vs to extoll magnifie his name for wōderful are his works to our great profite and commoditie Finally to obey his lawes and statutes for he serueth them that serue him so dooing God will sende vs sauiours to saue vs and to deliuer vs from our enimies and the wordes of the Prophete shall be verified vpon vs in that he saythe The kingdome shall bée the Lordes For he shall be our kyng for euer and we his people shall be continually garded vnder the shadowe of his wings and alwayes defended from all maner miserie and calamitie Hitherto I haue opened the sence and meaning of the Prophet according to the letter which although for diuers causes it is very necessarie to be vnderstanded yet béeing considered of it selfe without any further application of the same vnto our selues it is vnfruitfull and vnprofitable As the Apostle sayth the letter killeth but the spirite giueth life Therfore I haue added moreouer vnto the letter certayne generall lessons for the instruction of all Christians Which application of the scriptures vnto our selues the Apostle putteth vs in minde of where he sayth what soeuer things are written afore time they are written for our learning that we through patience and comforte of the Scriptures might haue hope And as in diuers other places so especially in the thirtenth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrues he hath giuen vs an example of this interpretation where the words of the almightie God spoken only vnto Iosua and perteyning onely vnto him according to the letter are vsed as a generall lesson for all men to teach them to put their trust in god After that Moses was dead God appoynted Iosua to be ruler of the Israelites and to bring them into the lande of promise and bicause he shoulde not feare nor be dismayde God sayde vnto him As I was with my seruant Moses so I will be with thée I will not fayle thée nor forsake thée Vpon these words the Apostle groundeth this generall doctrine Let your conuersation be without couetousnesse and be content with those things that ye haue For he hath saide I will not fayle thee neyther forsake thée Thus the Apostle dissuadeth vs through distrust of Gods goodnesse to vexe our selues with immorderate care of worldly riches and the vnlawful meanes to enriche our selues bicause God hath sayde vnto Iosua I will not fayle thée neyther forsake thee teaching vs therby to apply the holy Scriptures to our comforte confirmation of our fayth Whose example I haue followed by adding the morall as they call it vnto the letter of the Prophet But besides this morall there is also in the prophesie conteyned an allegorie concerning the comming of our sauiour to iudgement our ful redemption by him in destroying Antichrist in bringing vs both body soule vnto the euerlasting blessednesse which he hath prepared for all the faithfull For the wordes and works of God are vnserchable do teach vs a great deale more thā the letter at the first sight offreth vnto vs This I say that in the scriptures especially in the old testamēt in the writings of Moses the Prophets there are for the most part thrée senses in one text according to those diuers sēses thrée diuers interpretations The first is called literal grāmatical or historical the second tropological ethical or moral the third allegorical figuratiue or mysticall The literal interpretatiō is called grāmatical historical bicause in it nothing else is noted but that which the grāmer rules the historie it self in playne meaning giueth vs to vnderstande This alwayes is fyrst chiefly to be noted as the ground foundation of the other interpretations If we make not a good foundation that whiche we buyld thereon will be weake so if we do not truely expound the letter of the scripture commonly we shal make an vnprofitable moral and a false allegorie The bare letter of the newe Testament especially is for the most part very profitable and cōmodious to al Christiās There are fiue generall vses commodities of the scripture taught of the Apostle S. Paule in the Epistle to the Romanes the .15 chapter and in the seconde Epistle to Timothie the third chapt First by it we learne patience in aduersitie by it we haue consolation in persecution and are therby encouraged to continue vnto the ende in the true worship of God through hope of life euerlasting secondly we are taught true doctrine as touching the articles of our fayth and thirdly to improue false doctrine cōtrary to the same fourthly by the scriptures we lerne to correct our wicked liuing which is cōtrary to Gods cōmādements and finally we are therby instructed in godlinesse in al such things as are acceptable vnto god All these commomodities are founde in the literall sence of the scriptures For what is more comfortable than the very letter of these wordes So God loued the worlde that he gaue his onely begotten sonne to the ende that who soeuer beleeueth in him should not perishe but haue life euerlasting And the letter of these words We are iustified by fayth without the works of the lawe doth teache vs the doctrine of iustification by fayth without any desert of our good works also doth improue the contrarie In like maner the letter of other places doth teach other doctrine And where the Apostle sayth The workes of the fleshe are manifest which are adultry fornicatiō vnclennesse wantonnesse Idolatrie witchcraft hatred debate emulations wrath contentions