about thee Lord and our Lorde and to teache the ignoraunt to haue a deepe consideracion of the magesty of thys Lord whych is whych hath bene and whych shal be by whom al creatures haue theyr being so oft as they do heare the Lord named and so cal them to the reuerence of the name of God so longe bi vs Christians contempned dispised and vyllanously blasphemed with vsual othes and abhominable periurie Where as the Iewes dare not speake nor wryte thys greate name wyth meruelous obseruacaons muche reuerence to oure great shame I do speake it whyche do tosse lyke a tennes ball wythout al feare and reuereÌ„ce the name of oure Lord God froÌ„ mouth to mouth accountinge him vnmete for all good companye especyallye for a kynges court whyche wyl not take the name of god in vain at eueri other word Oh ye blasphemers muste this be the firste entrye into your Courts and companye to shake of the feare of God So despitefullye to breake hys hollye precept and commaundemente so contumelyouslye to abuse hys holye name greate before all creatures hygh before the aungels and terryble to the deuils Learne some other couretynge before thys Lord in his dreadful maiesty come downe amonges you You can talke reuerentlye of the kynges Maiestye hys hyghnes hys hanorable counsayle my Lordes grace my Lorde Bishops grace and my ladyes grace is ther nothinge left for the Lord of al Lords the kynge of all kynges but Gods bloude Gods wouÌ„ds Gods passioÌ„ blasphemyng outragiously both God the father his son Christ who for to saue vs shed his blud suffered these woundes and bitter passion Is neyther God who created thee nor Iesus Christ who redemed thee of no more reputacion Is this right courtyng to set so light by thy creacion thy redempcion thy saluacion Then cursed be courtyng wo worthe the wycked companye Here al people The Text. hearken thou earth and al that therin is The Lord God be a wytnes against you the Lord froÌ„ his holy teÌ„ple Loo no kynges course is excepted but al people muste doo reuerence vnto thys Lorde al knees muste bowe before hys magesty The heauen is hys seate the earth is hys foote stoole The kynge in hys pryuy chamber hath thys Lorde a wytnes of hys dooynges The Lords of the priuay counsayle can not shutte foorth of the counsayle chamber thys vnreprouable wytnesse No Kynge no Courte no Emperoure no Poope Prelate shal woorcke so pryuelye but thys Lord shal espye and se shal both wytnes and iudge al their doinges Let vs therfore tremble and diligently gyue eare when the Lord speaketh and wyth feare and reuerence humble oure selues to his name Desiringe as his sonne taughte vs his name too bee sanctified halowed renowmed reuereÌ„sed and magnified and waitinge most obedientlie whyles hys holye wyll bee fulfylled Moyses dothe cal heauen and earth to witnes against vs as doth our Prophete Micha Deuternomi iiii xxx and xxxii So dothe Esaie also in hys firste Chapter teachinge vs that the heauens that is to say the heauenly spyrytes and aungels the earthe that is too saye al menne create vppon thee earth shallbeare wytnesse at the great and terryble tyme of God hys laste Iudgemente wythall trewe preachers and Prophetes agaynste oure synfull stubbernes whyche wyl not repent beynge so ofte admonished Yea the euerliuinge and euerlastynge Lorde in his dreadefull Magestye commeth as an vnreproueable wytnesse too aduenge the contempte of his hollye name and all other abhominations as this oure watche manne warneth wyll wee not yet stoupe abate oure Pryde plucke downe oure highe courtlie lokes halte couÌ„tenaunces and leaue oure bleather blowne bragges sette forth wyth shamlesse othes too the contempte of God his holye name and that bytter passion whiche Christe oure sauioure suffered for vs. Well the Lorde is higher then al and hee wil shortlye come downe from his holly temple Then wo to the exâ—â—n of pryde the blasphemers of his name Wo to the ambicious Tiraunts and couetous caitifes Wo to the dronken in theyr lustes eyther heare in Englande or elles wher for there is one God