THis Prophesie was written agaynst the Edomites, the posteritie of Esau: a people bordering vpon the Southe side of Iewry, towards Ara­bia. They were the nexte neighbeurs of the Israelites, the posteritie of Iacob. Ia­cob and Esau, otherwise called Israell and Edom, were brethren, and the chil­dren of Isaac and Rebecca.Gen. 25.22 When their mother was with childe with them, they did striue in hir wombe, wherewith she béeing moued, enquired of God what that straunge fight shoulde meane.An. mundi. 2100. Answere was made hir, that she had two Nations in hir wombe, that is to say: that two Nations should rise of their posteritie, that they should contende the one with the other, and the elder should serue the yonger: that is, the Nation that shoulde come of the yonger brother, shoulde sub­due the posteritie of the elder brother, and bring them in subiectiō. Which was [Page] fulfilled in king Dauids tyme:2. Sa 8 1 [...]. An. mundi 2900. who with his people, y^e posteritie of Iacob, y^e yonger brother, subdued the Edomites vnto him, and vnto his Nation: vnto whome they remayned subiect for the space of an hun­dred and threescore yeres, vnto the reigne of Ioram,2. Re 8. [...]0 An mundi 3060. the seuenth king of Iewry from Dauid. In whose dayes they rebel­led, and euer after hated the inhabitants of Iuda, as before their father Esau had hated Iacob. As at other times, so chiefly they vttered their malitious mind, when Nabuchodonosor besieged Ierusalem:An. mundi. 33 [...]. for they ioyned with him agaynst Iuda. It is not vnlikely but that he desired their help, bicause they were neare borderers, & were acquaynted in the countrey. But he was not so desirous of their ayde, as they were to offer it. For they reioyced greatly at the miserie of the Israelites, they triumphed ouer them, and were par­takers with the enimies in spoyling the citie of Ierusalem. Yea they persuaded them vtterly to destroy it. As it is writ­ten: Remember the children of Edom,Psal. 1 [...]. O Lorde, in the day of Ierusalem, whiche [Page] sayde, rase it, rase it, euen to the foun­dation thereof. By occasion of this mise­rie and calamitie of the Israelites, the inhabitants of Idumea were mery and ioyfull, but Gods people were full of sor­rowe and heauinesse. Therefore almigh­tie God pitying their case, stirred vp Ab­dias & other Prophets to comfort them, by declaring vnto them the destruction of the Edomites, their enimies, and by foretelling their owne deliuerance out of captiuitie: which how cōfortable a thing it was vnto them, wée may vnderstande by our own example: who in the days of Mary our Quéene,An. domini. 1553. were oppressed with the members of Antichrist, the deadly enimies of Gods people. At what tyme they endeuoured as much as lay in them to destroy the heauenly Ierusalem, that is to say, the true Christians, of whome they imprisoned and burned a great num­ber, and the residue they caused eyther to flée into voluntarie banishmente, or else to reuolte from the Christian reli­gion vnto Idolatrie, vntill it pleased almightie God to looke vpon them with [Page] his mercyfull eyes, and to call them vn­to repentance. If in this tyme of miserie God had sente vs some Abdias, to tell vs that he woulde destroy our enimies, and restore those that were banished into their ceuntrey, and aduaunce them to ho­nour and wealth, this must néedes haue béene very comfortable vnto vs. And so it came to passe in déede: For God dothe not in any age leaue those comfortlesse that cleaue wholly vnto him. Therfore he sente his Prophet Abdias among the Israelites to shewe them the destruction of their enimies, and their owne deliue­rance out of captiuitie, to comfort them, and to confirme them in the true wor­ship of God. This is the purpose of the Prophet, whose prophesie may be deui­ded into two chapters. In the first God threatneth destruction vnto the Edomi­tes: and in the seconde he promiseth deli­uerance, with great prosperitie and felici­tie vnto the Israelites. The first Chap­ter consisteth of foure partes. In the first is declared the certayntie of their de­struction: In the seconde the staye and [Page] arguments wherby the Edomites might persuade them selues of safetie, are taken away and confuted. In the thirde, the greatnesse of y^e calamitie that God would sende vpon them, is declared. And last of all, are shewed the causes of their destruc­tion. It is not impertinent to the first parte, to note héere the author of the pro­phesie. It is called the prophesie of Ab­dias. But it was reuealed by the holy Ghost, euen by God him selfe, and vtte­red by the ministerie of Abdias.Luk. 1.69. As the Prophete Zacharie sayth: The Lorde God of Israell hathe raysed vnto vs a mightie saluation in the house of his ser­uante Dauid, as he promised by the mouth of his holy Prophets which were since the world began. And the Apostle that writeth to the Hebrues,Hebr. 1.1. sayth: At sundrie tymes, and in dyuers maners God spake in olde tyme to our fathers by the Prophets. And our Sauiour sayth: that Dauid sayde in the spirite, or by the holy Ghost:Mat. 22.43 the Lorde sayde vnto my Lorde, sit thou on my right hande, vntill I make thy enimies thy foote stoole. Héere [Page] our Sauiour signifieth that Dauid spake not of him selfe, but the holy Ghost by his mouth. So it appeareth by the words of S. Peter,1. Pet. 3.18. that Noe in his time preached vnto the people, not of him selfe, but our Sauiour Christ in his Godhead preached by the mouth of Noe. For S. Peter spea­king of the death and resurrection of our Sauiour, sayth that he was mortified in the fleshe, but quickned or raysed to life by the spirite, that is to say by his God­head. In the whiche spirite (saythe he) Christ came and preached to the spirites that are in prison, whiche were disobedi­ent in the dayes of Noe. These words of our Sauiour, of the Apostles, and of Za­charie, teache vs that it was our Saui­our Christ in Noe, the spirite of God in Dauid, and in the other Prophetes that spake vnto the people. Therefore I con­clude, that the same spirite spake in Ab­dias, and that God him selfe was the au­thor of his prophesie. This also is many­fest by the words of the Prophet: For he sayth: I haue made thée of smal power, and of little reputation among the Nati­ons. [Page] The Prophet had no such power, as to diminishe the reputation and power of y^e Edomites. Therfore it foloweth neces­sarily, y^t he spake not in his own person, but 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. DaniellDan. 7.1. in a dreame sawe a vision of foure Beastes. And Sainct Iohn in a traunce saw a vision of seuē candlesticks.Reuel. 1.12 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 [Page] in olde time was called a Seer:1. Sam. 9.9 so heere the prophesie of Abdias is called the sight or vision of Abdias.2. Sa. 24.11 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 y^e doctrine therin con­teined is true. Therfore y^e prophet giueth this title vnto his prophesie to declare the certentie therof. Our Sauior vseth y^e like argumēt in defēce of his doctrine, saying: [Page] That which I haue séene I testifie vnto you. And after this sort s. IohnIohn. 8.38. beginneth his first Epistle,1. Ioh. 1.1. 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 [Page] an hundred of the true Prophets,1. Re. 1 [...] 3. An. mundi. 3030. 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.An. mundi. 3360. Ezec. 25.12 Ier. 49.7. 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,Psal. 90.1 [...] An. mundi. 2490. sayth, that in his dayes the age of man was but thréescore yéeres and ten. In A­chabs [Page] 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 [Page] 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 y^t 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, [Page] 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 Ie­remieIer. 49.14. hath the same words in effect. He sayth: I haue heard this voyce from Ie­houa. He speaketh of him selfe in the sin­gular number. Although in effecte there be no more certeintie in the words of the one than of the other, yet in our eares Ab­dias séemeth to speake more certeinely, bicause he speaketh in the plurall num­ber, not of him selfe onely, but also of o­ther Prophets: he seemeth to saye thus muche: Not onely God hath spoken it, but also that you may vnderstād I speake [Page] of knowledge, I testifie vnto you that we haue hearde it, not onely I but also my fellow Prophets Ieremie and Ezechiel, for they haue prophesied the same things that I shall declare vnto you. Thus hée bringeth witnesses of that he saith. That which is testified by two or thrée, séemeth vnto vnto vs more certayne than that which is witnessed by one onely. There­fore for the better credite of his words, he sayth: not I, but we haue herd it, and that not of any mortall man, but of Iehoua: the voyce came from almightie God, whereof I, and Ezechiel, and Ieremie are witnesses. And this is the voyce: That an Embassadour is sent among the Nations. Thir is the Hebrue word, which properly signifieth the hinges of a doore, vpō which the doore goeth too and fro, and is thereby ruled. But figuratiuely it signifieth an Embassadour, suche a one as is a chiefe mā vnder the Prince, by whose wisdome the common weale is ruled, and vpon whom the good estate of the Prince and people dothe depende. So this Embassa­dour heere mentioned is a chéefe man, by [Page] whom I vnderstande the sonne of God, the seconde person in trinitie, who is the euerlasting wisedome of the father,Luk. 11.49 by whom the world was made,Iohn. 1.3. and without whō nothing was made, that was made, by whom the world is gouerned, by whō Princes do reigne, and kings do beare rule, who sendeth peace and warre: he is the Lorde that doth all these things. It is he that moueth the Nations agaynst the Edomites to destroy them. All Nations must obey this Embassadour, he is not sent to one nation, but to a multitude of Nations, they all shall come agaynst the Edomites. Therfore their