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THE GENEALOGIES OF

Holy Scriptvres.

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To the Chriſtian Reader.

THe Spirit cf God in the ſacred Hiſtory, hath laid downe ſuch helps, as are the light and life of all Nations originals. In them the circumſtances of Perſon, Time, and Place, are the chiefe; elſe doe wee wander as without a guide: and of theſe the Perſon is principall. Genealogies then drawne from them, from whom all are defended, and by Gods owne warrant recorded vnto vs, fuſt moue a ſpeciall reuerence that they are holy, and farre from thoſe other againſt which S. Paul writeth.2.Tim.1.4. Amongſt whoſe manifold vſus, this is the chiefeſt, that by them is prooued how Chriſt was made very man. And therefore in ſeuerall Tables they are heere exhibited euen from their firſt roote, and ſo continued through their ſpreading branches, ſo farre as the Scripture giueth them ſap. In the reading whereof, let theſe few directions be thy guides.

1. Such deſcents as hold on from the Parents to their Children, without interruption, are very plaine by their double lines, which runne from rundle to rundle.

2. Thoſe whoſe Parents are not certainly knowne, but are named of their Country, Citie, or Tribe, are ioined each vnder other, with this figure here in the margent.

3. And likewiſe ſuch as are ſet in ranke ſide by ſide, and diſtinguiſhed by this marginall mark,

are not to be reputed Brethren, but ſome other Persons of note, of that deſcent where they are ſo inſerted.

4. The names of Nations and People, (as likewiſe ſometimes of Cities and other places of note) wee haue not incompaſſed in rundles as the reſt, but in Compartiments, and different letters betwixt direct lines, that ſo they might bee knowne from particular perſons, and the Names next vnder them, are not inſerted as certainly thence deſcended, but as eminent Perſons among them.

5. And where of neceßity we are to breake off the ſucceßion, to be continued in ſome other page, that doe we at ſome principall Perſons: as the floud with Noahs ſonnes; at the Promiſe, with Terah and Abraham, &c. So that euer the Man at which we breake off, is againe ſet in the firſt place of ſome enſuing page, where his iſſue is continued, though many times whole leaues fall betwixt them; which are ſupplied with other collaterals: ſuch is from Abraham pag.3. vnto his wiues and ſeed, pag.6. and 7. &c.

6. The lineage of our bleſſed Sauiour* Matth.1. Luke 3. (which is our principall ſcope) is knowne by a Chaine-like traile, continued from Adam to Sem, pag.1. and thence to Terah and Abraham, pag.3. &c. So lifewiſe from Dauid, pag.22. to his ſonnes Solomon and Nathan* Rab. Hacadoſh in this third queſtion vpon Iſai.9.1., pag.33. And laſtly, to our Sauiours parents, pag.34. lincked together (as other marriages here are) by the ſculpture of an hand in hand. Both deſcended from Zorobabel, as the holy Euangeliſts haue recorded: from Dauid, Iudah, and Abraham, as Moſes and the Prophets haue ſpoken; and Iewes them ſelues thus farre grant, that the Meſsiah ſhould be the Sonne of a ** Rab. Hacanas. Rab. Vla. Talmud the treatiſe of Sanhedrin, Chap Nigmar Hadin. Virgine, her name, Marie, and ſhe of Beth-lehem, the daughter of Eli, of the houſe of Zorobabel, and Tribe of Iudah. In all which our Chriſt is manifeſtly deſigned, and by theſe Iewes both acknowledged to haue been of the ** Theodoſ. the Iew in Suidas on the word Iuſus. Col.1.15. Heb.1.3. Apoc.7.12 blood-royal, and alſo recorded in the number of the Prieſts, in their publike Regiſter at Ieruſalem, by this title, Iesvs the sonne of the living god, and of the virgin marie. Thus is he Dauids Sonne, and Abrahams Heire, in whom all the kindreds of the earth are bleſſed, being the very Image of the inuiſible God, the brightneſſe of the glory, and the ingrauen forme of his Perſon, in whom dwelleth the fulneſſe of the God-head bodily, and vnto whom be aſcribed all glory, praiſe, wiſdome, thanks, power and might for euermore, Amen.