Esther — Chapter 16

worke treafon againit + © the benefits, and to violate in themielucs the Lawes of. humanitie, bur they thinke they can efcape the fentence of God alfo who {ceth al things. 5. And they haue burft forth into fo great madnes, chat fuch - as obterue diligently the cfhces committed vnto them , and doe al. ro ouerthrow by fubril meancs ot lies ,6.whiles with crattie traude they decciue the fimple eares of Princes, and eftecming others by their. by thefe things , which are done daily, how (a) the entreprifes of Kings. (4) Atlaft thi. are depraued by the euil fuggeftions of certaine men, 8. Wherfore we King faw his if we command diuers things, rhat it commerch of the lightneffe of our, 19 beliening . _ oF P a . . - ‘one falfe . mind, but thae we giuefentence according to the qualitic and necc Mitie. One fate coun 2 feller oucr= “ef times ,as the prefite of the commenwealth requireth. 10,And thats ich. chaa.v you may more plainely vnderftad,that which we fay,Amanthe sOne et ... ‘ Gegerg 2 ot vs Amadathi , both in mind & countrie a Macedanian,& an alien 1:6 the ' Perfians bloud , and with his crueltie frayning our Fictie , Was receiued. —— Chill, ty, ¥.6. (¢) As Mardo- cheus fagge- fted, the King contirmed the in our name, to be of none effect, torethe gates of this citie , that is of Sufan, borh himielt chac deuifed obferuation of a feaft in me- morie of Gods benefice, and fo both lewes & Gentils kept it. *M cheg.v. 1: ESTHER. 4 ' 944 of vsaltranger: tand-found our humanitte fo great towards aim that he was called (byeurtfather, & was adored of al fecond after the King:

Albeit the vertne of Sacrifice as wel of Ho- lecautt in the eld Teftament, as efveciaily of Chrifts Sacrifice inthe New , is of infinit valure init-felfe,yet the avplica ton therot to particular pertuns and pur- pofes is limited , and therfore nolie Lob ortered nor only once for al his caildren, Saerifice being ‘of infinite ver-] tue, yet the va- lure in appii- cation is limi-f chariy2. Sacrifc, ty 350 red

the lewes , and with them to : celebrase the day whichu changed from forow toroy.. The copie of King Artaxerxes letter , which he fene for the Vewes to ! al the Prowinces of his Kingduns s the Which alfo 1s nos found im the Hebrew volume, HE great King Artaxerxes from India to Arhiopta, to M the dukes and Princes of an huadredtwentie feuen Pro- uinces, which obey our commandment , ferdeth greeting, 2, Mante haue abufed vnre pride the goodnes of Princes, and the honour, that hath been beitowed vpon them; ra them that gauc it. 4. Neither are they content not fo giue thankes for things fothat they are worthie ot al mens prayfe, them they endeauour _owne nature, 7, Which thing is proued both out of old hiltories, and , mult prouide for the peace ot al Prouinces.g.Neither muit you thinke, !owne errour:

13. For br certaine new deui-. fes and not heard of betore he hath fought to kil Mardocheus,by whofe tidelicie and benefits we liue , and Efther the felow- et our Singdom with al thetr nation :14. thinking this that they being flayne , he might worke treafonco our folitarines , and might transterre the Kingdom ot the Perfians to the Macedonians. 15. But we haue found the Lewes, which were by that moft wicked af men appoyuted to.be flayne,, ini no faulz at al, but contrariwife viing iuft lawes, 16. and the children of the higheft and the greatelt, and alwayes. -loning God, by whole bene- ftethe Kingdom was giuen both to our fathers and to vs ,and is kept vnto this day.17, Wherfore know ye thofe letters , which he directed

O God ftrong aboue al, heare the voyce of them, that haue no other hope, and deliuer vs trom the hand of the wicked , and deliues me from my feare.

