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Preparation hath two parts, Interpretation, and right diuision or3 cutting.
Interpretation is the4 Opening of the words and sentences of the Scripture, that one entire and naturall sense may appeare.
The Church of Rome maketh 4. senses of the scriptures, the literall, allegoricall, tropological, & anagogicall, as in this her example. Melchizedek offered bread and wine. The literall sense is, that the King of Salem with meate which he brought, refreshed the souldiers of Abraham being tyred with trauell. The allegoricall is, that the Priest doth offer vp Christin ye Masse. The tropologicall is, therefore something is to be giuen to the poore. The Anagogicall is, that Christ in like manner being in heauen, shall be the bread of life to the faithfull. But this her deuice of the fourefold meaning of the scripture must be exploded and reiected.
There is one onelie sense, and the same is the literall. An allegorie is onely a certaine manner of vttering the same sense. The Anagoge and Tropologie are waies, whereby the sense may be applied.
The principall interpreter of the Scripture is the holy Ghost. 2. Pet. 1. 20. So that ye first know this, that no prophecie in the Scripture is of any priuate5 interpretation. Moreouer, he that makes the law, is the best and the highest interpreter of the law.
The supreame and absolute meane of interpretation is the Scripture it selfe. Nehem. 8. 8. And they read in the booke of the Law of God distinctly, and gaue the sense, and caused them to vnderstand by the Scripture it selfe, per Scripturam ipsam.
The meanes subordinated to the scripture are three; the Analogie of faith, the circumstances of the place propounded, and the comparing of places together.
The analogie of faith is a certaine abridgement or summe of the Scriptures, collected out of most manifest and familiar places. The parts thereof are two. The first concerneth faith, which is handled in the Apostles Creede. The second concerneth charitie or loue, which is explicated in the ten Commaundements. 2. Tim. 1. 13. Keepe the true6 paterne of the wholsome words, which thou hast heard of me, with faith and loue which is in Christ Iesus.
The circumstances of the place propounded are these: Who? to whom? vpon what occasion? at what time? in what place? for what end? what goeth before? what followeth?
The collation or comparing of places together, is that, whereby places are set like parallels one beside another, that the meaning of them may more euidentlie appeare. Act. 9. 22. But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Iewes, which dwelt at Damascus, confirming ([…], that is, conferring or conioyning of places of Scriptures, as Artificers being about to compact or ioyne a thing together are wont to fit all the parts amongst themselues, that one of them may perfectly agree with each other) that this was that Christ.
Collation of places is two-fold. The first is the comparing of the place propounded with it selfe cited and repeated else-where in holy writ. Esa. 6. 10. Make the heart of this people fat, make their eares heauie, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and heare with their eares, and vnderstand with their hearts, and conuert, and he heale them. This place is sixe times repeated in the new testament. Mat. 13. 14. Marke 4. 12. Luke 8. 10. Iohn 12. 40. Act. 28. 27. Rom. 11. 8.
Places repeated haue often alterations for sundrie causes. These causes are, first exegeticall, that is, for exposition sake, as
Psal. 78. 2. compared with Mat. 13. 35.
I will open my mouth in a parable: I will declare (occulta) things hidden from of old. I will open my mouth in parables, and will vtter the things which haue been kept secret from the foundation of the world. Psal. 78. 24. Iohn 6. 31. He gaue them of the wheat of heauen. He gaue the bread from heauen to eate. Isai. 28. 16. Rom. 9. 33. Behold I will lay in Sion a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation. He that beleeueth shall not make bast. Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling block, and a rocke to make men fal, and euery one that beleeueth in him shall not be ashamed. Psal. 110. 1. 1. Cor. 15. 25. Sit thou at my right hand vntill I make thine enemies thy foot stoole. He must raigne till he haue put all his enemies vnder his feet. Psal. 116. 10. 2. Cor. 4. 13. I beleeued, (quia) because I did speake. I beleeued, and therefore haue I spoken. Gen. 13. 15. Gal. 3. 16. All the land which thou seest, will I giue vnto thee, and to thy Now to Abraham and to his seede were the promises made. seede for euer. He saith not vnto the seedes, as speaking of many: but, and to thy seed, as of one, which is Christ.
