and hee put on the garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeale as with a cloake THe Prophet armes the Lord at all points If God put himselfe in armes to fight he must needs caâ—rie away the victorie not onely to confirme the faith of the godlie but also to strip all men of all confidence in their owne vertue For the summe comes to this that nothing shall be wanting vnto God neither for discomfiting nor for bearing away the victorie ouer his enemies Why so Because that of his righteousnesse power grace and exceeding affection towards his Church he will make armour of proofe And this we are to note with no lesse diligence then the doctrine of the former verse For albeit we confesse that God is almightie yet doth not that satisfie vs but wee will bee seeking out of other helpes Our minds are alwaies giuen to infidelitie so as they are wonderfully hampered and glued fast to outward meanes To correct this vice our Prophet sets before vs this liuely description As if he should say know ye that God hath all the safegards of your saluation readie so that nothing shall bee wanting vnto him for your deliuerance and for your returne home againe doe your enemies what they can There is no neede then why you should tremble at all Besides wee are verie easilie carried away to thinke that wee bring some of our owne vnto God And thus wee attribute part of his praise to our selues which should wholly be reserued vnto him Whereas hee clothes the Lord with vengeance and indignation as a cloke it appertaines vnto the enemies against whom God riseth vp in wrath for the zeale hee beares to his people The more then that Satan indeuors and with might and maine plots our ouerthrow the more will the zeale of the Lord of hostes bee inflamed and will arise with his admirable and omnipotent power to relieue vs. Although this worrier of mankind then and all the reprobates with him cease not day nor night how to oppose all the impediments they can to hinder our saluation yea and that they breake forth into open rage to roote vs out yet will our God scatter all their plots by his onely power Vers 18. As to make recompence as to requite the furie of the aduersaries with a recompence to his enemies hee will fully repay the Ilands HEe confirmes the conclusion of the former verse A confirmation of the former conclusion For heere hee shewes what that vengeance is wherewith hee clothed the Lord namely that he is readie to render the like vnto his enemies But the reason why the Prophet armes the Lord thus readie with indignation to execute his vengeance is to be noted to wit because the deliuerance of his Church is ioined with the ruine of the wicked It is needfull therefore that God should be armed to meete those enemies which would worke our destruction Vse Hence let vs consider how infinite that loue of God towards vs is when he beares vs such an affection as to hate those that hate vs and to protest that he will requite the furie of our aduersaries So exceedinglie doth he loue his little flock that he esteemes it more then all the world besides This is the cause then wherefore he testifies that he will repay the Ilands that is to say the nations beyond the seas farre remote from them for for the deliuerance of his people he ouerthrew such mightie Monarks as seemed inuincible Vers 19. So shall they feare the name of the Lord from the West and his glorie from the rising of the Sunne for the enemie shall come as a flood but the spirit of the Lord shall chase him away God will make the Churches deliuerance glorious in the sight of the whole world NOw hee testifies that this deliuerance shall bee so glorious and magnificent that all the world shall wonder thereat and shall speake honourably of it and afterwards being smitten with astonishment shall giue glory vnto God But it is vncertaine whether he means this of the conuersion of the Gentiles or of the terrour by which the Lord would bring downe his enemies For mine owne part I rather incline to the first exposition namely that to the vtmost parts of the earth Gods name shall be glorious and fully renowned so as the Gentiles shall not onely bee amazed but shall also vvorship and serue him in true repentance The expositors agree not about the rendring of the cause which followes But the true sense as I suppose is That the violence of the enemie shall be so great that as a flood spoiles and carries all away before is vvith the force thereof so shall he seeme to teare vp and beare avvay But the Lord will forthwith cause him to recoile and to vanish away It is an amplification then of Gods power who in an instant breakes in sunder all the terrible power and furious rage of his enemies so as their violence being turned backward it falles to nothing Quest But some may aske of what deliuerance the Prophet here speakes I answer Ans as I haue done in another place that these