destruction is certayne. The Embassadour is alreadie sent (sayth the Prophet:) This matter is not now in consultatiō, it is alreadie past, it can not be stayde. His commission is deliuered vnto him, and he is gone on his iourney. And this is his commission, to the Nations to warre agaynst the Edo­mites, saying: Vp, and let vs arise agaynst hir vnto battel. In Ieremie it is thus: Ga­ther your selues togither, come agaynst hir, & rise to battell. In Ieremie the Em­bassadour [Page] speaketh vnto the nations, wil­ling them to rise against the Inhabitants of Idumea: but in our prophet Abdias, he speaketh muche more cōfortably, signify­ing that he him selfe will go with them vnto the warre, that he wil be a chéef cap­tayne among them. He maketh him selfe one of the number, shewing therby that they shall haue his helpe, that he wil fight with them, who can compasse and bring to passe al things as pleaseth him. Let vs (sayth he) rise agaynst hir: that is to say, agaynst the nation of the Edomites. God him selfe promiseth to fight with his peo­ple, therfore the enimies shal surely be de­stroyed, & his childrē shall ouercome. For if God be on our side, who shal be agaynst vs. This is y^e first part of y^e former chapt. declaring the certentie of y^e Edomites de­structiō. In the which there is to be noted a lessō for al ministers & preachers of gods word, in y^t the prophet entitleth his booke a vision, & in that he saith: Thus hath the lord Iehoua said, this voyce haue we herd frō Iehoua: wherby is giuē vs to vnder­stād, y^t he vttereth such things only as he [Page] hath séene, and suche as God hath reuea­led vnto him. Suche things as he hathe heard of God, and nothing else but that which God hath spoken. This was al­wayes the maner of the Prophetes, and also of the Apostles, as appeareth in their Epistles, and in the reuelations of S. Iohn, not to speake their owne fansies, not to preache doctrine deuised by them selues, not to be wise in their owne opi­nions, but to teach the truthe, procéeding from God him selfe, and nothing else but that whiche he hath taught. This maner all Gods ministers oughte to obserue: which they shal do, if they speake nothing rashly and vnaduisedly, but do diligently examine and searche the knowledge of God in his worde, whiche teacheth the true wisedome,Psal. 19.7. and giueth good vnder­standing, euen to the simple, rude, and ignorante persons,2. Ti. 3.15. and (as the Apostle saythe) is able to make a man wise as muche as is requisite vnto saluation. If Gods ministers suffer their lippes to vt­ter nothing but that whiche is truely grounded vpon this worde, they may be [Page] bolde to say: Thus hath the Lorde sayd, This voyce haue we heard frō the Lord. This euery preacher ought not to say on­ly, but also it is requisite that he be sure that he may truly say it. For there are many false Prophets and false teachers, that say, Thus sayth the Lord, this is the worde of God, when they teache their owne fansies. Suche take the name of God in vayne, abusing it for the aduaun­cing of them selues, and the encrease of their owne wealth. Suche shall be grée­uously punished: for God will not holde him giltlesse that taketh his name in vayne. Therefore it is requisite that eue­ry one whiche taketh vpon him to be a minister and preacher of the Gospell, do diligently examine his doctrine by the worde of God, and then he may truly say with the Prophet: This hath the Lorde sayde, and that which we haue heard we testifie vnto you. Then he may say with the Apostle:1. Cor. 11.23. that which I receiued of the Lorde, I haue deliuered vnto you, and this is the Lords saying, and not myne. This is a lesson for all the ministers of [Page] Gods word, noted in this first part of the chapter. Héere is also a lesson for the in­struction of al true Christians, in that the Prophet signifieth that the sonne of God the seconde person in Trinitie, is sent as an Embassadour to stirre vp the nations to warre agaynst Gods enimies: and in that he giueth vs to vnderstande, that God him selfe will fight with thē agaynst the aduersaries of his children: héereby we learne that God careth for his childrē, that he helpeth those that call vpon him in aduersitie, as he hath promised, saying: Call vpon me in the day of trouble,Psa. 50.15. and I will deliuer thée. He fighteth for vs a­gaynst our enimies, therefore they can not preuayle agaynst vs. For it is writ­ten:Rom. 8.31. if God be on our side, who can be a­gaynst vs? Where God taketh parte, there is the victorie. In vayne dothe any Prince make battell agaynst his will, for all the creatures in the world are ru­led by him, mā & beast, sunne & moone, fire and water, the earth, the sea, & the cloudes are at his cōmandement, he vseth al these things to the benefite & commoditie of his [Page] 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 [Page] 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 [Page] 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 thē 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? Iere­mieIer. 49.16. 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 [Page] did aduaunce themselues aboue other na­tions, thinking them selues inuincible, wheras they were of small power, and of little reputatiō, therfore they were decei­ued. The cause why they were so proude (as it séemeth by the text) was the cōmo­dious situation of their coūtrey. They did dwel on the mountaines & rockes y^t were vnaccessible, they had the higher grounde of their enimies, no mā (as they thought) was able to make a forte agaynst them, therfore they had the aduauntage of all that should come against thē. This made them thinke with thēselues, that no natiō 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 frō 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 [Page] 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. [...]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,Mal. 1.4. 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 y^e border of wic­kednesse, and the people with whome the Lorde is angry for euer. Thus shall the Edomites be ouerthrowne (sayth God) notwithstanding the situatiō of their coū ­trey, and the loue of their neighbours, and feare of their enimies. Therfore the stays wherby they persuaded thēselues of safty is of no force to deliuer thē frō destructiō, which y^e Prophet techeth in y^e secōd part of this chap. whose words serue for y^e cōsola­tiō of al the faithful, in y^t we lerne therby, [Page] 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:Gen. 7.21. and by the example of the Sodomites,Ge. 19.24. destroy­ed with fire and brimstone from heauen. By hindering the buylding of Babell toure through the confusion of the tungsGen. 11. [...]. [Page] of men:2. Re. 25 9. Luk. 19.43 &. 21.6. Exo. 14.27 Ios. 6.20. & 8.19. &. 10.11. &. 12.9 &c. Iud. 7.22. 2. Reg. 19.35. Psal. 27.1. Psal. 18.2. 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 [Page] 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 [Page] 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. [Page] 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 [Page] 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.Gen. 36.15. How their mightie captaynes shall be dismayde, Ie­remie declareth, saying:Ier. 49.22. 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 [Page] one worde, is more at large declared by Ieremie in these words:Ier. 49.11. 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,Eze. 25.13. 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,Ez. 35.1. &c. 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 [Page] 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, [Page] the Prophet describeth the lamentable state of all that do obstinately set them selues agaynst God and his people. They shall be constrayned to forgoe all their ri­ches whatsoeuer, their confederates and aliance shall persecute them, and séeke their vtter destruction, their wisedome shall fayle them, their wise men shall be­come fooles, and their strong men shall be made weake, no wisedome nor strength shall be able to preuayle agaynst God. Whereby we are taught that whiche the Prophet Dauid sayth: it is better to trust in God,Psal. 118.8. than to trust in man: it is better to trust in God, than to trust in Princes. For man is mutable, but God is immu­table: the wisdome of man & his strength fayleth, but the wisdome and strength of God is aboue all, and endureth for euer, wherby he confoundeth the wisdome and strength of man, especially of those that resist him, and afflicte his people. A nota­ble example héereof are the inhabitantes of Ierusalem in the Apostles time, who persecuted both them and Christ our Sa­uiour vnto the death, therefore they were [Page] miserably handled, they were not onely spoyled of al their substance, but also most lamentably destroyed, although they had many forwarnings therof, yet they could not perceyue it. They interpreted all things for them that made against them, so was their wisedome confounded, and they in the ende vtterly destroyed. But we néede not go vnto Ierusalem for ex­amples, we haue examples at home at our owne doores: we néede not goe vnto the Apostles time for examples, for wée haue examples of our owne time, in the memorie of vs that are aliue, of the se­uere iustice of God towards the enimies of him and his people in the ouerthrowe of the religious houses of Monkes and Friers, a most wicked kinde of men, who had great abundance of precious Iewels and treasures, they were spoyled of all, yea they were disparsed, and their houses ouerthrowne, they that were counted the wisest of all men, could not foresée it, and although some of them did foresée it, yet they could not preuent it. They which be­fore had subdued vnto their obedience [Page] kings & Emperours could not withstand it. Their wise men were cut off, and the courage of their mightie captaynes was abated. Many finde much fault that their goodly buyldings are decayed, but suche men haue