and after the vowes to enquire 3. It is a great favour of God to his Church to reveal to them his will concerning both their own short punishment and the long affliction of their enemies For themselves they shall see in this revelation that God wil not give then over utterly and affliction doth never shew intolerable when we can look beyond it and see faire weather after it This had need be preached to the Church of God to keep them from fainting in their patience from falling into sin David confest Ps 27.13 I had fainted unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnes of the Lord in the Land of the living The Prophet having given us his own example doth also give us his good counsell Wait on the Lord the of good courage Ver. 14. and he shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. You see the use of this doctrine is to put mettle into us that we be not cast down with the present sense of Gods judgement but that we couragiously do beare them and patiently expect our deliverance from them Of this before 2. It is a comfort and joy to the Church to know that God will execute their judgements upon their enemies and passe the cup of his wrath from them to those that hate them 1. Because it stoppeth the way to an high and grievous sinne which is murmuring against God let every man suspect himself for this for Gods own Israel did often fall this way But when God revealeth to us his purpose we cannot find fault though we feel where judgment beginneth we know where it shall end 2. It allayeth all thoughts of revenge on them that trouble and persecute us for to what purpose should we fret our selves at the instruments of Gods vengeance when we know the end of these men how God hath set them in slippery places and that he will take the matter into his own hand to revenge it And this is a necessary Doctrine for us because the pursuit of private revenge is one of the crying sins of the time We have poore men that to molest a neighbour will swear the peace against them to put them in bonds when it is to be feared that it is rather revenge then feare that makes them sweare and this upon a little cooling of blood appears cleerly Just Laws are made to do men right against wrongs we must go to Judges as children to their Father to seeke Justice in charity not in the spirit of revenge God hath declared himselfe to be Deus ultionum a God of revenge and hath promised to judge our cause let us commit the matter to him and give our souls rest possessing them with patience Israel shall see their cup that they have but tasted drunk up and swallowed down of their enemies the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Mine eye shall see my desire upon mine enemies Ps 92.11 David maketh this use of this point By this I know that thou favourest me Ps 41.12 because mine enemy doth not triumph over me For it is a good signe of Gods love to his Church that he suffereth not the ungodly to insult over them And for the enemies of the Church they may have victory they cannot have a triumph for the cup of wrath is no sooner taken from the Church but it is presently given to her enemies to pledge them as the Prophet saith When thou hast done spoyling thou shalt be spoyled the drinke shall not pall in the cup. You see that David made that use of the fall and punishment of his enemy only to rejoyce in the Lord and his favour and not to insult over his enemy for the wise man adviseth Rejoyce not when thine enemy falleth Prov. 24.17 18. and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth Lest the Lord see it and it displease him and he turne away his wrath from him Thy patience doth heap coales of fire on the head of thine enemy and thy favourable forbearance of him in triumphing over him holdeth the cup still to his mouth We cannot do our enemy a greater pleasure then to be glad at his afflictions for God seeth it and abateth his displeasure against him but we may rejoyce safely and boldly in the love and favour of God to us VERSE 17. But upon Mount Sion shall be deliverance and there shall be holines and the house of Jacob shall possesse their possessions The second part of the Prophecy containing the comfort of the Church against all her enemies ad finem Capitis to the end of the chapter 1. A promise of restitution of them to their own ver 17. 2. Of victory against their enemies ver 18 19 20. 3. The means ordained for this ver 21. 1. Of their restitution of their own Mount Sion literally doth signifie the seed of Jacob the whole Nation of the Jewes taking name from the most eminent part of their Kingdome as Mount Sion denoteth Esau and his issue this shall be delivered from the captivity of Babilon that is the deliverance here promised And the holines here mentioned is the renewing of the people by repentance and new obedience to the pure worship of God and then the house of Jacob shall recover the possessions which the army of the Chaldeans took from them Allegorically and typically this Prophecy doth foretell the deliverance of the Church from all the enemies thereof in the end of the world which shall be performed by the spirit of sanctification fitting them to the same That the Church shall not alway be under the rod of correction we have formerly declared 1. The point now considerable is what our God requireth of us even holinesse 2. That God performeth his mercy of deliverance first that after he may sanctifie us to himself 1. That God requireth holinesse of us He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee Mic. 6.8 surely to do justice and to love mercie and to humble thy selfe to walk with thy God this is holinesse This is no earthly wisdome which is carnall sensuall and devilish it is the wisdome which is from above and therefore He hath shewed thee O man Holinesse is not learned in the Schoole of nature nor to be seen by the light of reason it is the inward light of the spirit of God that enlightneth our darknesse which openeth to man the way of good life not morall and civill only but religious and spiritual which teacheth justice mingled with mercie both built upon a good foundation of humility and these not as before men but as in a walk with God himself For such as these God keepeth a book of remembrance as the Prophet saith Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another Mal. 3.16 and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name And they shall
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 Hâ—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 Tongâ—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 Melitâ— 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
