Genesis — Chapter 27

and priuiledges belonging to the firft-borne., So he did not lie, but fpake a truth, meaning that he was that fonne , to whom by diuine election the firft-birth-right was due , which his father fuppofed to pertaine to Efau, But becaufe fome fcorners of Chriftian doctrine ¢ liketo the old Manichees)vfe to fay , thar Catholik DoGours and Schoolinen excufe and condemae whom they liftby fuch gloffes, let fuch reprouers enderitand, that both moderne & ancient Catholik writers auow this defence of che holie Patriarch Iacob , not by priuate fpirit , bue by the moft true and proper fenfe of holie Scripture it-fclfe.W here it may appeare, ifthey wil examine the texe , that lacob in al this procurement of his fathers bleding, neither did any thing vniuttly nor faid anie thing falfly Firft, it was reuealed to his mother(chap.25.v.23.) Thas the elder(of her twins ) should ferne the yonzer, Secondly, holic Scripture reftifeth inthe fame chapter(v.27.) Thas Facob was a plaine‘or fincere) Man, void of vniuft dealing. Thirdly, for more quier enioying that right, which God had ordained for him, he procured his brothers confens and confirmation (v. 33.) Fourthly though he was fecure in confcience that the bleffing was due to him yet he feared v.12.) lefthe might giue ocealion of offence to his father ,to whom this myftrie was not yet reuealed . Fiftly, Ifaac percetuing at lat Gods wil , that lacob fhould be preferred , was neither offended with him , nor reuoked his blefling as vnlawfully furprifed , but condefcendin thereto,ratified that hehad done, faying (v. 33.) Thame bieffed hina , and be shal be bleffed, Sixtly ,God himfelfe from this tine forwards often appeared te facob, and with great promifes and manie temporal and fpiritul benchts , declared his fingular loue to him. Seuenthly ,the!e three Patriarchs, Abraham, Ifaac,& Iacob, arefpecial renowimed Saints of the old Teftament: yeathe Lord and Creatour of al would peculiarly be called(Exodi 5. )the God of Abraham, !faac,and Iacob, Moyfes praying inftantly for Gods mercie and clemencie towards the people CExodi 32.) befought him to remember Abrahain,{faac,and {acob,his feruants: and fo in both oldand new Teitament thefe three are often mentioned as chiefe princes in the Kingdome of Heauen, Al which thew the great vertues and helines of them al. And Taceb did not lie, nor finne in faying hé was Efau&e. He is proued innocent by the text. 2. 3- 4 Se 6. 7 The Fathers iprouc his inno- cencie in this fa&, Euerielieis a finne. 86 GENJESIS. Ifaac And touching this ta% of lacob , where (if euer any-where) might feemcte be fome great Gnunt, S.Auguftin at large proueth thathe didnot hereim finne at al: That which Lacob aid (faithhe li, cont.mendacium c. 10,) Sy his moshers infiruction se deceiue his fas rer , if it be diligently confidered , was no tie , bus amyfierie , and therfore for the famsiliar counfat of the Holie Ghoft, which his mother had receiued he is excuofed from { nne. The fame he confirmeth q.74.in Gen, L.16.c.32.de cinit.& L42.¢.34 cont. Fault, The fame alfo teach S.Cahrif, ho.s 4.11 Gen, S.Hiero, Epift.r25, 5. Theoduret,q 79.&.80, in Gen.S.Gregorie,ho.6.in Ezechiclem,S.Bede, I fdorus,Innocentius 3, Rupertus, & others vponthis place, al agreeing abfolurcly that eneric lie isa finne, declare that Iacob lied not , but ftilfpake the truth, confirming their expoftion by other like places of Scripture. As when our Sauiour faid of 5, Iohn Baptift (Math, 11.) Heis Elias, meaning that he was Elias in {piric not in perfoa,So Iacob faid truly that he was Efau, not meaning in perfon but in right of the firft-borne, by Gods ordinance: Ffau alfo haning condefcended thereto by couenant and oath. In thar Somedeceit alfo he decciued his father, was no finnc. For itwasa lawful and good deceir, good, fuch a one ‘faith S, Chrifoftom)as Hieremie fpeakezh of , Lord show haft decesmed C me, and I am deceined,to [faac was decciued not as we Commonly cal deceit, bur to ol, his owne and others good, by Gods difpofition, Hier.20 23 Knew him nos. } S. Damafus demanding of S. Hierom, what might be the E pif. It was good reafon why God would fuffer his helie feruant lfaac not to know Tacob,but to be 125. that Ifaac knew nor Ia- cob when he bleiied him, Good in re- fpest of Efau, More to Gods glorie and la- cods commen- dation, deceiued , and through ignorance to blefie whom he would not , declareth that it happened not onlv to Iacob, but alfo to manie other like holy men,to be ignoranr of maniethings,andto be decciued in errour of opinion: and that this crrour was profitable to Ifaac and his houfe, For if he had yiuen this biefling ( which was a fpiritual [urifsiction) to Efau,as he purpofed ,he had committed a nexious errour indeed, by preferring a blondie man,one thar was readie,if he could,to haue kil- led his brother (v.41. ) omitting him that was fincere.and very vertuous,and had donc hisowne wil,not Gods wil therin. But why would not God reucale his wil ro Ifaac (as he had commanded a farre greater thing to Abraham, to facrince the fame Ifaac ) that he might wittingl haue blefed lacobby Gods commandment ? The Fathers doe probably alleadge this for one reafon, thar if Efau,bemg aferceand cruel man, had percciued that his father had wi-lingly preferred Lacob, he would hane been incenfed againft his father , conceiued and attempted euil againft him.Another reafon S Chri‘oftom and Theodoretdoe yrald, that by this ftrange manner of imparting this blefiing, it might more manifeftly appearero be Gods wil and ordinance , and not to pro- ceed from mans affeétion,that Lacob Should be p:erersed, CHAP. . S ap,10. fleep “a ladder Randing vpon the earth, & the top therot touching hea- Ifaac. GENESIS,