not a right opiniō of God, such men find fault with the wisdome & iustice of the Lorde. They do not vnderstand the saying of the Prophet Amos:Amos. 3.6. there is no miserie that hapneth vnto the citie of the wicked, but God sendeth it. If God did de­stroy his owne citie & temple that he cō ­maunded to be buylded, whiche was the most sumptuous buylding in al y^e world, how could he suffer the houses of them to stande, which were not onely dissembling Hypocrites (as were the Inhabitantes of Ierusalem) but also manyfest Idola­ters, moste filthy adulterers, Sodo­mites, Théeues, and Murtherers? It muste needes bée that their buyldings shoulde stinke in the sighte of God, and that they shoulde stirre vp his wrathe to ouerthrowe their godly houses, leauing onely the rubbishe and some olde walles for a memorie (as he dyd the salte stone [Page] of Lots wyfe, and the barennesse of the countrey of Sodome) for a remembrance vnto the posteritie, that when the chil­dren shall aske their fathers what hou­ses these were, they maye aunswere: Héere dwelled certayne men of coun­terfeite Religion, forsakers of the Gos­pell of Christe, and followers of their owne traditions, Idolaters, adulterers, théeues and murtherers. For their ma­nifolde wickednesse the wrath of almigh­tie God was prouoked agaynst them, he therefore suffereth the Diuell to set them at discorde among them selues, he caused their owne companie to bewray their adulterie, Sodomitrie, and their craftie conueyaunce aboute their Imagerie, seruyng vnto Idolatrie, whereby he spoyled them, dispearsed them, and o­uerthrewe their costly buyldings. Thus God dealed wyth these men. And why? The cause followeth in the Prophet: For the cruell spoyling of thy brother Iacob, thou shalte bee put to shame and confusion, yea thou shalt perishe for euer. [Page] The crueltie of the Edomites in spoy­ling Gods people, was the cause why he would so gréeuously punishe them, whose wickednesse the Prophet amplifieth by putting them in minde of their consan­guinitie with the Israelites. It is great wickednesse, and deserueth great punish­ment at Gods hande, if they that are not alied do deale cruelly the one with the o­ther: much more haynous in the sight of God is the crueltie of brethren one to­wards another. The Israelites and Edo­mites were brethren, for they came of Is­raell and Edom, the sonnes of Isaac, of whom they had their names, therefore the Edomites were nearer in bloud vnto the Israelites than any other nation: al­so they were partly both of one religion, for they had bothe receyued the couenant of circumcision, whiche God had giuen vnto their father Abraham, whiche God called his couenant, bicause it was a seale of that couenant that he made with hys children the Israelites, who onely were his people, for as muche as they onely had receyued the couenant it selfe. That [Page] is to say, the promise, or the worde of God preached, whereby God offereth him selfe vnto vs as vnto children. If we receyue the séede of Gods worde, and like good grounde bring foorth fruite, then we are in déede the children of God. But the word was not offred vnto the Edomites, therefore God refused them to be his chil­dren, for among Gods elect these two can not be separated, the worde and the Sa­craments. Notwithstanding the Edo­mites were brethren to the Israelites ac­cording to the fleshe: therfore the greater was their wickednesse in afflicting them, which was the cause of their owne cala­mitie. But least they should excuse them selues, and say: it was the Babylonians and not they, that did so cruelly handle the Israelites, the Prophet addeth, say­ing: 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. This is it that the Prophet sayth: although the Babyloni­ans were the chiefe doers, yet the Edo­mites [Page] were not voyde of faulte, for they brake league with the people of God, they denyed them ayde, they tooke part with the enimies, entered the Citie wyth them, and cast lottes with them for the decision of the spoyle: they carried a­way their substaunce, and in all poynts shewed them selues their deadly eni­mies. Thus the Prophet putteth away their excuse, and that they maye ap­peare the lesse excusable, he rehearseth particularly their faultes, as followeth: But thou shouldest not haue beholden the daye of thy brother, the daye in the whiche 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 daye of their affliction. Thou shouldest not haue entered intoo 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. Neither shouldest thou [Page] haue stande in the bywayes to slay those that otherwise had escaped, neyther shouldest thou haue taken prisoners those that re­mayned of them in the daye of affliction. Héere in telling them what they should not haue done, the Prophet openeth vnto them the haynousnesse of their faulte by degrées. The first is, they did behold with a certayne pleasure the miserie of the Is­raelites. The nature of true friends is to be gréeued when they sée one an other in miserie. It was not only no gréefe to the Edomites to sée the Israelites afflicted, but also they did laugh at them. Secondly they did triumph ouer them, and (as the words do sounde) did speake with open mouth agaynst them, and when they had entred their gates with the enimies, and spoyled their substance, they did slay some of them, and other some they tooke pri­soners. This was the crueltie of the Edomites agaynst Gods people, who al­though they were not accepted of God, as his children, yet he suffereth them quietly to enioy their ciuill estate in this lyfe, vntill their crueltie was come to the full. [Page] So he suffereth all reprobates to enioy their estate in this lyfe for a tyme, as he did the posteritie of Cayn, whome at the last he destroyed by water, so he suffered the Sodomites to liue voluptuously ma­ny yeres, whom in the ende he destroyed by fire and brimstone from heauen. He suffered Pharao king of Egypt to conti­nue a long time in prosperous estate, and afterwarde drowned him and his great armie in the Sea. He suffered the Cana­nites to triumphe ouer other Nations, and at the length gaue the Israelites vic­torie ouer them, vntill their estate was quite ouerthrowne: So God suffereth many Princes and Nations to liue qui­etly for a time, vntill their wickednesse be at the full, and then he cutteth them off as well in this worlde, as in the world to come. So he did cut off the Edomites for their crueltie towards their brethren: whereby we are taught brotherly loue, and to auoyde iniurious dealing one to­wards another, God hath ioyned vs all in one brotherhood, in the confession of one fayth, of one truthe, of one religion, of [Page] one Christianitie, and hathe made vs the children by adoption of one father (which is God him selfe) and fellowe heires with our Sauiour Christe, to the entent we should loue one another: and if we loue as brethren, God will loue vs, and accept vs as his children. Héere for our better instruction in this matter, we may vn­derstande by the words of the Prophet, that the properties of brotherly loue are not to murther one another, not to spoyle one an other, not to triumphe ouer the afflicted, not to reioyce at their miserie, nor gladly to beholde their calamitie: but rather to be sory for their heauinesse, to wéepe with them that wéepe, séeking to helpe and succour them, and to delyuer them out of aduersitie, of what countrey or nation so euer they be. The children of God had not respecte to countreys, bloud or such like, knowing this, that they haue all one father, and one countrey in hea­uen. They that do otherwise, or are o­therwyse affected, shall be gréeuously pla­ged, they shall drinke of the same cuppe that they haue giuen to other men, which [Page] the Prophet teacheth vs by the wordes following, in that he sayth: 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. For the vnderstanding of these words we haue to consider what the day of the Lord is, it is a day of afflic­tion and great calamitie, a day of muche sorow & heauinesse vnto the wicked, but a day of excéeding ioy and gladnesse vnto y^e true worshippers of God. The Prophet Esay speaking of the same daye, sayth: Houle you, Esa. 13.6. for the daye of the Lorde is at hand, it shall come as a destroyer from the al­mightie, therfore al hands shal be weakened, and all mens hearts shall melt, and they shall be afrayde, anguishe and sorrowe shall take them, and they shall haue payne as a woman that trauelleth, euery one shall be amased at his neighbour. Beholde the day of the Lorde commeth cruell, with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the lande waste, and he shall destroy sinners out of it. For the starres of hea­uen, and the planets thereof shall not gyue their lighte, the sunne shall bee darkened [Page] in his going foorth, and the Moone shall not cause hir light to shine: and I will visite the wickednesse vpon the worlde, and their iniquitie vpon the wicked, and I will cause the arrogancie of the proude to cease, and will cast downe the pride of tyrantes. Also the Prophet Ezechiell sayth:Eze. 30.3. The day of the Lorde is at hande, a cloudy day, and it shall be the time of the heathen. And the Prophet Ioell sayth: Alas for the day, Ioel. 1.15. &. 