that almightie God spake himself by the mouth of the prophet Therfore I say which perteyneth to the first part of this chapter that the destruction of the Edomites is certayne For God himself is the author therof Vnto this parte also perteyneth the title of the prophesie in that it is called a vision Of visions there is often mentiō made in the Scriptures as in the prophesies of Ieremie Ezechiel Daniell and in the Reuelations of Iohn Daniell in a dreame sawe a vision of foure Beastes And Sainct Iohn in a traunce saw a vision of seuē candlesticks Of this and suche other visions his whole booke of Reuelations consisteth Which are declarations of things to come by similitudes darke kinds of spéech But in this prophesie a visiō is otherwise vnderstanded for it signifieth héere a declaratiō of things to come in playne words without any similitude or allegorie As a Prophet in olde time was called a Seer so heere the prophesie of Abdias is called the sight or vision of Abdias A Prophet in olde tyme was called a Seer bicause he did foresée things that shuld come to passe afterwards so héere Abdias prophesie is called a vision bicause it is a thing foreseene that shoulde be fulfilled in tyme to come These two are both one in effecte a Vision and a Prophesie yet some difference there is betwéene them For a Vision is a reuelation of that thing whiche God hath appoynted to bring to passe afterwards and a Prophesie is an vttring of that is reuealed As Prophets are dyuers so are prophesies some false some true but a visiō is always certain so called bicause it is séene reueled by god vnto mā That is truly called a visiō wherof we can testifie that haue séene it Whatsoeuer writing may truely be so called it is an argumēt that the doctrine therin conteined is true Therfore the prophet giueth this title vnto his prophesie to declare the certentie therof Our Sauior vseth the like argumēt in defēce of his doctrine saying That which I haue séene I testifie vnto you And after this sort s Iohn beginneth his first Epistle saying That which we haue heard which we haue séene with our eyes which we haue looked vpon whiche our hands haue handled that declare we vnto you The title of this prophesie is almost one with this title of S. Iohns Epistle For the vision of Abdias is as much to say as that whiche Abdias hath seene or that whiche God hath reuealed vnto him for a certayntie to be fulfilled in time to come Therefore I say this prophesie is called a vision bicause this worde conteyneth in it an argument that it shal come to passe in déede as the Prophet hath spoken or rather as God hath spoken by the mouth of the Prophet And bicause God reuealed it vnto him it is called his vision At what time this prophesie was reuealed or at what time Abdias vttred it is not expressedly declared eyther in this booke nor in any other booke of the Scripture The Iewes write that this was the same Abdias that liued in the dayes of king Ahab and dyd saue an hundred of the true Prophets hyding them by fiftie fiftie in a caue and gaue them necessarie sustenance But the opinion of the Iewes séemeth contrarie to the truthe For there is good reason to shew that Abdias liued at the same time that Ieremie and Ezechiell prophesied For they prophesie all agaynst one and the same people they all declare the miserie and calamitie of the Edomites and the causes of their destructiō Abdias doth agrée in words with Ieremie as though he had learned the maner of handling his prophesie of him as the scholer of the master Therefore it séemeth that they liued and prophesied bothe at one tyme whiche was when Nabuchodonosor had destroyed Ierusalem and caried the inhabitantes thereof prisoners vnto Babilon whiche captiuitie was full thrée hundred yeres after the reigne of Achab. Therefore that Abdias which was in his tyme could not be aliue in these dayes Moses in his prayer a lyttle before his death sayth that in his dayes the age of man was but thréescore yéeres and ten In Achabs tyme it is likely that mans age was rather shortned than prolonged bicause in his dayes the worlde was aboue fiue hundred yeres older than it was in Moses time For the older the world is the shorter is the life of man Althoughe some men liue now a dayes longer than the common sort doe yet the age of man commonly is but thréescore or fourescore yeres So Moses liued an hūdred twentie yeres And if God in like maner were so beneficial to Abdias that was in Ahabs time that he liued .40 yeres longer than the common age of man yet he could not liue vnto the captiuitie of Babilon For then he must haue liued aboue thrée hundred yeres Therfore our Abdias and he were diuers persons as their state condition was diuers for the one was a lay man the other a Cleargie man the one was a Courtier the other a Prophet But in this they do both agrée that they might both be truly named Abdias that is to say the seruaunts of god For they both did God good seruice the one in sauing his Prophets from the cruel tyrannie of Iesabell and in giuing them bodily sustenance the other in vttering the Prophesie that God had reuealed vnto him and in feeding his people with spirituall foode The foode wherewith the Prophet féedeth Gods people is the foode of consolation and comforte whiche is ministred by the declaration of the certayn destruction of their enimies whiche is declared vnto them in these words Thus hath the Lorde Iehoua sayde The Lorde hathe spoken it Adonai is the Hebrue worde which signifieth such a Lorde as is an helper a sucourer a preseruer one that is of power might and also hath a care of his people Therfore was Ioseph called Adonai bicause he was an helper and succourer of the Egyptians bicause he was of great power might amōg them bicause he had not onely a care of the people but also by the pollicie wisdome that God had giuen him they were preserued in time of derth Such a Lorde sayth the Prophet hath spokē these words which he vttreth vnto the people And bicause there are many that are called Adonai or Lorde for difference sake he addeth this name Iehoua That Lorde saythe he whose name is Iehoua hathe spoken it who is God aboue all Lordes who is almightie and ruler of all the worlde and therefore is able to performe whatsoeuer he sayth and he hath alreadie sayd it it is alreadie determined and therefore can not be altered Although the minde of man may be changed God is vnchangeable he hath sayde it and therefore certeinly it shall come to passe For confirmation whereof it followeth VVe haue hearde this voyce from Iehoua The Prophet Ieremie
¶ 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