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.

O Ephraim, what shall I doe vnto thee? O Iudah, howe shall I intreate thee? For your goodnes is as a morning cloude, and as the morning dew it goeth away.

* 1.1AN admonition, whereby God exhorteth those which are his be∣ing thus brought into the way to continue, that they doe not faint, waxe wearie, giue backe of that their earnestnes, and become colde afterwardes, the which is a vanity, lightnes, and inconstan∣cie in good things, that haunteth all men, yea euen the godly. And God here by the figure Hypophora,* 1.2 or answering of an obiection sheweth, if they depart from that right way the which they haue once entred into, that this commeth to passe not through his, but through their owne fault. For he hath sufficiently and throughly done his parte in teaching them both by words and also by stripes: but they on the contrary parte haue alwayes shewed themselues light and inconstant, and so also will hereafter shew themselues to bee.

* 1.3But this verse hath two partes. The first is the answering of an obiection that might bee made, whereby God most iustly re∣moueth from himselfe all the whole blame both of the former wic∣kednes of the Israelites,* 1.4 and Iewes, and also of their rebellion which should follow. So then in this place the same God speaketh vnto both the Israelites, and also the Iewes, because he was the God of them both. The like he doth Isai 5. vers. 4. in these words, when hee sayth: What could I haue done any more to my vine∣yarde?

* 1.5The second part is a turning of the fault of them both vpon thē∣selues because of their lightnes, and continual inconstancie in wel∣doing and thinking. For by and by both these peoples fell vnto i∣dolatries, and vnto a lewd and wicked life, as appeareth by the ho∣ly histories, vnder Ioas king of Iudah 2. Chro. 24. vers. 17, 18. And after the death of Iehoiada, came the Princes of Iudah, and did reue∣rence vnto the King, and the King hearkened vnto them. And they left the house of the Lord GOD of their fathers, and serued groues and idols: and wrath came vpon Iudah and Ierusalem, because

of this their trespasse. Vnder Manasses 2. Chron. 33. who succeeded Ezechias a singular good Prince. Also vnder Oseas king of Israel, 2. King. 17. These examples ought to feare and to moue vs. Ther∣fore let vs take heede, ••est he that now standeth, do fall afterwards,* 1.6 as Paul counselleth 1. Cor. 10. vers. 12. Moreouer, vnder the Me∣taphors both of dewe, which riseth in the morning, and forthwith melteth away: also of a morning cloude which is by and by dis∣solued, or vanisheth away, there is notably described the lightnes, vanitie, and inconstancie of the nature and disposition of man in wel-doing, and wel-willing, that no man should trust in his owne strength. From whence then commeth our perseuerance or con∣tinuance in good things but from God?

Notes

• * 1.1

  An admonitiō to the godly to continue in wel doing.
• * 1.2

  The figure Hy∣pophora. What this is, see Amos cap. 5 vers. 21.
• * 1.3

  Two partes of this verse.
• * 1.4

  1. The answering of an obiection.
• * 1.5

  2. The turning of the fault vpon themselues.
• * 1.6

  What the fi∣gure Metapho∣ra is, see Amos cap. 4 ver. 12.