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. 9.

For her plagues are grieuous: for it is come into Iudah: the enemie is come vnto the gate of my people, vnto Ierusalem.

* 1.1A Rendring of a reason of so great and heauie sorrowe described before, and taken vpon him by the Prophet, lest he might seem in vaine and without cause in such sorte to haue afflicted or tormen∣ted and grieued himselfe, or be thought that he would astonish the Israelites with a needles feare. And this reason is taken from the cause. And affliction or trouble, is the cause of sorrow among men. Wherfore the cause of this great sorrow of the Prophet, is the great miserie and affliction, the which hangeth ouer the head of the Is∣raelites, howsoeuer it be not conceiued or felte of them despising the iudgements of God.

Now the greatnes of this miserie of the Israelites doth the pro∣phet describe by the adioynts and consequents or things following after it,* 1.2 as is the spreading it adroade vnto the neighbour nations, the most sorrowful fame and report therof, the great crying of men, their fearefull fleeing and running away, and such like other things, the which are reckoned vp in the verses following But here is an adioynt set downe of great miseries, the which consisteth herein, whilest the trouble and hurte of the neighbour people shall reach vnto other people neere vnto them, and certain peeces and sparkes of this affliction, as it were out of a dangerous fiering of houses ioyning together, doe flie vnto the people adioyning, and do either scorch them, or else burne them sometines also. That which shal come to passe in the same ouerthrow of the Israelites. For the force and fall thereof shall reach and breake out vnto the Iewes,

yea and moreouer vnto the very gates of Ierusalem, that is, the ho∣ly citie of God did this burning come. For albeit this flame did not burne the gates of this citie, yet it touched them, and burnt vn∣to them. Wherefore this miserie of the Israelites was to bee verie great.

* 1.3And in the wordes, Iudah my people, and Ierusalem, there lyeth great vehemencie or force, and amplifyings, and that by degrees. For it appeareth that the flame of that Israelitish burning was great the which brake out euen vnto the kingdome of Iudah, that is, a kingdome altogether seuered and diuers from this kingdome of Is∣rael, albeit in the scituation of place, neere vnto it. For warres are wont to be made and stayed, and kept within the borders of those against whom they are taken in hand: and not to be spread out in∣to the boundes and borders of other nations and kingdomes, the which are not enemies: because that anger and iniurie doth for the most part pursue the autors and causers of the same, and not o∣thers. But in this case that commeth to passe which the Poet spea∣keth of.

Mantua, vae miserae nimium vicina Cremonae: Poore mantua, too nigh (alacke) to wretched Cremone' Land.

* 1.4Further, this miserie and ouerthrow of the Israelites appeareth 01 therby also to be the greater, because it redoundeth vpon that peo∣ple in like maner, which is the people of God, that is, whom God vseth with a certain especiall care to protect or defend, and not to ioyne and mingle them with the ruine or fall of other peoples. Last of all this selfe same ouerthrow is seene to be most great, for that it ranged also euen vnto the gates of Ierusalem, that is, the holie citie, and alwayes preserued by God. And all these things came to passe when as Sennacherib, after that he had destroyed the king∣dome of the Israelites, besieged Ierusalem it selfe. For he was a king of Assyria, as was Salmanazar, who ouerthrew the kingdom of Israel. For as it is 2. King. 18. vers 9. In the fourth yeare of King Hezechiah (which was the seuenth yeare of Hosea sonne of Elah King of Israel) Shalmaneser King of Assyria came vp against Samaria, and besieged it. And as it is also in the 13. of the same chapter, In the fourteenth year of King Hezechiah Sennacherib king of Asshur came vp against al the strong cities of Iudah, and tooke them. And this voi∣age of Sennacherib into the kingdom of Iudah, was as a continuing and pursuing only of the victorie of the King of Assyria, and of the ouerthrow of the Israelites. So we see how God oftentimes doth

plague neighbour nations, as it were houses standing one vnto an∣other, for the wickednes & vngodlines of those that dwel neer vnto them. So great a commoditie it is to haue a good neighbour, either people, or priuate person, that is to say, a man fearing God.

Notes

• * 1.1

  A rendring of a reason of this so great mour∣ning of the pro∣phet.
• * 1.2

  The descriptiō of their great miserie by the adioynts and consequents.
• * 1.3

  The calamitie and misery of the Israelites reacheth also vnto the Iewes, a kingdome se∣ueral and di∣stinct from it.
• * 1.4

  The Poet la∣menteth the case of Man∣tua, the which for that it was so neere vnto the citie Cre∣mona, was spoyled also by the souldiers of the Emperour.