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. 10.

Sorrowe and mourne, O daughter Sion, as a woman in trauaile: for now shalt thou goe foorth of the citie, and dwell in the fielde, and shalt goe into Babel, but there shalt thou be de∣liuered: there the Lord shall redeeme thee from the hande of thine enemies.

A Granting, whereunto is ioyned a comfort. And the granting is, that the church may indeed lamentably mourn & sorrow, as he that most may mourn, and is in most heauy sorrowes, such as is a woman in trauaile. For the Prophet confesseth that they haue most iust causes of so great sorrow, the which in this place he reckoneth vp others, then in the verse before, to wit, for that the Church shall then be caried away from her countrie, & when she shal be carried away, must liue also in the fields vnder the open aire, not in towns: finally, that she must be carried into countries most far off, namely, euen as far as into Babylō Psa. 137. Al which things are most lamē∣table, especially if we consider that the promised land was not onely the natiue soyle and countrey vnto the Iewes: but also a signe and figure of the heauenly and eternall life.

Further, when as the Prophet granteth the church, that shee may mourne in her affliction or trouble, hee sheweth that it is the part of men, nay, that it is godly, to be touched, and that earnestly with the feeling of the miseries sent of God: and that for a man to harden himselfe agaynst them, is not man-like, and vngodly. And therefore Iob in his sixt chapt. and 12. vers. asketh If his strength be the strength of stones? or his flesh of brasse? that hee should not bee moued with the feeling of his miseries. And this was the afflicti∣on or trouble of the Church.

Now followeth the consolation or comfort of the same. For she shall be deliuered out of that miserie, nay, she shall be deliue∣red out of the hand of her enemies, euen there and in that place, that is, in Babylon, where shee seemed to bee vtterly lost, and deade Ezech. 37. So then the Church shall be raysed, and is raysed as it were out of a sepulchre or graue, when as she is by God deli∣uered out of the hands of her enemies. The which thing falleth out very often, yea and hath done often in this ourage, as we our selues haue seene.

Notes

• A granting ioy¦ned with a cō∣fort.
• It is a godly point to be tou∣ched with the feeling of pu∣nishments sent by God.
• A comfort for the church.