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.

And his vncle shal take him vp, and burne him to carrie out the bones out of the house, and shal say vnto him that is by the sides of the house, is there yet any with thee? And hee shall say: None. Then shall he say, Holde thy tongue: for we may not remem∣ber the name of the Lord.

* 1.1THere are two partes of this verse. The first containeth the am∣plification of this mortalitie and death, the which the Prophet threatned that it should come to passe. The second, and euident cause of the same:* 1.2 to the ende that these men being feared at the length and warned by these so many wayes, should repent from this their obstinate or stubborne wickednes, if by any meanes it might be. In the which is described and set forth the singular pa∣tience and loue of God towards men.* 1.3 And this amplification is twofolde, first, from the person of those that had care of the fune∣ral, or of the buriers of the dead. Secondly, from the number and multitude of the dead. From the person of the buriers and proui∣ders of the funeral: for there shal be so great scarsitie of them by reason of the mighty number of those that lie on dying,* 1.4 and of those which are dead already: the danger of the sicknes being so hot and raging euery where shall be so great, that there shall scarse

any be found, the which either be able or willling to put them into the ground and burie them. That which happened also in that same pestilence, the which Thucidides in his second booke of the Peloponesian warre, and Virgil about the end of the third book of his Georgicks, do describe. Therefore those which then shall bu∣rie others, and prouide for their funerals shall be of their chiefest friends, and neere of kinne vnto them, as their vncle by the father, or their vncle by the mother.* 1.5 From the number of those which dye this mortalitie is also amplified: This fame plague and mor∣talitie shall be so great, that many times in a whole streete there shall not be one left aliue in the Citie of Samaria. Therefore when as these buriers, which shall bury their friendes, shall aske theyr n••ighbour whether there bee another left aliue with him, he shall answere thus: There is none with me. There si none but I only left aliue in all this whole streete. The which wordes the Propheter-presseth by the way of mouing them to pitie and compassion, that hee may the rather moue the Israelites being obstinate and stub∣borne in their sinnes, that yet then at least wise they might take some pittie on themselues, whose case was like to be so miserable and lamentable.

* 1.6And as for the cause of this so great and farre raging euill, the same is also here expressed, namely, for that in the same people and in the same Citie no man called vpon and worshipped the true God. For thus much doth these words and speech import (we may not remember the name of the Lord) Hereby the buryers and those that were occupied about the funerall doe giue earnest admoniti∣on or warning to him that is left aliue, that no man is to murm•••••• because of this so great a punishment and misery of this Citie Sa∣maria: but as hath been sayd before cap. 5. ver. 13. that they all do rest contented with the most iust iudgements of God, and doe rather condemne themselues, then accuse God of seuerity or cru∣elty. And this admonition or warning in them might arise at that time, and in that so great feeling of the punishment, either from the feare of God his iudgement, the which these buriers and these warners might conceiue by so many and so great plagues of God: or else from the earnest fayth of a few, the which at that time did yet remaine godly in that people, and did performe this same their last duety of godlines, which is to bury the dead. Whereupon they did by this plague and punishment admonish and warn those that were yet liuing, that they should repent, and patiently beare

God his iudgements. For vnder King Oseas the feare of God was a little restored among the Israelites. For it is sayd of him 2. King. cap. 17. ver. 2. That albeit he did euil in the sight of the Lord, yet not so (and in such sorte) as the kings of Israel which were before him.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1 The amplifica∣tion of the mor¦tality.
• * 1.2

  2 The cause of the same.
• * 1.3

  The amplifica∣tion of this mor¦tality is two∣fold.
• * 1.4

  1. Frō the person of the Buriers.
• * 1.5

  2 From the num∣ber of those that die.
• * 1.6

  2. The cause of this great pu∣nishment of the Israelites with mortality.