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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89517	A brief commentarie or exposition upon the prophecy of Obadiah, together with usefull notes / delivered in sundry sermons preacht in the church of St. James Garlick-Hith London. By Edward Marbury, the then pastor of the said church.	Marbury, Edward, 1581-ca. 1655.	1650 (1650)	Wing M566; Thomason E587_11; ESTC R206281	147,938	211

A BRIEF Commentarie OR EXPOSITION Upon the Prophecy of OBADIAH TOGETHER With usefull Notes delivered in sundry Sermons preacht in the Church of St. James Garlick-Hith LONDON By EDWARD MARBURY the then Pastor of the said Church Psal 101. Ver. 1. My song shall be of Mercy and Judgement unto thee O Lord will I sing LONDON Printed by T. R. and E. M. for George Calvert and are to be sold at the Signe of the Halfe-Moone in Watling-street neere Pauls-stump 1649. To my worthy friends the Citizens and Inhabitants of the Parish of St. Iames Garlickhith London all the blessings of this life and that which is to come I Have not without good cause inscribed this Commentary unto you First those Sermons were Preach'd amongst you Secondly some of you have heretofore often importuned the publication of this and some others of my Labours Thirdly you were my First fruits and therefore the First Commencement of my Labours in this kind doth properly belong to you As then it is justly Dedicated unto you so I desire it may have your favourable acceptance and passe under the Convoy of your worthy names I have by me an Exposition of three other of the the Small Prophets viz. Habakuk Zephanie and Haggai which together with this are Licensed and intended for the Presse but the charge of Printing being great and the number of Buyers of Bookes in these times if we may beleeve the Stationers very small I thought fit to send forth this as Joshua did the Spies to see what encouragement the rest may happily finde to follow after it I am of Saint Austins minde who accounted nothing his owne but what he did communicate and professed himselfe to be of that number qui scribunt proficiendo scribendo proficiunt that write what they have learn't and learne more by writing and if the graine be good it is fitter for the Market then for the Garner What entertainment this will finde there I know not for mine owne part I have taken the Councell of the Wise neither to praise nor dispraise my owne doings the one he saith is vanity the other folly others will be ready enough to save me that paines to whose uncertaine censure I submit my selfe to stand or fall before them Yet thus much I will make bold to say for my selfe that I have done little or nothing herein without consulting the best Authors both Ancient and Moderne to which I have added that light which God by his Spirit revealeth in my understanding to discerne what his will is and to suggest what I shall French in his Church as the Bee gathereth H●ny and storeth her Hive out of severall sorts of Flowers for the Common-good so have I out of these Collected and Gathered sundry Honey-Combes of truth for the use and benefit of the Publick All my desire is to doe all the good I can and to that end my Tong●e being suspended for some time I have taken this opportunity to supply the defect thereof by my Pen. I am loth to lose our Crowne of rejoycing in the day of the Lord. Animae servatae the saving of Soules will procure us a better Garland at the coming of Christ then Cives servati the saving of Citizens did the Ancient Romanes That is the onely marke we aime at and if we be light and not smoake in the Church of Christ the onely Subject and Matter of all our Preaching and Writing And the saving of your Soules a part of that bounden duty and debt which by the just bond of thankfulnesse I owe unto you especially Testis est mihi Deus quomodo cupiam vos omnes in visceribus Jesu Christi God is my witnesse how much I have desired the good of you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ and if I have not been able to doe for you what I would yet that I have desired and endeavoured it what I could may deserve acceptance or at the least will satisfie my owne Conscience In a word to see the welfare and happinesse of you and yours how much will it revive his heart who professeth himselfe You affectionate Friend and Servant in the Lord EDW. MARBVRY A COMMENTARY OR EXPOSITION Upon the PROPHECY of Obadiah VERSE I. The Vision of OBADIAH THis short prophecie calleth to my remembrance the words of David concerning God with the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure and with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward v. 27. For thou wilt save the afflicted people Psal 18.26 but wilt bring down high looks For in the former part of this prophecie God thundereth with the terrours of his judgements in the latter part we hear the whisper and still voice of his mercy 2 Things set consideration a work at First 1. The title which sheweth 1. Whose 2. What. 2. The Prophecie