2.11. for the day of the Lord is at hande, and it com­meth as a destruction frō the almightie. The day of the Lord is great, & very terrible, who can abide it? Finally the Prophet Zopho­nie sayth:Zoph. 1.14 The great day of the Lorde is neare, it is neare, and hasteth greatly, euē the voyce of the day of the Lorde. The strong man shall crye there bitterly: that day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and heauy­nesse, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of obscuritie and blacknesse, a day of cloudes and darknesse, a day of the trumpet and alarme, against the strōg cities, & agaynst the highe toures, and I will bring distresse vpō men, and they shal walk like blind men, bicause they haue sinned agaynst the Lorde, [Page] and their bloud shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung: Neither their sil­uer nor their golde shall be able to delyuer them in the day of the Lords wrath, but the whole lande shall be deuoured by the fire of his ielousie. For he shall make euen a spee­die riddance of all thē that dwell in the land. By these words of the Prophetes it ap­peareth that the day of the Lorde brin­geth most miserable destruction vnto the wicked, whiche Abdias sayth shall come vpon all nations: that is to say: vpon al nations that haue dealt cruelly with the people of God, for so in the scriptures an vniuersall signe is often times restricted. As for example.Gen. 3.20. Adam called his wyfe Eue, bicause she was the mother of euery liuing creature: that is to say, she was the mother not of all liuing creatures ge­nerally, but of all mankinde, or of euery creature endued with reason. And God sayde,Gen. 12.3. & .18.18. In Abraham all Nations of the earth shall be blessed: that is to say, all the faythfull of euery Nation, and not all generally without exception.Gen. 41.57 And it is written that euery land came into Egypt [Page] for corne, that is to say, all that were bor­dering vpon Egypt, or all that were pla­ged with scarsitie of corne. Also our Sa­uiour sayth: When I am exalted,Ioh. 12.32. I will draw all men vnto me: that is to say, all that do beléeue, and S. Paule sayth:Phil. 2.21. 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 [Page] beene. By this worde drinke, metaphori­cally or figuratiuely is vnderstanded af­fliction oftentimes in the scriptures, as in these words of our Sauiour:Lu. 26.42. 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 y^e cup, he mea­neth the suffring of his most paynful pas­sion.Ier. 49.12. 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 [Page] 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 y^e sodayne destruction, that God shall sende vpon the [Page] 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.Eze. 25.14. 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, [Page] 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 [Page] 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 y^e booke of the Iudges, Oth­niell and Ehud are called Sauiours,Iud 3. vers. 9. & 15. 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 [Page] 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 vs, to extoll & magni­fie his name, for wōderful are his works, to our great profite and commoditie. Fi­nally, to obey his lawes and statutes, for he serueth them that serue him: so dooing God will sende vs sauiours to saue vs, and to deliuer vs from our enimies, and the wordes of the Prophete shall be verified vpon vs, in that he saythe: The kingdome shall bée the Lordes. For he shall be our kyng for euer, and we his people shall be continually garded [Page] vnder the shadowe of his wings, and al­wayes defended from all maner miserie and calamitie.

Hitherto I haue opened the sence and meaning of the Prophet according to the letter, which although for diuers causes it is very necessarie to be vnderstanded: yet béeing considered of it selfe, without any further application of the same vnto our selues, it is vnfruitfull and vnprofi­table.2. Cor. 3.6. As the Apostle sayth: the letter kil­leth, but the spirite giueth life. Therfore I haue added moreouer vnto the letter, certayne generall lessons for the instruc­tion of all Christians. Which application of the scriptures vnto our selues the Apo­stle putteth vs in minde of, where he sayth:Rom 15.4 what soeuer things are written a­fore time, they are written for our lear­ning, that we through patience and com­forte of the Scriptures might haue hope. And as in diuers other places, so especi­ally in the thirtenth chapter of the Epi­stle to the Hebrues, he hath giuen vs an example of this interpretation, where the words of the almightie God, spoken only [Page] vnto Iosua, and perteyning onely vnto him, according to the letter, are vsed as a generall lesson for all men, to teach them to put their trust in God. After that Mo­ses was dead, God appoynted Iosua to be ruler of the Israelites, and to bring them into the lande of promise: and bicause he shoulde not feare nor be dismayde, God sayde vnto him:Ios. 1.5. As I was with my ser­uant Moses, so I will be with thée, I will not fayle thée, nor forsake thée. Vpon these words the Apostle groundeth this gene­rall doctrine:Heb. 13.5. Let your conuersation be without couetousnesse, and be content with those things that ye haue. For he hath saide: I will not fayle thee, neyther forsake thée. Thus the Apostle dissuadeth vs through distrust of Gods goodnesse to vexe our selues with immorderate care of worldly riches, and the vnlawful meanes to enriche our selues, bicause God hath sayde vnto Iosua: I will not fayle thée, neyther forsake thee: teaching vs therby to apply the holy Scriptures to our com­forte, & confirmation of our fayth. Whose example I haue followed by adding the [Page] morall (as they call it) vnto the letter of y^e Prophet. But besides this morall, there is also in the prophesie conteyned an alle­gorie, concerning the comming of our sa­uiour to iudgement, & our ful redemption by him in destroying Antichrist, & in bringing vs both body & soule vnto the euerla­sting blessednesse, which he hath prepared for all the faithfull. For the wordes and works of God are vnserchable, & do teach vs a great deale more thā the letter at the first sight offreth vnto vs. This I say, that in the scriptures, especially in y^e old testa­mēt, in y^e writings of Moses & y^e Prophets there are for the most part thrée senses in one text, & according to those diuers sēses, thrée diuers interpretations. The first is called literal, grāmatical, or historical: the second, tropological, ethical, or moral: the third allegorical, figuratiue, or mysticall. The literal interpretatiō is called grāmatical & historical, bicause in it nothing else is noted, but that which y^e grāmer rules, & the historie it self in playne meaning gi­ueth vs to vnderstande. This alwayes is fyrst & chiefly to be noted, as the ground & [Page] foundation of the other interpretations. If we make not a good foundation, that whiche we buyld thereon will be weake: so if we do not truely expound the letter of the scripture, commonly we shal make an vnprofitable moral, and a false allego­rie. The bare letter, of the newe Testa­ment especially, is for the most part very profitable and cōmodious to al Christiās. There are fiue generall vses & commo­dities of the scripture, taught of the Apo­stle S. Paule in the Epistle to the Ro­manes, the .15. chapter,Rom. 15 4 and in the seconde Epistle to Timothie the third chapt.2. Ti. 3.16 First by it we learne patience in aduersitie, by it we haue consolation in persecution, and are therby encouraged to continue vnto y^e ende in the true worship of God, through hope of life euerlasting: secondly we are taught true doctrine as touching y^e articles of our fayth: and thirdly, to improue false doctrine cōtrary to y^e same: fourthly by the scriptures we lerne to correct our wicked liuing, which is cōtrary to Gods cōmāde­ments: and finally we are therby instruc­ted in godlinesse, & in al such things as are [Page] acceptable vnto God. All these commo­modities are founde in the literall sence of the scriptures. For what is more com­fortable than the very letter of these wordes?Ioh. 3.16. So God loued the worlde that he gaue his onely begotten sonne, to the ende, that who soeuer beleeueth in him should not perishe, but haue life euerla­sting.Rom. 3.28 Gal. 2.16. And the letter of these words: We are iustified by fayth without the works of the lawe, doth teache vs the doctrine of iustification by fayth, without any desert of our good works, & also doth improue the contrarie. In like maner the letter of o­ther places doth teach other doctrine. And where the Apostle sayth:Gal. 5.19. The workes of the fleshe are manifest, which are adul­try, fornicatiō, vnclennesse, wantonnesse, Idolatrie, witchcraft, hatred, debate, emu­lations, wrath, contentions, seditions, he­resies, enuy, murthers, dronkennesse, gluttonie, and suche like, whereof I tell you before, as also I haue tolde you be­fore, that they which do such things shall not inherite the kingdome of God. But the fruite of the spirite is loue, ioy, peace, [Page] long suffering, gentlenesse, goodnesse, fayth, méekenesse, temperancie, agaynst suche there is no lawe. The very letter of these words serueth to correct and to in­struct vs in godlinesse. So commodious is the bare letter of the holy Scriptures, and the morall therof (which is to gather out of the letter some good lesson for our instruction) is no lesse profitable. For all the miracles of our sauiour Christ, as ac­cording to the letter and historie, they ser­ued to the commoditie of those that were healed by him, so they may be morally interpreted to our comforte, and to the confirmation of our fayth that are nowe liuing. For by his goodnesse thereby she­wed vnto other men, we haue an euident argument of his readinesse to helpe vs, when soeuer we in like sort do séeke helpe at his hands: so that we haue no cause to mistrust his goodnesse, nor to séeke helpe else where, of Saincts and Angels, that are no sauiours. His miracles also doe teache vs his Diuinitie, they teache vs that he is Christ the sauiour of the world, and do improue the contrarie doctrine, as [Page] our Sauiour witnesseth in the Gospell.Mat. 11.4. Iohn. 5.36. & .14.11. Moreouer all the examples of godly men serue for our instructiō: and the examples of the wicked with their punishmēt, serue for our correction. After this sort the Apo­stle Paule expoundeth the manyfolde plages of the Israelites in y^e wildernesse,1. Cor. 10.6 and according to the moral sense, applieth them vnto vs, teaching vs by their exam­ple to auoyde their wickednesse. Finally, in the scriptures, besides the letter and the moral, there is a true and a profitable al­legorie, type, figure, or mysterie. As for example:Gen. 22.9. the offering of Isaac vpon the aulter, to be slayne by the hands of his father, as God had commaunded, whiche as according to the letter, it was a triall of Abrahams fayth, and also an instructiō for vs (whiche is the morall) teaching vs to obey Gods commaundementes in all poyntes, and to beléeue hys promy­ses, although they séeme neuer so contra­rie to mans reason: So in that Isahac was layde vpon the aulter readie to be slayne, and then by the voyce of God de­liuered, and (as it were) raysed from [Page] death to life agayne, he was a type and figure of our Sauiour Christ, teaching vnto Abraham and his posteritie saluatiō by the offering of Christ vpon the crosse, and by his resurrection from death. Also Ioseph beeing solde by his brethren vnto straungers, cast into prison,Gen. 37.2 [...] Gen. 39. &. 