man was now become a penitent and holy.</P>
<P>Chap. 38. <HI>Iudah</HI> puni&s;hed in his children and his owne
&s;hame for the &s;ale of his righteous brother. He was married
about eight yeeres before <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> was &s;old, being then not a|bove
twelve yeeres of oge if he were &s;o much. Therefore the
<PB N="19" REF="12">
words in the beginning of the chap. <HI>At that time,</HI> have not &s;o much
any reference to the exact time of <HI>Judahs</HI> marriage, as to the mi&s;car|riage
of <HI>Er</HI> and <HI>Onan,</HI> which befell not long after <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> was &s;old, and
&s;o teach of his requitall in his children for the &s;ale of his righteous
brother.</P>
<P>Chap. 39. 40. 41. <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> made a &s;lave: <HI>his Blackmoore mi&s;tre&s;&s;e</HI> lu&s;t|eth
after his beauty and whitene&s;&s;e. By the interpretation of other
mens dreames he is promoted as by the relating of his owne he was
&s;old into mi&s;ery. <HI>Pharaoh</HI> giveth him a new name after their Oracu|lar
God <HI>Baal Zephon, Zophuath-Paanea.</HI></P>
<P>Chap. 42. <HI>Io&s;ephs</HI> words <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>v.</HI> 15. 16. not an oath by
the Creature bnt an apprecation and prayer for <HI>Pharaohs</HI> life: <HI>So let
Pharaoh live as ye are &s;pies</HI> as <HI>Lev:</HI> 25. 36. helpeth to explain the verb.</P>
<P>Chap. 47. <HI>Pharaoh</HI> having <HI>never &s;eene &s;o old a man as Jacob,</HI> nor &s;o
grave a head nor &s;o gray a beard in all his life, in admiration asketh
him no other que&s;tion but concerning his age.</P>
<P>Chap. 48. The birth right which <HI>Iacob</HI> intended for <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> before his
&s;ale is conferred and confirmed upon him, when <HI>Ephraim</HI> and <HI>Mana&s;|&s;eh</HI>
are taken by him for his &s;ons, as <HI>Reuben</HI> &amp; <HI>Simeon:</HI> and hence came
<HI>Ephraim</HI> to be fir&s;t borne among the tribes, and therefore <HI>Mo&s;es cho&s;|eth
Io&s;hua</HI> one of that tribe for their conductor into <HI>Canaan.</HI></P>
<P>Chap. 49. <HI>Iacob ble&s;&s;eth every one of the Tribes v.</HI> 28. therefore in his
words to <HI>Reube~ Simeono~</HI> &amp; <HI>Levi</HI> which are the mo&s;t bitte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">, we mu&s;t
find a ble&s;&s;ing or we lo&s;e his &s;e~ce. His words al&s;o <HI>concern the futur events</HI>
of the Tribs, as much or more then the twelve Patriarks that &s;tood be|fore
him. <HI>v.</HI> 1. The&s;e ground-workes being then thus laid for the un|der&s;tanding
of the&s;e his la&s;t words as nece&s;&s;arily they mn&s;t, let it bee
tolerated to touch upon &s;ome of them of the mo&s;t difficulty, as farre
as Grammaticall con&s;truction, and truth of hi&s;tory will warrant and
ju&s;tifie.</P>
<P><HI>Reuben thou art my first born, my might</HI> &amp; <HI>the beginning of my strength.</HI>
there is <HI>a remnant of dignity</HI> for thee, <HI>and a remnant of &s;trength:</HI> For &s;o
the word <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ignifieth many times in the Bible, and &s;o was <HI>Reu|ben</HI>
dignified in leading the Van in the warres of <HI>Canaan, Io&s;h.</HI> 4. 12.