seditions heresies enuy murthers dronkennesse gluttonie and suche like whereof I tell you before as also I haue tolde you before that they which do such things shall not inherite the kingdome of god But the fruite of the spirite is loue ioy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse fayth méekenesse temperancie agaynst suche there is no lawe The very letter of these words serueth to correct and to instruct vs in godlinesse So commodious is the bare letter of the holy Scriptures and the morall therof which is to gather out of the letter some good lesson for our instruction is no lesse profitable For all the miracles of our sauiour Christ as according to the letter and historie they serued to the commoditie of those that were healed by him so they may be morally interpreted to our comforte and to the confirmation of our fayth that are nowe liuing For by his goodnesse thereby shewed vnto other men we haue an euident argument of his readinesse to helpe vs when soeuer we in like sort do séeke helpe at his hands so that we haue no cause to mistrust his goodnesse nor to séeke helpe else where of Saincts and Angels that are no sauiours His miracles also doe teache vs his Diuinitie they teache vs that he is Christ the sauiour of the world and do improue the contrarie doctrine as our Sauiour witnesseth in the Gospell Moreouer all the examples of godly men serue for
¶ Abdias the Prophet Interpreted by T.B. fellovv of Magdalene College in Oxforde Seene and allowed according to the order appoynted Jmprinted at London by Henry Binneman for George Bishop 1574. To the right Honorable my singular good Lorde the Earle of Huntingdon President of the Queenes Maiesties Counsell established in the North partes c. Encrease of grace and peace in Christ and continuance in the same vnto the ende RIght Honorable I confesse that for lack of skil in diuinitie of knovvledge in other faculties I am vnfit to present any thing in vvriting vnto your Lordship vvherein diuine eloquence ought to be shevved seeing your honor hath been practised these many yeres as I may say in continuall hearing and reading of the best learned both of this Realme and other Realmes vvhereby you are able to iudge and to correct that vvhich is either vnaptly or vntruely sayde of any man concerning the knowledge of God and his true worship Notvvithstanding considering my dutie tovvards your honor and also your accustomed gentlenesse in accepting aswel the good wil of them which according to their habilitie offer but a mite as also the great lerning of those Diuines vvhich in their sermons writings do much excel the most parte of those Pastors that are not vnprofitable instructors of the vnlearned I am so bold as to offer vnto your Lordship this short expositiō of the Prophet Abdias which not long since I haue vttred priuatly to the cōmoditie I hope of a few nowe if your Lordship will voutsafe to be the patron of so smal so rude an interpretation of this peece of Scripture I mind to publishe it to the benefite of many if perhaps it may do them any good into vvhose hāds it shal come In it I haue vsed the iudgement of diuers learned men whose words I haue translated out of Latin into Englishe and haue disposed thē in this Treatise as I haue thought good Therfore the doctrine therin conteined vvhich is sound is other mēs the maner of hādling it vvhiche is rude is mine That which is lacking in the maner of handling is recōpenced in the truthe of the doctrine As the doctrine is true so it maketh the words of the Prophet plain vnto the simple ignorāt people and also it helpeth not a little to the vnderstanding of the other Prophets and of diuers places of the Scripture therein recited and giueth some good instructions perteyning to fayth and good vvorks Therefore although it be but a small and shorte Treatise it maye serue by the vvorking of the holy Ghost bothe to the encrease of diuine knovvledge and also of a godly life in as manye as shall take paynes too reade it My duetie tovvardes your Lordship moued me to dedicate it to your honor that as through the helpe of your boūtifulnesse many ignorant people are much instructed in diuers places in the word of God by the preaching of the Gospel so by your Lordships succor towards the publishing of this little booke many may somthing augment their knowledge in the holy scriptures by reading the interpretatiō of this Prophet How so euer it shall please God to vvorke my minde is to bestovv that little talent that God hath giuen me to the setting foorth of hys glory and to the profit of his Church not neglecting your Lordships honor Muche encrease vvhereof God graunt you in this vvorlde and in the vvorlde to come euerlasting blessednesse through Christe our Lorde Your seruant and dayly orator T. B. The .xxi of August 1574. The prophesie of Abdias translated out of the Hebrue into Englishe THE vision of Obadiah This hath the Lorde Iehoua sayde agaynst Edom we haue heard a voyce from Iehoua that an Embassadour is sent among the Nations saying vp and let vs arise agaynst hir vnto battell 2 Beholde I haue made thee of small power and of little reputation among the Nations thou art greatly despised 3 The pride of thy heart hath deceyued thee which dwellest in the caues of a rocke hauing an highe place for his habitation saying in his heart who shall bring me downe to the grounde 4 Although thou