coloured and all heyrye and roughe and hys name was Esau the other dyd come forth holding hys brother by the foote and therefore was he called Iaacob Esau was an hunter and a tylman but Iaacob was an heardman and vpon a tyme when Iacob had made him potage Esau cometh from the fyelde all wearye and fortyered and sayeth to hys brother Iaacob giue me some of this red potage where vpon he hadde hys second name Edom. But Iaacob knowyng by the appoynted wyll and pleasure of the Lorde of all thys necessitie to be laid vpon Esau that he shuld thus become subiect vnto hym taketh thys occasyon of extremyty to serue god hys worckynge and demaundeth hys byrthe ryght who geueth it hym wythout delaye So that Iaacob nowe by righte hathe recouered the enheritaunce wherfore he did wrastle in the wombe And the Lorde God is hielye to be magnified renoumed and praysed who hathe exaulted hys chosen Iaacob and reiected thys rough Esau thys redde blouddy Edome whiche dyd no more passe vppon hys byrthe ryght then of a messe of pottage thoughe afterward whan it was to late he did seke for it wyth teares and could not haue it by the iust iudgmente of the almyghtye Thus muche for the declaration of these two parsons and theyr names Now must we behold the two kindes of people which did spring of these two brethren and had theyr names of theym euer after Of the Edomites and theyr encrease from Esau their father and howe manye Dukes and captaynes dyd come of hym we may reade Gen. xxxvi Their begynnyng was from the mount â—eiâ— Iosue xxiiii A roughe and cruell people They dyd lyue by the swearde as Isaac theyr father dyd forse and prophecye Gen. xxvii Cruell against theyr brethren Numeri xx xxiiii Agaynst whoÌ„ Esaiah xxxi Ieremi xlix Ezechiel xxv xxxv And the hoole Prophecy of Abdiah is wrytten onlye to vtter the wrathe of God agaynst such crueltye as dyd appeare in the father and chyldren bothe Esau and hys of sprynge wherefore the Lorde sayeth I haue sworne by my self that Bozra the cheife cytye of Idumea shall be a wyldernesse a shame and reproche a desert and cursse and all the other cities shal be for euer desolate and destroyed and so shall Idumea bee destroyed as Sodome and Gomorra wer Iere. xlix Agayn Shame shal come vpon the for the malyce that thou vtterest to thy brother Iaacob yea for euermore shall thou pearyshe and that because of the tyme when thou dyddest sette thy self agaynst hym and the lyke threatenynges Through the whole Prophecye of Abdiah Of Iacob and hys posteritye it is writteÌ„ and of his .xii. sonnes wherof came the .xii. trybes or kynreds Gen. xxxv And thorow oute the whole Byble we may learne howe god cheuseth calleth leadeth and tryeth this Iacob and his posteritie to make them an example of a spirituall Iaacob and a peculyer people whiche he then had determyned to chewse vnto hym selfe to worshyppe and serue hym in spirite and truthe to haue their heartes circumcysed frome all fleshelye lustes too make theym Israelites that is to say ouer commers of God by faythe constancy pacience and hope in God hys owne promyses Wyll you know then wherin God hath loued Iaacob In manye things doubtlesse First when he made hym in his mothers wombe he dyd chewse hym before hys brother Esau Gene. xxv Roma ix God broughte hys brother by necessytye into subieccyon vnto hym God caused hys father to blesse hym God ledde hym into his iornay when he fled from his brother God dyd encrease hym and blesse hym euer more whan Laban thoughte to bee gyle hym God dyd delyuer hym from Laban when he dyd pursue after hym God dyd gyue hym the victorye when the angell dyd wrestle wyth hym geuyng hym the name of Israell pronouncyng that he had preuailed against God God defended hym from the malyce of hys brother and caused hym to fynde fauor in hys syghte God encreased Iaacob wyth xii soÌ„nes which replenished the whole land of Canaan wheÌ„ce he dyd dryue forth the enhabitauntes gaue it to theyr chyldren in possessyon Namely the land of the Cananites Hethites Amorites Pheresits Gebusits and Gyrgosites God did plage Egipt for Iaacob sake He drowned Pharao and hys armye in the red see god caused the seas to stande lyke walles and made pathes for hys Iaacob God caused the floudes of Iordan to stoppe and stay their course and to ryse vp lyke mouÌ„taynes to make passage for hys people the children of Iaacob To passeouer howe god fed them .xl. yeares in wyldernesse that they neyther wanted garment to their body neyther shoe to their foote how he sent them Manna from heauen and spredde the ayre wyth quayles when they desyred chaunge of meate how he did gyue them and drinke forth of the hard stone God dyd gyue hym a law to leade his lyfe and to teache hym parfyte wisdome aboue all nations Yea the Lorde hys God neuer lefte hym neyther dyd forsake hym but alwayes went before him in a fyry pyller by the nyght season and in a cloude by the daye tyme. As for the battayles which the Lorde hath foughten frome heauen for Iaacob and hys chyldren they are wythout nombre And the wonderfull actes