Genesis — Chapter 48

S$. Cypri.li, 1.¢.21, aduer. 4 Procop. I ftdor, ‘an Gon, loan.iz. Collof.2. GENESIS. ‘ Ludeos. S. Amb, ls, de Beneds. Patriarch... S$. 2100. li. 16, ce ar. de cimit, 270,

brother before the elder( Abel before Cain; Abraham before Nachor; Ifaac before Ifmael ; lacob himfelf be- fore Efau; and now Ephraim before Manatfies ) 1s here further reprefented b Jacobs forming of a crotie,with his armes layd one ouer the other,whé he bleffed his two nephewes : who others ife might haue layd his right bana firtt vpon one, and then vpon the other ; or haue cauicd them to change piaces ; but he wittingly crotled hisarmes, and cianged hir hands ; or according to the Hebrew , made his a. nds underfland, that is, by his hands made it to be vnderftood , not only thar the yonger should be in place of the elder , Ephraim bi fore Manailes, and much more the Gentiles before the Lewes, but alfo that this greater Myfterie should be effected by Chrift dying ona Crofle, For what cls could the verie crofling of his armes , fo wittingly and purpofty done, fignhe , bur the forme and figure of Chrifts Croffe ? As els. where the wood, which yong Ifaac caried on his back vnto the mountaine,prchgured the matter or fubftance of the fame Croffe. Al ae- complished when Chrift was crucified : wherby the Iewes were fcandalized, and the Gentiles called and faued. Our Sauiour himfelfe foretelling , chat he bemg exalted (to witvpon the Crotle ) would draw al urtehimfdf, And S.2aul teaching i that Chrift fafined the hand writing , that was agzinit vs upon she Cr fft.

Itis evident by this plaine text, that Iacob was deliuered from cuils by an Angel , and that he inuocated the fame Angel to bleffe his nephewes, S. Bafil (i, 5. cont, Eunom, initio) (reweth by this place among others , that an Angel 1s prefent with eueric onc , as a pedagogue, and pa- flour , dreGing his tife. S. Chryfottom alfo tho, 7, inland, S, Pamls) citeth this place in teftimonie that proper Angels are deputed to protect men. Yet Proteftants fay , that this Angel mufl be underfiood of Cori: remitting their glotie to the 3r. ch. v.13, and 3z.v, 1. of Genefis , where it can not be proued. Bur the ancient Fathers teach the patronage & Inuocaticn of Angels grounded in helie Scri- pture, Namely inthis place, and manic other places in the old Teftamenr, Alfo Mac, 18. Act. 12.1, Cor, r1,and the like, For example ,S, luftinus Mattyr im ex- plic, qq. necetf. q. 30. aflirming it fora knowen truth , declareth that thofe An- gels weich receiue the charge of guarding men,continue the fame office either to both foule and bodie, or to the foule after it is parted from the bodie, S, Cyril of Alexandria (lib, 4. cent. Iulian, prope init. shewing how God vfeth the mi- nifterie of holie Angels for mens faluatien , faith : Hi noxias a nobis abignnt feras, &c. Thefe ( Angels ) driue away noyfeme wild beafts tromvs, and refcuc thofe that are caughe , from their crueltie, and teach Whar foeuer is laudable, to make our paflage free, and not peftred, when with vs they glurise cne foaeraigne God. S, Chryfoftom (ho. 60, in Math. 18. ) S. Hicrcime zpon tle fame place, S. Ambrofe in Pfal. 38. S. Auguftin 11, 83. qq. q. 79. and li, Solilog, c,27, S. Gre. Iacob. 1

two good literal fenfes. For firftit importeth that Ephraim and Manaiics were made participant among the Tribes, of the bletfings of Abraham , Ifaac , and Iacob, Secondly , that God would bleffethem, for Abraham , Ifaac, and Iacobs fake : So Movfes praying for the whole people ¢ Exodi, 31. ) befought God to remember Abraham, Ifaac, and Ifrael, and God was therwith pacified, CH AP. gorie li. 4.¢.3t.in 3. Iob,S, Bernard fer. 5. Dedicat. Ecclef. and fer. 12. in Pfal, } 390. and others , fo vniverfally teach the fame , that Caluin (li. Inftit.c. 14, fea. The forme of figured by Ia- cob crofhng his armes, Prote&ion & Inuocatien of Angels, a ‘Ged for his ‘Saints fake sheweth fa- ‘nour to their freinds. the Croife pre- Proued by an+t cient Bathers, i (a) Thefe are predictions, not al bleffings. S. Amb. li, de B-nediG. Pa- triar. (6) A prophe- cle not an im- precation, S. Ang. li. tr, {¢. 3 Jo cons, Faw, That thefe are mott profound Myfteries , is eafie te con- ceiue, but moft hardto vnder- ftand them, In fome the Pa- triarch recoun-'! teth things patti in his life, fore-! telling the ef-: fe&s therof to: came. Other things he fore- lsheweth per- tayning to the diuifion of the Land of Cha- naan , others tothe times of the Iudges , of the Kings , of ithe Captiuitie, of Deliuerie from thence, of Chrift, of Anuchrift,and tof the end of this wor.d, Of GENESIS. Iacob.