Certaine godlie Homelies or Sermons vpon the Prophets Abdias and Ionas :

Conteyning a most fruitefull exposition of the same .

Made by the excellent lerned man , RODOLPH GVALTER of Tigure . And translated into Englishe ,

By ROBERT NORTON . Minister of the worde in Suffolke .

Imprinted at London by Henrie Bynneman , for Rafe Newberie , dwelling in Fletestrete a little aboue the Conduite . ANNO 1573.

IT is no lesse benefite that wee haue knowledge of our creation , redemption , preseruation , eternall saluation , how to beleue , loue , worship , honor , and shewe our selues thankefull vnto our creator , redemer , preseruer , &c. than that he hath bestowed these great and inestimable giftes vpon vs , of his mercie and free goodnesse . Neither auayleth it vs to bee borne and made men and not brute beastes , and that Christ hath died , risen again , and ascended into heauen , if we know not the ende of our creation and redemption , to be to glorifie god , to set forth his prayse , and to tell of his wonderfull works . This is eternall life , saith Christ , to know thee the only and true God , and him whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ . We had neuer knowne God , we had neuer knowen Christ , except he had inspired his holye ones with hys spirit , and enforced them to write the holy scriptures , wherein he hath reueled himselfe , and manifested his will in all things necessarie towardes vs . Wherefore we ought first of all to bee moste thankefull to God , and in all things to blesse his name , both for his fatherly fauor , which he beareth towards vs , and also for reueling the same by his worde . Secondly , they be also worthie of their due commendation , which as Gods instruments and workemen of God , haue laboured with him to set forth the same worde of the knowledge of saluation .

There are great and weightie causes which haue moued God to vtter himselfe in his worde . First , that he might set forth his loue , wisedome , omnipotencie , goodness & fidelitie to the world , which we had neuer knowne without his word . God who is faythful ( sayth August . Psa. 110. ) hath made him selfe our debtor , not in taking any thing of vs , but in promising vs so great things . It seemed but a small thing to promise , but hee hath also bounde himselfe with scripture as it were making with vs a handwriting of his promises . He hath not onely made a writing with men that they might beleue , but he hath further appoynted his only sonne to be a mediatour of his fidelitie and truth . Wherefore all the worlde is of dutie bounde to giue most heartie and immortall thankes to God the onely authour and reueler of so great benefites , howsoeuer otherwise the world do contemne , neglect and abuse this knowledge . Secondly , that the remembrance of this most holy couenant betwene God & his church , might bee more durable , & the promise might be more certainly set forth to all posteritie . And therefore he hath charged the things to be written , taught , and learned of them that were present at the promulgation of his worde , and of them that should come after . &c. Psal. 102. Let these thinges be written in another generation , that the people whiche shall bee borne hereafter may prayse the Lord . Adam ( as Iosephus testifieth in the first booke of his antiquities ) set vp two tables or pillers of stone , and wrote in them the beginning of the creation , the fal of man , and the promise of Messias . After the floud wrote Moses , and the rest of the Prophets inspired and led by the spirit of God . After the Apostles and Euangelists by the same spirit , whose bookes the deuill and all his angels ( though they greatly despited and impugned them ) were neuer able either vtterly to destroy or cast them out of the hands of the people of God , bycause God woulde haue his couenant to remain in his Church , and so will haue them to the worldes ende , Rumpantur ilia Codro , though the deuyll do burste his guttes . &c. Thirdly , that God will haue hys Church which is the piller and stay of the truth 1. Tim. 3. as in many other things to differ from sectes , factions , vaine opinions and superstitious of other Gentiles , so in this poynt chiefly to bee a keeper and as it were a librarie of the bookes of his Prophets and Apostles , wherein he hath declared himselfe to the worlde . Wherefore all men are bounde that will bee of the true Church of God , to keepe , reade and exercise them selues in the true vnderstanding & practising of these bookes . Fourthly , that the keeping and profession of these bookes , may be a notable and certain testimonie of the truth , and of the will of God , in all matters of Religion , and a strong fortresse both agaynst all superstitious , mans feigninges and deuises , and also agaynst al vaine & phantasticall spirites preferring their owne dreames and fonde imaginations before the certaintie of Gods scriptures . Our gracious God therefore knowing the necessitie , and the inestimable profite of the scriptures , will haue them sette forth , kept and exercised of his Church for euer . The scripture is the worde of truth , of life , the gospell of health , the power of God to saluation . &c. the foode of the soule , the light to our feete , the sword of the spirite , the breath of Gods mouth , which who so wanteth runneth into errour , into death , and destruction , is without all comfort of helpe , perisheth for foode , wandreth in darkenesse , standeth naked agaynst his armed aduersaries , destitute of Gods grace and spirite , which who so wanteth , is none of Gods people . Rom. 8.