promises must not be restrained as they are wont to be to one deliuerance only For the Iewes referre it to the deliuerance out of Babylon and the Christians only to Christ Now I ioine them both together that so we may comprehend the whole time froÌ„ the peoples returne with that which followed vnto the comming of Christ for this prophesie was neuer fulfilled but in him neither can that which is here said agree to any other then to him only because Gods glorie was not manifested before to all the world nor the enemie so put to flight that they gathered not their forces together againe vntill Christ came and triumphed admirablie hauing obteined conquest ouer Satan sinne death Vers 20. And the redeemer shall come vnto Zion and vnto them that turne from iniquitie in Iaakob saith the Lord. HE againe confirmes that which he said before namely A second confirmâ—tion touching the redemption of the Church that the people should be deliuered and that God would be the only author of so great a benefit For this cause then he bids the people to be of good comfort in this exile in regard it should not be perpetuall afterwards he placeth the hope of their deliuerance in God only to the end their thoughts might not rest in any thing but vpon the promises Vnder the word Zion he meanes as heretofore the prisoners and banished for albeit they were scattered farre off from their countrie yet was the Temple still to remaine planted as it were in their hearts But lest the bastard children of Abraham should indifferentlie applie this vnto themselues with the heires of promise he forthwith shewes who they be to whom this deliuerance To whom this deliuerance appertaines shall come namely to such as shall be truly conuerted vnto the Lord. And yet it is very certaine
taken for the life Soule taken for life but the Prophet here extols the bountie of God who vouchsafed to loue Hezekias though he were halfe dead It was thy pleasure c. In the next place he giues the reason of it in bringing vs to the fountaine from whence this deliuerance issued for otherwise one might imagin that he hath spoken of nothing hitherunto but of bodily health But we may now see that he looked much higher to wit first vnto his guiltines before God secondly to the free reconciliation He confesseth in deed that he hath receiued his life anew but yet he esteemes his reconciliation with God more then a hundred thousand liues Hezekias esteemes his reconciliation with God aboue an hundred thousand liues Truly it were better for vs neuer to haue beene borne then to liue long heaping sinne vpon sinne and so to hale downe the more horrible iudgemēts of God vpon our own heads Hezekias then reioyceth chieflie in that the light of Gods countenance did shine clearely vpon him for our only felicitie consists in hauing him good and gracious to vs. Yet herewithall he shewes that we must impute the euils which God laies vpō vs to our sinnes for such as accuse him of ouer-much seueritie doe nothing else but double their owne woe To accuse God of ouermuch seueritie is but to double our owne woe This good King condemnes not himselfe of one sinne only but confesseth himselfe guiltie of many sinnes and therefore stood in neede of more then one pardon If we then desire to be truly comforted in afflictions let vs begin heere for if God be appeased towards vs no euill can hurt vs seeing he delights not to haue his beloued ones lie languishing in their miseries Simile It fares with vs therefore as with inconsiderate patients who neuer thinke of their disease but only of the accidents thereof and of their griefes which they feele but it is more wisedome for vs to follow the counsell of the skilfull Physitian who considers of the cause of the disease first and aboue all things indeuors to remoue that for they know that outward remedies are not only vaine but hurtfull if the inward disease be not discerned Why so Because remedies in such wise applied do driue the disease further in and so settles augments it there that afterwards there is no hope left for healing of it Hezekias therefore like a wise patient acknowledgeth the cause of his sicknes Hezekias looked into the cause of his sicknes to wit his sinnes which being forgiuen he then knew the punishment was likewise remitted and ceased Now by this we may see the sottishnes of the Papists touching their distinction between the fault and the punishment The ridiculous distinction of the Papists betweene the fault and the punishment for Hezekias testifies here that the one was pardoned as well as the other Wee are also to obserue this phrase of speech which the Prophet vseth to wit Thou hast cast all my sinnes behinde thy backe for his meaning therein is that God had whollie abolished the remembrance of them As in Miche 7.9 Thou hast cast all their sinnes into the bottome of the sea And in Psal 103.12 He separates our sinnes