ringto the contrarie made her widow- hood more excellent. widowhood an Euangelj- cal couafel, This whole book ts-cano- nical, The contents Written by Mardocheus, {Dinided into foure parts, of Chnift accoustech the whole Booke of infallible authuritie Captianic of Babylon; and their deliaerie from it,through che godlie 922 _ shubiluhshlbdtubedhchtchabadeds THE ARGVMENT. OF THE BOOK OF ESTHER, 5 F the authoritie of this booke only two or three ancient wrj- Melie, y ters doubted, bofure she Councels of Lavdues and Ch y © declared it 10 be Canenical. Al the rcft did cucr eftee © diuine Scripture, For allbest S.terome in bis tine Sottud not cer-* Criven, ES faine Parts iberof in the Hebrew , and ther fore tran{pafed the . spt fame to the endof the booke,as now we haue thew “Jobin tie Giceke be fuand \* 87-4 al rhefe fixceen chapters conteyned inten, And it isnot yuprebable , that the fe ria parcels were fometimes in che Hebrew , 4s were diners whole bookes which are now lofi. But whether they were at anie time in the Hebrew oF no, the Church 1 Téauing as rrel. thee parts,as the reftin her publike office. And the Councel of Trent (fell... I for more expreffe declaration defineth that ai the bookesrecited in the fame Decree(among which is Either) with al the Parts therot, as they are accu- ftomed to be readin the Cacholike Church , and be conteyned in the old vulgar latin Edition, are facred and Canonical Scripture, It conteyneth a particular great danger of the people of Ifrael , hapning ( as tS probable ) shortly after their general relaxation, and returne of fame from the Xele and other . Seg artdace a . ' 17g Vertues of Qucen Efther, directed herein by Madocbeus,who being aife in imma nent danger was deliuered and adnanced : and Jinally writ the bifforie. which may be diuided into foure parts , not by order of tie chapters us they are kere tran{pofed, but in order of time. Firfl the authour reporterh fome things soing before the peoples dan Ser j18 the 15.1.2.12.chapters, and part of the 3. Secondly, their danger and diftre(fe,in the rcft of the 3 and part of 1 3-chapters.Thirdly their Aelinerte from the 4.chapter to the middes of the 9. and it fi of the13. and im the T4-1$. and 16. Fourtly,the things that enjued bereupon, in the other half of the usnth chapter the 10.chapter,aud Sirft verfe of the eleuenth.. W Hofoeuer wil pleafe to read shish-ftorie, in order of the rime as the things happened, adseyning the Latter chapters, hub are in the Gree kana not im Hibrew,may folow the testers of tie Alphabet, zs here We dane placca kos in the margeut , beginning at the {cond verse of the 11. wapter , where he finderh the letter A, and when be commeth to B.rerurne ykere the fame (etser is noted, ch...And foin the reft folow the fame ais ction. eee THE, BOOK OF ESTHER

and the Sabetans came in-vioiently , and hauc taken: al things , and. ites Stoilzes of the houfe , which falling oppreffed thy children and they are dead, whoare neuer 2d J alone haue efcaped to tel thee, 20.. Then lob rofevp, and rent his moued,S.Aug, garments , & with poled head falling onthe ground, adored,21, and- hit. cociuix. » faid: (¢ ) Naked came out of my mothers wombe , and neked shal 5.Paul alfo re- Treturne thither: Our Lord gaue, and our Lord hath taken away :as_ Sr cheot efeaee - ithath pleafed our Lord , fo 1s it done: the, name of our Lord be bief- domiey.zr. fed. 22, Inval thefe things lob finned not with hislippes , neither fpake he anie toolish thing again{t God. ANNOTATIONS. arayfes. felues in the third perfon,and fo did holie Tob humbly truly and imply, without ire both Gods! withthe Holie Ghoft, might wel write hrs owne ates , which were the guifts of 4 Morcoucr . : . 4 . aye , : : inleb, rGood works vavne gloric,or arrogancic, as S. Gregorie noveth;faying: Bletled lob, infpired vat as. --- PAGE 977 --- ‘Phil, 2. API. 26 Caniic. , “hur manie imes, feuerally for eucris one. Wherof fee Cardinal Allan lb, 2, de Ene ci ee OF IOB 950 Moreouer Lobs fingular patience and other vertues are likewife commended in other Scriptures and by ancient Doéours. Tobie 2, God permitted tentation ize) happen vnte Tobias,that example might be ginen to his felewers of his patience, as of holse Lob, S. Tames (¢. 5.) exhorting to paticnce y fayth: Yow haweheardthe Tobs patience [uffering of Tob , and you hane {ten the end of onr Lord. Tertullian (13, depatiensia ) ad- inuincible inal miring fobs pasience exclameth thus: O mott happieman/whomneither the drit- fortes of afili- uirg avay of his Hocks of catle,nor confuming of the rcit with fre nor the lofle ion, of his children , nor to:ments of his bodice, could drine from patience : but he food immoueable in the feruice of God, fox cxaimple to vs. that we fal not for anie wordlie dainage , lolfe of deareft friends.or corporal atflictions. And bleffed be God , by. whofe bleiling we may now fay :O happre Englifa Catholikes, thac Englith Cz patiently futfer the very fame kinds of trioulation ‘though not in fo great ade- jtholikes leofe gree) inourtime! S$ Cyprian ( lide bono patientiz ) Lub examined and proued by (their goods & the vercue of patience, was aduenced to the very height of prayfe ,arich Lord in ichildren,& are} potfulion, and a more rich father in children, fodainly was neither Lord, nor fa- affliéed in.bo- ther: was alfo moft gricuoutly aftlicted in his Aefh: andthat no tentation might .die, be wanting ,the diucl armed his wife againfit him, yet was he not nroued, but by victorious patience thanked God foral, In like fort other holic tachers , For en- couragement and contolation of the afHicted,write much of holic fobs inuincibic patience. Aboue al S, Gregorie , our Apoitle, dilatech moit excellently inthirtic Great conmmé- and fine whole books, deferibing and propoting his fo grcat vertucs to be mnita- darionto be ted by al Chriftians , firitof al (linc. 5.) obferuing how great a prayfe it4stO ‘good amoneft be good in fuch a place , 1 tie middes of acreoked and peruer/é nation , shining as a light ‘thebad. inthe world , dwelling in the centils > Where was the jeare of Satan, a iste among (? ! 4 { shornes,