mount like an Eagle yea although thou make thy nest among the starres from thence will I bring thee downe this is a sure saying of Iehoua 5 If theeues shoulde come vnto thee or robbers by night howe miserably shouldest thou be hādled yet would they not steale onely so muche as should be sufficient for them if grape gatherers should come vnto thee would they not leaue some small ones 6 O how are the goodes of Esau soughte vp and his treasures spoyled 7 All the men that were confederate with thee haue driuen thee to the borders the mē that were at peace with thee haue deceyued thee they haue preuayled agaynst thee they that haue had mayntenance by thee shall laye a snare in thy waye to catche thee he shall not perceyue it 8 Shall not I at that day sayth the Lord cut off from Edom the wise men and vnderstanding from the mount of Esau 9 Ye moreouer the corage of thy mightie captaynes O Teman shall bee abated bicause euery man shall be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter 10 For the cruell spoyling of thy brother Iacob thou shalt be put to shame yea thou shalt perishe for euer 11 At what tyme thou stoodest a loofe off at what tyme strangers caried away his substance and aliants entred into his gates and cast lots vpon Ierusalem then thou wast euen as one of them 12 But thou shouldest not haue beholden the day of thy brother the day in the which he was caried into exile neyther shouldest thou haue laughed at the inhabitants of Iehuda in the day of their destruction neyther shouldest thou haue triumphed ouer them in the day of their affliction 13 Thou shouldest not haue entred into the gates of my people in the day of their destruction neyther shouldest thou then haue beholden his miserie in the day of his destruction neyther shouldest thou haue layde handes vpon his substance in the day of his destruction 14 Neither shouldest thou haue stande in the crosse wayes to slay those that otherwise had escaped neyther shouldest thou then haue taken prisoners those that remayned of them in the day of affliction 15 For the day of Iehoua is at hand vpon all Nations euen as thou hast done it shall be done vnto thee thy mischeeuous dealing shall returne vpon thy owne pate 16 For euen as you haue drunke vpō mine holy hil so al nations shal drinke continually yea they shall drinke and swalow vp they shal be as though they had not beene at all 17 But vpō mount Sion there shal be saluation and it shal be holy and the house of Iacob shall receyue their possessions 18 And the house of Iacob shal be a fyre the house of Ioseph a flame the house of Esau as stubble and they shall kindle among them and consume
sayth When I am exalted I will draw all men vnto me that is to say all that do beléeue and S. Paule sayth All men séeke their owne profite that is to say all men for the most parte neglecte their dutie towards God and their neighboure So in this place where the Prophet signifieth that God will plague all Nations he vnderstandeth all those that are enimies vnto the people of God and not all nations vniuersally as it is signified by these words As thou hast done it shall be done vnto thée For this is the purpose of the Prophet to comforte the Israelites whose consolation consisteth not in the destruction of all nations but in the ouerthrow of their enimies Therfore he giueth them to vnderstande that their enimies shall be vtterly destroyed saying For euen as you haue drunke vpon my holy hill so all nations shall drinke continually yea they shall drinke and swalowe vp and they shall be as though they had not beene By this worde drinke metaphorically or figuratiuely is vnderstanded affliction oftentimes in the scriptures as in these words of our Sauiour Let this cup passe from me but if it can not passe from me but I must néedes drink it thy wil be done Heere by drinking of the cup he meaneth the suffring of his most paynful passion Also the prophet Ieremie preaching the destruction of the Edomites with Abdias hath these words Thus sayth the Lorde Beholde they whose iudgement was not to drink of the cup haue assuredly drunken and art thou he that shalt escape free Thou shalte not goe free but thou shalte surely drinke of it For I haue sworne by my selfe sayth the Lorde that Bosra shall be wast and for a reproch and a desolation and a curse and all the cities thereof shal be perpetuall desolations These words do plainly teache vs that to drinke figuratiuely signifieth to suffer affliction This therefore is that he sayth in the person of God euen as you that are my people haue ben afflicted in your owne countrey which I haue chosen as a peculiar place for my selfe to be worshipped in so all nations that haue afflicted you shall be plaged yea they shall be miserably scourged and brought to perpetuall desolation Thus the Prophete endeth the first chapter of his prophesie whiche concerneth the destruction of the Edomites nowe he describeth the felicitie and prosperitie of the Israelites But vpō mount Sion there shal be saluation and it shal be holy and the house of Iacob shall recouer their possessions And the house of Iacob shall be a fyre and the house of Ioseph a flame and the house of Esau as stubble and they shall kindle among them and consume them and there shall be none left of the house of Esau for Iehoua hath spoken it Sion is the hill vpon the whiche Ierusalem was buylded and is taken for the