A second cause is diacriticall, or for discerning sake, that places, and times and persons might bee mutuallie distinguished.
Michah 5. 2. Mat. 6. And thou Bethlehem Ephrathah art little to be among the Princes of Iudah: out of thee shall hee come forth to me, that shall be the ruler in Israel. And thou Bethlehem in the land of Iudah art not the least among the Princes of Iudah: for out of thee shall come the gouernour, that shall feed my people Israel.
Thirdly, these causes are circumscriptiue: or for limitation sake, that the sense and sentence of the place might be truelie restrained, according as the minde and meaning of the holy Ghost was.
Deut. 6. 13. Mat. 4. 10. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and shalt serue him. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him onelie shalt thou serue. Isai. 29. 13. Matth. 15. 8. This people draweth neere with their mouth and honor me with their lips: but their heart they reremooue farre from me: and their reuerence towards mee is by the commandement of men. When this people draweth neere vnto me, they honour mee with their mouth and with their lippes, but they remooue their heart farre from me. 9. In vaine doe they worship me, teaching for doctrines the conmandements of men. Gen. 2. 24. Mat. 19. 5. Wherefore a man shall leaue his father and his mother, and shall cleane vnto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. Wherefore a man shall leaue father and mother, & shal cleane vnto his wife, & they which were two shall be one flesh. Isai. 50. 20. Rom. 11. 26. And the Redeemer shall come vnto Sion, and vnto them that turne from iniquitie in Iacob, saith the Lord. The Deliuerer shall come out of Sion, and shall turne away the vngodlines from Iacob.
A fourth cause is for application sake, that the type might bee fitted vnto the trueth: and the generall to a ceretaine speciall, and so contrariwise.
Ionas 1. 17. Matth. 12. 39. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow vp Ionah. And Ionah was in the bellie of the fish three daies, and three nights. An euill and adulterous generation seeketh a signe, but no signe shall be giuen vnto it, saue the signe of the Prophet Ionas. 40. For as Ionas was three dayes and three nights in the whales bellie: So shall the Son of Man be, &c. Esay 61. 1. Luk. 4. 18. The Spirit of the Lord God is vpon me: therefore hath the Lord annointed mee: hee hath sent mee to preach good tidings vnto the poore to bind vp the broken hearted, to preach libertie to the Captiues, and to then that are bound the opening of the prison: verse 2 To preach the acceptable yere of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our god. The Spirit of the Lord is vpon mee, therefore he hath annointed mee that I should preach good tidings to the poore, hee hath sent me to heale the broken in heart, that I should preach deliuerance to the Captiues, &c. verse 21 This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your eares. Psal. 69. 27. Iohn 19. 28. They gaue me gall for my meate, and in my thirst they gaue me vineger to drinke. That the Scripture might bee fulfilled hee said, I thirst. verse 29 Therfore there was set a vessell full of vineger: and they filled a sponge with vineger, and put it about an bysope stalke, & put it to his mouth. Exod. 12. 46. Ioh. 19. 36. Neither shall yee breake a bone thereof. These things were done, that the Scripture might bee fulfilled, which saith, there shall not a bone of him be broken. Psal. 69. 25. Acts 1. 20. Let their habitations be voyd, and let none dwell in their tents. It is written in the booke of the Psalmes; Let his habitation be void, and lent no man dwell therein.
Fiftly, some things are omitted for breuitie sake: or because they do not agree with the matter in hand.
