A briefe of the Bible drawne first into English poësy, and then illustrated by apte annotations: togither vvith some other necessary appendices. By Henoch Clapham.

32. Staffe. (Book 32)

Vnder Mede Perse, for (a) Nehemiahs time, Iudea liu'd. Then (b) Alexander Great, Winnes Persian Crowne, and Raignes a little time. (c) Foure Kingdomes do arise out of his Seate. But (d) two of them aboue the other clyme, And cruellie whip Iudah for the tyme.

(a) It se∣meth, that as Nehe∣miah might see the end of the Per∣sian Mo∣narch: so likewise should Ezra see their whole Monarch, head and foote. Nehem. 12. 22. 26. for Da∣rius Persa, is the last King, which Canonicall writ recordeth. And the Iewish Hystoriographers doe wri••e, that Iadduah, (Nehem. 12. 22.) and Sanballat, Nehem. 4 1. were in Alexander Magnus his time. Of Iadduah (Father of Onias) they write, that hee met Alexander in his Pontificalibz, before whome the King reverenced. Of Sanballa•• they write, that he presented Manasseh an Apostaticall Priest (that had married with him) to Alexander, who built for his vse a kind of Temple: To whome al such Priests resorted, as (for marrying with the Vncircumcised) were driven from the Temples Alter at Ierusalem. Manasses his Temple built; (as Ioseph Ben-Matthias recordeth) on Mount Garizin, an hil. against Sama∣ria, higher than the residue. Well hath One there∣fore

concluded, that the Persian Monarch may not be streatched aboue 130. yeares, except wee will giue vnto Ezra an vncredible age.

(b) Alexander, the Brasen Bellie (Dan. 2. 39.) the Leopard, Dan. 7. 6. the Westerne Goate, Dan. 8. 5. A∣lexander resembled in them Three, hee commeth skipping from Grecia, and pusheth the Ramme of Persia, Dan. 8. 6. destroyeth the Persian Beare, Dan. 8. 5. and succeedeth the Two silvered Armes of the Medes and Persians. Paras so cast downe, Iavan (for of him, Genes. 10. 2. the Grecians came) put on the Monarchs Diademe: Him Iaddua (Ierusalems high Priest) accompanied with the Cittizens in white, doth meete: for which Alexander graunted them great liberties. He raigned 6. yeares Monarch, and then in his prime of strength, having conquered the Easterne world, he suddenly dieth, and his house is quickly after rotten.

(c) Out of that Rotten Head, springeth 4 Hornes or Kingdomes, allotted to 4. Captaines. To Cassan∣der, was allotted Macedonia: to Antigonus, Asia-Minor: Syria, to Seleucus Nicator: and Egypt to Pto∣lemi Lagi. Dan. 8. 8. and Chap. 11. 4.

(d) The Kings of the North and South, so called Dan. 11. because their Kingdoms so stood coasted from Iudea, they roote out the other Two Corri∣vals, and mary togither. Dan. 11. 6. These Two Pow∣ers conioyned, are liuely resembled by the Images Two Iron Legges, Dan. 2. 33.

As all haue consented, that the first 3. mettles of Golde, Silver, Brasse, did represent the Monar∣ches of Golden Chaldea, silverie Persi••, brazen Gre∣cia: so vsuallie, they haue vnderstood the Iron Legs to import the Romane Monarch. The Iewes ope∣ning the eare willingly to that, doe cast this bone back to Christians. The Iron leggs are the Romane Monarch: but the Romane Monarch is not yet a∣bolished:

Therfore Christ is not yet come: because Christ the Stone from aboue comming, shall at his comming abolish the fourth Monarch, aswel as the former Three, Dan. 2. 34. 45. Nay they go on Tri∣umphing thus: Oh foolish Christians, the Two Legs must denote Two King domes, vnder whose feet we must bee trampled, till Messiah come: and as your selues graunt the Romish kingdome to bee One, so we beleeue the Turkish kingdome to be the Other Iron Legge.

Herevnto, over weakly, me thinks, there hath bene returned this Answer. The Stone Christ hath rushed vpon R••mes Monarch, in so much, as by that power of Christ, it still diminisheth some and some, and wil be abolished quite at his second comming. The lewe calleth this an Abolishment in Conceipt, not Reall: and for any thing I can smell, it is too-too improper.

First, an improper sense, is vnnecessarie, where a proper is at hand.

Secondly, betweene the Two Legges, and that One Goverment of the Romanes, there is not pro∣portion or likenes. That, the Iewes well obserue, though they evill applie them two. As by the Two Armes were meant, not O••e, but Two Kingdomes, namely, Madai and Paras, so by rule of likenes, Two Kingdomes, but both One against Iudea, must here be meant. That proportionablie holdeth, in giving the two Legges vnto Aegypt and Syria: which two Kingdomes, as two Leggs did spring out of the Bra∣zen Belly and Loynes, Iavan or Grecia.

Thirdly, the Stone was to fall on the Images Toes. That IT did not, regarding the Romanes, for It rather rushed on that Monarchs Heade, or prime of Government over Iudea, but that it did, on the Toes of Syri-Egypt: for Herod, Matthewe 2. 1. of Anti-pater an Idumean, as hee was appointed

to governe by Romes Cesar, so was hee by Aegypts Antoni and Cleopatra then in Syria (shee sprung of Syri-Egypts seed: such commixture Daniel foretold 2. 43. and 11. 6) confirmed to that Regiment over Iudea. The blessed Stone so tumbled on Gog-Ma∣gogs Toe. See the 1. Staffe of the newe Testament following.

Fourthly, the vision was for confirmation of the Iewes faith & patience, vntil Messiah came to case them: and not so, for Tyme after Messiah: the like falling out in all Daniels following visions.

Fiftly, we shal see, that this Image is: first, for the Whole, then for the Partes, in the sequences expoun ded. For the whole, That vision (Dan. 7.) of the 4. Beasts is cleare. The three Beasts expounding the three first Mettles: as for the fourth Beast (wherein lyeth the doubt) it is set out by notable Periphrases, but not said (as were the former) to bee like this or that Beast: for being so changeable in goverment, even nowe 12. raigning, even nowe 4. even nowe two: al Terrible and Tramplers of Iudea vnder foot; it cannot at any hand be properly affirmed of Rome but wonderfull plainly and properly of that disor∣dered Iron kingdom that came out of Iavans bra∣zen bellie. And of this kingdome, doe the Iewish Antiquitaries vnderstand it: teaching the••ewithall, that Antiochus Epiphanes was that litle horne that vttered great blasphemie. Let vs not hinder them in comming forwards to Iesus Messiah.

For the Partes of the Images-vision: First, Daniel hath a vision, Chap. 8. of a Ram and a Goate. This overthrowing That: that is, Mede-Perse or Paras o∣uerthrowne by Alexander, the brazen Bellie and Goate saltant. Secondly, in the eleventh Chapter, Daniel is told by the Angel of each excellent par∣ticular that concerneth the plaine pointing out of Mede-Perse, Grecia, and the braunched Hornes or

Governments issuing ont of Alexanders Monarch: every latter vision more open than the former, and a plaine expositor of the first