Certaine plaine, briefe, and comfortable notes vpon euerie chapter of Genesis Gathered and laid downe for the good of them that are not able to vse better helpes, and yet carefull to read the worde, and right heartilie desirous to taste the sweete of it. By the Reuerend Father Geruase Babington, Bishop of Landaph.

Chap. 43. (Book 43)

This Chapter containeth these Heads especially.

• Iacobs content to let Beniamin goe.
• Their second comming to Ioseph.
• Their intertainment.

TOuching the first it is sayd,* 1.1 the famine grew greate,* 1.2 and what they brought from Egypt was spent, wher vpon old Iacob wished them to returne &c. Where wee still must marke which was noted before) how this godly pa∣triarke with al his houshold is also subiect to the famine, yea to this great famin, wherein, no doubt, notwith∣standing this wheat from Egypt, they were glad to eate herbes, and rootes, and beries with many a hungry meale: Yea euen in that land are they thus distressed, wherein God had promised to blesse both Iacob and his posteritie, and was this thinke you no temptation to Iacob? Learne wee then profitably by this ex∣ample to stand stedfast in faith whatsoeuer fall out and pre∣paring our selues for the worst euentes comfortably wayte for end ioyfull as here it was.

* 1.32 Could wee know certainly that he would say, bring your brother with you &c. as if he should haue sayd,* 1.4 wee answered but his questions of our kindred & brethrē, not able to guesse before hand what there vpon he would inferre. Therefore speaking no more than we were vrged vnto, we are not to be blamed for his illations. Truth it is, and may teach vs dayly to spare vnde∣serued blame, that wee vse many times to bestow vpon men. For so it is, that a man speaking as occasiō iustly moueth him, some∣thing is inferred that he neuer dreamed of against his wil. Wee may not lay this to the Speakers charge, but leaue it as a thing besides thought falling out, and excuse the guiltlesse.

3 Then Iudah, another sonne of Iacobs, moueth his Father to consent to the request of Ruben his brother made before for Beniamin to goe with them,* 1.5 and vseth to this end some argu∣ments as first of necessitie. That wee may liue and not die, both wee, and thou, and our children. Secondly, from security, I wil be suretie for him, of my hand shalt thou require him, if I bring him not to thee,* 1.6 and set him before thee, then let mee beare the blame for euer.* 1.7 Lastly a damno, of hinderance that com∣meth by staye: except wee had made this tarying, doubtles by this wee had returned the second time. Then the Father yel∣ded and said,* 1.8 if it must needes be so, doe thus &c. Where see and marke in Iacob a most Godly course in extremitie and danger,* 1.9 namely, to vse all honest meanes to relieue our feare, and yet onely to trust in the GOD of Heauen. Iacob sen∣deth the best fruites of the Land &c. But as his hold aboue all houldes hee speaketh thus: GOD Almightie giue you mer∣cye in the sight of the Man &c. Then againe, obserue it in Iacob here, that in time hee yeeldeth, and cannot resist when GOD had decreed it should be so. Surely so doe wee, and so must wee doe what wee can. Startle we may, and striue a while as Iacob did here, vtterly refusing, and vtterly disly∣king to doe this or that, but if GOD haue appointed it to be so, a time will come, that wee shall striue no longer, but say as Iacob said in this place: If so it must be then so be it. Hap∣pye are they y^t yeeld soonest and striue least agaynst that good

which God hath appointed. Obstinacie was neuer constancie, nor wilfulnes witte, as I haue noted before.* 1.10 To change from euill to good, from error to truth, from darknes to light was euer pietie, when contrary course was sinfull obstinacie and the rodde of God vpon the vngodly. But O how hardly is this perswaded. So loue wee the thing wee haue loued long, that needes we must cleaue to our owne damnation, and thinke it holy. So haue wee done, & our fathers long: O constant course,* 1.11 but you shall not doe as your Fathers haue done, saith the Lord.

4 The truth of Iacob would also be obserued,* 1.12 who willeth them to take double money with them, least happily the for∣mer was an error. This conscience want not onely theeues, and robbers, and open offenders, but some that seeme honest▪ and are not the worst. Who can be content to make an aduan∣tage of the error or ouersight, or mistaking of their neighbours. according to the common saying, Si spye, sport &c. But if you spie not, good earnest, and swallowed vp without any re∣morse at all. Thus did not Iacob, no this hated Iacob and all good men euer. God seeth, and God must iudge mee one day iustly according to my workes. What profiteth then if my neighbour see not. Beware wee then and keepe cleane handes with a good conscience, that shall neuer bee ashamed.