41. & .42. & .47. & after made ruler of the countrey of Egypt, where he prouided foode, and also a fruitefull lande for his father and brethren to dwell in (as it declareth Gods wonderfull power and goodnesse towards him, and also the state of Gods children in this life, béeing first by affliction thrust downe (as it were) into hell, and after exalted in­to heauen: So it was a fygure of oure Sauiour: fyrst solde and deliuered in­to the handes of the Gentiles, euen by hys owne countrey menne, and bre­thren, and afterwards of hys Resurrecti­on and glorification, by hys Ascention into heauen, where of his mercie, contra­rie to our deseruing, he hathe prouided for vs a perpetuall reste and habita­tion for euer, euen for as manye as [Page] come vnto him for succour.Ex. 1. & .14. Moreouer the bondage of the Israelites in the wilder­nesse, and their deliuerance through the destruction of Pharao in the red sea: be­sides that it declareth the power and good­nesse of God towards them, and the state of his children before rehearsed: it was a type of our bondage through sinne, death, hell, and the diuell, and of our deliuerance from the same by our sauiour Christ, de­stroying our enimies, and bringing vs vnto euerlasting felicitie. Likewise the Pascall lambe receyued euery yere,Exo. 12.3. bée­ing a lambe without blemish, (the bloud wherof was sprinkled vpon the postes of the doore, ouer which the destroying An­gell passed, hurting none in the house where the bloud was sprinkled) This Lambe, I say, in an allegorie signifieth our sauiour Christ, béeing without ble­mishe and spotte of sinne, whose bloud sprinkled vpon the postes of our hearts by fayth, deliuereth vs from euerlasting destruction. We are taught this allego­ricall exposition of the Pascall Lambe by Iohn Baptist, where poynting vnto our [Page] sauiour Christ, he sayth:Iohn. 1.29. Behold y^e lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the world. Also the Apostles Paule and Pe­ter, do liken our Sauiour vnto the Pas­call lambe, saying:1. Cor. 5.7. 1. Pet. 1.19. Christ our Passeouer is sacrificed for vs, and we are redéemed with the precious bloud of Christ, as of a Lambe vndefiled, and without spot. Ac­cording to this figuratiue and mysticall interpretation, the Apostle expoundeth the historie of Abrahams two wiues and their children:Gal. 4.22▪ where he playnly poyn­teth at our aduersaries the Papists, who séeke iustification by their owne works, and do persecute those, which according to Gods promise, do séeke life by faythe in Christ: whose miserable state and condi­tion the Apostle sheweth, prouing by an allegorie, that all they which séeke iusti­fication, by the bondage of the lawe, shall be cast out of the lande of promise with the bonde woman and hir sonne, and shal not inherite the euerlasting kingdome of God with his children, that are frée, and do seeke saluation throughe fayth in his promise. Héere it is euident that the Apo­stle [Page] teacheth vs to expound the scriptures, not literally onely, but also allegorically, mystically, or figuratiuely. So he expoun­deth those words:Deu. 25.4. 1. Cor. 9.9. Thou shalt not mosell the Oxe that treadeth out the corne. In like maner the rocke in the wildernesse, out of the which water flowed to satisfie the thirst of the Israelites:Exo. 17.6. besides that, it declareth Gods power and prouidence for his children béeing in distresse, it prefigu­red the graces and giftes of God that flow out of our sauiour Christe vnto all that beléeue in him. For so the Apostle expoū ­deth it,1. Cor. 10.3 where he sayth: Our fathers dyd eate the same spirituall meate, and dyd drinke the same spirituall drinke, for they dranke of the spirituall rocke that follo­wed them, and the rock was Christ. And the serpent that Moses set vp at the com­maundement of God,Num. 21.8. besides the mira­culous healing of those that were bytten with fyry Serpents, teacheth bothe the Israelites and vs to lift vp the eyes of our fayth vnto our Sauiour lifted vp vpon the crosse, séeking deliuerance by him frō the deadly sting of the Serpent the diuel. [Page] For that brasen serpent was a figure of our sauiour Christ,Ioh. 3.14. as he himselfe expoun­deth it in the Gospell. Moreouer where Moses telleth the people that God wyll rayse vnto them a Prophete like vnto him selfe, euen of their brethren,Deu. 18.15. vnto whom they should herken: the letter tea­cheth vs nothing else but that Iosua should gouerne the Israelites, and bring them into the lande that God had promi­sed them. But the holy Ghost in the per­son of Iosua (whose name signifieth a sauiour) teacheth vs that Christ is our sauiour, who bringeth vs into the euerla­sting rest promised vnto all the faithfull, for so the Apostle Peter expoundeth the words of Moses.Act. 3. [...] Also euen as the bon­bage of the Israelites in Egypte, and their peregrinatiō in the wildernesse (be­sides y^t is playnly expressed by the letter) doth represent y^e state of Christiās in this life, béeing ful of afflictiōs: euē so the land of Canaan promised vnto Gods people, in y^e which they had a great conquest ouer the wicked, & after quietly enioyed y^e coū ­trey (besides y^e declaratiō of gods excéeding [Page] power and excellent benefites bestowed vpon them) doth represent vnto vs the euerlasting rest in heauē, which we shall enioy whē almightie God hath destroyed all the wicked vpon the earth. So the Apostle expoundeth the wordes of the prophet Dauid, who concerning the same matter,Psa. 95.10. sayth: Fortie yéeres long was I gréeued with this generation, & sayde: It is a people that doth erre in their hearts, for they haue not knowne my ways, vn­to whom I sware in my wrath,Nu. 14.23 that they should not enter into my rest. Whiche words written bothe in the lawe and in the Prophet, according to the letter, doe shew the rest of the Israelites in the land of Canaan, but according to the allegorie, they teache al the faythful the euerlasting rest by Christ in heauen.Heb. 4.9. But for the fur­ther declaration of this double, and triple sence of the Scripture, and the manifolde commoditie thereof,1. Sa. 18.11. & .19.11. & 23.8. & .26 2. &c. 2. Sam. 5.3 let vs consider the historie of Dauid persecuted by Saule, and after exalted to the kingdome of Is­raell. As touching the letter euery Chri­stian mā that hath read the bookes of Sa­muel [Page] doth cōfesse that Dauid was liuing about a thousand yeres befere the cōming of our Sauiour in the flesh, & that béeing persecuted of king Saule; he was diuers times in danger of death, from the which God did wonderfully deliuer him, and al­so deliuered Sauls into his hands, but he would not lay hāds vpon him vnto death. And when tidings was brought him that Saule was dead,2. Sa. 1.15. he executed the messen­ger as a murtherer, bicause he confessed that he had slayn him.2. Sa. 2.4. Then he was pro­claymed king, and after that he was esta­blished in the kingdome,2. Sa 11. ver 4. & .17. he committed adultrie with Bethsabe, and caused hir husband to be slayne, and did other things displeasant vnto God, for the whiche he was gréeuously punished. This is y^e truth of the letter. As touching the morall, we learne by Dauids fall, and the punishmēt of his wickednesse, to looke circumspectly vnto our selues, and to feare the Iudge­mēt of God for our iniquities. We learne by his whole life, that affliction is a good scholemaster vnto godlinesse, in that it re­strayneth our carnall lustes, and kéepeth [Page] downe our flesh, but cōtrariwise prosperi­tie maketh vs forget the lawes of god: for Dauid in aduersitie would not slay Saul the king,1. Sa. 24.7. & .26.9. when he was deliuered into his hands, although he were his deadly eni­mie, giuing vs an ensample of our duetie towards our Prince, so narowly did he looke vnto his pathes, but in prosperity he neglected Gods cōmandemēts, & swarued from his ordinances by cōmitting adul­trie, murther, & other offences. Wherby we are taught that prosperitie is a slippe­rie place to stand vpon. It is like an high stéepe mountayne, narrow in the top, vpō the which a man standing is in danger of euery wind to be blowē down, & to break his neck, except he hold fast by some trée, or hide him selfe vnder some bush, or such like: so in prosperity we are in dāger of e­uery assault of the flesh, world, & diuel, ex­cept we hold fast by a true faith in Christ, who is a sure stay, & our only stay both in prosperitie & aduersitie: without whō we can not be safe, neither in y^e moūt of honor & welth, nor in the valley of afflictiō. For it may be, that by y^e meanes of much rain, [Page] the valley may be ouerflowē with water, & they drouned that dwel in it, vnlesse they saue them selues by a bote, or suche other meanes: so in aduersitie we are in dāger to be ouerwhelmed with the waues of af­fliction, & to be prouoked to forsake God, excepte we cleaue fast vnto Christ, by a liuely fayth: who is our only arke of sal­uation. Therfore Dauid doth not say: I trust in the valley, but I trust in y^e Lord,Psal. 11.1. wherfore do they say vnto my soule: flye vnto y^e mountains. Thus much of y^e mo­ral in the history of Dauid. There