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. 26.

But you haue borne Siccuth your King, and Chiun y•••• i∣mages, and the starre of your gods, which ye made to your selues▪

* 1.1AN amplification of the former sinne, to wit, that these men 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not content to haue despised the true God, and his worship but also exercised and vsed afterwards all kinde of idolatrie, whe•••• by they did the more prouoke God, and shewed themselues 〈◊〉〈◊〉 euery one to be most manifest and obstinate or stubborne Ido••∣tors, and despisers of God. There is alike place Act. 7. vers. 42.4▪ For there Steuen vseth against the Iewes the very selfe sa•••• words in a maner: reade the place. But the sortes of idolatries ••e recited, are not to be restrained vnto that time of fortie yeares ••••∣ly, in the which the Israelites liued in the wildernes: but are to•••• extended vnto that whole space, the which passed from the d•••••• the people his comming out of Egypt vnto the time of Amos: for that doth the Prophet briefely comprehend in this one verse.

* 1.2And this verse hath two partes. The first containeth diu•••••• kindes of idolatrie, whereunto this people was giuen. For the na•••• of Idolators, is altogether set on madding, and vnsatiable, or not•• be filled, as which namelie can neuer make an end, or measure 〈◊〉〈◊〉 number of her idolatries: but inuenteth euerie day new fo•••••• But in this place there are reckoned vp three sortes:* 1.3 first, the wor∣ship of Moloch the God of the Ammonites, whom they wors••••∣ped carrying certaine Temples or closets of his, the which were••∣sie to be borne frō place to place, the which are here called the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 bernacles of Moloch. So Act. 19. ver. 24 there were Temples m•••• vnto Diana. The wordes are: A certainc man named Demetr•••••• siluer smith, which made siluer temples of Diana, brought gr•••••• gaines vnto the craftes men, &c. These Temples the French-m•••• call (Cha'sses, that is to say, cofers, and boxes for bones, and sh•••••• for images. These Temples or shrines, or cosers, or such like, w•••• carried either vpon mens shoulders, or else hanged and put abo•••• their necks after the maner of Tablets, as they vse at this day in ••••∣pistrie.* 1.4 The second kinde of idolatrie is the worship of Chiun, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 is, of another God of the Ammonites also, fet from a towne of th•• name nere vnto the Israelites, the which afterwards was ca•••• Ren••pham. This god had his images open, and not cased vp in••••∣fers or boxes, like Moloch. Therefore this was the second kind•• and more manifest or open idolatrie, and also more against the ve••••

words of the law of God.* 1.5 The third idolatrie was the worship of the starres and host of heauen, against the which we haue Deut. 4. vers. 19. where Moses hauing a little before shewed the Israelites that God when hee spake vnto them out of the midst of the fire in Horeb, let them see no image of any creatures liuing or vnliuing, a∣mong the rest he setteth downe this: Least thou lift vp thine eyes vnto heauen, and when thou seest the sunne and the moone, and the starres, with all the host of heauen shouldest be driuen to worship them, and serue them, which the Lord thy God hath distributed to all people vnder the whole heauen.

* 1.6The second part of this verse setteth out their obstinacie, and the fault of this people stubbornely continuing in all these kindes of i∣dolatrie. These things you did, saith the Prophet. Therefore you cannot lay the blame vpon any others, and so consequently you are vnexcusable. Againe, (And yee haue made vnto you your Gods) that is to say, you haue made gods vnto your selues to worship, to wit, putting and thrusting me out of my place, and as it were from my degree and standing. You haue therefore showne your stub∣bornnes of minde in despising me, whom, when as you knew to be God, yea and peculiarly your God, you haue cast away notwith∣standing, and in my roome haue placed others, that is to say, those same most vaine idols.

Notes

• * 1.1

  An amplifica∣tion of the for∣mer sinne.
• * 1.2

  1. Sundr••e kindes of idolatrie of this people, but especially three.
• * 1.3

  1. The worship of Moloch.
• * 1.4

  2. The worship of Ch••un.
• * 1.5

  3. The worship of the starres and host of heauen.
• * 1.6

  Their obstinate and stubborne continuing in all these idola∣tries.