5 Thus all thinges made ready,* 1.13 these brethren set on and come into Egypt before Ioseph, who when hee saw Benia∣min was not a litle glad: yet kept his owne Counsell, and commaunded his Stewarde to make ready for Dinner, that they might dine with him. The Steward did so, and now when it was time he brought the men all to Iosephs house, who straight were afrayde, and sayd to themselues: because of the money that came in our Sackes are wee brought hether that hee may picke a quarrell against vs &c. O filthye sus∣picion, howe blottest thou, and spottest thou euen good men? Thus apt to misdeeme are these men.* 1.14 So was euen Abraham in his time when he said, I thought the feare of God was not

in this place, and that they would kill me for my wife. So was old Heli,* 1.15 and misiudged Anna, that she was drunke. Where∣fore well said the Father and full true: Quanti non dederunt locum errori,* 1.16 & dederunt suspicioni: How great men haue with∣stood error, and yet giuen place to suspition. Suspicio calumniā parit: Suspicion breedeth slaunder, and is the mother of it in time. Suspicio amicitiae venenum. Suspition is the cutthrote of friendship and euer was.* 1.17 As hardly doth a good man suspect one to be euill, so hardly doth an euill man imagine one to be good. Againe, see how Ioseph in a meaning so good is misiudged and ill thought of by those men. Then who can auoide this damna∣ble suspicion, or what can a man so well intend which some wil not conster quite awry. The man so good, the meaning so good, yet all suspected. Their God giue grace to doe but well, and God giue comfort against cursed misdemers for they cannot be auoided, but will be doing.

6 When Ioseph came home they brought their presentes to him,* 1.18 and bowed downe to the ground before him, where see the dreame againe fully accomplished.* 1.19 Now is the yongest also with them, and all bowe. Then asked Ioseph of their welfare, and by & by whether their Father the olde man was in health. Not forgetting I warrant you for any honour his old father. This was a child that had God in him, and this is a glasse for all children to behold them selues in, who now a dayes quickly forget their parents, if neuer so litle welth grow. But if honor also happen to come, O what should wee doe with our old pa∣rentes then? Our high places may not thinke of such meane people. But proud Pecocke remember thy selfe, and behold here a man second in the kingdome to the King, a man honored with all the honour that a mighty kingdome could aford, and yet his second word is for his father, his old father, his dere father, and neuer is he well till he haue him with him. Let Courtiers like or dislyke, his frends be his frends, and he will not deny them. God giue Children such hartes.

7 Then Ioseph turned to his yongest brother Beniamin,

his brother wholly by father and mother (for Rachel bare both Ioseph and Bēiamin) & Ioseph blessed him with that not able to goe any further his hart so melted vpon his brother,* 1.20 but turned aside to weepe a while. See then tears by Gods mercies. Him∣selfe deliuered from danger & prison, exalted highly to great ho∣nor, his father aliue and in good health, his brethren before him and Beniamin with him, what mercies are these? No maruell then if a good man seeing so sweet a God, be moued to teares in a sweet feeling. And thinke of your selfe. If neuer wet cie hath shewed feeling hart haue you not bene dull? Certainly mercy in a gracious God wringeth out tears from a feeling child, when neither fire nor sword can get them out. The one we ouercome by faith assisted, but y^e other quite ouercommeth vs being sweet and comfortable aboue all desert. Then Lord giue feeling.

8 When Ioseph had eased his hart by this tender weping forth he came to dine with them.* 1.21 But they prepared for him by him∣selfe & for them by themselues, saith the text: which being done to shew his dignity, it teacheth vs our liberty in this respect. What God vouchsafeth may be vsed without pride or blame, or any of∣fence. And as great a fault to, is an abiect minde to goe too lowe as an arrogant & haughty to goe to high Dauid exalted main∣tained his state though a poore mans child.. Daniel preferred knoweth his liberty and doth the like. Esther againe with many moe. So God be honoured as the giuer, and measure obserued in his feare, haue honor and vse honor, haue state, and vse state, according to the place you liue in lawfully, behould Ioseph here and all the rest.

9 The Egyptians might not eate bread with the Ebrewes,* 1.22 for that was an abomination vnto y^e Egyptians,* 1.23 by what lawes Surely by the law of counpted Hypocrites imagining them∣selues to be better than other that in deede are farre and far bet∣ter than themselues. Such law ruleth stil wher¦in law it ought not, to their shame be it spoken that are so lawles, & who now is defiled with church meetings, with prayers and sacraments ce∣lebrated duly, but he or she that in deede is more vile if all were knowē than any or many that are yet despised as vnworthy ones.

