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. 4.

Will a lyon roare in the forrest when he hath no pray? or will a lyons whelpe crie out of his denne, if he haue taken nothing?

HAuing refuted the vaine confidence or trust of the Israelites in the couenant of God, he doth secretly rehearse and confute an other vaine obiection of theirs, because of the daily and continuall threatnings of the Prophets, and this also by a most apt or fit simi∣litude. The obiection is thus: to wit, * 1.1 We are not moued with these threatnings. For these are your ordinarie and daily manners of dea∣ling. For there is nothing more common then these your terrify∣ings or going about to make vs afrayd, albeit that there haue fallen out nothing among vs extraordinarily, or haue done no otherwise then wee are continually wont to doe. The Prophet answereth, * 1.2 These things are not threatned for fashion sake, as if God did not purpose to punish you: but as if they were spoken as words of course, or lightly, without any anger of God moued against you, and without any punishment prepared alreadie for you also. For this is euen at hand, the which is layd before you by the expresse and extraordinarie commandement of God. But God doth not a∣nie thing in vaine, or to no purpose, nor threaten any thing, but to some effect by his word, for as much as the very lions themselues doe not roare except they see some pray. And so doth God by his Prophet teach vs concerning the efficacie or force of his word,

which is neuer without his effect, Isai. 55. ver. 11. where hauing com∣pared it with the falling of the raine for the cherishing of the ear•••• and the things therein, he concludeth: So shall my word be that go∣eth out of my mouth: it shall not returne vnto me voyd, but it shall ac∣complish that which I will, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sent it. As therefore that roaring and yelling of the lions, albeit bruit beasts, is not in vaine, but an assured token of the pray: so i•• like manner neither is the word, and the threatnings of the most true God declared in vaine, or cast foorth to no purpose, but they are the prognostications or foreshewers of the wrath of God al∣readie prepared, and such testimonies of his iudgements to come as cannot lie, and are most true and certaine.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Another obie∣ction of the Is∣raelites
• * 1.2

  The answer of the Prophet.