The holy men of god ought to haue their iust commendation which were the iust instruments of gods spirit , in writing these scripturs , not to take any glorie from God and ascribe it vnto men ( which were meere Jdolatrie , and woulde make men arrogant and glorye in them selues ) but to encourage men to laboure with the Lord , and to knowe that their laboure in him is , to set foorthe his glorie , to profite his Churche , and that they them selues shal be pertakers of eternall felicitie . Dani. 12. They that be learned shall shine as the sunne & , they that haue instructed many in wisdom shal be as the stars for euermore : these haue not spoken of them selues nor the wisdome of man , but of God , He. 1. God hath spoken in alder time many and sundrie wayes to our fathers by his Prophetes . &c. He sayth not they spake of them selues , but God by them , they came not with their owne worde , nor their owne authoritie , but euer they sayde , Haec dicit dominus , Thus saith the Lord . Paule saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the scripture is inspired by the holy ghost . &c. & 2. Pet. 1. We haue a sure & certain worde of the Prophets which ( saith he ) was not brought in by the will of man , but the holy men of God haue spoken being compelled by the spirite of God . Therefore for their obedience to Gods spirite , for their diligence in trauell and paines , for their fidelitie in true handling and vttering their Embassage , they bee well to bee thought of and worthy of their iust commendation , by whose meanes we haue receyued the will of God , the worde of eternall life . But some thinke the Prophetes and the Bokes of the old Testament pertayned to the Iewes only , and are now abolished and permine nothing to vs , to what purpose should wee keepe them , or labor to vnderstand them ? Concerning the ceremonies of the olde Law , we know that literally they be fulfilled by Christ , and in him finished and vtterly abolyshed , yet spiritually we are bound to obserue them still , as the spirituall circumcision , spirituall sacrifices , spirituall sabboth or rest from sinne and such like : the Moral law is the lawe of nature and the eternall lawe of God , and therefore for euer to be kept of vs vnder the new Testament : the Prophecie of Christ and his Churche , &c. as they were promised in the olde Testament , so are they truely performed in the newe . Therefore the olde Testament and the newe containe both one thing , the times are changed , he shall come , and he is come , the matter is one in this word come : as the olde Testament is the fountaine where out of the new doth issue as the same liuely water of the spring : so is the newe Testament the lighte and brighte shine of the olde . What is the newe Testament but a plaine exposition of the olde ? we may not so expound the newe scripture that we take awaye the olde whereon the newe is grounded . If the old scriptures are abolished , why doe the Apostles apply them to the Gentiles , whom they laboure by the scriptures to make the people of God ? why are the noble men of Thessalonica commended . Act. 17. for searching the olde scriptures , & thereby proued Paules doctrine to be true ? If the olde scripture be abrogate , why did Paule affirme before king Agrippa . Act. 26. that he preached to serue their owne deuises , and woulde seeme to see something that neuer man saw before them . Concerning them that cauill the scriptures to be hard and obscure and therfore not to be studied , the plaine contrarie is true . For if a thing necessarie be difficult , the more paine is to be taken for the obtaining of the same . The scriptures are like vnto the sea whiche hath a shallowe shore , where the lambe may drynke and refreshe him selfe : and a bottomlesse depth , where the Elephant and other great beastes may swimme and feele no bottome : so hath the scriptures plaine lessons to nourish all men though they be but babes , and deeper mysteries wherin greater learned men may bee occupied still , and yet not in thys life come to the fulnesse of knowledge : but euery one according to the measure that God hath giuen . Euery art and science is hard to him that neuer studied for it . No man is borne an artificer , but by studie he commeth to knowledge of artes , some difficultie there is in scriptures to them which bee not conuersaunt therein , by reason of straunge phrases , figures , tropes , and vnacquaintance with the tongue wherin they were written . And as Gregorie sayth , the obscuritie of scripures bring vtilitie , that a mans witte may bee exercised , and being weried with labour may bee enlarged . And he that so is exercised may perceyue and vnderstand that which an ydle man cannot vnderstande . Yea and this difficultie hath yet a greater thing . For if the vnderstanding of the scriptures in all things were plaine , it woulde waxe vile and of no estimation , but when the sense is founde in certaine obscure places , it so much delighteth more with a greater sweetnesse , as the seeking thereof did wearye the mynde wyth paynefull labour .

