John Trapp on Micah 2:12

Verſe 12. I will ſurely aſſemble, O Iacob, all of thee,] An Evangelicall promiſe (ſaith Diodate, after Others) of gathering together the Univerſall Church under the kingdom of Chriſt, contrary to the precedent diſperſion, verſ. 10. Aſſembling I will aſſemble, and gathering, gather them, ſc. into the boſom of the Church, called therefore Eccleſia (as culled and collected out of the world) and Church, or Kirk, of [non-Latin text not transcribed]: becauſe it belongs to the Lord Chriſt, who gathereth his together, as the hen doth her chickens: and died not for that Nation of Jews onely, but that alſo he might gather together into one, the children of God that were ſcattered abroad, Joh. 11.51, 52. Here, He is called the breaker up: and his Apoſtles likewiſe thoſe that have broken up, and have paſſed thorough the gate, &c. doing great exploits, and ſubduing ſouls to the ohedience of the faith; as here in Britain, where Ceſar himſelf could not break thorow, but Territa quaeſitis oſtendit terga Britannis, as Pompey in Lucan upbraids him. Hence Tertullian ſaith,Britannoruni inacceſſa Romanis loca Chriſti patuerunt. Chriſt brake into thoſe places of Britanny that the Romans could never come at. He is that King againſt whom there is no riſing up, Prov. 30.31. He is Jehovah on the head of his people, or in the fore-front of them, as their Captain Generall, to lead them on, and bring them off ſafely in all encounters. Habent iſta ampliſſimam promiſſionem, ſaith Gualther here: this is an excellent promiſe, and carrieth in it a moſt ſweet conſolation.Quaſi Ante ſignanus & Ductor. Lapid. But I rather think it to be a continuation of the former threatning: I will ſurely aſſemble them, ſc to the ſlaughter. I will gather them together, ſc. that they may be broken in pieces: I will put them (or pen them up) together as the ſheep of Bozrah, that are fat, and fit, and appointed for the ſlaughter. See Eſay 34.6.Eſay 8.9. Bozrah was a rich paſture countrey in Edom, from whence moſt fat ſheep, and meet for meat were ſent to the ſhambles.

As the ſlock in the middeſt of their fold,] So will God, firſt ſhut you up by ſtrait ſieges, and then number you out to the ſword: and ye ſhall all bow down to the ſlaughter, Eſay 65.12. There is a memorable ſtory of the ſuffering of certain good people in Calabria, Anno 1560. by the hands of the bloody Papiſts there. A great ſort of them being thruſt up in one houſe together, as in a ſheep-fold, the executioner comes in: and among them, takes one, and blindfoldeth him with a muffler about his eyes, and ſo leadeth him forth to a larger place, where he commandeth him to kneel down: which being done, he cutteth his throat, and ſo leaving him half-dead, and taking his butchers knife, and muffler all of gore-blood,Acts & Mo[illegible: 2 letters]. fol. 859. cometh again to the reſt; and ſo leading them one after another, he diſpatched them all to the number of eighty eight. In Ireland many like barbarous butcheries have been committed, by thoſe breathing devils the Romiſh Rebels, thoſe fat-wolves worrying Chriſts flock in the midſt of the land. But ſhall they thus eſcape by iniquity? [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Acts 20.29. No verily, in thine anger caſt down that people, O God, Pſal. 56.7. Give them blood again to drink, for they are worthy. A Lapide ſaith, that Bozrah ſignifieth Rome: and that Micah here, after a ſort foretelleth, that the Church of Rome ſhould bee the common ſheep-fold of the ſheep of Chriſt, under one chief ſhepherd the Pope. But this conceit is far fetcht: and Rome (the ſlaughter-houſe of the ſaints) is no otherwiſe Boz[illegible: 1 letter]ah, then that ſhe is of Edom (the Rabbins for Dumah, Eſay 21.11.Jegnaleg[illegible: 2 letters] dam. read Roma, and call the Court of Rome, the wicked kingdome of Edom) and that her brats, as the Vultures young ones, do glut-glut blood (ſo the Hebrew ſoundeth, Job 39.30.) and where the ſl[illegible: 2 letters] a[illegible: 1 letter]e, there is ſhe.

They ſhall make a great noiſe.] Heb. a humming noiſe. By reaſon of the multititude of men, or rather wolves, Lycanthropi, wherewith they are invironed, to their no ſmall heart-break.