whych hateth synne euer sence he made manne and one sprite whyche hath by the holye woorde vttered synne rebuked it and foughten againste it frome the begynnynge one Lorde whyche shall bee boothe wytnesse and iudge ouer all fleshe whyche shall come sodaynelye vppon the wycked strongelye and myghtely lyke an hayle storme lyke a whyrle wynde or lyke a sooden floude of waters fallynge vpon a great plaine Esay xxvii The Text. For loo God shal come forthe of hys place he shal come down and walcke vppon the hyghe places of the earth And the hils shall melte vnder hys feete the valaies shal cleaue in sonder eueÌ„ as the waxe melteth against the fyre and as the waters whiche fal downe with violence Oure Prophete Micha doothe paint the commyng of the Lord to iudgment boothe wyth the Iewes and also wyth the hole worlde wyth mooste euydent similitudes of comming downe and walkynge whyche canne be applyed vnto God who fylleth all places but only bi borowed speache as Moises did saye Gen. iii. God did walke in Paradyse at the euentyde because he did then open his Magestye mooste presentlye vnto Adam howbeit vpon our sauiour Christ whome we beleue bodilye too be in one place not in al according to the saying of the angel vnto the wemen He is not heare after hys resurreccyon but the men of Galile stode and beheld his humane body go vp into the heauens and the aungels saide agayne vnto them ye meÌ„ of Galile this same Iesus shal com againe as ye haue seene hym go vp in to the heauens Actes i. and God hathe appoynted a day saythe Paule when he wyll iudge the worlde wyth ryghteousnes by thys man whom he hath raysed from deathe Act. xvii The whyche daye and tyme of the Lordes comming seemeth here to be chieflye and pryncypallye descrybed thoughe the destruccyon of the Iewes be therewyth insumate for thus dothe Christe hym selfe cople bothe together .xxiiii. of Mathew and Dauid in the .xvii. Psalme doothe adioyne the daye of hys perticuler deliueraunce to thys daye of the Lordes coÌ„minge sayinge the Lorde hathe hearde my voyce frome hys holye temple The earthe was moued and trembled and the foundacyons of the Mountaynes were troubled shaken The smoke did come forthe in hys wrathe and the fyre dyd flame from hys face so that cooles were kindled therwith he bowed down the heauens came down and darknes vnder his fete Of this daye and of these hygh places whereupon the Lorde shall walke speaketh Esay the Prophete In that daye the Lord alone shal be exalted for it shall come vppon all the hyghe and proud vpon al them that ar arrogant and they shal be broughte lowe and vp on all the hyghe Ceder trees of Lybanus and vpoÌ„ al the Okes of Basan vpon al the high hilles and vpon euerye high tower the pryde of meÌ„ shal be brought
downe and theyr highe lokes be brought lowe saythe Esay which is the meaninge of oure Prophete The Text And the hils shal melt For oure God is a consuminge fyre and who is able to abide the heat of his heauye displeasure and as Esay saith the Lorde shall come in fyre and hys Chariot shall be lyke a whyrle winde to vtter forthe hys furye wyth greate rage hys rebuke in the flame of fyre For in the fyre and the sweard shal the Lorde Iudge all fleshe Esay lxvi Now where the proude world dothe thinke that the lord liueth in the heauēs not seing nether regardīg their doings vpō earth our Prophet rebuketh that grosse opinion and telleth thē that as he dyd come terryble downe vpon the mounte Sinai when he dyd geue the lawe of the .x. commaundementes So wyll he come wyth fyre to make theyr heartes to melte when he wyll aske accomptes of the kepynge and fulfillynge of these holye commaundemēts The whiche fearefull communication and threatninge maye worthely cause vs in these latter daies vpon whom the end of the world is come to quake and tremble consideringe oure careles life whiche do al thinges so wilfullye and wickedlye as thoughe either ther were no God at al or no daye appoynted to make aunswere for oure doinges But the Lorde wyll come spedely from hys holye temple For