Christ therefore willeth ( as well for the knowledge of the worde as other necessaries ) aske and ye shal receiue , seeke and ye shal find , knock . &c. Aske by prayer , seke by reding and studie , knock by perseuerance and it shall be opened . Psal. 119. Maruellous are thy testimonies O Lorde , and therefore my soule searcheth them exceedingly . Againe , blessed are they that searche his testimonies and seeke him with their whole hearte . Iohn . 5. Searche the scriptures for in them . &c. He sayth not reade them , or say them , with lip labour , or for a custome , or negligently , but search and seeke out the true vnderstanding of them . Christ opened the scriptures to the two disciples whiche went to Emaus , bycause they were talking , conferring and searching the scripture . Phillip was commaunded to teach the Chamberlaine by the spirite , the true meaning of the Prophete Esay , bycause he was diligent in reading & searching that which as yet then he vnderstode not : wherefore the scriptures are not difficulte to the Children of God , which praye , laboure , seeke and knock to God for the opening of them , but to the wicked , as Peter writeth that in Paules epistles some things are hard to be vnderstand , but he sheweth to whome they be so , for he addeth , whiche they that be vnlearned and vnsteadfast do wreast as the other Scriptures to their owne destruction , so that , to the vnlearned , the vnexercised , the malicious , the corrupted , the slothfull and sluggish , they be only harde and difficult , and to such as loue not the truth , for he that doth euill hateth the light , and this is condemnation , that lighte is come into the world and men loued darkenesse more than light 2. Corinth . 1. Jf our Gospell be hid yet . &c. loke the place , the scriptures are not darknesse but light . Psalm . 119. 2. Peter . 1. therefore they are not to be lightned of darknesse , but to lighten the darkenesse . Therefore the holy ghost that gaue the scriptures , hathe his working in hys Church to open and make playne the same to his , that in sinceritie search them . But ( to come to the second sorte ) although the scriptures be playne vnto the elect , yet are they so by laboure and studie and not by idlenesse and negligence . Gregory compareth them to a stone in whiche there lyeth fire hid , for the stone being holden in the hand is colde , but being striken with iron it glistereth with fire which will burne the hand : so the scriptures caried only in the hands or in the tong , are but colde , but beaten with exercise , they kindle the harte and set it on fier with true loue . Luke . 24. did not our hart burne within vs while he talked with vs ? sayde the two disciples . They are also like a treasure hid in the field , as one said to his sonnes on his death bed , my children there is a great treasure hid in this litle close , if ye can find it . After his death they did plough vp the grounde , thinking there to finde golde , but when they found none , they sewe the ground with wheat , it yelded great increase , and so continued from yeare to yeare till in deede they had thereout of greate treasure . So the scriptures being trimmed , bring greate frute , which being neglected , they will not doe . There is fine flower in the corne , but it must be thresht and ground before we come to the meale . There is a swete cornell in the nutte , but wee must break the shell before we come to the meat . Men are not nowe called and taught immediatly from God as the olde prophets were , but by meanes of praying , reading , meditating , and conferring with others : euery man is not a deuine , which can say the letter without the booke and rehearse the words of the texte : let euery man measure him selfe with his owne fote , and be not ashamed to confesse his ignoraunce , conferre with others , and learne that he knew not before , and giue God thankes for reuealing his word , and thinke well of them by whose meanes he is made better learned . When Moyses had giuen a lawe from God to the Jsraelites , he made a commentarie or exposition of the same called Deutronomie , for their easier vnderstanding . Were not the writings and sermons of the prophets , expositions and applications of Moyses lawe vnto the times and persons , as occasion serued , and to reproue wicked men to their faces for disobedience to the same ? Although some to flatter their feygned friends , do lay pillowes vnder mens elbowes and as false prophets do , dare vndertake that it is not lawful to reproue openly euill men , the word of God and examples of true embassadours of God is to the contrarie . Did not Esdras reade the lawe , and the Leuites expound it ? did not Christ expound many places of the olde testament which else we had not rightly vnderstand , as in the .12 . of Mathew concerning Ionas . Jn the .4 . of Luke the place of Esay , and in the .24 . of Luke . Who could haue gathered out of this place of Math. 22. the resurrection , J am the God of Abraham , Jsaac &c. if Christ had not expounded it ? did not Peter Acts. 2. expound the .16 . Psalme , and the Psalme . 110. of Christes resurrection , and made a large and a learned sermon ? Did not Philippe preach and make exposition of the place of Esay to the chamberlayne Acts. 8. be not Paules epistles full of expositions and openings of the olde prophets ? It may be obiected that all these are scripture , and now it is made so plaine one with another , that there nedeth no further opening . God hath lefte in his Churche prophetes , such as do expound the old prophets . 