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 Luâ—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 heaâ— 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
in the last day do rejoyce against the world in the execution of Gods just judgement upon them for they are then entred into their masters joy and all teares are wiped from their eyes Thus then it is lawfull when God hath executed his judgement upon his enemies for all the friends of God to insult over them and to lift up their voice and hand against them for this is part of the punishment of Gods enemies they that despise me shall be despised This is the last perpetuall shame that shall evermore continue upon them the just reward of their bold presumption who durst advance themselves against God 2. We must consider the wicked as our enemies and this way we must be tender how we insult over them in this life because we do not know whether their destruction here be their full punishment or no. 1. Because God sometimes chasteneth with temporall judgements that he may forbeare eternall and sometimes he punisheth rather ad dignam emendationem then ad amandationem and by that temporall punishment doth as by some sharpe Physick restore them to health It is the voice of Gods Church Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy Micha 7 8 when I fall I shall arise when I sit in darkenesse the Lord shall be a light unto me I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him 2 Because this opening of the mouth and insulting over the adversities of men is one of the practises of the ungodly they use as David saith to say Where is now their God So insolently did proud Senacherib insult over the Cities that he had subdued Where is the King of Hamath Isa 37.13 and of Arphad and the King of the City of Sepharvaim Heva and Iuah With them is the Chaire of the scornefull Rather should we commit our cause to God and comfort our selves in his justice and say no more when we suffer then the son of Jeboida sayd when Joash for getting his fathers love to him put him to death The Lord looke upon it and requite it 2 Chr. 24.22 And when we see that God hath executed his judgement on out behalfe let us give God the honour due unto his equall justice with joy therein Yet I love the example of Israel when in the cause of wrong done in Benjamin to the Levite in his Concubine they by Gods appointment destroyed the most of that Tribe when they had so done The people came to the House of God and ahode there till even befâ—re God and lift up their voices and wept sore Jud. 21.2 4. They are charged with cruelty of hands 1. Invasion of their Citie Ver. 13. Thou shouldest not have entred into the Gate of my people in the day of their calamity This Edom did to behold the calamity of Iacob not to helpe but as it after followeth to rob him for the Idumeans joyned with the Caldeans in the Invasion of the City and were as they and entred in by the gate with them It was a double calamity to Israel to behold their brother Edom Confederates with their enemies and Auxiliaries to them in their wars This bringeth Edom into the former charge of cruelty of combination and maketh them equally culpable with the Caldeans with whom they joyned in society of warre against Israel 2. Of direption of their goods Ver. 13. Neither shouldest thou have layed hand on their substance in the day of their calamity This chargeth them with Theft against that Commandement Thou shalt not steale For not only secret stealth is therein forbidden but all depraedation by violent and unjust war As a Pirat told Alexander I am accounted a Pirate because I robbe in a small Ship but thou because thou robbest in great Fleets art esteemed a great Captaine Thom. Aquinas Prohibentur nocumenta quae inferuntur factor and it extendeth saith Borhanus ad quam libet alienae rei usurpationem And therefore when a company of pilling and pirting offenders were carrying a Theise to the Gallowes Demosthenes said Parvum furem a majoribus duci the lesser Thiefe to be led by the greater This sin is so neer bordering upon the sinne of Murther as sometimes and even in this case in my Text it is both Theft and Murther too for to take away life is Murther and to take away the necessaries by which life is sustained is theft and murther too and therefore the Apocryphall Author of the Booke called Ecclesiasticus avoucheth a Canonicall truth saying He that taketh away his neighbours living slayeth him and he that defraudeth the labourer of his hire is a blood shedder Eccl. 34.22 He gave the reason in the former Verse The bread of the needy is their life Ver. 2. he that defraudeth them thereof is a man of blood When Abraham heard that his brother Lot was taken Captive Gen. 14. and that the foure Kings bad taken all the goods of Sodome and Gomorrah and all their victuals He armed them of his owne houshold and set upon the enemie by night and brought back all the goods he reskued Lot and his women and people Melchizedech blessed him therefore and said Blessed be the most high God which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand Here God punished theft and prey yet he that readeth the story shall finde that the quarrell of the assailant was for rebellion against him Ver. 4. Twelve yeares they served Chedarlaomer but in the thirteenth they rebelled This fact of Abraham thus blessed by Melchisedech thus prospered by God himselfe doth declare the subjection of these Kingdomes to Chedarlaomer to have been oppression and their Rebellion a just prosecution of their liberty and therefore the war of Abraham a just war And God gave the robbed their goods againe The Law of God which saith Non Furaberis Thou shalt not steal doth declare that there is meum tuum mine and thine in the things of this world and that God hath not left an Anabaptisticall community of all those things on earth and a parity of interest in all men to all things for then there would be no theft seeing whatsoever any man did sease on was his own This was no new Heresie but a reviving of the old of them that called themselves Apostolici mentioned by Saint Augustin Haeres 40. who in imitation of the Apostles would have all things common True that in those beginnings of Christs Church when the number of Christians were yet but small it was a voluntary not a compulsary communication of goods that was then and for a small time used as a fortifying of themselves against the common adversary But there was no Law but of their own piety and charity that did impose this as a duty upon them so that Ananias and Saphira were not punished with sudden death for detaining a part of the price of the field which they sold for they might have with-held all but they were punished for lying to the Holy