these things to the benefite commoditie of his children and is readie alwayes to deliuer them in time of miserie and calamitie Concerning this matter it is long to recite the examples of Gods goodnesse towards Abraham Isaac and Iacob towards Ioseph Moses Iosua Dauid Ezechias Esdras the Apostle Paule and many other As in all ages so especially in our remembrance since the man of sinne began to be reuealed and the Gospell published the prouidence of almightie God in sauing hys people hathe béene manifestly shewed as is to bée séene in the Ecclesiasticall histories of Germanie of Fraunce of Englande and Scotlande and diuers other Nations If there were nothing lefte in wryting héereof in all the worlde yet euery man by the consideration of Gods workes bothe in him selfe and in other menne maye vnderstande sufficiently howe God careth for his people in deliueryng them from their enimies whiche is the seconde note for oure instruction gathered oute of these former woordes of the Prophete In the first part of the chapter Nowe followeth the seconde part Behold I haue made thee of small power and of little reputation among the Nations thou art greatly despised Héere God speaketh vnto the posteritie of Esau after this sorte Thou countrey of Edom thou thinkest thy selfe so sure that thou canst not be ouerthrowne thou persuadest thy selfe that thou art loued of thy neighbours and feared of thy enimies and therefore that there is no likelyhoode that thou shouldest be ouercome of any nation But this loue and this feare is but a rotten staffe or weake réede which easily will be broken For I the maker of heauen and earth and ruler of all the worlde haue made thée of small power and of little reputation among the nations that are rounde about thée they do vtterly contemne thée and despise thée I haue made thée of small power sayth God by his Prophete he speaketh in the time past of the time to come signifying thereby that it shall as certenly come to passe as though it were alredie fulfilled Worldly Princes thinke their state sure when they are loued of their neighbours and feared of their enimies But the Edomites sayth God haue no such assurance of their state For where loue is there is reputation but they shall be of small reputation therfore they shall not be loued and where feare is there is no contempt but they shall be despised therfore they shal not be feared Notwithstanding they persuaded them selues of safetie and did triumphe ouer other nations in their hearts deceyuing theÌ„ selues with a false persuasion Therfore the Prophet addeth The pride of thy heart hath deceyued thee which dwellest in the caues of a rocke hauing an high place for his habitation saying in his heart VVho shall bring me downe to the grounde Ieremie addeth vnto this and sayth moreouer Thy feare and the pride of thy heart c. That is to say the feare wherwith other nations do feare thée or else the opinion that thou hast conceyued that other nations are afrayde of thée and the pride of thy heart hath deceyued thée The Edomites were lifted vp with pride they did aduaunce themselues aboue other nations thinking them selues inuincible wheras they were of small power and of little reputatioÌ„ therfore they were deceiued The cause why they were so proude as it séemeth by the text was the coÌ„modious situation of their couÌ„trey They did dwel on the mountaines rockes that were vnaccessible they had the higher grounde of their enimies no maÌ„ as they thought was able to make a forte agaynst them therfore they had the aduauntage of all that should come against theÌ„ This made them thinke with theÌ„selues that no natioÌ„ was able to ouercome them therfore the Prophet sayth He sayth in his heart who shal bring me down to the grounde Vnto this proud hert God answereth by his Prophet as foloweth Although thou mount vp like an Eagle yea althoughe thou make thy nest as high as the starres euen froÌ„ thence will I bring thee downe This is a sure saying of Iehoua Ieremie sayth If thou make thy nest as high as the Eagle from thence will I bring thée downe Vnto this our Prophete addeth more and sayth if thou make thy nest as highe 〈◊〉 the starres and so foorth that is to say Trust not to thy dwelling on high for if it were a thousand times higher than it is thou art not able to resist God whiche is aboue it and thée for he dwelleth in a mount higher thou art able to dwell â—o can throw downe his thunderbolts vpon thée and destroy thee so that thou shalte neuer recouer thy selfe agayne As it is written If Edom say we are impouerished but we wil returne and buylde our desolate places yet sayth the Lorde of Hostes they shal buyld but I wil destroy it and they shall be called the border of wickednesse and the people with whome the Lorde is angry for euer Thus shall the Edomites be ouerthrowne sayth God notwithstanding the situatioÌ„ of their couÌ„trey and the loue of their neighbours and feare of their enimies Therfore the stays wherby they persuaded theÌ„selues of safty is of no force to deliuer theÌ„ froÌ„ destructioÌ„ which the Prophet techeth in the secoÌ„d part of this chap. whose words serue for the coÌ„solatioÌ„ of al the faithful in that we lerne therby that no power of man is able to resiste God who fighteth for his people Moreouer al Princes and Nations may learne therby not to trust in any earthly mighte or strength nor in the ayde of other men that are their confederates For God is able to alter mens mindes and to make them despised that before were estéemed and feared Héere all nations may learne not to put too muche confidence in the situation of their countrey be it neuer so well fortified For God is able to bring downe to make weake by one meanes or other those that are of moste power and strength It is not the pollicie nor strength of man that ouercommeth in battell but God with a great or small companie of men yea of himself without the ministerie of man as pleaseth him As we are taught by the example of the people in Noes time vtterly destroyed with the floud for their disobedience and by the example of the Sodomites destroyed with fire and brimstone from heauen By hindering the buylding of Babell toure through the confusion of the tungs of men by the destruction of the great citie Ierusalem and by the victories that Moses had ouer Pharao that Iosua had ouer the Cananites that Gedeon and other Iudges that Ezechias and other godly Princes had ouer their enimies Therfore king Dauid notwithstanding his owne policie and multitude of men sayth I trust in the Lorde of whom shal I be afrayde And the Lorde is my fortresse my castle my towre in whome I trust my butkler my shielde and my saluation In like maner all Princes and Nations vsing such
