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.

Ver. 5.

Wo to the inhabitants of the sea cost: the nation of the Che∣rethims, the word of the Lord is against you: O Canaan, the land of the Philistims, I will euen destroy thee without an inhabitant.

* 1.1A Garnishing and setting out of the matter, or else a conclusion, wherein he threatneth vnto the whole nation of the Philis∣tines or Palestines the iudgement of God, and the same most gree∣uous, least because but foure, albeit the chiefe cities of theirs, were reckoned vp, the rest of the Philistines might suppose that they should be free from these plagues, and punishments: Therefore

the Prophet doth in this place comprehende all Palestina, the which also he describeth by the situation of the same, to wit, be∣cause it was a land by the sea coast: and also by the peoples or pro∣uinces of that nation, the which were neere vnto the Iewes, such as were the Cherethims, Ios. 13. ver. 3. and as were those Cananites, which had departed and comen into their iurisdiction. But these at that time were by the Philistines taken away from the people of Israel (vnto whom they did by the promise of God appertaine and belong. Gen. 10. ver. 14.)

* 1.2Further the greatnes and certainty of this iudgement of God a∣gainst all these is added also, and expressed. And the greatnes is expressed both by this exclamation (Wo) the which is a threatning of great misery and punishment to come: and also for that all these Philistines are said that they shall in such sort be rooted out,* 1.3 that none shall afterward inhabit that land as his certaine and setled seat, and where he either hath or wil haue his appointed house and family. The certainty of this iudgement is shewed by this one thing,* 1.4 because that for vehemency and more force sake it is here expresly repeated, that this threatning is the word of the Lord: albe∣it notwithstanding there could be no doubt of it when as the Pro∣phet of God (of whose calling assured triall had bin made before) did speake it.

* 1.5Now why the Prophet doth make stay so long in the describing or setting out of this ruine and ouerthrow of the Philistines, there is a double reason: the one, that when it shall come to passe it may be obserued or marked the better to be the iudgement of God. And so consqeuently the same might the more easily be noted by the Iewes, [unspec 1] the which were commaunded to giue heede vnto it. The second, [unspec 2] that the godly also, or the church of God (the which before time had so often by them bin afflicted or troubled) might be cheered vp also with this comfort, namely, that God in the end will be the reuenger of those that are his, and the punisher of the e∣nemies of his church.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Destruct••on threatned vnto the whole land of the Philis∣tines.
• * 1.2

  The greatnesse and certainty of God his iudgment.
• * 1.3

  1 The greatnes
• * 1.4

  2 The certainty.
• * 1.5

  Two reasons of the so long stay∣ing in the de∣scription of the destruction of the Philistines.