Sermon Upon Obadiah, Title page – To the reader
¶ A Sermon vponupon part of the Prophesie of Obadiah: Touching the destruction, as of Idumaeans, so of Papists; and meanes whereby it must be wrought: Preached at Saint Maries in Oxford by Iohn Rainoldes, on the 28. of October last. 1584.
Dan. 9. 17. Heare (O our God) the prayer of thy seruant, and his supplications; and cause thy face to shine vponupon thy Sanctuarie that lieth wast: for the Lordes sake.
Printed. 1584.
❧ Iohn Rainoldes wisheth grace and peace in Iesu Christ to the Christian Reader.
WEe are commaunded by a wisePro. 3. 27. Prince, or rather by the Prince of Princes, not to withholde good from the owners thereof, when it is in the power of our hande to doe it. The owners of anye good are they called, who stand in neede of it. For God hath made men stewardes of his graces, not all to serue themselues, but eche to helpe others in whatsoeuer they may. Wherefore, hauing taken in hande the exposition of Obadiah the Prophet, and preached so on parte of him, as I thought meetest for the place and time, since the Parliament was summoned: being requested to pen and publish that Sermon, by some, who thought it needful for more then were present, I coulde not withhold my simple helpe therin from the owners of it, my leysure & notes seruing me to doo it. And I pray God that they for whose sakes it is chiefly done, withholde not goodes neither from the owners of them. Sure, vnlesse the world do blind thē, they will not: & what shall it auayle them to winne the whole world, & lose their owne soules? When2. Chr. 25. Amasias king of Iuda had hired an army of Israel for an *A talent is about 18. hundred sicles. A sicle is halfe an ounce or somewhat more. So a hundred talents amount to aboue twē ty thousand pounds.hundred talents of siluer, to goe with him against Edom: a man of God warned him not to let the army of Israel goe with him; for the Lord is not with Israell. How shall we doo then for the hundred talents (said Amasias) which I hauehave giuen them? The man of God answered: the Lord is able to giuegive thee more thē that. The Lord is the same now, that he was euer: as highly offended with vnlawfull helpes which we seeke to gayne by; as able to giuegive vsus more then they cost vsus, euen whom they cost most. But if he would not: yet in his louelove is life. And better is a little with a good conscience, then the richest state of the wicked and mighty. The time wil come when men shal feele it. Farewell good Christian Reader: and cōmend the cause of the Church (I beseech thee) to God, by thy prayers; to Gods Lieuetenants, by such meanes as he shall blesse thee with: that it may finde fauour in the eies of the Parliament, and her gratious Maiestie; to the glory of the highest, the saluation of the chosen, and the securitie of the State.
From Corpus Christi College in Oxford. Nouemb. 22. 1584.