it self 1. Whose Obadiah Whether this were the proper name of a man or a notation onely to expresse the calling of him that wrote this prophecie we may doubt for Abad servus a servant and Jah Dominus a Lord may denote this prophet in his function a servant of the Lord and so are all the ministers of the word in a speciall service concerning the building up of the house of God That which Lyranus saith to be the judgement of most Ecclesiasticall writers that this was the same Obadiah that was steward of king Ahabs house 1 Reg. 18.4 and hid the prophets in the cave and fed them with bread and water and was contemporary with Elias that how great authours soever it hath is so clearly confuted in the words of this prophecie that we resolve against it For the prophecit it mentioneth the taking of Jerusalem was 800 yeers after Ahab It is likely that it was the proper name of the prophet and Dorotheus thinketh him the same that lived in Ahabs time which cannot be as I have shewed It must suffice us that we know this prophecie to have been ever received in the Canon of the Church Melit● in his epistle to Onesimus Euseb 4.25 naming the books of Canonicall Scripture doth name one book of the twelve prophets whereof this is one And I never read the authority of this prophecie doubted of in any age of the church he was one of those holy men 2 Pet. 2. who wrote and spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost The maid that came to the door when Peter knockt Act. 2.14 knew him by his voice and surely the Majesty and weight that is in the Canonicall Scriptures doth declare them to be the voice of God which wanteth in all the Apocryphall Assuments as a reader diligently exercised in the Scriptures may easily discern These holy writings addressed to the perpetuall light of the Church are spare in their inscriptions Who wrote the books of Joshua Iudges Ruth Samuel Kings Chronicles Ester They are written they are ours the wisdom of God is seen in them the grace of God is confirmed by them the church of

God ever received them the Spirit of God testifieth of them and God in all ages hath been glorified by them The church of Rome doth attribute to the church a power of authorizing books of Scripture and maketh the Churches authority the warrant for the authorising thereof S. Aug. alloweth the Church the reputation of a witnesse Contra Faust 33.6 but not the power of authority herein for he saith Platonis Aristotelis Ciceronis libros unde noverint homines quod ipsorum sint nisi temporum sibi succedentium contestatione continua therefore that these books were the Canon of scripture the testimony of all ages in their successions doth maintain but this testimony doth not give them authority but witnesseth the authority given them by the Spirit of God We finde that even the authority of holy scriptures hath been denied by Hereticks Sadducaei nullas Scripturas recipiebant nisi quinq libros Mosis Simon prophetas minimè curandos dixit Iren. 1.20 quia a mundi fabricatoribus angelis Prophetias acceperunt Saturninus totum vetus test repudiebat Ptolemaitae libros Mosis Epiph. Haer 33. Nicolaitae et Gnostici librum Psalmorum Anabapt Cant. Salomonis Et lib. Iob. Porphyrius scripsit volumen Cont lib. Danielis The New Testament hath had many enemies the children of darknes have ever made war against light We are better taught and seeing the Holy Ghost hath not satisfied us from whence this our prophet came but hath only given us his name and his prophecie this contenteth us The vessel was but of earth which brought us this treasure if we have lost the vessell and kept the treasure The messenger was a man like us the message was the Lords if the messenger be gone and the message do yet remain the matter is not great Let us glorifie God for his Saints whom God hath used as instruments of our good and praise him for all his prophets and holy men by whom these heavenly oracles were received from him and communicated to the church The son of Sirach Ecclus. 4. Let us now commend the famous men in old time by whom the Lord hath gotten great glory let the people speak of their wisdom and the congregation of their praise Of this there is a double use 1 That we that do Legere read may learn Degere Sanctorum vitas to live the lives of saints and do the church of God all the good service we can 2 That God may be honoured in Sa●ictis in the saints as saint Jerome saith Honoramus servos ut honor servorum redundet ad Dominum This is the honour of God and this is the praise of this prophet Obadiah whosoever he was he liveth in this prophecie to preach the will of God to you here present and to let you know both the justice of God against the enemies of his church and his mercy to his own beloved people For as the Apostle doth say of Abels faith and by it he being dead yet speaketh Heb. 11.4 so may we say of this and all other pen-men of holy Scripture that by these works of theirs though they be dead yet they do now speak in the church of God Avel spake two ways for