the wickednes of Iacob The Text. all this and for the synne of the house of Israel After the Prophet haue threatned vtter destruccyon of the .ii. kingdomes Samaria Ierusalē set forthe by open similitude of the moūtaines melting the vallies cleauing in sondre like as wax doth before the fyrye flame he sheweth the cause of the ruin of thē bothe of the greate wrathe of God as all prophecies bee generall beynge geuen by one spirit whych seeth to the end euermore stryuyng agaynst the syn of al nacions So doth the spirite teach vs that the only cause of Gods wrath in al ages and al places is the synne and wyckednesse of the world for the which he said once It repenteth me that I made man Genesis .vi. For synne God destroyed the whole world whych he had made bothe man and beast saue only a seede reserued in the Arke to preach hys iustyce hys mercy in a new world renewed by hys spirit For the proude synful words of the old Giantes did the great plage of the confusion of languages come vp on the world whyche we doo feele vnto thys day so that one man vnto another beyng of a straunge nacion is made as it were a dombe and speecheles beaste For syn were the .v. cytyes brente wyth fyre For synne wer the old Giants Og kynge of Basan and the monstruous seede of Suachim destroyed For synne the Cananites the Heuites the Hethites the Iebusites and to be short after them who were placed in theyr Countryes the chosen Israelites beynge in noumber lyke the sande of the sea were myserably wasted destroyed and consumed The .iiii. pryncipall Monarchies whyche Daniel descrybeth be all beaten downe for sinne And the .x. litle hornes or kingdomes also hathe beene euery one of them ofter then once changed and translated Finally al realmes countryes townes and cities shall for synne haue the like ruine and destruccion Some sooner and sorar to cause the rest to repent and at the length all because the reward of synne is destrucciō by the myghty Lord hys vnchangeable ordynaunce So sore a thynge is synne in the syghte of God that who so euer synneth deserueth death This was the old learning which the Lord taught Adam in Paradise whych al the seede of Adam feeleth and tasteth continuallye and yet can neyther see nor auoyde the cause of theyr destruccion but as Media dyd say Euen seyng wittyng and wyllyng we do perysh Who was the cause of synne to Iacob was it not Samaria The Text and who of the hie places of Iuda was it not Ierusalem Thys sentence can not stand as it is cōmonly translate what is the syn because the interogatiue in the Hebrew is the Masculine gēder therfore must be referred to the author of the synne and hye places wherunto the aunswer also serueth that Samaria and Ierusalem that is to say the chefe cities and kings courtes are the causes of al wyckednes Idolatrous abhominacion Euen so so said Elias to king Achab Thou and thy fathers house hath troubled Israel whych haue forsaken the commaundements of God and followed Baalam For lyke as the kyng and court is such are the people as the experience of al ages playnelye teacheth For the people alwayes by flatteryng and counterfaityng kynges and princes doth imitate follow their maners condiciōs And thys is nothing vnnatural that the body and inferiour members shuld follow the qualities disposicion of the heade but rather impossible that it shuld be inclined any other waies Here is to be noted for the variety of trāslacion of thys text that it is a defectiue sentence and by sondry interpreters is diuerstye supplied lyke as many mo are in the old testamēt For the Hebrue tonge in sētēces of vehemencye and also of great haste doth leaue out certain words easy to be vnderstād itti mi who wyth me ha shalam how peace such eclypsed phrasies haue we in the Englishe tong as howe nowe horsse horsse Samaria was the kyngs of Israels seate as we reade .iii. Kyng .xvi. Amry king of Israel bought the hyl Thamor of Themer and buylte it for his palace wher as the kyngs wer named before to raygne in Thyrsa as appeareth in the same chapter This