1 Cor. 14. pastours , builders , and suche like , therefore the olde bishops and fathers of the Church haue alwayes taught and defended the Churche by interpreting these scriptures : some haue written Apologies and defences of Christes religion , some exhortations to constancie and martyrdome , some haue confuted heresies whiche alwayes do growe when men are asleepe , some wrote homelies for the people , some made commentaries and expositions of one or moe of the bookes of the olde or newe testament . I speake not of Papists and schole men whiche were all corruptours of the texte , and that thorough ignorance , but of the auncient fathers within foure or fiue hundreth yeares after Christes ascention , though J must leaue vnto them their faults , golde is to be digged out of rotten earth . As Tertullian , Ieremie , Iustinus martyr , Origene , Hilarius , Hipolitus , Arnobius , Lactantius , Didimus , Ciprian , Ambrose , Hierome , Augustine , Basill , Gregorie Nazianzene , and Gregorie Nycen . &c. all these and suche like were learned men , and such as defended the Churche of God , and refelled false and erronius opinions by declaring and expounding the word of God . How naked and bare were many places of the old testament if some further sense were not rightly gathered of them than the bare letter ? J do not meane to bring all the scriptures to Allegories , for that were to destroy the texte and to open a windowe for euery wandring spirite to flye out at , and to range where he list without grounde , as some of olde haue done , and popish friers with their dreames haue folowed after , that neyther they nor any man else wist whether . But J meane , beside the historie , there may be other sense well gathered , as of old fathers haue bene . If a man did aske of him that doth superficiallie reade , what is the meaning in the .10 . of Ezechiel , of this saying , that one whele did roll and moue within an other , the literall sense is bare . Gregorie saithe that the newe testamente rolleth in the olde , for that which the olde did signifie , the newe doth exhibite . As for example , out of Adam sleeping Eue was formed : so out of Christ dying the Church was formed . As Isaac caried wood to the altar wher he should be sacrifised and yet escaped : so Christ caried the wood of the crosse to be crucified in body , and yet remayned immortall in diuinitie . What meaneth it that the murtherer after the death of the high priest should be absolued and let go home ? but that after the death of our high priest Christ , mankinde should be losed from their sinnes , and sent into paradise againe . What meaneth it that in the tabernacle was made a mercy stole , ouer whiche were two cherubins of gold . &c. The mercie seate , to be short , is Christ , the two cherubines be the two testamentes : of golde , for their purenesse : they haue wings for that they flye swiftlie : they loke each towardes the other , for that they set forth both one thing : with their faces towardes the mercie seate , for they both haue respect to Christ . A great number of such misteries may be gathered withoute absurditie or superstition out of the olde testament , and referred to the newe . Wherefore let vs be thankefull to God for his word , and for those that haue set it forth or by any meanes opened the true sense vnto vs . Amongst others for this sound exposition of these two Prophets Abdias and Ionas , let vs commend that worthy and learned man and chiefe writer of these dayes one of the chiefe preachers at Zurich or Tigury , master Gualter , who both by his continuall preaching and dayly writing , hath much profited Christes Church . It was translated by master Ro. Norton , a godly and learned preaching minister in Suff. not to be published in print as you knowe best , but only a thing of priuate exercise , and giuen to you as a token of that good will which I haue herd him ofte testifie that he bare you , not without your great desert towards him . But comming to the hands of one my good friend , and whom you seeme to loue well inough , he desired me very earnestly and vrged me with most friendly request to set some Preface to it , lest comming barefaced , it might seme somewhat defaced , whiche yet it needeth not , considering the good face it hath of it selfe , the which he shal see and delight in , who beholdeth it more nerely and narrowly . But I coulde not denie his request , bycause it was reasonable , I would not for that it was friendly : Nay I did it most gladly , taking no small pleasure by this occasion in the sweete remembraunce of the godly and reformed housholds of good master Drue Druries and yours , wherein your selues and your rightly and truely worshipfull Ladies , do by your owne godly lyues , and framing your children & families to liue according to the word of God , shewe your selues to be no vayne hearers of sermons and lectures at Norwich & elsewhere , neither to haue bene louers of learning and learned men , for any other cause , but only for that you would conforme your deedes to that they saide . Rare examples must haue rare praise , whiche yet I will take vp in time , lest through my true good will towards you , and your religious honestie , which is the greatest dignitie and best worship , I forget how ill you loue to heare your own prayses . The Lord God encrease vs with his true knowledge , that we may day by day amende our liues and growe to more perfection in knowledge and doing . So shall we glorifye our God , and stoppe the mouthes of the deuill , Papistes , Atheists , and whosoeuer be ennimies to God , and vs , for Gods cause . This he graunt , who only doth all that is good , and to whome only the glory thereof is due . So be it . From Laighton .