there was 1 Vox sanguinis a voice of blood which cryed for judgement Gen. 4.10 Heb. 11.4 and 2 Vox fidei a voice of faith which is example for imitation Thus all Ecclesiasticall writers do speak and we in our studies do confer with dead men and take light from them That is the reason that the elect of God do not arise to their full reward before the resurrection of all flesh because their works do follow them in order as they are done and their light goeth not out by night Death doth not quench their candle Thus the antient fathers of the Church have left living monuments of their holy learning and we come after them and enter upon their labours They are unthankfull and spightfull that despise their names and refuse their testimonies which they have given to the truth and blemish their memory as if they were unworthy to be named in our sermons or to their judgements to be held in any estimation It is the only way for a man gloriously to out-live himself to be the instrument of doing good to the church of God when he is gone hence and is no more seen Blessed is that servant whom his Master when he cometh shall finde so doing 2. What The Vision Some have confounded these two termes Vision and Prophecie as both expressing the same act of Propheticall vocation I finde three of these titles used together Now the acts of David the King first and last 1 Ch●on 29 29. behold they are written in the book of Samuel the Seer and in the book of Nathan the Prophet and in the book of Gad the Seer Where though our English Translation do use the same word for Samuel and Gad calling them both Seers the Hebrew distinguisheth them and a learned Professor of Divinity doth read in verbis Samnelis inspicientis the Inspector Dr. Hum● Decor-Interpret lib. 3. Nathan Prophetae the Prophet Gad videntis the Seer I do not take these to be three distinct Offices but three parts of the same Office For 1. Such must be Videntes Seers God must open their eyes that they may see what the will of God is Balaam being to prophecie at the request of Balak against Israel beginneth thus Balaam the son of Beor hath said the man whose eyes are open hath said Num. 24.3 He hath said which heard the words of God which saw the Vision of the Almighty who had his eyes shut but now open Therefore they must be videntes Seers for if the blinde do lead the blinde you know where to finde them both 2. Such must be inspicientes inspectors and that both in regard of the suggestion that it be no humane phantasie no satannicall illusion but a divine and spirituall revelation As also in regard of the thing suggested that they may rightly informe themselves in the will of God and so farre as God revealeth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they may boldly say and maintaine Sic dicit Dominus thus saith the Lord. 3. Thus prepared they may be Prophets that is the Publishers of this will of God to them to whom they be sent So that Vision and Inspection belong to preparation prophecie to execution of that Office from whence Docemur we are taught 1. Doctrine The faithfull minister of the word of God must receive his information and instructions from the Spirit of God before he preach or prophesie We are ambassadours and messengers from God and the warrant of our calling is our mission the Apostle saith How shall he preach except he be sent for mission importeth fit instructions in the errand God hath laid blame upon them that run unsent and no man putteth himself in that imployment but he that was sent as was Aaron The Son

Schisme of Private men Such as they are discovered so are they restrained and separated from the rest to Room then Parcius ista viris tamen objicionda memento Personall oppositions do not fasten imputation upon any entire Church of God And we say to the Roman Church Novimus et qui to c. For we have good evidence even from their own wrightings that the Church of Rome hath in later times dissented from those Tenets which in former times it hath maintained not in matters of light moment but in the main points of Christian Religion 1. For the books of Canonicall Scripture the learned of former times did refuse all those books which we call Apocryphall as well as we yet the Counsell of Trent hath since placed them in the Canon and given them equall authority with the Canonicall Scriptures 2. For the sufficiencie their own best learned have heretofore acknowledged the same as much as we 3. The vulgar translation hath been by their learned refused the originall preserved 4. For the conception of the Virgin Mary without sin it is not yet determined in the Church but contradictories are allowed 5. The distinction of Mortall and Veniall sins 6. The Doctrines of merite of super-erogation of the seven Sacraments of Transubstantiation of Purgatory of praying to Saints worshipping of images Indulgencies Popes supremacie all refused Therefore let them no longer charge us with differences our Church doth maintain one Truth in all these things with the former Church of Rome against this that now is Therefore let us observe the setled doctrine of the Church in which we live and receive that against the perverse oppositions of all schismaticall coiners of new Doctrines and that is the safest way for us to walk in for this rumor Domini is no rumour of the Lord. Doctr. 