Samaria is much blamed in scripture because of the goldē calfes which Ieroboam set vp al the kings of Israel in this city chiefely maintained after hym And Ierusalem is annexed as her sister by byrth being both of one people brought forth of Egipt and also like of condiciō in al kynde of abhominacions as the thyrde chapter of Ieremye and xxiii of Ezechiel dothe at large vnder the names of Ahola and Aholiba declare Wher as Ierusalē is accompted muche more wycked because she could not beware by her systers fall but encreased her abhominacions and therfore much more greuouslye to be iudged and condempned In what case then are we lyuyng in these euil daies in our great cities courtes and kyngs houses whych haue not the terryble example of one of thē only but of infinite other set before our eies We do reade of the wycked kynges in Ierusalem Achas and Manasse which dyd not onlye excede in wyckednes the kynges of Israell and prynces of Samaria but they are charged that they far passe the wyckednesse of that people whyche the Lorde dyd driue forthe before them for theyr synnes And abhominations the wicked Cananees wher the kynges and Prynces were so euyl the people coulde not be good therfore did come vpon them horrible destruccyon at the ende What shall we saye in these perilous tymes wherin al men
A COMMENtarye vpon the Praphet Mycha Wrytten by Antony Gilby Anno domi M.D. Li. ☞ A preface wyth the sum of the Chapters and the tyme and lyfe of the Prophet ¶ The word of God to Micha of Maresha in the dayes of Iotham Achas Iehiskiah kings of Iuda whyche he dyd see ouer Samaria and Ierusalē WE do nede no newe Prophets We do nede no mo Prophecyes We do nead no mo Miracles sygnes or tokens whyche nowe do lyue in these latter dayes if we will call olde thynges to memorye neither of wee wyll beleue the olde hystoryes reported by Moyses and the terryble threatnynges of the Prophets Could wee beleue if the greateste miracles of raysinge the deade to speake amongs vs were wroughte in oure dayes as Christe oure sauyoure saythe too the ryche glotten Wherfore suffer me I beseeche the too renewe olde thynges wrytten by thys Prophete Micha the mooste earneste rebuker of vyce in hys tyme and the mooste dylygente watch man to warne bothe of good and euyl for to come vpō his people and if so be that the wordes of this olde truthe do chayfe your olde sores in thys perilous tyme wherein all olde euyls seme too haue dysgysed them selues wyth new vysers rather suffer them to be ripped to the hearde coore then to spurne impudentlye against the prycke to striue agaynst the streame For the time is at hande by the vnchaungeable appoyntmente of the euerliuinge Lord moste myghtye Iudge when euery man shal be tryed and Iudged approued of refused by the thoughtes of hys hearte by the woordes of hys mouthe and by the fruyts of his owne imaginacions Therfore this diligent watchman warneth especiallye of this iudgment in the entrye into his prophecye in the fyrste Chapter sayinge that the Lord hym selfe wyll come downe moste terrybly to the wycked the mountains shall melte the valeis shall vade and vanish like waxe before the firy flame And in the seconde chapter he crieth forthe woo dampnacion and the sore vengaunce of God agaynste the vaine thoughtes and Imaginacions of thee mighty men of the world against their wicked workes and threatenynges of the true Prophetes In the thyrde Chapter he rypeth more neare the coare of theyr crueltye and extorsion He vttereth the flattery of their chaplaines as we do cal them the false prophetes flearynge vppon them for aduauntage and bolsterynge them vp in wyckednesse the lynkynge together of the Iudges and high Offycers theyr brybery and auarice and for theyr wyckednes he threatneth vtter desolacion to their cities In the .iiii. he promiseth a kingdom farre contrarye to thys kyngedome to come vppon earthe full of knowledge quietnes and peace which is the kingdome of Messiah wherin all the chosē Iacob shal be restored to theyr honour promysed and theyr ennemyes