The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

§ Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum.

Jansenius from this passage, concludeth that this Sermon of Christ in the Synagogue of Nazareth, was not of a great while after his coming into Galilee, but that he had first passed and preached through Galilee, because as yet according to the order in which we have laid the story, there is but one miracle mentioned that he had done at Capernaum, which was the recovering of the Rulers son. Now that miracle was enough to have occa∣sioned these words though he had done no more. But Capernaum was Christs very common residence upon all occasions, and it is like he had done divers miracles there, though they be not mentioned: for when he came from Samaria, the Text relateth, that he avoideth his own Town of Nazereth, because he knew that there he should find but cold intertainment and little honour, but that he went into some other parts of Galilee, and the Galileans whither he went received him, having seen all that he did at Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover, John 4. 44, 45. Now Capernaum was as likely a place whether he would betake himself and where he would stay if he stayed in any City, as any other.

Vers. 25. When the Heaven was shut up three years and six months.

This sum lyeth very obscure in the Text of the Book of Kings: for there it is only said that Elias said, there shall not be dew nor rain these years. 1 Kings 17. 2. And that after many days, in the third year Eliah shewed himself to Ahab, and there was rain, &c. 1 Kings 18. 1, And it were not strange that Christ the Lord of time, did for all the difficulty of the Text determine it; but it seemeth by his speech to these Nazarites, that it was a reckoning and sum commonly known and received of them. And so when the Apostle James useth the same account, James 5. 17. it is likely that he speaketh it to the Jews as a thing acknowledged and confessed: But how to pick it up in the Book of Kings, is very intricate to him that shall go about it. Yet thus far we may go. 1. That it was a year after the drought began, before the Brook Cerith dried up: for it is said, that at the end of days the Brook dried: now for the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Days, to be used for to signifie a year, examples might be given exceeding copiously. 2. Those words, in the third year God said to Eliah, Go shew thy self to Ahab and I will send rain: cannot be understood of the third year of drought: for this his coming to Ahab was not in the third year but after it, for he had told him there should be no rain 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 these three years, at the least, as the learned in the Hebrew tongue will easily observe, out of the number of the word, which is not dual but plural. And therefore the third year is to be referred to Elias sojourning with the Sa∣reptane widow. He had been one year by Cherith, and above two years at Sarepta, and af∣ter many days in the third year, he shews himself to Ahab and there were rains.

Now how to bring these many days, to half a year is still a scruple, how to fix it or to go any whit near thereunto, unless it be by casting the times of the year when the drought began and when it ended: and there might be very probable reasons produced to shew that it began in Autum, and ended in the Spring, which two times were their most constant times of rains, Joel 2. But truth hath spoken it here, and it is not to be disputed, but only thus much is spoken to it, because it seemeth that he speaketh it to

the Jews here as men consenting and agreeing in the thing already: The Rabbins do quaintly descant upon the last verse of 1 King. 16. (where there is mention of Hiels building Jericho, and losing his two sons in the work according to the word of Joshua) and the first verse of Chap. 17. where Eliah foretels the restraint of rain thus▪ Ahab and Eliah (say they) went to comfort Hiel for the death of his sons▪ Ahab said to Elijah, it may be the word of the servant [Joshua] is performed, but the word of the Master [Moses] will not be performed, who saith, Ye will turn away and serve other Gods, and the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up heaven that there be no rain, &c. There∣upon Elias swore and said, As the Lord liveth before whom I stand, there shall be no rain.

This number and term of time, of three years six months, (just half the time of the famine in Egypt, is very famous and renowned in Scripture) as hath been observed before. But in nothing more renowned then this, that it was the term of Christs Ministery from his Baptism to his death, he opening Heaven for three years and six months, and raining down the Divine dew of the Gospel, as Elias had shut Heaven so long and there was no rain at all.

Vers. 28. And all they in the Synagogue when they heard these things were filled with wrath, &c.

Here is such another change of affection, in these Nazarites, one while giving testi∣mony to the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth, and presently ready to murder him for his words, as there was in the men of Lycaonia, Act. 14. who one while would worship Paul and Barnabas for Gods, and immediately stone them with stones. The matter that gave such offence in these words of Christ to his Countrymen, was double. 1. Because he so plainly taught and hinted the calling of the Gentiles and refusing of the Jews, as was to be seen in the double instance that he alledged that Elias should harbour no where with any Israelite, but should be recommended by God to a heathen widow (for so were the Sareptanes being of Sidon): and that not one Israelite leper should ever be healed, but Naaman a Heathen Syrian should be. This doctrine about the calling of the Gentiles was a matter that the Jews could never hear of with patience, but it did pro∣voke them, Deut. 32. 21. This made Jonah to out-run his errand, and to flee to Tarsus when he should have gone to Nineveh, because it vexed him at heart to be any means of the conversion of the Gentiles, upon this consideration, that the coming in of the Gen∣tiles would be the casting off of his own people: which before he will be an instrument of, he will outrun God he knows not whether; The Jews express his fancy pertinently thus: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 He was careful of the honour of [Israel] the child, but he was not careful of the honour of [God] the Father. This made the Jews of Jerusalem to rage for madness when Paul did but speak unto them of going to the Gentiles, Act. 22. 21. And 2. another thing that incensed these people of Nazareth was, that Christ did refuse to do any miracles amongst them, which they knew he did not re∣fuse to do in other places; and that his refusal was backed with such a comparison of them, as that he doth compare them with Israel when it was at the wickedest, for so it was in the days of Elias and Elisha, under Ahab and his wretched Generation. Now our Saviour in this his refusal and in these his words, doth but by the Nazarites as he did by the Syrophenician woman afterwards: he called her dog, and at first denied her petition, but afterward upon her importunity consented to her and received her to favour: and so his first refusal was not a resolved rejection of her, but a trial: Such another was his speech here: but it was not so dig••••ted by his Countrymen: for they in disdain to be so likened and spoken to, when the Synagogue service was done, lay hold upon him, and would have thrown him headlong from the rock: but he by a Divine power and work, delivers himself out of their hands: And thus hath poor and wretched Nazareth un∣done it self.