is in it also an allegory or mystery, prefiguring our sauiour Christ: which we lerne by y^e words of y^e prophets, Ezechiel & Hoshea, where God speaketh in thē after this sort:Eze. 34.23 & .37.24. I will set a shepherd ouer my shéepe, & he shall feede them, euen my seruāt Dauid, he shal féede them, & he shall be their shep­heard, & I the Lord wil be their God, and my seruant Dauid shall be the Prince a­mong them, he shall be king ouer thē, and they shal haue one shepheard, and my ser­uant Dauid shal be their Prince for euer.Eze. 37.25. Hos. 3.5. The children of Israell shall turne and [Page] séeke the Lorde their God, & Dauid their king, and shall feare the Lorde & his good­nesse, in the later days. These Prophets Hoshea and Ezechiel, liued the one thrée hundred yeres, & the other foure hundred yeres after Dauid. Therfore séeing they prophesie of a Dauid to come after them in the later dayes, and bicause they call him an euerlasting king (which can not be verified of Dauid literally béeing a mortall man) it is euident that they do meane an other prefigured by Dauid: that is to say, our Sauiour, who gouer­neth the true Israelites: that is to say, the elect people of God for euer, who also in the Gospel calleth himselfe the good shep­heard:Iohn. 10.11 giuing vs to vnderstand that he is that Dauid, the shepheard of Gods peo­ple, of whome the Prophets do speake. Therfore the historie of Dauid is mysti­cally expounded thus: Dauid in aduersi­tie, therby brought downe (as I may say) vnto hell, dothe signifie our Sauiour, ta­king our nature vpon him, and debacing him selfe vnto the lowest degrée, hūbling him selfe vnto the death, euen vnto the [Page] death of the crosse: and Dauid deliuered from his enimies, and placed in the king­dome, doth signifie our Sauiour rising frō death, and ascending vnto heauen, where he is exalted vnto the right hand of God, and gouerneth all the worlde. Thus this historie may truly be expounded, wherby we may vnderstande, that in y^e holy scrip­tures, much more is to be considered than the letter at the first sight offreth vnto vs. After this sorte also the Apostle teacheth vs to expounde the historie of Salomon, Dauids sonne.2. Sa. 7.13. God sayd vnto Dauid that he would giue him a sonne, whose throne he would establish for euer, and he would be his father, and he should be his sonne: where the letter directeth vs vnto Salo­mon,1. Re. 2.46 who then had established the king­dome vnto him selfe, when he had put to death those that rebelled against him and his father. But the holy Ghost in the per­son of Salomon, as in a type and figure, teacheth vs that our sauiour Christ, ha­uing subdued all the enimies of his father and of him selfe, shall reigne for euer, qui­etly with his faythfull seruants that her­ken [Page] vnto his lawes, & submit themselues vnto his gouernment. Vnto this expositiō the Apostle leadeth vs, where he applieth the words of almightie God vnto our sa­uiour,Heb. 1.4. saying: Christ is so much the more excellent than Angels, as he hath gotten him a more excellent name thā they. For vnto which of the Angels saide he at any time,Psal. 2.7. 2. Sa. 7.14 Thou art my sonne, this day haue I begotten thée? And agayn: I wil be his father, & he shall be my sonne. Therefore séeing that the Apostle expoundeth the words to be spokē of our Sauiour, which literally do appertein vnto Salomō, I say that Salomō was a figure of our sauiour, & that in the history of Salomon there is an allegory besides y^e letter.Ionas. 1.17. Likewise Io­nas in the whales belly, & after deliuered by the power of God, was not only an ex­ample of Gods omnipotent goodnesse, but also a figure of the buriall & resurrection of our Sauiour:Mat. 12.40 as we are taught by his owne interpretation in the Gospell. And Hoshea y^e Prophet declaring y^e benefites of God towards the Israelites,Hos. 11.1. & their vn­thankfulnesse for the same, reciteth their [Page] deliuerance out of Egypt. In whom God speketh those words: out of Egypt I haue called my sonne. Where y^e letter teacheth vs nothing else but the deliuerance of the Israelites out of captiuitie: but the holy Ghost vnderstandeth moreouer y^e retur­ning of our sauiour out of Egypt into his own coūtrey, after y^e death of Herod. For so the Prophets words are expounded in the Gospel.Mat. 2.15. Finally the Prophet Ieremy declaring the deliuerance of y^e Israelites out of captiuitie, describeth first their gret affliction, saying: Thus saith the Lord,Ier. 31.15. a voyce was herd on high, a mourning and bitter wéeping, Rachell wéeping for hir childrē, & would not be comforted, bicause they wer not. Thus saith y^e Lord, refraine thy voyce frō wéeping, & thine eyes from teres, for thy work shal be rewarded, saith the Lord, & they shal come again frō y^e lād of their enimies. Here y^e letter teacheth vs only y^e returning of y^e Israelits, frō y^e cap­tiuity of Babilō. But y^e holy ghost therby vnderstādeth y^e lamētatiō of y^e Israelites for their Infants,Mat. 2.18. whō Herode slue at the birth of our sauiour Christ, as y^e Euāgelist [Page] 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,Lu. 24.27. 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 thē in all the scriptures those things that were written of him. And S. Peter sayth:Act. 3.24. Al the Prophets frō 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,Luk 1.70 prai­seth the Lord God of Israel, for our redēp­tion 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 saluatiō by Christ. Abdias also, with the residue, hath prophesied of him: so that in this [Page] 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 Edō pointeth vs to the person, and also to the place, where Antichrist dwelleth. For Edom in the Hebrue tong,An allego­rie gathered of the signi­fication of the worde Edom. 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 y^e vtter most of their power, héer in England, in Scotland, and [Page] of late in Fraūce, 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 mē. Moreouer not only the signification of the worde, but also the testimonie of diuers ancient writers, leadeth vs to vnderstand by this name Edō, y^e 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.Ancient te­stimonies witnessing that the Bi­shoppe of Rome is an Edomite, & cōsequently Antichrist. 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, whē 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, [Page] 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.Esa. 34.6. Ier. 49.7. Lam. 4.21. Eze 25.13. 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 [Page] 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 Vespatiā) came and wasted the temple, and caried away many families of the house of Dauid, in­to Spayne, and this was the. [...]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:E [...] 34.9. 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 [Page] they shal folow the sauiour frō the mount of Sion, to giue sentēce agaynst y^e mount of Esau, and that (sayth he) is the mount of Rome. Thus it appereth by the iudge­mēt of these writers, that by the destruc­tion of Edō, is vnderstanded the destruc­tion of the Antichrist of Rome. This is it therefore, that the Prophet teacheth vs, besides that hath bin already noted.The allego­rie of the Prophet Abdias. 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 y^e gifts that God hath giuen vs, ouerthrowe the foure of Idolatrie and superstition which Antichrist hath buylded to deface the glo­rie of almightie God: let vs deliuer Gods children out of the dangerous captiuitie & thraldome of ignorance, which bringeth destruction of body and soule to al that cō ­tinue therein. So God by his Prophet threatneth the destruction of this Edom, no lesse than of the other. For (as by com­parison [Page] it may appeare) the same cause of destructiō is in the one y^t was in the other: also the power & might aswell of y^e one as of the other, is of late days by y^e wōderful working of almightie God maruelously diminished, & his glory defaced. The Edo­mites were beloued of their neighbours, & feared of their enimies, therefore great was their pride, but they were brought to desolation by their own cōfederates: Euē so it was with y^e bishop of Rome, he was beloued of al princes in Christēdome, they reuerenced him as a god, also they feared him, so y^t they durst not stir agaynst him. For what Prince soeuer did not in all pointes submit him selfe vnto him at his plesure, he excōmunicated him, discharged his subiects of obedience, & in the end de­posed him of his kingdome: for besides the translating of the Empire frō one king­dome to an other, besides the deposing of Hilderike king of France, & diuers other inferiour Princes:Psal. 91.13. he excōmunicated & deposed seuen Emperours one after an o­ther: namely Henry the fourth, & Henry the fifth, Frederik the first, Philip, Otho, [Page] Frederike the seconde, and Conradus his sonne. Therfore great is the pride of his heart: so that he exalteth him selfe aboue men and Angels, he compareth him selfe with the sunne, and the Emperour with the moone, chalenging vnto him selfe so muche more excellencie than the Empe­rour, as the sunne excelleth the moone. E­uen as the earth (sayth he) surmounteth the moone seuen times, and the sunne sur­mounteth the earth eyght times (whiche béeing multiplied by seuen maketh fifty & sixe) so be excelleth the Emperour fifty and sixe times. Neither is he cōtnet with this superioritie ouer the Emperour, but also he preferreth him selfe before the An­gels, in iurisdiction, knowledge, and re­ward. This is the pride of his hart, in the which Pope Alexander the thirde of that name, trode vpon the necke of Frederike the Emperour, saying this verse of the Psalme: Thou shalt walk vpon the Liō and the Aspe, the yong Lion and the dra­gon shalte thou treade vnder thy féete. And Pope Adrian the fourth suffered the same Emperour to hold his styrup twise, [Page] and gaue him a scoffe for his labour, bi­cause he did holde