vtterlye destroyed In the .v. he threatneth the desolacion of Ierusalem the robbers doughters as Iherome dothe translate and immediatlye adioyneth a large plain promise of Messiah oure sauiour to be borne in Bethlē a despised vyllage he declareth hym to be both God man and sheweth howe he shall fede Iacob and be his peace But he shall fede the land of Nimroth with their ennemies wyth theyr owne swearde poyntes In the sixte he contendeth wyth the people in the person of God for their ingratitude teachynge the true worshyppe of God to stande in iudgmente mercye and the reuerēce of the sacrate magesty of the almyghtie He detesteth in the parson of God al dysceytful dealyng and promiseth worthy recompens and iust rewardes for al euyll doers In the .vii. and last Chapter the prophet bewaileth the skarsitye of the good the smal truste of worldely frendeshyp he teacheth paciēce he geueth comfort he promyseth delyueraunce to faythfull Iacob to the shame and confusyon of God hys ennemyes and the land and prayse of God hys greate mercye truthe Amen This haue we heare in this Prophet holesome doctryne for al ages For the spyryte of God seeth from time to time contynuallye oure iniquytyes and stryueth euermore there agaynste No hyll is so hyghe no valleye so low that he seeth not He shaketh the foundacyōs of the earthe when he rebuketh the world in the rygoure of his wrath Let vs therfore remember the olde world before vs plaged for synne drowned for theyr wyckednes and feare the fyre of goddes wrath threatned by the Prophetes to be kyndled in these laste tymes to the euerlastynge destruccion of all euyll doers who wyth the deuyll and his aungels shal haue aworme the whyche shal hereafter gnaw and grate theyr conscience for euer and a fyry tormente whyche shall neuer be quenched whereof our Prophet warneth the wycked worlde threatnyng woo and damnacyon wyth feruente spryt and sorow of hearte brastynge forth into teares yellynge and syghinge for the euils he dyd saye towardes them Micha i. For thys Prophet Micha semeth to be another Eliah feruent in spyryt and zeloous for the glory of God he was of the pryncelye trybe of Iuda and therefore acquaynted wyth the pryuy practises of the potentates prynces he did wel inoughe know theyr ydle deuyses theyr vayne imagynacyons and cold espye the lynkynge together of the highe officers and Iudges He liued in the time of Esaiah Hoseah and Amos vnder these .iii. kinges Iothana Achas Hezechiah A man of suche an hygh reuelacyon that Esaiah dare alledg the greateste mysteryes of his hole prophecy of the spiritual kyngedome of Christe and of the greate tranquyllytye vnder him by the same woordes that thys manne of God Micha hadde spoken theym It shal be in the laste daies and so forth Esa .ii. Hieremiah also alledgeth hym by name sayinge Micha of Marescha was a Prophet in the dayes of Ezekiah and saythe to al the people of Iuda Thus saythe the Lorde of hostes Sion shal be plowed lyke the feilde and Iherusalem shall be an heape of stones and the hyll of the house of the Lord shal be an hyghe woode Hierem .xxvi. and the came is red the thyrde Chapter of oure Prophet worde for word We do reade of ii Prophetes of this name The fyrst is named Micha the sō of Iemla an Israelite whom Achab did saye that he had onlye lefte one a lyue amonges all the Prophets of the lord but I do hate hym saythe he for he neuer Prophecyed good towardes me .iii. kynges .xxii. The other is of Iuda our prophet which liued almost .ii. C. yeres after the first Micha He was borne in a city called Maresha which is in the trybe of Iuda Iosua .xv. Hys propheci is general to al cities cuntries but vnto Ierusalē to Samaria he chiefly vttereth hys threatninges because there he dyd knowe and see theyr wyckednes to bee great amongs whom he dyd see cruelti extorsiō tyranni couetousnes auarice ambicion the cōtempt of God his true religion Idolatry and lyke abhominaciōs to raygne not onely vnpunyshed but by the chiefe Lordes greatest Peares and Prynces practysed vsed and frequented In