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. 8.

And thou, O towre of the flocke, the strong holde of the daughter Zion, vnto thee shall it come, euen the first dominion, and kingdome shall come to the daughter Ierusalem.

* 1.1AN amplification of the benefit going next immediately before. For God himselfe shall not onely then raigne in the Church, when as he shall restore the same, but the Church her self also toge∣ther with him, shall obtaine a kingdome and gouernement, and that such as it had before, wonderfull and to bee marueiled at of the gentiles: the church herselfe I say,* 1.2 and Ierusalem the daughter of her, the which was before in such sorte destroyed, and wasted by the enemies. But in this verse there are two things to be obserued or noted: the one, the thing it selfe which is promised: The other,* 1.3 the phrase or maner of speaking, whereby it is promised.* 1.4 Concer∣ning the matter it selfe, it is a promise of the former estate and king∣dome of the church to be restored. Wherein God doth not onely

promise vnto her a kingdome, but also such a one as it had before, to wit, vnder Dauid and Salomon. For Saul is not here to bee rec∣koned among the kings, when as he was not giuen of God, but set vp, and asked by the people. So then it shal be a notable kingdom, most large, flourishing, rich, peaceable, fearefull vnto the nations, nay such also as shall subdue the nations, and bring them vnder her subiection. The Church long sithence hath enioyed these things, and doth also at this day enioy them through Christ, and by the preaching of the Gospel Psal. 2. And Luk. 1. vers. 32, 33. the Angel doth foretell of this flourishing estate of Christ his spirituall kingdome, saying: He shall be great, and shall be called the sonne of the most high and the Lord God shall giue vnto him the throne of his father Dauid, and he shall raigne ouer the house of Iacob for euer, and of his kingdome shall be none ende. And this is signified also by the submission and reuerence of the 24. Elders Reuelat. 4. vers. 10. The foure and twenty Elders feldown before him that sate on the throne, and worshipped him that liueth for euermore, and cast their crownes before the throne, &c. And this so happie an estate is not promised vnto euery company of men,* 1.5 but only vnto the true Church of GOD. Therfore it is here by the Prophet diligently distinguished or mar∣ked out from other congregations of men by sundry epithets or ti∣tles, to wit, it is called The towre of the flocke, because that in Ieru∣salē 02 the same towre was then chiefly to be seen aboue others, being scituated neere vnto the market and gate of the sheepe, and the poole of the sheepe,* 1.6 (whereof mention is made Iohn 5. vers. 2.) and the scituation of the whole citie it self was on a high place. Therfore both of the scituation of the place and also of this part the whole citie of Ierusalem is called a towre, and therefore the true Church of God is signified thereby, whereof Ierusalem was at that time the house, and a figure of the Church of the Gospel which should bee afterward. So Esai 29 Ierusalem of the forme of the citie, is called Ariel, that is, a Lyon. Also the Church is called here The mount of the daughter Sion, because that the same hill of the which hee now speaketh,* 1.7 was the highest place of the whole citie knowen vn∣to euery man, and compassed and closed about with a wall for the defence and strengthening of the citie 2. Chron. 27. vers. 3. and 33. vers. 4. Nehem. 3.26. Last of all, the Church is here called the daughter of Ierusalem, and not the daughter of euery citie whatso∣euer. Thus therfore is the glory of the Church described,* 1.8 that on∣ly the godly and faythful alone may vnderstand, that this kingdom

appertayneth vnto Christ, and by Christ vnto them. And thus much concerning the thing it selfe.

Concerning the phrase or manner of speaking, it appeareth thus, first, that it is a Prosopopoeia, or fayning ••f a person,* 1.9 wherein the Church of God is spoken vnto by name, that, as I haue sayd, that company, vnto whom these things are promised, might cer∣tainly be noted out from others: and that the Church her selfe might be stirred vp with the consideration of so great a benefite. Secondly, it appeareth also that in this place there is an antithesis, or matching together of contraries betweene these wordes, The first kingdome, and The towre of the flocke, The mount, The daughter of Ierusalem. For these three latter, The towre, The mount, The daughter, seeme to haue nothing answerable vnto that royall mag∣nificēce or sumptuousnes, nor to promise any thing the which may giue any hope of obtayning so great and notable a kingdome. Yet notwithstanding the Church shall raigne, howsoeuer her matters may seeme past all hope by meanes of affliction or trouble. There∣fore these words are of set purpose vsed by the Prophet, to meete with or answere the diuers cogitations or thoughts of men, yea e∣uen of the godly, who onely should see, and did behold the ruines and weakenes of the destroyed citie: and did not thinke vpon the omnipotencie or almighty power of GOD that maketh the pro∣mise, nor vpon his loue toward his church.

Notes

• * 1.1

  An amplifica∣tion of the for∣mer benefite.
• * 1.2

  Two parts of this Verse.
• * 1.3

  1. The promise it selfe.
• * 1.4

  2 The maner of promising the same.
• * 1.5

  The true church marked out from other assemblies of men by sundry titles.
• * 1.6

  1 The towre of the flocke.
• * 1.7

  2 The mount or strong hold of the daughter Sion.
• * 1.8

  3. The daughter of Ierusalem.
• * 1.9

  What the fi∣gure Prosopo∣poeia is, see O∣seas cap. 6. v. 1.