the wrong stirup. Also Pope Gregorie the seuēth suffred Henry the Emperour, the fourth of that name, to stande bare foote and bare legged at his gates, with his wife and his childe, thrée dayes & thrée nightes in the middest of winter. Such was the pride of his hart which had so deceyued him, that he thou­ght it vnpossible that he shoulde be ouer­throwen. But (as it appeareth this day) the Bishop of Rome is of little reputatiō, he is despised of many nations, of whom in times past he was feared. The moste part of his confederates haue forsaken him: as the Polonians, the Transsilua­nians & Hungarians, many Princes of Germanie, the Princes of Englande and Scotlande, and many men in other coun­treys. And it is not to be doubted but that shortly by the working of almightie God the words of this Prophet shall be fulfil­led in him: that is to say, he shall be brought downe to the grounde, he shal be spoyled of all his treasures, & vtterly for­saken of all his friends, & cut off from the [Page] earth vpō the soden, with al his adherēts. For the day of the Lord is at hād, a day of tribulation & anguish, a day of gret sorow & heauinesse,Zoph. 1.15. a day (as the Prophet Zo­phony termeth it) of desolation & destruc­tion, of obscuritie & darknesse, of cloudes & blacknesse vnto al the enimies of Gods children.2. Th. 1.8. The day (I meane) when our Sauiour shal come from heauen with his mightie Angels, in flaming fire, rendring vengeance vnto all those that knowe not God, [...] that do not obey the Gospel of Ie­sus Christ, who shall be punished with e­uerlasting perdition, frō the presence of the Lord, & from the glory of his power. But vpon mount Sion shal be saluation, the children of God shall haue no cause to lament,Reue 21.4 when the terrible day of the Lord shall come: for that day shal be their deli­uerance. Then shall their enimies weepe and lament, but they shall be glad, and ful of ioy: for their sakes all the wicked shal be consumed as stubble with the fire, for God wil sende his Angels,Mat. 13. v [...] 41. & 49 & they shal ga­ther all the nations of the worlde before him, and shall separate the faythfull from the vnfaythful, as the husband man sepa­rateth [Page] the wheat frō the tares, & they shal binde the tares togither, & cast them into the fire that neuer shal be quenched: but the faithfull which are the wheat, shall be gathered into Gods barne: that is to say, they shal be placed in his kingdome of e­uerlasting ioy, peace, and rest. And then all principalities & powers béeing subdu­ed, no mā shal be able to stir against God, or agaynst his saincts, which before were despised, trode vnder foote, & most cruelly murthered: but now deliuered out of all misery, exalted into heauen, and glorified. So that in all poynts, & in all respects, the Lorde shal rule, he only shall be worship­ped and glorified, the kingdome shall be his. To whom be all prayse, honor, and glory, world without ende. Amen.

THus endeth the exposition of the Pro­phet Abdias, in the which y^e letter hath his place and his commendation: that is, the playne meaning of the wordes of the holy Scripture, without any morall or allegoricall exposition (whiche I call the letter) is profitable to comfort, to teache, to improue, to correct, and to instructe in godlynesse, whiche is rather to giue lyfe [Page] than to kil. Therfore here a mā may aske this questiō: How is it true y^t the Apostle sayth: The letter killeth,2. Cor. 3.6. but y^e spirite gi­ueth life? for if y^e letter kil, it is hurtfull, if it be hurtful, thē it is not profitable, as is aforesaid. Here for y^e better vnderstāding of y^e Apostle, first it is to be noted, y^t there is in one sentēce a christiā & a true letter, there is also in the same sentēce an here­tical & a false letter. As for example:Colos. 1.24 I re­ioyce (sayth the Apostle) in my afflictions for you, & fulfil the rest of Christes afflic­tiōs in my flesh, for his bodies sake, which is y^e Church. Here by Christes afflictions y^e Apostle vnderstādeth y^e afflictiō of Chri­stians, who are y^e body, wherof Christ is the head. The afflictiōs of y^e body are cal­led Christes afflictiōs, bicause whatsoeuer the body suffreth, the head, y^t is to say, our fauiour Christ is partaker of y^e same suf­ferings, as appeareth by his own words, where he sayth: Saule,Act. 22.7. Saule why per­secutest thou me? and yet Saule persecu­ted not Christ in his owne person, as the Iewes had done before, but in the Christi­ans which are members of his body. And where y^e Apostle saith,2. Cor. 1.5. as the afflictions of [Page] Christ do abound in vs: so our consolation aboundeth through Christ: it is euident that he calleth our afflictions Christes af­flictiōs, both bicause we are mēbers of his body, & also bicause we suffer like afflictiōs with him for his sake. Therefore as long as there remaineth one aliue y^t shal suffer for Christes sake, so long there remayne behind vnfulfilled some of Christes afflic­tions which his saincts suffer for y^e church and for the cōfirmation of the same in the true fayth, that it may continue vnto the ende, & be saued. This is the commoditie that we receiue by the sufferings of them that are persecuted for Christes sake, as we learne by the wordes of the Apostle, where he sayth:2. Cor. 1.5. Whether we be afflicted, it is for your cōsolation & saluatiō, which is wrought in the induring of the same suffrings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation & saluation.Mat. 24.13 Reue. 2 ver. 7.11.17. &. 26. & ca. 3. ver. 5.12. &. 21. & ca. 21.7. Saluation is wrought (sayth y^e Apostle) by enduring afflictions, bicause except we ouercome our enimies, y^e flesh, the world, & the diuel, by continuing sted­fast vnto the ende, we can not be saued. Therfore saluation is wrought by suffe­ring, [Page] not that it is meritorious, but cōdi­tional. If we continue vnto the end in the true worship of God, suffering al the tor­ments that are laide vpō vs to withdraw vs from the same, there is laide vp for vs in heauen an euerlasting crowne, which God of his mercy & goodnes will giue vs, and not for the desert of our owne works. For as God for his promise sake wil giue euerlasting blessednesse to those y^t beléeue in him,Mat. 10.32 so he requireth at our handes that we confesse him before men, that we con­tinue his faythful seruants vnto the end, & that we do not shrink frō the confession of the Christian faith for any worldy res­pect. For this cause if we indure afflictiōs, our suffrings do serue to y^e saluatiō (as is aforesaid) both of our selues, & of our bre­thrē. Thus (if the true sense & meaning of the Apostles wordes may be called a let­ter) it may appere what is the true letter of the former words, recited out of y^e first chap. of the Epistle to the Coloss. There is also a false letter, which the Romanes haue deuised vpon the same text. That is, that the rest of Christes sufferings which were vnperfect in him, the Apostle hath [Page] fulfilled in his owne person, for the more full & perfect redemption of the Churche, wherevpon they grounde the merites of Saincts, satisfaction by our owne works, making Christes passion vnsufficient of it selfe for our redēption, cōtrary to other places of the scripture:1. Pet. 2.24 As this, By Chri­stes stripes we are healed: & those:Heb. 7 25. Christ is able perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him, séeing he euer liueth to make intercession for thē:Heb. 9.12. & Christ by his owne bloud entred in once vnto the holy place, & obteined eternall redemption for vs. For if the bloud of buls, and of goates, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling thē that are vncleane, sanctified as touching the purifying of y^e flesh: how much more shall the bloud of Christ, whiche through the eternall spirite offered him selfe with­out spotte to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serue the liuing god? And agayne,Heb 10.14 With one offering hath he consecrated for euer them that are sancti­fied. Héere the Apostle teacheth vs perfect redēption by our sauiour Christ only, and by no other. Therfore y^e letter of the Ro­manists, which techeth vs other sauiours [Page] beside Iesus Christ, is an heretical & false letter, not to be receiued. Likewise in these words: The father is greater thā I,Ioh. 14.28. there is a true and a false letter. The true letter is this: The father is greater than Christ as touching his manhood. The false letter is this: The father as touching Christes godhead is greter than y^e sonne. The false letter killeth, but y^e true letter is profita­ble. Neuerthelesse, as the true letter is al­ways commodious & necessary to be kno­wē, so in some respect it may truly be said that it killeth rather than giueth life: as if we rest vpon the letter of any historie or prophesie, & neglect the moral & myste­rie therin conteined, or if we take part of the letter, & not the whole: or if we take the letter in stead of the figure and alle­gorie, where a figure or allegory is neces­sarily vnderstanded. As for example: If we omit the morall and allegorie of the Prophet Abdias before noted, & rest only vpon the letter which perteineth nothing vnto vs, it profiteth vs little. Likewise in the commaundements: thou shalt do no murther, thou shalte not commit ad­ultrie, thou shalt not steale, and so foorth: [Page] this is a true letter, that thereby we are forbidden actual murder, & actual adultry, and theft. This is but a péece of the letter, and not the whole: the whole letter is that therby we are not only forbidden to stay a man, to defile a woman, & to take away an other mans goodes secretly, or openly, out of his house, or by the highe way side: but also we are therby cōmaunded not to hurt our neighbour neither in worde nor thought, & to absteine frō all maner of in­iuries, deceitful & hurtful dealings, & also frō al filthy cogitations inwardly, no lesse than frō violent, manifest, & couetous acti­ons outwardly.Mat 5. ver. 11. &. 