And &s;o had he <HI>a re&s;idue of &s;trength</HI> in being frontier again&s;t the <HI>Haga|rens,</HI>
1 <HI>Chron.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> Ne relin|quas <GAP DESC="foreign"> Venditionis &s;ip&s;orum.</NOTE> 5. 10.</P>
<P><HI>V. 4. &V;n&s;table as water</HI> in affecting the Prie&s;thood. <HI>Num.</HI> 16. 1. 2.
and in refu&s;ing of the land of promi&s;e, <HI>Num.</HI> 32. <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Leave no
remnant</HI> of thine in&s;tability, &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>&V;. 5 Simeon and Levi brethren, their traffickings are in&s;truments of
cruelty</HI> for their pretence of trading with <HI>Shechem</HI> they made an in|&s;trument
to execute their bloodine&s;&s;e&punc;</P>
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<HI>V. 6. For in their anger they &s;lew a man, as for their will they would bough
an oxe.</HI> For they u&s;ed circumci&s;ion, as a means to ma&s;ter &amp; murder me,
as if they &s;hould have cut the &s;inews of an oxe to bring him under to
their will. <HI>V. 13. Zebulon &s;hall dwell at the haven of the Seas:</HI> the Sea of
<HI>Galilee</HI> or the lake of <HI>Genezaret</HI> Ea&s;t, &amp; the Sea of <HI>Phaenicia</HI> or the <HI>Me|diterrania</HI>
North-We&s;t. <HI>V. 14. I&s;&s;achar is an A&s;&s;. of bone couching down be|tween
two burdens of</HI> the Kingdome of <HI>Phaenicia</HI> on the one &s;ide, and the
<HI>Kingdome</HI> of <HI>Samaria</HI> on the other. <HI>V. 22. Io&s;eph is a &s;onne of fruitfulnes,
his fruitfulnes in &s;ons &s;hall be by the well: In Daughters it goeth even to the
Enemy.</HI> This Interpretation of that part of <HI>Io&s;ephs</HI> ble&s;&s;ing be referred
to the cen&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">re of the learned Reader as conjectured at, rather the~ bold|ly
averred, &amp; that upon the&s;e con&s;iderations. Fir&s;t that there is a plain
<HI>Antithe&s;is</HI> betwixt <HI>Ben</HI> &amp; <HI>Bavoth,</HI> and therefore is to be con&s;trued ac|cordingly
of &s;on&punc; &amp; daughters. Secondly, that the word <HI>Ben</HI> is by his
place <HI>in regimine,</HI> but by his vowel not, &s;o is <HI>Porah</HI> by his la&s;t letter <HI>in
regimine,</HI> but not by his place: &amp; therefore both of them to be render|ed
&s;omething an&s;werable to this their double conditio~, <HI>Ben-Porath
Io&s;eph is a &s;on of fruitfulnes,</HI> here they have the due of their place, and
Porath <HI>Ben fruitfulnes of &s;ons:</HI> here they have the due of their vowels
and letters. Thirdly, that <HI>Porath</HI> al&s;o is to be under&s;tood in the latter
clau&s;e, <HI>Porath Bavoth fruitfulnes in daughters.</HI> Fourthly, that <HI>Shur</HI> &s;ig|nifieth
natively in Hebrew <HI>an Enemy p&s;.</HI> 92. 12. and it is but from the
<HI>Chaldee</HI> idioms that it betokeneth a <HI>wall. Io&s;ephs fruitfulnes in &s;ons</HI> then
did chiefly &s;hew it &s;elf by <HI>the well</HI> of <HI>Shechem</HI> where <HI>Io&s;hua of Io&s;eph</HI> a&s;|&s;embleth
all the tribes as Prince over them, &amp; there al&s;o <HI>Ieroboa~ of Io|&s;eph</HI>
rai&s;eth up that hou&s;e to a Kingdome. From the&s;e words of <HI>Iacob</HI>
the inhabitants of <HI>Sychar</HI> had their warrant to maintaine, that their
well was <HI>Iacobs</HI> well &amp; that his &s;ons &amp; cattell drank of it. For it might
not have bin digged of a 1000. yeers after <HI>Iacob</HI> was dead &amp; gone, for
ought any <HI>Samaritane</HI> alive could tell, if he fetched not his authority
from the&s;e words of <HI>Iacob;</HI> who having given that portien of ground
to <HI>Io&s;eph. Gen.</HI> 48. 22. doth here intimate that there was a well in it, &amp;
be&s;ides that <HI>well</HI> in his hou&s;e &s;hould ri&s;e to honour. His fruitfulne&s;&s;e
by daughters you may &s;ee in <HI>Iudg.</HI> 21. where the daughters of <HI>Iabe&s;h
Gilead</HI> and of <HI>Shiloh</HI> both of <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> make up the breach of an ho&s;tile
<HI>tribe</HI> the <HI>tribe</HI> of <HI>Benjamin,</HI> or el&s;e it had decayed.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
