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. 5.

For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceiued them, hath done shamefully: for she sayd, I will goe after my louers, that giue me my bread and my water, my wooll, and my flaxe, mine oyle, and my drinke.

* 1.1THis is a rendring of a reason, why God doth iustly threaten such a iudgement and daunger against the Israelites: and therefore would haue it foretold vnto them. And the reason is, because that this whole nation hath played the harlot, and that most shamefully, and towards God most despitefully, whilest in such sort it worship∣peth idols. Whereof may easely be perceiued how great, and how execrable or accursed a sinne idolatrie is, albeit that men doe either please themselues in the same, or iudge it to be no sinne, or doe of∣ten affirme and define it to be great godlinesse. And idolatrie is,* 1.2 ei∣ther when any other, then the true God is worshipped: or when as

the cause of our good gifts and benefites is ascribed vnto any other, then vnto the true God, and thankes therefore giuen to any other: or also, when as the true God is otherwise worshipped of vs, then he himselfe hath commaunded. And this verse setteth forth that same notorious idolatrie of the nation of the Israelites, the which is more largely described 2. King. cap. 17. and Ierem. cap. 25. There∣fore she playeth the harlot, whilest she worshippeth idols: and that so shamelesly and openly, that she is defiled with whoredomes and adulteries. For the Altars of their idols, and the worship of them were set vp in euery place, they were solemnised and reigned euery where, albeit that things neuer so beastly and filthie were there cō∣mitted and done, as Sodometries, whoredomes, and fornications, murtherings of children, dedications and consecrations of al things made vnto idols. Finally, the people did this most obstinatly or stubbornly, and against GOD most reproachfully. For the whole nation did professe and say, That those idols were their gods, whom they loued, and the which alone they acknowledged for gods: af∣ter whom they would goe: that is, whom they laboured diligently to worship and serue. In a word, which were vnto them the giuers and bestowers of all good things vpon them, as of bread, water, flare, oyle, wine, &c. with all which good gifts and benefites they did (through the goodnesse and bountie of the true God) abound, and yet gaue thankes for them vnto their idols, but not vnto the me God. What can be more like vnto the doings of the Papists the•• this?

Notes

• * 1.1

  A reason of the threatning of these iudge∣ments.
• * 1.2

  What ido••••¦trie is.