ordinary meanes as God hath appoynted ought notwithstanding to put their chéef trust in God without whose helpe no Prince is able to mainteyne his estate his owne policie is in vayne his owne power will not helpe him For God teacheth vs héere by this Prophet that althoughe we make our dwelling as highe as the starres yet he is able to ouerthrowe vs and to bring vs to nothing It followeth If theeues came vnto thee or nobbers by night how miserably shouldest thou he handled yet woulde they not steale onely so muche as shoulde be sufficient for them if grape gatherers shoulde come vnto thee woulde they not leaue some little ones How are the goodes of Esau sought out howe are his treasures spoyled This is the thirde parte of the chapter in the whiche the Prophet sheweth by a comparison the greatnesse of the miserie calamitie that shoulde happen vnto the Edomites Great should be their miserie if they shoulde be spoyled by théeues for it is no small gréefe to a man to léess in one houre that whiche he hath laboured for many yéeres Muche more shall they be spoyled of those enimies that God will sende agaynst them For théeues wyll leaue something behinde them as landes reuenues and housholde stuffe but their enimies will take all and will put them out of their houses and dispossesse them of all their landes also it is a great miserie to be spoyled of their grapes wherevpon the wealth of their countrey dothe stande yet that is not so great as this miserie that shall happen vnto them For the spoylers of grapes will leaue some rascales at the least that are vnrype to succour them withall but the Nations whome God wyll sende agaynst them will leaue nothing therefore their miserie shall be vnspeakable For this cause the Prophet vttereth it by an exclamation saying O howe are the goodes of Esau soughte oute and hys treasures spoyled As though he should say I am not able to expresse howe the Edomites shall bée spoyled yet thys is the leaste parte of their miserie that is more whiche followeth All the men that were confederate wyth thee haue drye o◠thee to the borders the men that were all peace wyth thee haue deceyued thee they haue prevayled agaynst thee they that haue had mayntenance by thee shall layd snare in thy waye to catche thee he shall not perceyue it They shall not onely be spoyled saythe the Prophete but also they shall be driuen out of their countrey yea and that by those in whome they trusted of whom they looked for ayde with whom they were confederate so foorth And this the Prophet vttreth in the time past signifying that it is as certayne as though it were alreadie past And he addeth moreouer that this miserie shal come vnto them vpon the sodayne so that they shall not perceyue it and therefore it is like to be muche greater than if they had foreséene it For a Prince that knoweth of his enimies comming may leuye an armie agaynst him and so perhaps withstande him or make some other shift for him selfe But the Edomites are bereft of this helpe for they shall not perceyue the miserie that is towards them before it come and therfore through their soden oppression they are likely to be handled the more miserably Agaynst this it might be obiected that it is not likely that they shoulde be ignorante of that whiche should happen vnto them séeing there are among them so many wise men so many graue Senators that coulde foresée daunger to come Vnto this God answereth by his Prophet as followeth Shall not I at that day sayth the Lorde euen cut off from Edom the wise men and vtterly take away vnderstanding from the mounte of Esau Yea moreouer the courage of thy mightie captaynes O Teman shall be abated bicause euery man shall be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter They shal not perceyue or foresee the daunger at hande sayth God for he wil destroy their wise Senatours and take away all men of vnderstanding from amongst them This is a great calamitie yet he will not onely do this but also he will dismay yea and slay all their mightie captaynes so that there shall be none lefte able to defende them This is taught by the name of Teman whiche was the chiefe citie and the most ancient Dukedome in Idumea so named of Teman the eldest sonne of Elephas Esaus first sonne How their mightie captaynes shall be dismayde Ieremie declareth saying Their heart shal be as the heart of a woman with trauell that is ful of sorrow always lamenting continually looking for to perishe The cause of this sorrowe is the vtter destruction of the Inhabitantes which vnspeakable miserie vttered by our Prophet in one worde is more at large declared by Ieremie in these words There shall be none left to say leaue thy fatherlesse children with me I wil preserue them aliue and let thy widowes trust in me As in the ouerthrowe of Sodome and of Gomorra and the places neare about sayth the Lorde no man shall dwell there neither shal the children of men remaine in it So shall Edom be And Ezechiell sayth Thus sayth the Lorde Iehoua I will stretche out my hande vpon Edom and will destroy man and beast out of it This is the great calamitie that God sayth shall come vpon the Edomites they shall be spoyled of al their goods euen to their bid treasures and moste precious Iewels and not that onely but also they shall be driuen out of their countrey sodayne destruction shall come vpon them vnwares they shall all be destroyed foolishe and wise weake strong small and great poore and riche man beast This is the thirde parte of the chapter whiche as the former so this serueth for the consolation of the faythfull and correction of the wicked persecuters of Gods people For this is the ende purpose of the Prophet to comfort the Israelites béeing in captiuitie and to dismay the Edomites their deadly enimies And what soeuer serueth for their consolation is a general consolatiō for all afflicted Christians that call vpon God and put their trust in him And what soeuer serueth to dismay the Edomites is a generall correction of all wicked persons that afflict Gods people For in the deliuerance of the Israelites is declared the goodnesse of God towards all men for the goodnesse of God is one for God is one his goodnesse is immutable And in the destructiō of the Edomites is shewed the iustice of God towards all men for the iustice of God is alwayes one for God is one and his iustice is immutable Therefore I say these words of the Prophet serue for the vse of all men for the comforte of the godly and reprofe of the wicked They are a sharpe crimination or threatning agaynst all persecuters of the Christians wherby in the miserie and calamitie of the Edomites the Prophet describeth the
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