Commentary on Obadiah, Title page – Dedication
A BRIEF Commentarie OR EXPOSITION Upon the Prophecy of OBADIAH, TOGETHER With uſefull Notes delivered in ſundry Sermons preacht in the Church of St. James Garlick-Hith LONDON.
By EDWARD MARBURY, the then Paſtor of the ſaid Church.
Pſal. 101. Ver. 1.
My ſong ſhall be of Mercy and Judgement; unto thee O Lord, will I ſing.
LONDON, Printed by T. R. and E. M. for George Calvert and are to be ſold at the Signe of the Halfe-Moone in Watling-ſtreet neere Pauls-ſtump. 1649.
To my worthy friends the Citizens and Inhabitants of the Pariſh of St. Iames Garlickhith London, all the bleſſings of this life, and that which is to come.
I Have not without good cauſe inſcribed this Commentary unto you. Firſt, thoſe Sermons were Preach'd amongſt you: Secondly, ſome of you have heretofore, often importuned the publication of this, and ſome others of my Labours: Thirdly you were my Firſt fruits, and therefore the Firſt Commencement of my Labours in this kind doth properly belong to you. As then it is juſtly Dedicated unto you, ſo I deſire it may have your favourable acceptance, and paſſe under the Convoy of your worthy names. I have by me an Expoſition of three other of the the Small Prophets, viz. Habakuk, Zephanie, and Haggai, which together with this, are Licenſed, and intended for the Preſſe; but the charge of Printing being great; and the number of Buyers of Bookes in theſe times (if we may beleeve the Stationers) very ſmall; I thought fit to ſend forth this as Joſhua did the Spies, to ſee, what encouragement the reſt may happily finde to follow after it. I am of Saint Auſtins minde, who accounted nothing his owne, but what he did communicate, and profeſſed himſelfe to be of that number, qui ſcribunt proficiendo, & ſcribendo proficiunt, that write what they have learn't, and learne more by writing: and if the graine be good, it is fitter for the Market then for the Garner: What entertainment this will finde there, I know not; for mine owne part, I have taken the Councell of the Wiſe, neither to praiſe, nor diſpraiſe my owne doings; the one he ſaith is vanity, the other folly; others will be ready enough to ſave me that paines, to whoſe uncertaine cenſure I ſubmit my ſelfe to ſtand or fall before them.
Yet thus much I will make bold to ſay for my ſelfe, that I have done little or nothing herein without conſulting the beſt Authors both Ancient and Moderne, to which I have added that light, which God by his Spirit revealeth in my underſtanding, to diſcerne what his will is, and to ſuggeſt what I ſhall French in his Church; as the Bee gathereth H…ny, and ſtoreth her Hive out of ſeverall ſorts of Flowers for the Common-good: ſo have I out of theſe Collected and Gathered ſundry Honey-Combes of truth, for the uſe and benefit of the Publick.
All my deſire is, to doe all the good I can, and to that end my Tong…e being ſuſpended for ſome time, I have taken this opportunity to ſupply the defect thereof by my Pen. I am loth to loſe our Crowne of rejoycing in the day of the Lord.
Animae ſervatae, the ſaving of Soules will procure us a better Garland at the coming of Chriſt, then Cives ſervati, the ſaving of Citizens did the Ancient Romanes. That is the onelyonly marke we aime at, and (if we be light and not ſmoake in the Church of Chriſt) the onelyonly Subject and Matter of all our Preaching and Writing; And the ſaving of your Soules a part of that bounden duty and debt, which by the juſt bond of thankfulneſſe I owe unto you, eſpecially; Teſtis eſt mihi Deus quomodo cupiam vos omnes in viſceribus Jeſu Chriſti, God is my witneſſe how much I have deſired the good of you all in the bowels of Jeſus Chriſt: and if I have not been able to doe for you what I would, yet that I have deſired and endeavoured it what I could, may deſerve acceptance, or at the leaſt will ſatisfie my owne Conſcience. In a word, to ſee the welfare and happineſſe of you and yours, how much will it revive his heart? who profeſſeth himſelfe
You affectionate Friend and Servant in the Lord, EDW. MARBƲRY