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Then shall the children of Iudah, and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoynt themselues one head, and they shall come vp out of the land: for great is the day of Izreel.
* 1.1A Confirmation of the former promise of the restoring of the Church, and that in most great number, from the declaring of the thing and manner of the same, albeit that the kingdome of Is∣rael,
shall perish.* 1.2 And here are three things told that they shall then come to passe, when as GOD will gather together that same his Church. First, that Iudah and Israel, that is, both those kingdomes shall come together into one, the diuision of mindes being taken a∣way, the which was before betweene them both. For when as God through the Gospell gathered the Church vnto Christ, all such di∣stinction, hatred, and grudge of sexe of men, kingdomes, & nations, which was before, was taken away.* 1.3 The second poynt is, That all these shall choose vnto themselues one and the same head, to wit, Christ giuen vnto them by God. For it is not in the power of the Church to choose her owne head, but he that is by God himselfe set for the head thereof, he onely may be the head. Eph. 1. ver. 22. for so Paul there witnesseth of God, That he hath made al things subiect vnder the feete of Christ, and hath appoynted him ouer all things to be the head to the Church. But when as men being instructed by the word of God doe allow of that head, follow, and embrace him, for∣saking all others, they are sayd to set ouer themselues an head, the which notwithstanding God gaue and set ouer them.* 1.4 The third thing is, They shall goe vp captiues out of those countries, into the which they were dispersed or scattered before, that they may bee ioyned together into one bodie. Therefore least this scattering of them into other places might seeme to be a let, that these Israelites being carried away should not come vnto Christ, and that the Church should not be so copious or plentiful and many in number, as is promised, they themselues are sayd, that they shall then come vp out of those countries where they were before held captiues. For they shall be scattered abroad, because that the day of Izreel, that is, in the which this kingdome shall be afflicted or punished, shall be horrible and fearefull, and shall vtterly scatter this people into diuers countries, as appeareth 2. King. cap 15. ver. 29. and cap. 17. ver. 6. where the seuerall places are named, from whence they were ca••ried by the Assyrians. In the first place it is recorded thus: In the dayes of Pekah king of ••srael came Tiglath Pileser king of As∣shur▪ and tooke Iion, and Abel▪ Beth-maachah, and Ianoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and G••lilah and all the land of Naphtali, and carr••ed them away to Asshur. In the second place the words are these: In the ninth yeare of Hoshea the king of Asshur tooke Samari••, and carried Israel away into Asshur, and put them in Halah, and i•• Habor by the riuer of Goshan, and in the cities of the Medes. But all this captiuitie and scattering notwithstanding, they among them
which are the elect of God, shall afterwards be gathered together by God, that they perish not.
A confirmatiō of the former promise consi∣sting of three partes.
1. The two king∣domes shall be frien••••y vnited
2. They shall all ch••se vnto themselues one and the same head.
3. They shal come vp out of those countries, into the which they haue been scat∣tered.