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.

The earth shall tremble before him, the heauens shall shake, the Sunne and the Moone shall be dark, and the Starres shall with∣draw their shining.

* 1.1THe conclusion, whereby appeareth what is the scope or drift of this whole former description. For otherwise it might seeme o∣uer large and long, and curious: to wit, when as he being the Pro∣phet of God, and a man that was no warriour, hath neuerthelesse prosecuted or handled these things so by piece meale, and in euerie particular. But this was the minde, and this was the drift of the Pro∣phet by the appoyntment of God, that the Iewes by these so manie wayes and miseries layd before them, might be put in feare, and be∣ing put in feare, might truely and from the bottome of their heart repent, call vpon God, and abstaine from their sinnes, for the which these so sharpe and heauie iudgements of God are threatned vnto them, and might in the ende conuert, and turne themselues vnto God. Briefly he sheweth that these enemies of the Iewes shall bee such, that they shall make all things afrayd of them, be they lowe, or be they high in this world: yea, that the whole world shall trem∣ble at the sight of them. Now the terror and exceeding great feare which they shall strike into them, is shewed in these words, shall tremble, shall shake, shall loose their brightnes. For this shaking, trem∣bling and starting, hath alwayes ioyned with it exceeding great fearefulnes and perplexitie, or anguish of minde, and the changing of the old countenance and cheerefulnes, as it were the loosing of the former lightsomnes and brightnes. And vnto all things doth Ioel threaten that this feare shal come, both to the smallest & least, which here are noted in the word (earth) and also vnto the grea∣test and highest,* 1.2 the which in this place are comprehended vnder these words, the Sunne, the Moone, the Starres. And such were the Chaldees vnto the Iewes at that time. And such afterward were the Turkes and Saracens vnto the christian Churches, which they haue destroyed, and doe destroy. And such finally are all those whom the Lord also stirreth vp at this day against his Church.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The conclusion.
• * 1.2

  What is ment by the earth, the Sunne, the Moone, the Starres.