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.

Ves. 17.

The Lord thy God in the middest of thee is mightie: he will saue, he will reioyce ouer thee with ioye: he will quiet him selfe in his loue: he will reioyce ouer thee with ioye.

* 1.1AN other amplification of the state of the Church which was to come, and to be gathered together in Christ, taken from the reckoning vp of the sundrie giftes of God toward the same. And in this verse he describeth or promiseth foure especial bene∣fites, the which abeit they were bestowed vpon the old Church also by God through the same Christ, yet were they giuen nei∣ther

in so great measure, as they are vnto the Church raysed vp by the preaching of the Gospell: nor yet so cleerlie or euidentlie, as vnto vs; but far more darklie: namelie by the shadowes and sacramētes of earthelie things, as it were spreading of a vaile ouer them:* 1.2 the first gift reckoned vp in this place is first also by nature, and going before the rest. And it is, that Iehouah, that is, that e∣uerlasting and true God (who doth witnes himselfe to be the God, father, and defender of his Church peculiarlie) will not now be absent and awaye from it, but will be perpetuallie or alwaies abiding in the middest of it: So then God promiseth his presence vnto his Church peculiarlie, and the same spirituall, that is, which shall be felt by the power of his spirit: and not any carnall or fleshlie and bodilie presence.* 1.3 The second benefite is a conse∣quent or such a one as followeth the former, to wit, that God will be the Sauiour of the sayde Church both from spirituall euils, & euils of the minde, (such as sinnes are:) & also from earthlie daungers, and daungers of the bodie (such as are afflictions.) The which thing that he may be vnderstood to bee able to per∣forme (albeit his Church haue neuer so great & deadly enimies) God in this place is called strong,* 1.4 or mightie: the third benefite is the ioy or gladnes of God ouer the church, the which is tickled vp in the verie inner parts of the heart, & the which God doth open∣ly testifie or witnes by sundrie effectes and sundrie gifts of his. To this purpose seeme vnto me the wordes of triumphing or shoo∣ting for ioye, and also the words of ioy and gladnes ought to bee referred, that the one might signifie the inward, and the other the outward and open ioye of God, and his glad minde toward his Church by a figuratiue kinde of speaking.* 1.5 The fourth, wher∣in is an heape and increase of all gifts, is the continuance of this good will of God towardes his Church. For God will quiet him∣selfe in that loue, as the husband in his loue toward his wife, the which he loueth both alone, and also entirelie. All these thinges fall out vnto the Church by and for Christ alone, our GOD, through whom the godlie are reconciled or made frindes with his father, and iustified before him.

Notes

• * 1.1

  An other am∣plificatiō of the state of the Church by the reckoning vp of sundrie bene∣fites of God to∣ward the same.
• * 1.2

  1. God wil alwies be in the mid∣dest of his Church.
• * 1.3

  2 He will defend it from spiritu∣all and earthly daungers.
• * 1.4

  3 The ioye and gladnes of God ouer and to∣ward his Church.
• * 1.5

  4. The continu∣ance of God his loue to-his Church.