whych froÌ„ tyme to tyme God hath wrought for his chosen Iaacob they can be contemed in no bookes nor wrightinges God dyd speake face to face vnto hym he sent for hym his Prophets and messengers and at the length God sent downe hys own sonne to take fleshe for hys sake of hys seede and linage What coulde he do more for Iaacob that he hath not done Reade the whole boke of Exodus Deutero Iosue Iudges and kinges and a brief rehersall of God his greate worckes .ii. Ezra ix And especially note the loue of God toward Iaacob Exod. xix where the Lorde appearing with thondre fyre and smoke saieth vnto the house of Iacob you shal be myne before al people you shal be vnto me a priestly kingdome and an holye people The whiche sentence is alledged in the newe Testamente .i. Peter .ii. Of the spirituall Iaacob sayinge You are the chosen kinred the kingly priesthode the holye people a people wonne for thys purpose that you shuld shew forth hys power whyche hathe called you into thys maruelous lyght Whych sometyme wer not hys people but now are the people of God Whiche once were withoute hys mercye but nowe haue you attayned mercye Wherefore as it was then said to the carnall Iaacob and outewarde Israel I haue loued Iaacob he asketh wherin I haue loued him forgetful of my benefites euen so nowe vnder thys complaynt of the carnall Iaacob the spirite of God doothe charge vs and condempne our ingratitude whiche wyl be accompted the spiritual Israell and the true Iacob not after the letter and flesh but in spirite and truthe Where we doe knowe that the almyghtye maker of heauen and earthe so loueth vs that hee is contente we should
was a murtherer before the beginning of the world lyke as hys chyldren hath bene also euer syth the begynnynge of the worlde and therfore must of necessity be hated of the most mercyfull Lorde who is compelled by the order of hys woorkes to vse these wycked roddes and cruell scourges for the chastysement of hys chyldren doyng manye tymes the woorke straunge from hys nature that he maye do hys woorke of marcye peculyer vnto his nature And than vtterly breake hate reiect and cast away into euerlastyng fyre and vtter destruction thys rodde and scourge lyke a most marcyfull father fauouryng hys chyldren and hating the rodde Lyke as he sayeth by hys Prophet Woo vnto Assur the rodde of my fury and the staffe of my indingnation and after promyseth to breake the staffe and caste awaye the rodde Psa x. Suffering in the meane season yet theese instrumentes of hys wrathe prepared vnto destructyon with greate pacyence for thys ende that hee maye vtter the ryches of hys glorye towardes the vessayles of glory which he hathe prepared vnto glorye Thus was Pharao the manifest scourge and rodde of God to correcte to chastyse and to exercyse the Israelites and to spreade the power of God through al the world Therefore was Moyses sente vnto hym wyth the rodde of God hys myghtye mercy to breake in sondre this rodde of chastisemente And the Lorde sayed vnto Moyses I haue appoynted the to be the God of Pharao and Aaron thy brother shall be thy Prophet thou shall speake vnto hym all that I commaunde the. And hee shall speake vnto Pharao to let go the chyldren of Israell for the of hys lande But I wyl harden hys hearte saythe the Lorde and I wyll multiplye my signes and wonders in Egypte and he shall not heare you And I wyll laye my hand vppon Egipt and I wyll brynge myne army and people forthe of the lande of Egypte by mooste greate iudgementes and the Egiptians shall know that I am the lord Exodus .vii. Agayne the Lord sayth Now shall I stretche my hande to stryke the and thy people wyth a plage and thou shalt peryshe from the earthe for therfore haue I caused the to stande for so is the Hebrue word that I maye shewe in the my strength and that my name maye be renowmed through al the earth Exod. ix Then the lorde sendeth a greate hayle so that fealynge the hande of God the tenthe tyme Pharao was compelled to crye the Lord is iust and I and my people are synners as foloweth in the same chapter Yet for all thys the Lord hardneth hys hearte that he pursueth the chyldrē of Israel to hys owne destruccion Exodus xiiii So that resystyng the power of god he perisheth in this world and in the world to come he is appoynted to the euerlastynge fyre prepared for the deuyll and hys aungelles by the iust iudgment of the almyghtye Lorde who being refused and so openly resisted iustly dothe geue ouer the wycked to theyr owne reprobate myndes wyth greadynes to fulfyll theyr fleshlye desyres and obstynat purpose to prosecute that whiche the Deuyll and the worlde wylleth them to do and so causeth them to hepe vpon their own heades their own damnation treasuryng storing vp al their life long workes deseruynge the wrath of god agaynst the day of hys wrath and vengeaunce as the Apostle sayth to the Romaynes Thys reprobacion then is the declaracion of god hys seuere Iustyce and iust iudgement agaynst the serpent and hys seede whom by the worde of hys eternal wysdome he hath