whole countrey of the Israelites They shall be deliuered saythe the prophet they shal recouer their possessions and also destroy their enimies euen as fire doth consume stubble For therfore are the Israelites likened vnto fire the Edomites to stubble to declare the sodayne destruction that God shall sende vpon the posteritie of Esau by the hands of the inhabitants of Ierusalem Which the Prophet Ezechiel expresseth in playne words saying I will execute my iudgement vpon Edom by the hande of my people Israell and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my indignation and they shall knowe my vengeance sayth the Lorde God. Thus God threatneth destruction to the Edomites but the Israelites shall flourishe as in the words following it is declared And they shall possesse the Southe side of mounte Esau and the champion countrey of the Philistines and they shall possesse the feelden countrey of Ephraim and the feelden countrey of Samaria and Beniamin shal possesse Gilead Héere the Prophet sheweth the Israelites how their dominion shall be enlarged The south side of Idumea or of moūt Seir is the furthest parte of the countrey from Israell This is it therefore that is giuen them to vnderstande that they shal inhabite not onely their owne countrey but also the countrey of the Edomites and the Philistines and Beniamin whose habitation is in the west shall possesse Gilead which is in the East that is to say the Israelites shall haue dominion from the west to the East and from the North to South which in the words following is further declared And they of this host of the Israelites that are in captiuitie among the Cananites shall possesse vnto Sarephath and they of Ierusalem that are in captiuitie in Sephared shall possesse the cities of the South And there shal come vp in mount Sion sauiours to giue sentēce agaynst the mount of Esau and Iehoua shal haue the kingdome That is to say the Israelites dominion shall be from the South to the North and from the North to the South from the one ende of the countrey to the other For the Cananites dwelled in the South countrey and Sarephath otherwise called Sarepta was in the North so was also Seraphad otherwise called Bosphorus according to the iudgement of some Interpreters This benefite God promiseth by his Prophet vnto his people for bringing of whiche thing to passe he vsed the ministerie of certayne noble men and chiefe captaynes as Zorobabell Nehemias Esdras and such other who héere are called Sauiours bicause God by their hands chiefly saued the people So in the booke of the Iudges Othniell and Ehud are called Sauiours bicause they were the captaynes by whose meanes the Israelites were deliuered from the bondage of their enimies The like prosperitie God promiseth héere vnto the same people the which béeing brought to passe the Prophet sayth that the kingdome shall be the Lordes that is to say the Israelites shall not onely be restored to their countrey landes and possessions but also they shall serue God and worshippe him according to his will. For although God ruleth all the world and all natiōs perteyne to his kingdome yet that properly is called the kingdome of the diuell where men follow their owne lust and neglect the worship of God and there is the kingdome of God where he is truely worshipped the Gospell preached and his lawes obeyed Where the Lorde is king there is no tyrannie or bondage but libertie and fréedome that people that serueth the Lord shall florish shall prosper and shall be blessed in this life and in the life to come for he is euerlasting therfore his people shall be euerlasting Briefly this is it that the Prophet in the former wordes giueth vs to vnderstand that the children of God shall abound both in earthly and heauenly possessions Whereby we are taught to put our trust in him for he is able to help vs to pray vnto him in al our necessities for he is readie willing to helpe vs to giue him thanks for his benefites for great is his goodnes toward
our instructiō and the examples of the wicked with their punishmēt serue for our correction After this sort the Apostle Paule expoundeth the manyfolde plages of the Israelites in the wildernesse and according to the moral sense applieth them vnto vs teaching vs by their example to auoyde their wickednesse Finally in the scriptures besides the letter and the moral there is a true and a profitable allegorie type figure or mysterie As for example the offering of Isaac vpon the aulter to be slayne by the hands of his father as God had commaunded whiche as according to the letter it was a triall of Abrahams fayth and also an instructiō for vs whiche is the morall teaching vs to obey Gods commaundementes in all poyntes and to beléeue hys promyses although they séeme neuer so contrarie to mans reason So in that Isahac was layde vpon the aulter readie to be slayne and then by the voyce of God deliuered and as it were raysed from death to life agayne he was a type and figure of our Sauiour Christ teaching vnto Abraham and his posteritie saluatiō by the offering of Christ vpon the crosse and by his resurrection from death Also Ioseph beeing solde by his brethren vnto straungers cast into prison after made ruler of the countrey of Egypt where he prouided foode and also a fruitefull lande for his father and brethren to dwell in as it declareth Gods wonderfull power and goodnesse towards