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
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
speketh those words out of Egypt I haue called my sonne Where the letter teacheth vs nothing else but the deliuerance of the Israelites out of captiuitie but the holy Ghost vnderstandeth moreouer the returning of our sauiour out of Egypt into his own couÌ„trey after the death of Herod For so the Prophets words are expounded in the Gospel Finally the Prophet Ieremy declaring the deliuerance of the Israelites out of captiuitie describeth first their gret affliction saying Thus saith the Lord a voyce was herd on high a mourning and bitter wéeping Rachell wéeping for hir childreÌ„ would not be comforted bicause they wer not Thus saith the Lord refraine thy voyce froÌ„ wéeping thine eyes from teres for thy work shal be rewarded saith the Lord they shal come again froÌ„ the laÌ„d of their enimies Here the letter teacheth vs only the returning of the Israelits froÌ„ the captiuity of BabiloÌ„ But the holy ghost therby vnderstaÌ„deth the lameÌ„tatioÌ„ of the Israelites for their Infants whoÌ„ Herode slue at the birth of our sauiour Christ as the EuaÌ„gelist witnesseth So I say in this Prophet Abdias besides that hath béene alreadie noted we are taught Christ and the destruction of our enimies by him for he hathe applied the writings of all the Prophets vnto him selfe when he accompanied the two Disciples vnto Emaus after his resurrection For S. Luke sayth that he began at Moses and at al the Prophets and interpreted vnto theÌ„ in all the scriptures those things that were written of him And S. Peter sayth Al the Prophets froÌ„ Samuel and thence foorth euen as many as haue written haue foretolde of those dayes that is to say of the wonderfull workes then wrought in the name of Christ and of his death and resurrection Also Zachary Iohn Baptist father praiseth the Lord God of Israel for our redeÌ„ption by Christ our mightie sauiour as he had promised by the mouth of his holy Prophets that haue bin from the beginning of the world Therfore séeing that all the Prophets haue forespoken of saluatioÌ„ by Christ Abdias also with the residue hath prophesied of him so that in this Prophet we may finde our deliuerance by Christ and consequently the destruction of Antichrist Which he dothe here first teach vs vnder the name of Edom Esau The signification of the word EdoÌ„ pointeth vs to the person and also to the place where Antichrist dwelleth For Edom in the Hebrue tong signifieth red or bloudie The Bishop of Rome which is Antichrist sheweth him selfe to be Edom that is red and bloudy both in outwarde appearance and also in his secrete deuises for he and his Cardinals his doctors and other his adherents are clothed in red the seruing men of his Clergie goe in red This is their colour wherewith they are delighted So also their dooings are red and bloudie For this is the fyrst decrée of their secret counsel at Trent Al they that professe the Gospel and are enimies vnto the Church of Rome shall be rooted out they shall be slayne and put to death their bloud shall be shed vpon the earth This is their bloudy decrée which they haue practised to the vtter most of their power héer in England in Scotland and of late in FrauÌ„ce and in many other places of Christendome as Germany Flanders Spayne and Italie So that they are altogither delighted in bloud and wil neuer be satisfied Therefore they maye well be called Edomits red bloudy meÌ„ Moreouer not only the signification of the worde but also the testimonie of diuers ancient writers leadeth vs to vnderstand by this name EdoÌ„ the Antichrist of Rome who are persuaded that he is not onely in outwarde pompe and shew and in déedes an Edomite but also in bloud kinred as one that had his beginning of the Edomites For Moses Gerundensis writing of the beginning of the Romanes sayth we haue heard in the bookes of the Chronicles of Ioseph ben Gorian and in other bookes of Antiquities that Sappho the sonne of Eliphas the sonne of Esau the father of the Edomites prouoked Ioseph the sonne of Iacob to warre wheÌ„ he was gouernour of Egypt In the which war Sappho the Edomite and his valiaunt captaynes were taken and caried into Egypt and there committed vnto prison where they remayned as long as Ioseph liued And when he was dead Sappho fledde away and went into Campania and reigned ouer Kittim at Rome At the length he was made king ouer all Italy and this was the first king of Rome Also Dauid Kimchi writing vpon this Prophete sayth The Edomites are nowe so mingled among other Nations that a man can not knowe them from the Ammonites and Moabites and the people of other Countreys sauing that the greater parte of the Edomites hath béene from the beginning of the kingdome of Rome Therefore what soeuer the Prophets haue spoken of the desolation of Idumea in the latter ende of the worlde they haue spoken it agaynst Rome For when soeuer Rome shall be destroyed Israell shall be deliuered Thus besides that these writers testifie that the Romanes had their beginning of the Edomites Kimchi saythe that by the Edomites the Prophetes doe vnderstande the Romanes And hée saythe moreouer Abdias prophesieth onely agaynst Edom not that externall Edom as it séemeth but an other that is to say agaynst the spirituall Edom the Antichrist of Rome whiche was little despised in the beginning but through the pride of his heart much exalted like an Eagle making his nest aboue the starres and rioting vpon the mounte of Sion Moreouer an other olde writer the author of the booke called Seder olam that is to say a rehearsall of antiquities calleth Rome Edom in these words Aspatian for so he termeth VespatiaÌ„ came and wasted the temple and caried away many families of the house of Dauid into Spayne and this was the. â—80 yeres of Edom or of the Romanes Finally Ionathan the Chaldey paraphrast in many places where the Prophetes name Edom in stéede therof he nameth Rome As for example The floudes of Edom sayth the Prophet shall be turned into pitche Which words the Paraphrast interpreting sayth The flouds of Rome shal be turned into pitche And vpon the last verse of this Prophet he sayth And they shal folow the sauiour froÌ„ the mount of Sion to giue senteÌ„ce agaynst the mount of Esau and that sayth he is the mount of Rome Thus it appereth by the iudgemeÌ„t of these writers that by the destruction of EdoÌ„ is vnderstanded the destruction of the Antichrist of Rome This is it therefore that the Prophet teacheth vs besides that hath bin already noted That almightie God hath determined to ouerthrow the persecuter of his children The Embassadour our sauiour Christ is alreadie sent and proclaymeth at this present by the mouth of his Preachers war against him saying vp let vs arise against Rome vnto battell let vs with al the gifts that God