Thirdly, whereas he saith; That the first Fathers of mankind, were the first Kings and Rulers: for we see the earth divided amongst Noah's three sons, &c. I refer him for information to the 1 Chron. 1▪ 10. where it is said expressly of Nimrod, that he began to be mighty upon the earth; whereas if Noah and his sons were Kings, their dominions being greater before the division of the earth into after Colonies, they should have been more mighty then he. And what his might was▪ is declared to us, Gen. 10. 10. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, &c. Here is the first time, as Mendoza well observes, that we read of a kingdom after the flood, and that is marked with a [Greek or Hebrew], Rebellavit: For Nimrod comes of [Greek or Hebrew], to rebel, as if in erecting his Kingdom, he had rebelled against the way of government which before was used if not appointed. And it should seem strange if God had appointed that way of government by making the sons of Noah Kings; that Ham, from whom came Nimrod, who was that cursed and wicked posterity of Noah, should keep that government alive which was set up by God; and that Shem, who was the godly posterity of Noah, from whom came Abram, should not: for we read not that Abraham was a King, or that his government was Monarchical▪ but rather the contrary, as 1 Chro. 1. 43. Now these are the Kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before any King reigned over the children of Israel. To this purpose Mendoza swriteth who saith, Before the descent into Egypt, the Jews did not constitute a Common-wealth, but a family: for (as Aristotle) a Common-wealth doth not arise but from a conjunction of many families; but the• Abraham's family was one, to which Isaac's succeeded, and to that the house of Jacob. And although in Jacobs time, after several marriages there sprang up divers families (the government of all which could not be Occonom••al• or Domesticall) yet were there not so many families as could constitute any political Common-wealth, ⟨p. 11⟩but a middle kind of Community, which is called Vitalis, or Collectanea. Yea in Sect. 6. he proves out of Austin, Anton. Isidore, that Kingly government fell in the fourth age of the world: and therefore Rupertus compares the fourth Age of the world to the fourth day of the creation,t Because as that did shine with stars, so this with Kings.
Thirdly, whereas he saith; That the first Fathers of mankinde, were the first Kings and Rulers: for we see the earth divided amongst Noahs three sonnes, &c. I referre him for information to the 1 Chron. 1▪ 10. where it is said expressely of Nimrod, that hee began to be mighty upon the earth; whereas if Noah and his sonnes were Kings, their dominions being greater before the d•vision of the earth into after Colonies, they should have been more mighty then he. And what his might was▪ is declared to us, Gen. 10. 10. And the beginning of his kingdome was Babel, &c. Here is the first time, as Mendoza well observes, that we read of a kingdome after the flood, and that is marked with a 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, Rebellavit: For Nimrod comes of 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, to rebell, as if in erecting his Kingdome, he had rebelled against the way of government which before wasused if not appointed. And it should seem strange if God had appointed that way of government by making the sonnes of Noah Kings; that Cham, from whom came Nimrod, who was that cursed and wicked posterity of Noah, should keep that government alive which was set up by God; and that Shem, who was the godly posterity of Noah, from whom came Abram, should not: for we read not that Abraham was a King, or that his government was Monarchical▪ but rather the contrary, as 1 Chro. 1. 43. Now these are the Kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before any King reigned over the children of Israel. To this purpose Mendoza swriteth who saith, Before the descent into Egypt, the Jewes did not constitute a Common-wealth, but a family: for (as Aristotle) a Common-wealth doth not arise but from a conjunction of many families; but the• Abrahams family was one, to which Isaac's succeeded, and to that the house of Jacob. And although in Jacobs time, after severall marriages there sp•ang up divers families (the government of all which could not be Occonom••al• or Domesticall) yet were there not so many families as could constitute any politicall Common-wealth,
- sAnte discensum in Egyptum in quo Hebraei non Ren publicam sed samiliam constituebat; Nam (ut Ari•t) non nisi ex multis samiliis coales•it respub▪ tune autem una erat Abrah•e domus, in quam successit Isaac, & in bane domus Jacob, & quamvis in tempore Jacob: post connub•a plures •am familtae darentur, quarum omnium gubernatio non potuit esse Oeconomica, ta•en non e•ant it a m•ltae u• politicum Rempublicum▪ conflarent, sed medtant quandam commitatem quam vitalem seu collectaneam appellant. Mendoza 1 Tom. Annot. 3. Proem. Sect. 10.
- tQuia ut hec sideribus, it a illa regibus fulgurant. 6. Sect Proem.