27. Thus our Sauiour him selfe expoūdeth the cōmandements in the Gospel. He that taketh part of this letter, and not the whole, is deceiued, in y^t he per­suadeth him selfe that he walketh in god­linesse in absteining frō outward actions that are euill, whereas his heart is full of deadly poyson. In this respect y^e letter kil­leth,Luk. 20.17 Act 4 11. [...]oh. 10. ver. [...]. &. 11. & 1 [...] & cap. 15.1. rather than profiteth. Finally where our sauiour calleth himself a stone, a dore a vine, & a shepherd, & where we are called shéepe by a figuratiue spéeche: if we take the letter in stead of y^e mysterie, the letter [Page] killeth. And in all the Parables of our sa­uiour, as in the Parable of the sower,Mat. 13.3. and so foorth, where a figure is necessarily vn­derstanded, if we vnderstande the earthly and not the heauēly sower, the letter pro­fiteth not. Yet this I will say for the true letter of all necessarie allegories, that it may be likened to the wine vessels, & the allegory to y^e wine. He that will haue his wine safe & sweete, must take heede y^t his vessels be not broken, & that they be wel seasoned, for if they be broken his wine wil be spilt, & if they be not wel seasoned, it wil be soure: So if we wil haue sounde doctrine, we muste be sure that we alter not the letter, that we neither adde to it, nor take frō it, for if we do, we shall haue soure wine, I meane, we shall haue false doctrine. As in those words: Excepte you eate the flesh of the sonne of man, and of his Saincts, and drinke their bloud, you haue no life in you. Here is an addition to the letter, which maketh much for y^e Ro­manistes, that teache men to call vpon Saincts that are dead, & to pray vnto thē, which we can not do without a fayth and a beléefe in them, as it is written: Howe [Page] shal they cal on him,Ro. 10 14. in whō they haue not beléeued? But faith & beléefe is proper on­ly vnto almighty God, and is the meane wherby we do eate the fleshe, & drinke the bloud of our sauiour Christ. As he tea­cheth vs in these words:Iohn. 6.35. I am the bread of life, he that cōmeth to me, shal not hun­ger, and he that beleeueth in me, shall ne­uer thirst.Iohn. 6.54. The reason is this: whosoeuer eateth my fleshe, and drinketh my bloud, hath eternall life, and I will raise him vp at the last day. For my fleshe is meate in déede, & my bloud is drinke in déede. Héere our sauiour techeth vs that he is bread, he is meat & drinke vnto vs, we must come vnto him, we muste eate him, we muste drink him, & we shal not hūger nor thyrst for euer. And this is y^e meane wherby we do eat his flesh, & drink his bloud, to put a­way our hūger & our thyrst: euē to beleue in him. For he saith: He that beléeueth in me shal neuer thyrst. Therfore if the ad­uersaries of y^e Gospel might be permitted to add vnto the letter, saying thus: Except ye eate y^e flesh of the sonne of man, & of his Saincts, and so foorth: they might easily proue that it is lawfull for vs to put our [Page] trust in saincts, & to beléeue in them, as in sauiours, & consequently that it is good & necessary to pray vnto thē. But our saui­our without any additiō saith:Iohn. 6.53. Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man, & drink his bloud, ye haue no life in you. This is the true letter, which if we kéepe in this place, & in al other places of the scripture without any alteratiō, it serueth so for the confirmation of the truth, that y^e aduersa­ries can haue no aduantage agaynst it. But if we take y^e letter only without the true feare & meaning therof, the cōmodity that cōmeth therby, auayleth vs nothing, for that is to take y^e vessel without wine, whiche dothe vs no good. Therefore in this respecte also it may be truely sayde: The letter rather killeth than giueth life. Moreouer, for the better vnderstanding of the Apostles wordes, it is to be noted,The letter diuersly vn­derstanded. that the true letter is diuersly vnderstan­ded in the scripture. First the playn sense of y^e scripture without any morall or my­sterie, is called y^t letter: of the which it hath bin sufficiētly spoken before. Secondly y^t true vnderstāding of y^e scriptures literal­ly, morally, & allegorically, as it cōteineth [Page] all necessarie knowledge without the spi­rite of God, whiche causeth vs to bring foorth fruites according to the same, may be called a letter that killeth. They that are destitute of y^e spirite of God (without the which no man can liue, although he haue al knowledge) are like the high way side, or the stony groūde, or the briers and brambles, in the which, and among the which the good séede can not prosper and bring foorth fruit. This knowledge with­out the spirite of God, is a letter that en­creaseth y^e damnation of men, rather than profiteth them. For our Sauiour sayth: that seruant that knew his masters will,Luk. 12.47 and prepared not him selfe, neither did ac­cording to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. Of this damnable letter it maye séeme that the Apostle speaketh, where he sayth:Rom. 2.27. Shal not vncircuncision (which is by nature) if it kéepe the lawe, iudge thée, whiche by the letter and cir­cumcision, art a transgressour of the law? For he is not a Iewe whiche is one out­ward, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Iewe which is one within, and the circumcision [Page] is of the heart in the spirite, not in the let­ter, whose praise is not of mē, but of God. Thirdly, not only al knowledge without good works, but also external works that are done in hypocriste, as comming to the church to heare the word of God, without a desire to be reformed thereby: may be called a letter that killeth. When men come to beare what the Preacher can do, and not to learne what they them selues ought to do: when men pray with their lippes, and not with their hearts, or do a­ny good worke for vayne glory, or to get them a name among men, & so foorth: this is a letter that profiteth not. Of this letter the Apostle séemeth to speake, where he sayth:Rom. 7.6. Nowe are we deliuered from the law, béeing dead vnto it, wherin we were holden, that we shuld serue in newnesse of spirite, & not in the oldnesse of the letter. Finally the law cōsidered by it selfe with­out Christ, is called a letter that killeth: As where the Apostle sayth:2. Cor God hath made vs able ministers of the new testa­ment, not of the letter, but of the spirite: for the letter killeth, but the spirite giueth life. Where the Apostle writeth these [Page] words, he disputeth agaynst false Christi­ans, that receyued Christ, but not aright, for they ioyned the law with Christ as a necessary part of our saluatiō, they would not acknowledge Christ of him selfe to be a sufficient sauiour, they ioyned the lawe with Christ, as felow in office with him, in working our saluation, making him to be but halfe a sauiour, alleaging for their purpose the glorious promulgation of the lawe:Exo. 19.16. as that it was giuen with thunder and lightening, with the sound of a trum­pet,Exo. 34.30 with fire and great smoke. Also when Moses came from the mounte with the two tables, his face did so shine that y^e peo­ple were not able to behold the brightnes therof.2. Cor. 3.11 Vnto this the Apostle answereth, that the glory of the Gospel darkneth the glory of the law. For the law was giuen but for a tyme, but the glory of the Gos­pell continueth vnto the ende. Also as the brightnesse of Moses face was glorious, so the vayle wherwith he was couered, was a tokē of imperfectiō,2. Cor. 3.13 & a type of infidelity in the people. But through y^e grace of God offred by the Gospel,2. Cor. 3.18 we are made perfect, & are changed into the image of his glory, [Page] and are able as it were in a glasse to be­hold the same with open face. And y^e more to deface the law, béeing compared with Christ,2. Cor. 3.9. he calleth it the ministery of cōdē ­nation, & a letter that killeth. For through our default it killeth after a sort, in that it layeth our iniquities before vs, & letteth vs sée in our selues the image of death through sinne, wherby (as much as lieth in it) it casteth vs down into the dānable pit of desperation, & there leaueth vs sore wounded, without al hope of life. But the spirit, that is to say, y^e gospell (by meanes wherof the spirit of God worketh in vs a true fayth) quickneth vs agayn, & exalteth vs into heauē, where we shal liue foreuer in despite of all our enimies, through the benefit of y^e good Samaritane our sauiour Christ.Luk. 10 53 Thus we may see how it is true y^t the Apostle sayth: y^e letter killeth, but the spirit giueth life. Notwithstāding in some respecte, and in some sense, the letter is profitable, as I haue sayde: and also the Apostle teacheth vs, that the same let­ter or law, which killeth, is not voyde of profite. For he sayth:Gal. 3.14. The law was our Scholemaster to bring vs to Christ, that [Page] we might be made righteous by fayth. If then it did bring vs to Christ, we had no small profite therby. And agayn he sayth: The law is holy,Rom. 7.12. & the cōmaundement is holy, and iust, and good. Was that then which is good, made death vnto men? God forbid: but sinne, that it might appeare sinne, wrought death in me by that which is good, that sinne mighte be out of mea­sure sinfull, by the cōmaundement. For we know that the law is spirituall, but I am carnall, tolde vnder sinne. Héere the Apostle expoundeth him selfe, & sheweth after what sort y^e letter or the law killeth, & yet neuerthelesse it remayneth profita­ble, holy, spiritual, good, & iust. Thus much of the letter, & of y^e diuers sense and mea­ning therof, and what letter it is that kil­leth, how it killeth, & how it profiteth. God graunt vs al the true vnderstanding and knowledge of his worde, with a readie mind & wil to folow y^e same, that bringing foorth y^e fruites of the spirite, we may liue for euer in heauen with almightie God. To whom the father, the sonne, & the holy ghost, thrée persons and one God, be all prayse, honor, & glory, for euer. So be it.