Tfaac vnder.-’ Roodit, oft _{Antiq. ) but jazaine Herod (c) Ifaacnow knowing itto be Gods wil, rauhed that he. had done, (d) vordlings ble:hng confi- fteth in tranfi- toric wealth. fe) The Idu- means bein fubdued by King Dauid (2. Reo.s.Jre- volted from King Ioram, & hada King of their owne (4. Reg. 8, ) they Were againe fubdued by Hircanus(tefte Tofepho, li. 13, an Idumean reigned in Iewrie Math, 2 Luc. 1 may proue whether thou be my fonne Efau, or no. 22. He came _giue mea kiffe,my foane, 27. He came neer, and kifled him. Andim- ‘peoples ferue thee , and tribes adorethee:be thou Lord of thy brethren, forth abroad , but Efau came, 31. and brought in to his father meats Who art thou ? Who anfwered : I am thy frit begotten fonne Efau, GENESIS. Ifaac. 84 neer to his father , and when he had fele him , Ifaac faid : The voice verily , is the voice of Iacob: but the hands. are the hands of Efau,

24, he faid: Art thou my fonne Efau> He anfwered: Tam. 2<.. But he faid : Bring me the meats of thy hunting, my fonne,that my foule may bleflethee. Which when they were brought and he had eaten, he offered him wine alfo, which after he had drunke , 26, he faid to him : Come neer me, and mediately as he felt the fragrant fauour of his garments, bleffing him,he faid : Behold the fauour of my fonne is as the fauour of a plentiful feld, which our I ord hath bleffed. 28%. God giue thee of the deaw of heauen, & of the fatnes of the carth aboundance of corne and wine. 29. And let and thy mothers children bow they before thee. He that thal curfe thee , be he curfed : and he that fhal bleffe thee , be he replenished with bleffings, 30. Iaac had fearce ended his words , and Iacob now gone made of his hunting , faying: Arife my father , and eate of thy fonnes hunting ; that thy foule may bleffe me. 32. And Ifaac faid to him: Why! ~r 33 Ifaac was amazed and aftonished exceedingly , and maruelin more then a mancan belieue, faid : Who is he then that euen now brought me venifon that he had taken, and I did cate of al things before thou caimett , and I haue bleffed him, (c)and he shal be bleffed: 34- Efau hauing heard his fathers words , roarcd out with a great cry; and being difmated,faid : Bleffe me alfo,my father. 35, Who faid : Thy brother came deceitfully and tooke thy bleffing. 36. But he faid againe: Rightly is his name called Iacob ; for he hath fupplanted me loe the fecond time : my beit-Diceh right he tooke before , and now the fecond time he hath ftollen my bleffing. And againe to his father he faid: Haft chou not referued me alfo a blefling ? 37. Ifaac anfwered : I haue appointed him thy Lord,and al his brethren I haue made fubiect to his feruice: with corne and wine I haue eftablifhed him, and for thee , m fonne , what fhal ! doe more after this? 38. Te whom E(au {aid: Hait thou one only bleffing, father ? I befeech thee bleffe me alfo. And when he wept that he howled againe, 39. Ifaac being moued, {aid to him: In (4) the fat of the earth, and in the deaw of heauen from aboue

