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.

Who art thou. O great mountaine, before Zerubbabel? thou shalt be a plaine, and he shall bring forth the head stone thereof, with shoutings, crying, grace, grace vnto it.

* 1.1THis is the answering of an obiection that might bee made, whereby God with great vehemencie and earnestnes of speech refuteth or ouerthroweth all the power of the enemies of his church, and the doubting & wauering, the which hereupon might stick in the hearts of the godly. And to the ende that this speech might moue vs the more,* 1.2 by the figure Apostrophe, or turning of speech vnto an other person or matter, it is directed vnto the ene∣mies of the Church themselues. First, of all therefore by way of granting or yeelding vnto them, he describeth this power of the enemies of the church according vnto the iudgement of carnall men, vnder the name of mountaines, yea & the same great moun∣taines, the which carrie a shew, and glorious appearance, and seeme to be inuincible, or such as cannot bee wonne and ouercome. So Psalm. 68. ver. 16. the mountaine of God is described: The moun∣taine of God is like the mountaine of Bashan: it is an high moun∣taine, as mount Bashan: finally, hee describeth them to bee such mountaines, the which might feare men with the very looking on them. Furthermore, he propoundeth or setteth forth vnto the church, the throwing downe of those enemies, and the same full of exceeding comfort vnto the godly:* 1.3 and their casting down li∣eth herein: for that all the same huge high masse of the mountaines shall at the length shrinke and fall downe, so that the worke which was begun, shall be finished by the godly, that is, the Temple shall be made an end of vnto the building vp of the same.* 1.4 The comfort is, first, for that Zorobabel himselfe (against whom these enemies of God did set themselues Esdr. 3. and 4.) shall see this selfe same thing with his eyes. For before him shall these mountaines bee brought into a plaine, and Zorobabel himselfe shall lay the last stone vpon this Temple. Which thing was a testimonie or wit∣nes of the singular mercie of God toward Zorobabel, because that it doth not alwaies so fal out, that those which begin the work of God, doe finish the same, albeit that the worke of God, and re∣storing of his church be finished at the length. Secondly, God doth comfort the whole people of that age and time: For they shal with a great shouting and gladnes prayse God for the finishing of the

Temple, and shall crie, The grace, the grace of God, that is to say, it is the meere, or only and great benefit of God toward vs, that wee see these things. So then the Iewes at that time shall most readily and earnestly giue thankes vnto God, and the same Iewes, which shall see these things to be done, and fulfilled, shall attribute this whole benefite vnto his only goodnes, as the true cause thereof.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The answering of an obiection of the power of the enemies of the church.
• * 1.2

  What the fi∣gure Apostro∣phe is, see Amos cap. 1. ver. 4.
• * 1.3

  The casting downe of the mountaines.
• * 1.4

  The comfort of the godly.