The holy genealogie of Iesus Christ both his naturall line of fathers, which S. Luke followeth, chap. 3, and his kingly line, which S. Matthew followeth, chap. I, with fit notation of their names / by H. Br.

To the Christian Reader.

THE holy Genealogie of Iesus Christ (may not be reckoned in the number of those prophane ones, which S. Paul condemneth in 1. Tim. 1.4. for it) doth not consist in a vaine repetition of Names, (as many doe thinke) neither is the knowledge thereof superfluous, (as some doe affirme;) But verily (if it be rightly vnderstood) it is of exceeding great vse and consequence; not onely to prooue Christ to be the promised Seede, (which is a weightie poynt;) But also it serueth as a speciall guide, to direct vs in the true vnderstanding of all the Holy Storie: For the natiue iudgement of all men teacheth, that Histories cannot be learned rightly, without knowledge of the Persons vpon whom the Narrations goe. That beeing so, all that looke for Saluation by Scripture, which calleth vs vnto our Sauiour, should haue a special care to know our Lords Line: for vpon it, all the Stories go principal∣ly; either in open phrase of words, or else with some close relation: as hee that will take but a serious view of our Lords line of Fathers, shall soone see, how all the Holy storie dependeth vpon it, and from it, as from a Fountaine, doth branch it selfe into a most pleasant varietie of all Gods holy proceedinges, in the wonderfull preseruation of his Church, and in the fearefull ouerthrow of all the enemies thereof.

The Ebrew hath kept a perfect Register of all their Names vnto Dauid; but

after that Dauid had the promise of the Celestiall Throne, (2. Sam. 7. Then our Lords kindred was kept in priuate Recordes, all sauing foure: As Nathan for the first, and three others of him, that inherited Salomons right: And yet notwithstan∣ding the God of Wisedome, hath not suffered those Names (which the Ebrew hath omitted in the old Test.) to perish in obliuion; But the Holy Ghost hath been excee∣ding carefull, to set downe (in Greeke) a perfect Register of them all, in the very fore∣front, (euen like a most stately Vlam or Porch,) before the Temple of the New Testament.

And yet, it is a most lamentable thing to consider, how many men doe peruert and obscure this glorious entrance of the blessed Gospel, to the great hurt of all Christi∣anitie, & to the great hardoning of the poore blind Iewes in their obstinate resisting of all our Gospel: For say they, If so many grosse errours (as many Christians haue broched for currant truth) be set in the very forefrunt of all the N. Testament; then Christ is not come in the flesh, neither is our N.T. from God. Which assertion cannot be denied, if it be true, as many doe affirme: First, That Salomons house did end in Achazias. Secondly, That King Ioas in Mat. 1. and Simeon in Luk. 3. are all one man. Thirdly, That Ioachaz a younger Brother, was made Father to Ioakim two yeares his elder. Fourthly, That Salathiel was the naturall Sonne of Iechonias, notwithstanding Gods Oath, that he should die childlesse. Ier. 22.

But to cleare the holy Genealogie of Iesus Christ from these, and many other grosse errours, it will not be amisse, first to lay downe a briefe Table, to reconsile S. Matthew and S. Luke: which shall begin no higher then Dauid; because the maine errours, are chiefly found in his posteritie. And after this, shall follow a more large Table of all our Lords Fathers, with briefe obseruations vpon their Names; which shall be layde downe in their true distinctions, and with notations agreeable to the Ebrew, and to occasions, holden fitte to giue them names at their birth times: And herein we may consider the wonderfull prouidence of God, closely disposing their Names, to that which in Storie should be most famous: For it is euident, that the Names of our Lords line, were sagely giuen by the guidance of Gods spirit, and in more wise sort, then euer any fieigner could thinke vpon; as the discreete Reader may easily discerne, by the correspondance of their Names, which abridge the Holy Story. The Syria{que} or Chaldy, Arabi{que} and Ethiopian, are as Ebrew.

H. Broughton.