accurssed from the begynnyng and appoynted to euerlastyng torment The whych woorke necessarye for the procedyng of god hys holy prouidence eternal and neuer ceassynge regymēt gouernāce because it is the worke of the wyll of the myghtye god whyche is the very law equitie and iustice it selfe free from all affectyons farre from all faulte cryme or synne It oughte to be knowen vnto vs al that all fleshe maye tremble and consyder before whome it standeth euen before that greate Lorde and myghty god who hath power bothe ouer the body and soule to cast into hell fyre To whom no man may saye what doest thou Being like the clay in the poters hand or the staffe or axe in the hand of the smiter Who offendeth against no lawe because hys godly wyl is the lawe it selfe and to knowe his pleasure is to knowe the lawe to follow his will is to do the lawe so that of necessitie this great Lorde is so farre and free from al sinne that nothing is good but that whiche is wrought by hym nothyng can be euyll that he worcketh in hys creatures No the fall of Lucifer the father of the reprobate dothe vtter hys Maiestye dothe shewe hys Iustyce whyche olde Sathan and father Deuil was woorthelye cast downe into the bothome of hell and eternallye condempned to euerlastynge paine and tormente because he dyd so ambiciously and proudly clymbe vp aboue his appointed place in the heauēs And where the malyce of thys old serpente caused Adam the firste manne to mounte aboue hys estate to desyre to knowe good and euyll lyke a God the maruelous mercye of God and inestimable loue towardes mankynde caused and compelled this wycked woorcke of the Serpent to serue hys glorye and to tourne to oure greate commodytye and profytte in that he rayseth of the seede of man a nother Adam most innocent and holye agaynst whome no deuil nether any helly power maye preuayle by whome we are not onlye reconcyled vnto God and do obteyne pardon for thys offence but we are borne a newe and as it were againe created into greater glorye by farre then we were at the first for the first man had only a promesse to liue in the earthly gardine so long as he dyd not eate of the forbidden frute we haue the promyse of the heauenlye paradyse and euerlasting pleasures He had earthly meate and fruit we haue the heauenly Manna whych feedeth into life euerlasting He was created to woorke in the gardyne workes natural we are renewed vnto workes supernatural aboue nature heauenly and celestiall He was ouer come by the serpent we do ouercome and triumphe ouer the serpent Synne Deuyl Death and Hell He had the gift of reason and vnderstandynge we haue the rytche wysedome of God hys holye spirite wherby we dyscerne our own infirmitie and weakenes and hys almightye power mercye and goodnesse To be shorte where he dyd renne frō God hyd hym and sewe figge leaues to couer his shame folowynge hys fonde fantasye We do boldly beholde the course of god hys woorkyng in our nakednes synne and infyrmitie and magnifie renowme and prayse our Lorde god whyche sheweth hys grace by our synne whych vttereth hys power by oure weakenesse hys wysdome by out foolyshnes whych setteth foorth hys electe vessels his chosen Abels by Caynites the vessayles of hys wrath In wych Cain the fyrst murthetherar therefore manifestly of the serpentes seede appeareth euydentlye
and twentye thousande whyche god dyd chewse and keepe vnto hym felfe in Nineue amonges the Idolaters and the .vii. thousande whyche god dyd leaue for hym selfe in Israell in the thyrde booke of the kynges the .xix. chapter Yea those that yet are not are thus electe chosen and amonges al nanacions both Iewes in thys long blindnes and banyshement from theyr countrye emonges the Turckes in theyr Idolatrous wyckednesse yea amonges the Edomytes the Sabees the Indyanes and Ethiopians And in the late blyndenesse of the popyshe churche wherein wee together wyth oure fathers were all together Idolatours all Hypocrytes and counterfayte Christians thys absolute eleccyon whereby the mercyfull LORDE God dyd reserue and keepe hys chosen vnto him in all places all ages al countryes without respecte of parsones dyd most euidentlye appeare How be it this secresy of eleccion must onlye be lefte to the Maiestie of God wher whan how and whome he therby saueth and sheweth hys mercye For to the blynde iudgmente of manne al theese people rehersed and suche lyke semeth reiecte reprobate and caste awaye as appeareth by Ionas condempnynge the Niniuites by Elyas condempninge the Israelites and a long whyle vntil God had by miracle from heauen delyuered hym from that erroure vnto the chief Apostle Peter iudgynge all the gentyles to bee a polluted people farre from the fauoure of God The second kynde of Eleccyon is set forth knowne euidente open by the spryte of God worckyng in the hartes of the electe and chosen by faythe and trust in God hys promyses teaching vs that we are the chyldren of God chosen to hym selfe by Iesu Christ from the begynynge and therfore preparynge vs to an holye and blamelesse lyfe to the