him and also the state of Gods children in this life béeing first by affliction thrust downe as it were into hell and after exalted into heauen So it was a fygure of oure Sauiour fyrst solde and deliuered into the handes of the Gentiles euen by hys owne countrey menne and brethren and afterwards of hys Resurrection and glorification by hys Ascention into heauen where of his mercie contrarie to our deseruing he hathe prouided for vs a perpetuall reste and habitation for euer euen for as manye as come vnto him for succour Moreouer the bondage of the Israelites in the wildernesse and their deliuerance through the destruction of Pharao in the red sea besides that it declareth the power and goodnesse of God towards them and the state of his children before rehearsed it was a type of our bondage through sinne death hell and the diuell and of our deliuerance from the same by our sauiour Christ destroying our enimies and bringing vs vnto euerlasting felicitie Likewise the Pascall lambe receyued euery yere béeing a lambe without blemish the bloud wherof was sprinkled vpon the postes of the doore ouer which the destroying Angell passed hurting none in the house where the bloud was sprinkled This Lambe I say in an allegorie signifieth our sauiour Christ béeing without blemishe and spotte of sinne whose bloud sprinkled vpon the postes of our hearts by fayth deliuereth vs from euerlasting destruction We are taught this allegoricall exposition of the Pascall Lambe by Iohn Baptist where poynting vnto our sauiour Christ he sayth Behold the lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the world Also the Apostles Paule and Peter do liken our Sauiour vnto the Pascall lambe saying Christ our Passeouer is sacrificed for vs and we are redéemed with the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot According to this figuratiue and mysticall interpretation the Apostle expoundeth the historie of Abrahams two wiues and their children where he playnly poynteth at our aduersaries the Papists who séeke iustification by their owne works and do persecute those which according to Gods promise do séeke life by faythe in Christ whose miserable state and condition the Apostle sheweth prouing by an allegorie that all they which séeke iustification by the bondage of the lawe shall be cast out of the lande of promise with the bonde woman and hir sonne and shal not inherite the euerlasting kingdome of God with his children that are frée and do seeke saluation throughe fayth in his promise Héere it is euident that the Apostle teacheth vs to expound the scriptures not literally onely but also allegorically mystically or figuratiuely So he expoundeth those words Thou shalt not mosell the Oxe that treadeth out the corne In like maner the rocke in the wildernesse out of the which water flowed to satisfie the thirst of the Israelites besides that it declareth Gods power and prouidence for his children béeing in distresse it prefigured the graces and giftes of God that flow out of our sauiour Christe vnto all that beléeue in him For so the Apostle expoūdeth it where he sayth Our fathers dyd eate the same spirituall meate and dyd drinke the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of the spirituall rocke that followed them and the rock was Christ And the serpent that Moses set vp at the commaundement of God besides the miraculous healing of those that were bytten with fyry Serpents teacheth bothe the Israelites and vs to lift vp the eyes of our fayth vnto our Sauiour lifted vp vpon the crosse séeking deliuerance by him frō the deadly sting of the Serpent the diuel For that brasen serpent was a figure of our sauiour Christ as he himselfe expoundeth it in the Gospell Moreouer where Moses telleth the people that God wyll rayse vnto them a Prophete like vnto him selfe euen of their brethren vnto whom they should herken the letter teacheth vs nothing else but that Iosua should gouerne the Israelites and bring them into the lande that God had promised them But the holy Ghost in the person of Iosua whose name signifieth a sauiour teacheth vs that Christ is our sauiour who bringeth vs into the euerlasting rest promised vnto all the faithfull for so the Apostle Peter expoundeth the words of Moses Also euen as the bonbage of the Israelites in Egypte and their peregrinatiō in the wildernesse besides that is playnly expressed by the letter doth represent the state of Christiās in this life béeing ful of afflictiōs euē so the land of Canaan promised vnto Gods people in the which they had a great conquest ouer the wicked after quietly enioyed the coūtrey besides the declaratiō of gods excéeding power and excellent benefites bestowed vpon them doth represent vnto vs the euerlasting rest in heauē which we shall enioy whē almightie God hath destroyed all the wicked vpon the earth So the Apostle expoundeth the wordes of the prophet Dauid who concerning the same matter sayth Fortie yéeres long was I gréeued with this generation sayde It is a people that doth erre in their hearts for they haue not knowne my ways vnto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest Whiche words written bothe in the lawe and in the Prophet according to the letter doe shew the rest of the Israelites in the land of Canaan but according to the allegorie they teache al the faythful the euerlasting rest by Christ in heauen But for the further