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. 10.

Reioyce, and be glad, O daughter Zion: for loe, I come, and will dwell in the midst of thee, sayth the Lord.

THis is an exhortation, and also acōfirmation of the former pro∣mises,* 1.1 taken from a signe or token, namely, from the ioy or gladnes, and the same great, publike, and manifest, not secret, pri∣uat, or obscure or vnknowne, whereunto the Church is exhorted by God, because those promises shall most certainly come to passe. He sheweth the maner also of fulfilling of them by amplification

and expressing of the cause, namely, for that God himself shal come vnto the Iewes, and dwell in the midst of them. And it is no hard thing for God to execute his decrees. For he is Iehouah, and as he is called in the next verse, The Lord of hosts, that is, most mightie, and who hath full and absolute rule ouer all things generallie and parti∣cularlie. So then here are three things to be noted. First,* 1.2 who are exhorted? It is the Church of God which is exhorted, and she is ex∣horted with most courteous and gentle words, to wit,* 1.3 by the name of the daughter Sion, the which is not without Emphasis or force & vehemencie: for this word hath in it a mouing of affection.* 1.4 Se∣condly, whereunto they are exhorted, namely, vnto ioy & gladnes of mind both earnest and publike, the which the Church ought to testifie or shew by gesture, voyce, and all other honest meanes. For so much signifieth the word Exulta, to leape and skip as it were for ioy. Neither are the benefites of God, especially so great bene∣fits to be lightly tasted of, or receiued. The third thing is,* 1.5 why they are exhorted vnto so great ioy of minde, to wit, because the grea∣test benefit of all benefits, the which by God may on earth be be∣stowed vpon men, yea euen vpon those which are his owne, shall fall out vnto the Iewes, of his meere or onely good will, fauour, and ••••rcie. For the Lord God Iehouah himselfe shall come vnto her, & ••well in the midst of her. The which fell out vnto the Church not only by effectuall operation or working, and inuisiblie, but was done in Christ visiblie, or in such sort as it might be seene, and bodi∣lie. For Christ who is that true Iehouah (in whose name the Angel here speaketh) is made vnto vs God to be seene in the flesh, which he tooke vpon him, & hath dwelled in vs, as Paul speaketh 1. Tim. 3 ver. 16. God is manifested in the flesh: and his person, and glorie hath been seene, as Iohn saith cap. 1. ver. 14. The word was made flesh, and dwelt among vs (and we saw the glorie thereof, as the glorie of the only begotten sonne of the Father) full of grace and trueth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  An exhortatiō vnto ioy and gladnes.
• * 1.2

  Three things to be noted.
• * 1.3

  1. Who are ex∣horted.
• * 1.4

  2. Whereunto they are exhor∣ted.
• * 1.5

  3. Why they are exhorted vnto so great ioy.