2 2. Because it is auditus a Domino heard from the Lord whence we are taught to distinguish between the rumours which we hear from men and those rumours which we hear from the Lord let us judge them by the word of God and let us learn of the Church the Spouse of Christ who best discerneth these spirituall things because they are deposited with it and the Spirit of God is with it and abideth with it for ever How holy Scriptures must be interpreted Let every man put his own particular fancies and humours to silence and as the Apostle saith let us receive with meeknesse the word of God and let it be graffed in us For the word of the Lord endureth for ever that is like him that gave it without variablenesse there is in it no shadow of change It was Davids rest Audiam quid loquatur Deus I will hear what the Lord speaketh And that we may hear this rumour of the Lord profitably The word is given to profit withall let me shew you who they be that receive the word of God profitably these namely who 1. Receive it in their understanding 2. in their judgement 1. In their understanding knowing what the Lord speaketh in his Word for the Word is the revelation of the good will of God To this is necessary 1. A preparation to this understanding 2. An use of the means For the preparation of our understanding two things are necessary as Saint Paul speaketh 1. Be not conformed to this world this world is our enemy Rom. 11.1 we must shake off all acquaintance with it it is the serpents fair fruit wherewith he tempteth us he setteth the eye and the heart a lusting and filleth us with the pride of life Christ first separated his disciples from the world then he fitted them to his service They deceive themselves that think they may embrace true religion and the world too following the vanities of fashion and surfetting in the pleasures of life for Godlinesse and vanity cannot dwell together and the god of this world blindeth the eye of the understanding that they which love the world cannot love God and the secrets of the Lord are revealed to none but such as love and fear God 2. Be ye transformed by the renewing of the minde that is be ye new Creatures casting off the old man which is corrupt for this new wine must be put in new casks We must sing a new song Canticum novum novus homo a new man none else can sing it therefore David desired Cor novum a new heart and spiritum rectum a right spirit it is the only new fashion as in many of ours to renew the old fashion the image of God stamped in us in our Creation which is decayed repaired anew by the image of the new Adam who came to restore us 2. A use of the means which are 1. Delight in reading of the word give attendance to reading 1 Tim. 4.15 what though thou understand not what thou readest no more did the Eunuch but God sent Philip to him he was in the way of illumination Idle and wanton books take up too much of our time from the reading of Gods book rumor populi a rumour of the people takes us from reading this rumor Domim this rumour of the Lord. Yet these things are written for our use and onely these things make the man of God wise to salvation 2. Meditation for that helpeth the understanding and layeth up what we read in the memory that we may know where to have it again when we have need of it It is said of Mary Lu●k 251 that she kept all these sayings in her heart The wise son of Sirach saith well The inner parts of a fool are like a broken vessel Ecclus. 21 14. and he will hold no knowledge as long as he liveth Truly the cause of all our sins and frailties is want of meditation in the Word want of keeping it in our heart we see in our selves how we are affected here in hearing of the Word of God if we did meditate on it we should have the same affections still 3. Hear the Word preached for this is Gods ordinance for the saving of souls Nehem. 8. Ezra had a pulpit of wood made him he stood up be read the law and gave the sense and all the people wept when they heard the wonderfull things of the Law But it is said All the people were attentive both man women yet he preached not by the glasse but from morning till mid-day And Paul preached from evening till midnight for it pleaseth God by the foolishnes of preaching to save those that beleeve Be swift to hea● 4. Meditation is necessary also after hearing the word in the publike Ministery for the Minister speaking to a mixt auditory if he divideth the word aright he hath a portion for every hearer milk for some stronger meat for others some have need of information in things unknown some of comfort some of resolution in doubes some of confutation of errours some of chiding some have need to have their dulnesse spurred others their deadnesse quickened