Thou shalt liue by the fword , and shale ferue thy brother : and ( ¢ ) the time shal come, when thou shalt shake off and loofe his yoak fromthy neck, 41, Efau therfore alwaies hated Iacob for the bleffing wherewith. his father had bleffed him; and he {aid is his hart: The dates wil come of the mourning of my father, and I wilkil lacob my brother, 42. Thefe things were told to Rebecca: who Ifaac. GENESIS. 8; who fending and calling lacob her fonne, faid to him : Behold Efau thy brother threatneth to kil thee. 43. Now therfore , my fonne, haire my voice ,and get thee vp and fly to Laban my brother into Haran:

45. and his indignation ceafe, and he forget thofe things which chou haft done to him: afterward I wil fend, and bring thee trom thence hither. Why shal I be depriued of both fonnes in one day? 46, And Rebecca faid to If{aac : 1am wearie of my life for the daughters of Heth : if lacobtakea wife of the ftock of this land , I lift not liue, ANNOTATION & CHAP, XXVILI

who after that dreadful vifion, erected a ftone for a title (or monument ) powring oyletheton , and cal- ling that place The homft of God. S.Cyprian alfo writing of Chrifme mentioneth the two forts of holie oyle vfed inthe Church ; one of frmple oyle confecrated by 2 Bishop, which is vfed for Catechumens before Baptifmce, perfons pofieficed, and the fick ; the other is made of oyle and balmc, alfo confecrated by a Bishop, and this 1s vfed in Baptifme, Confirmation , and in confecrating Altars, Kings, } and Priefts, 20, Vewed, ] It cannot be vnderftood that Iacob heer vowed wr promifed only to ferue God , as the Soueraigne Lord ot al creatures , for to that he was bound , wheth 1 he should profper temporally or no; but that he vowed parti- cular godlie works , to which he was not otherwife obliged. As heer. he ex- preficth two things. Prefuppofing before al , that the Lord Omnipotent shal be his God, he addeth,, Firft, U#nd shis fione whist. } have ercéted for a tithe ysial be called the howfe of God, Wherby he promifed the building of a Church , performed at his returne (chap. 35.) Secondly , be added , eAnd ef al shings. whieh thew shalt giue me I wil offer sithes to shee, And this Likcwife was ot free deuotion. For tithes alfo im the law of nature were duc to Pricfts , and. by irferiour Priefts to the chiefe Pricft, as Abraham gauc tithes to Melchifedech, And fo al his rithes were due to hts father, and after his father himfelfe was chiefe : yet he pro- mifed them to God , that is, to offer them in Sacri&ce, and beftow them in other vies pertaining to Gods feruice. CHAP. 2 The Church learneth aot ites of Idola- ters, but they iof the Church, Difference in religious , fu- perftitious, and ciuil honour, confifteth in the perfons, &! intentions, ‘Two forts of hohe oyle, Vowesare pros] perly of things; which are not otherwife com-4 manded, 4 (b)S. Auguftine (q.87.1n Gen, ) commendeth familiar kiffing of kinsfolke and freinds as fa laudable cn- ftome in fome jcountries. It is no-where more ciuil & modeft then in Ene gland, 90 GENESIS. Iacob.