A fruitfull commentarie vpon the twelue small prophets briefe, plaine, and easie, going ouer the same verse by verse, and shewing every where the method, points of doctrine, and figures of rhetoricke, to the no small profit of all godly and well disposed readers, with very necessarie fore-notes for the vnderstanding of both of these, and also all other the prophets. The text of these prophets together with that of the quotations omitted by the author, faithfully supplied by the translatour, and purged of faults in the Latine coppie almost innumerable, with a table of all the chiefe matters herein handled, and marginall notes very plentifull and profitable; so that it may in manner be counted a new booke in regard of these additions. VVritten in Latin by Lambertus Danæus, and newly turned into English by Iohn Stockwood minister and preacher at Tunbridge.

Vers. 7.

The Lord also shall preserue the tentes of Iudah, * as afore time: therefore the glorie of the house of Dauid shall not boast,* 1.1 nor the glorie of the inhabitants of Ierusalem against Iudah.

* 1.2THe third amplification, taken from the state of the people, the which, before these things come to passe, shall bee most miserable, and consequently the sauing and restoring thereof shal be past all hope, at that time. But God doth in such sort amplifie his benefite, both because men are vnthankefull, and doe ouer∣passe his grace and fauour, either with blinded eyes, or else doe not esteeme it as is meete: and also because that this deliuerance of the people was the wonderfull work of God, the which ought to profit, and to be set forth to containe or keepe them and their posteritie in the feare of God: but it was forgotten of them by and by. Now this desolation and destruction the which was a∣mong that people, at that time (at the which God did deliuer them) is briefelie described or set forth vnder the worde (Tent.) For Tentes are the vncertaine and for a very short time, dwellings of men scattered, and wandring vp and downe. For the whole land of Iewrie, otherwise being a countrie most florishing, was after this miserable sort wasted and spoyled by the Antiochi.* 1.3 And this verse containeth two things. The one, the order of the thing done. For God shall deale after this maner: first,* 1.4 he shall deliuer those Iewes, the which shall dwell in the fieldes, and without the cities, or at least wise without Ierusalem. Then afterward hee shall deliuer the citie it selfe. [unspec 2] And this doth altogether and fullie agree with the falling out of the matter, lib. 1. Machab. The se∣cond

thing is a conclusion arising from this falling out of the mat∣ter,* 1.5 by the which appeareth that these victories are attributed vn∣to God, and not vnto men. Furthermore, a certaine wonderfull, and strange thing shall fall out, to wit, that the deliuerance of the peo∣ple shall not be brought to passe, by them of Ierusalem, for those that dwel in the fieldes and villages (as it was wont to be done be∣fore, as namely, when as the chiefe help of the countrie is from the cities, and this citie was the head of the whole nation) but contrariwise, the countrie, and scattered people shall deliuer the citie. So then at that time, that is, in those victories neither shall the house of Dauid, and the Princes of the Iewes (the which were then yet remaining of that familie) nor the citie Ierusalem it selfe, (the which was the head citie, and the bewtie, and ornament of the whole land) glorie or boast against or aboue that Iuda dwelling in tentes, and miserablie torne in sunder, and scattered before.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Or First of all.
• * 1.2

  The third am∣plification of the benefite of God.
• * 1.3

  Two partes of this verse.
• * 1.4

  1. The maner of the dooing of the thing.
• * 1.5

  2. These victories ascribed vnto God, and not vnto men.