land and prayse of the grace of god The whiche eleccion besides the daily experience of our consciences may be approued by the testimonies of these scriptures compared together Esay lix Rom. viii Ephe. i. Collossi iii. and a verye brief and parfit dyscripcion of thys Elecciō ii Thess ii in these wordes We ought to thanke God that he hathe chosen you from the begynnynge by the santefyinge of the spryte and the belefe of the truthe to the whych he hath called you by our gospel to attayne the glorye of oure Lorde Iesus Christe by thys gracyous eleccyon was Iacob dearely beloued in hys mothers wombe and Hieremy knowne vnto God before he was fashyoned in hys mothers wombe Hieremi i. And to bee short al other the electe of god are thus chosen santefied and beloued from the begynnyng from before the foundacyons of the worlde from euerlastynge to euerlastyng For there is no chaunge of tyme wyth God seyng that all thynges are presente in hys sighte For vnto him a thousand yeres are but one daye but the course and chaunge of tymes are in vs oure dedes oure knowledge in mans chaungeable wysdome Thys Eleccyon muste of necessytye dryue downe the pryde we haue of oure owne strengthe oure owne power oure owne nature or owne fre wyl our owne merits our own iustificaciō of our own workes and bring vs to the fealynge of the myghty power of God whych worketh all in all thynges to the restoringe of al thynges in our Christ both in heauen and earthe by whome we are called into thys state longe before appoynted accordinge to his purposed pleasure by whose power all thynges be wroughte that we maye boldly say with the Apostle who dare laye anye thynge to the charge of the electe of God It is God that iustifieth who is he that canne condempne who can seperate vs whyche are thys chosen Iacob frome the loue of God Canne affliccion can anguyshe can parfecucion can hunger can nackednes can peryll can the swearde For I amparswaded sayth he that nether deathe nor life nor angell nor power nor thinges presente neyther thynges to come nether heighe nor depth nether any creature can seperate vs frome the loue of God in Christ Iesu our Lorde lo this is the loue wherwith the Lorde loueth his Iacob wherby we say O heauenlye father Lord of heauen and earth it hathe pleased the that thou myghte shewe thy greate goodnesse mooste liberallye and frely towardes vs before that we were And therefore before we hadde done eyther good or yll wythoute anye our merytes or deseruyngs only thorough thy free mercye to electe and chuse ordayne and appoynte vs heyres of euerlastynge life and therby to make all thyngs perteynyng to oure saluacion so fyrme and sure that they canne not stagger nor wauer nor fayle Where contrarywyse if they dyd hange of oure worthynesse we shoulde euer be doubtefull because euerye manne is a lyer and all our righteousnesse is lyke a spotted clothe and nothynge but counterfeyte hyprocrysy wayed in the balaunce of thy seuere iustice But the grace of thys thy fre eleccyon maketh vs mooste certayne and sure seynge no creature is able to take oute of thy hande O God Wherefore wee doo lande and magnyfye thy name worlde wythoute ende So be it Nowe after thys doctryne of electyon and loue of God towarde Iaacob the haysynge and reprobatyon of Esawe muste lykewyse bee declared and thoughe the aduersaryes of thys doctryne do seeme to denye that there is any such reprobaciō of the wycked yet the wordes are so playne both here in thys prophet and Rom. ix That nothing can be more euydent For what can be more playnelye spoken for thys purpose then that god should saye before the chyldren were borne that he hated Esaw What was this hatred but the reprobacion reieccion and condempnacion by god hys owne mouth of thys wycked Esaw lyke as in the last verse of the fyrst psalm wher it is sayd that the Lorde knoweth the waies of the iust that is he hath thē writtē in hys boke in the heauēs he loueth them as is sayd of Iaacob he hath suche care ouer them that they can not fal but vnto the glorye of god and theyr owne commoditie by the course of the cōtraries cōpared together in that Psalme it should be added the Lord knoweth not the wycked lyke as Christ sayth it shal be answered vnto thē I know you not The latter parte of the verse is that the way of the wycked shall peryshe so that it appeareth to be al one not to be elected accepted and knowen of god and to perysh and to be as a reprobate condēpned And Felinus forth of kymhi dothe note that that parte of the laste verse of the .ii. Psalme God beynge angrye you shal peryshe foorth of the way dothe expounde thys of the fyrste psalme so that the election knowledge loue and fauour of god and eternal saluacion cannot be separate Like as hys anger and hatred reprobacion and condempnacion consequently do folow in Cain Esaw Pharao Iudas the Phariseis and like obdurate persones so manifestly vttering thē selues to be of that sorte whome god alwayes hated The chyldren not of Abraham but as Christ answereth vnto them of theyr father the deuyl who