To eate or drinke with vs poore Ebrewes not at Iosephs table, but at the Lords table were an abomination to these Egyptiās of whom I speak, whē liuing without a vocation by other mens labors, & at other mens tables, when hard and extreme dealing in buying and selling, when keeping commodities for a greater price as barley or mault, or the like till they be cast away, when censuring Magistrates and ministers with Corah his counte∣nance, yea (shal I say all) when filthines and sinne sundry waies is swallowed & accounted not so great an offence, as to come to church. But let these Egyptians know the Lord ruleth, who hath chosen these dispised Ebrewes to be his people, when they & theirs shall perish in the red sell of euerlasting fire. Abhore we than hartely such damnable hypocrisy. Say wee to no man in this prowd spirite,* 1.24 stand apart, I am holier than thou, touch not, handle not &c. but modestly thinke we euery man better than our selues, & of all sinners with the Apostle Paule: let vs thinke our selues the greatest. So shall God exalt who humble them∣selues vnfaynedly,* 1.25 and proud Pharisies shall be cast downe. But why did not Ioseph reforme this fashion so foule in the Egypti∣ans, & so greatly in disgrace not onely of others. but of these his owne brethren and frendes? Surely because he could not. And see here his wisedome what hee could not reforme, he indureth without contention, being nothing preiudiciall to the piety of him or his brethren, though to their worldy disgrace. Such wisedome, such Spirite, such patience and discretion. O how shoulde it schoole vs, and teache vs to abhorre the contrary. Wee seeke not peace, nether insew after it, when wilfully we wrangle about euery tryfle, and place life and death in euery ceremonie. Fathers of the Church haue done farre otherwise, if wee remember them, and euen the Apostle himselfe denyeth such custome in a Church of God. But I haue elsewhere tou∣ched this more at large.

10 Then they tooke measses from before Ioseph, and sent vnto them.* 1.26 * 1.27 See not onely kindnes in Ioseph to his bre∣thren, but a figure and type of Christ Iesus to his brethren who bountifully and mercifully set measses before them being vn∣knowen

vnto them of life and saluation. How then may he euer forget them that knowe him and loue him, feare him,* 1.28 and serue him with a perfect hart and a willing? Neuer, neuer shall hee faile them, but as here is sayd of Beniamin, fiue times greater shal he make their measses than any others. That is, where any mercy is vouchsafed vnto those that know him not, many shall they haue that duly serue him as their God. But was Benia∣mins measse thus increased more than the rest? O how hardly then may loue bee smothered altogether? It cannot, it cannot, doe what you can, but one way or other it will peepe out, much like a candle that inclosed fast in some house or prison, shineth through the chinkes of the dore or walles and will not bee hid. Loue will creepe where it cannot goe (sayth the old Prouerbe) and amongst others it may haue euen this sence, that wholly and fully it will not be hidden, but if it may not appeare in his full strength for some purposes, yet glymmering it will be through one chinke or another, that it may be spyed. How then may we thinke of Christian loue and charity, when naturall loue is of this kinde· Verily what nature may worke in a naturall man, Gods holy Spirite much more affecteth in the spirituall man Than no fruites of loue no loue, and small Fruites small loue. Examin wee our selues by this rule, our charity to our christi∣an bretheren were it any thing in vs by one way or other, it wil appeare as here did Iosephs. Yet his brethren obserued it not, as litle thinking he was Ioseph: and if our loue tokens be not euer seene of those, that thinke not of vs as wee are, it is but like this, & it may not grieue vs. Ioseph will bee knowen ere it be long, and then all these tokens will be remembred. So we a∣gayne: But I goe no further, let this suffice.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vers. 1.
• * 1.2

  Tryals of faith.
• * 1.3

  Vers 7.
• * 1.4

  Inferences vpon our speeches more than we thought of.
• * 1.5

  Vers. 8.
• * 1.6

  Vers. 9.
• * 1.7

  Vers. 10.
• * 1.8

  Vers. 11.
• * 1.9

  The godly haue euer a yeelding time to e∣uery good thing.
• * 1.10

  Obstina∣cies not constancie.
• * 1.11

  Ezech. 18.
• * 1.12

  Truth in all dealings.
• * 1.13

  Suspicion.
• * 1.14

  Gen. 20.
• * 1.15

  1. Sam. 1.
• * 1.16

  Ambrose offic.
• * 1.17

  Chrisost. in Math.
• * 1.18

  Vers. 26.
• * 1.19

  A Glasse for childrē.
• * 1.20

  Gods mer∣cy maketh a mans hart to melt.
• * 1.21

  A state may be maintai∣ned lawful∣ly.
• * 1.22

  Vers 32.
• * 1.23

  Hypocrites be bolder e∣uer in their owne eies than others
• * 1.24

  Isay 65.
• * 1.25

  1 Tim. 1.15.
• * 1.26

  Vers. 34
• * 1.27

  ••oue can••••ot be hid.
• * 1.28

  A type of Christ.