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. 12.

I haue written to them the great things of my law: but they were counted as a strange thing.

* 1.1AN amplification of the former wickednes from the bounte∣ousnes of God towardes them, whereby they are made vtterly vnexcusable. For they can not excuse themselues with any pretense or cloake of ignorance, because that God had abundantly or plen∣tifully instructed them concerning the lawfull way and manner of worshipping him. For he himselfe had giuen and written them his law touching this whole matter, Exod. 31. and had deliuered vno them precepts, in the which they were throughly taught concer∣ning their dutie toward God, as appeareth Psal. 19.119. and in the Psal. 103. ver. 7. Dauid affirmed of God,* 1.2 The he made his waies knowne vnto Moses, and his workes vnto the children of Israel. And he increaseth the dignitie of this lawe and doctrine, for as much as he saith that in it were precepts either pretious (the great things of his law), such namely as were neuer giuen vnto any other nation: or, as others translate it (most large and plentifull) as which doe containe, prescribe,* 1.3 and euidently comprehende and teach all the points and parts of ordering and leading of our life holily. In the first sense Moses extolleth the dignitie of the people of Israel a∣boue all other nations, Deuter. 4. ver. 8. in these words: What na∣tion is so great, that hath ordinances and lawes so righteous, as all this law which I set before you this day? In the latter sense of the largen•• and plentifulnes of the precepts in it conteined, this law is called perfect Psal. 19. also by Iames it is called the Kings high way, cap. 2. ver. 8. His wordes be these: But if ye fulfill the royall (or the Kings) law, according to the Scripture, which saith, Thou shalt loue thy neigh∣bour as thy selfe, ye doe well. But what insued of all this, that God gaue them so plaine, pretious, plentifull, or perfect a law? The Isra∣elites counted this so holy, plentifull, and perfect lawe for a strange doctrine, and nothing appertaining vnto them, and despising it vt∣terly,

they vngodly framed vnto themselues another way of wor∣shipping of God. The which is a token of extreame contempt of God.

Notes

• * 1.1

  An amplifica∣tion of the for∣mer wickednes, taken from the bounteousnes of God towardes them.
• * 1.2

  The dignitie of the law increa∣sed by the Pro∣phet.
• * 1.3

  It is not called the kings high way, but the kings lawe. But the sense is all one. For after a prouerbiall kind of speaking it is called the kings lawe, as the high way is called the kings way, be∣cause like vnto it, the law of God is plaine without crookes and turnings.