Zach. 9. 9. Matth. 21. 5. Reioyce greatly O daughter Sion: shout for ioy O daughter Tell ye the daughter of Sion, behold thy King commeth vnto Ierusalem: behold thy King commeth vnto thee: He is Iust, and saued himselfe, poore and riding vpon an Asse, and vpon a colt the foule of an Asse. thee, meek and sitting vpon an Asse, and a colt the foale of an Asse vsed to the yoke.
The second collation is of the place propounded with other places: and those againe are either like or vnlike.
Places that are alike are such, as by certaine waies or in some sort agree one with another. And places doe agree either in their phrase and manner of speech, or in sense.
Places that agree as concerning the phrase, are such as these.
Gen. 28. 12. Iohn 1. 51. Then he dreamed, & behold there stoode a ladder vpon the earth, and the top of it reached vp to heauen, and loe, the Angels of God went vp And he said vnto him, Uerilie, verilie, I say vnto you, hereafter shall yee see the heauen open, And the Angels of God ascending & descending and downe by it. vpon the Son of man. Gen. 3. 15. Rom. 16. 20. I will also put enmitie betweene thee and the woman, and between thy seede and her seede. Hee shall break thine head, and thou shalt bruise his heele. The God of peace shall breake ([…]) Sathan vnder your feete. Gen. 8. 20. Ephes. 5. 2. Then Noah built an Altar to the Lord, and tooke of euerie cleane beast, and of euery cleane foule, and offered burnt offerings vpon the Altar. 21. And the Lord smelled a sauour ofrest, and said. Christ hath loued vs, and giuen himself for vs an offering and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauour to God.
For the finding out of these places the Greeke and Hebrew concordances serue very fitlie.
Places, which agree in sense, are those that haue the same meaning. Here excelleth the comparing of a generall place with a special example in the same kind: as
Prou. 28. 13. Psal. 32. 3. 4. He that hideth his sinnes, shall not prosper, but he that confesseth and forsaketh them, shall find mercy. When I held my tongue my bones consumed, &c. 5. I acknowledged my sinne vnto thee, neither hid I mine iniquitie. I said, I will confesse against my selfe my wickednes vnto the Lord, and thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne. 2. Sam. 15. 25. 1. Pet. 5. 6. The King charged Zadok saying, carrie the Arke of God againe into the citie. If I shall find fauour in the eies of the Lord, he wil bring me again, and shew mee both it, and the tabernacle thereof. verse 26 But if he thus say, I haue no delight in thee, Behold, here am I, let him doe to mee, as seemeth good in his eyes. Humble your selues therefore vnder the mightie hand of God, that he may extol you in due time.
Thou shalt haue readie very manie places of this kind in the Common-places of Marlorate gathered together with diligence. And thus much for places that are alike.
Places that are vnlike, are those, which in shew doe not agree, either in respect of the phrase, or in regard of the meaning. As,
Rom. 3. 28. Iam. 2. 24. Therefore we conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the Law. Yee see therefore how that of works a man is iustified; and not of faith onlie. 1. King. 9. 28. 2. Chron. 8. 18. And they came to Ophir, & they fetched from thence foure hundred and twenty talents of gold, and brought it to King Salomon. And they went with the seruants of Salomon to Ophir, & brought from thence foure hundred and fiftie talents of gold, and brought them to King Salomon. Acts. 7. 14. Gen. 46. 27. Then sent Ioseph, and caused his father to bee brought, and all his kindred, euen threescore and fifteen soules. All the soules of the house of Iacob, which came into Aegypt are threescore & ten. Act. 7. 16. Gen. 48. 22. And were remooued into Sychem and were put in the Sepulcre, that Abraham had bought for monie of the sonnes of Emor, sonne of Sychem. I (that is Iacob) haue giuen vnto thee one portion aboue thy brethren, which I gat out of the hand of the Ammorite by my sword and by my bow. Zach. 11. 13. Matth. 27. 9. And I tooke the thirtie peeces of siluer, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Ieremie the Prophet, saying, and they tooke thirtie siluer peeces, &c.
Footnotes
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