1687 JONATHAN EDWARDS. His Personal Copy of One of His Favorite Commentaries. Poole's Annotations.

I believe this is the third or fourth volume we have ever handled from the personal library of Jonathan Edwards. This one with wonderful provenance, having been gifted to Jonathan Edwards' own grandson, Timothy Woodbridge, upon being ordained pastor of the church at Green River, New York in 1818. He himself had quite an interesting life as well [see below]. 

The attestation reads, "This Book was the Property of President Edwards and was always kept in his study and used by him. (Attest) Timothy Woodbridge. Grandson of Johnathan Edwards. Nov. 18, 1818 the day of my installation, TW"

Very scarce to have anything Edwards connected with this direct of a line of provenance. 

The present has been in our personal collection for the last ten years or so, but we have decided to reduce our own holdings somewhat over the next year or so. 

Poole, Matthew. Annotations upon the Holy Bible. Wherein the Sacred Text is Inserted and Various Readings Annex'd, Together with the Parallel Scriptures. The more difficult Terms in each Verse are Explained. Seeming Contradictions Reconciled. Questions and Doubts Resolved. And the Whole Test Opened. Vol. II. Being a Continuation of Mr. Pool's Work by Certain Judicious and Learned Divines. London. Thomas Parkhurst. 1687. 

Imposing 15 1/2 inch folio volume with the finest quality restoration, including a respine, retaining original, corners rebuilt, and preliminary pages remounted and repaired. Still several losses throughout, including the totality of the last few leaves. 

Similar to previous volumes we have handled, notations are scarce. He tended rather to take notes elsewhere. For Edwards' use and influence by Poole's Annotations, see Sources of Biblical Exegesis: An Ecumenical Enterprise | Before Jonathan Edwards: Sources of New England Theology | Oxford Academic (oup.com) Also, see Marsden's biography of Jonathan Edwards where he notes that one of Edwards' most frequently utilized works was Poole's Annotations, underscoring Woodbridge's assertion that it was "always kept in his study and used by him." 

There is a single word marginal note at II Samuel VII, earlier than Woodbridge, but not sufficient in length to attribute to Edwards. Edwards would not have been the first owner of the book. 

Timothy Woodbridge was born at Stockbridge, Mass., Nov. 24, 1784. His maternal grandfather was the first president Jonathan Edwards, and his paternal ancestry embraced a long line of venerable ministers, reaching back to the very early settlement of New England. He was educated at Williams College, and while there he lost the sight of both eyes, and the remainder of his life was passed in total blindness. In 1809 he entered the Theological Seminary at Andover, and in due time was regularly licensed to preach; in 1816 he was ordained pastor of tile Church at Green River, Columbia Co., N. Y., where he continued, laboring with great zeal and diligence, twenty-six years; in 1842 he became pastor of the Church at Spencertown, N.Y., where he remained till 1851, when he resigned his pastoral charge; since that time he lived in comparative retirement until his death, Dec. 7, 1862. Dr. Woodbridge had an intellect of much more than common vigor, and a memory that held everything deposited in it. His preaching was evangelical, earnest, impressive. "It may reasonably he doubted whether, as a 'blind preacher,' he had his equal since the days of Waddel." He published The Autobiography of a Blind Preacher (Boston, 1856, 12mo).