as farre from vs as the East is from the West All which sentences may assure vs that God will neuer impute the sinnes vnto vs which he hath once pardoned If it fall out that we be corrected afterwards he doth it not as a Iudge but as a tender and mercifull father that he might thereby instruct and keepe his children in awe The Papists therefore deceiue themselues in dreaming that the corrections which follow are satisfactions or recompences Afflictions no satisfactions as if he would exact that at our hands because he is loth freelie to remit all No Gods only purpose in correcting vs is that he may thereby prouide for our saluation for the time to come Vers 18. For the graue cannot confesse thee death can not praise thee they that goe downe into the pit cannot hope for thy truth WHere he saith that he can not set forth the praises of God if his life be taken away he promiseth to do it if so great a benefit may be granted vnto him and therewithall shewes that the only cause why he desires to liue is that he might praise God Now albeit there is not a better signe of a godlie heart then to desire life vpon condition to glorifie God continuallie by the same yet it seemes Hezekias speakes somewhat too strictly For the faithfull glorifie God no lesse by their death then by their life The faithfull glorifie God no lesse by death then by life by death they come to be perfectlie conioined with him and neuer cease to sing his praises with the elect Angels But there is yet another difficultie which moued Hezekias so much to flee death and so earnestlie to desire to liue still on earth Which second question albeit we haue discussed heretofore yet the readers shall againe be put in minde that this terror proceeded not from the only apprehension of death for when the houre came that he should die he recoiled not back but willinglie went vnto his God But at this time being smitten with the sense of Gods wrath his only sorrow is that his sinnes had bereaued him of his life fearing he should neuer taste any of Gods blessings or fauours afterward Hereupon also depends the solution of the first question for what maruell is it if this good man seeing he must die The cause why Hezekias was so loth to die his death also proceeding from the anger of God kindled against him to take vengeance on his sinnes what maruell is it I say if he sorrowed and lamented to be condemned to die as one vnworthy to bee imploied any longer in the aduancement of Gods true religion and seruice Whosoeuer he be that is once strucke with this thunderbolt can not freelie magnifie the name of the Lord neither in life nor in death but must needes be mute because despaire hath ouerwhelmed his spirits In this sense Dauid saith In death there is no remembrance of thee Psal 6.5 And the whole Church in Psal 115.17 saith The dead praise not thee O Lord neither any that go downe into the place of silence Why so Because those who feele the guilt of their sinnes and Gods anger pressing them want matter of thanksgiuing And yet wee must note that when the Saints spake thus Note they considered not what their condition should bee after death but from the dolour which they felt they onely looked to the end for which God had created preserued them in this world The chiefest end of mans life we know The principall end of mans life is to spend the same in his seruice who for this purpose conserues his Church vpon earth as hath been said because hee will haue his name alwaies praised Now he
the Iewes reiected this light to kindle one of their owne and in conclusion affirmes that they shall be consumed as with a fire by their owne light In this sort Christ reprocheth the Iewes for reioicing in Iohn Baptists light Iohn 5.33 Because they abused his person to darken nay rather to quench the glory of Christ For in opposing Iohns person against Christs to darken his glory what did they else but put out the light of God shining in a mortall man to kindle themselues another Which yet directed them not to walke in the right way but made them wander in by-paths wherein they had small cause to reioice In saying that they were compassed aboue with the sparks he taxeth their froward imaginations which harried them to and fro and therewithall derides their vanitie in that they ranne swiftlie and with great alacritie whither soeuer their deceiueable lusts led them VValke As if he should say You shall feele by experience how vaine and vanishing your light is when your vncertaine hopes haue failed you And thus by this so taunting a permission hee signifies that they shall both lose their time and their labour Others expound that the wicked kindle against themselues the fire of Gods wrath But the Prophet hath an higher drift neither doe I thinke that this exposition agrees to this place Of mine hand In regard the wicked being beguiled with a false confidence think themselues vtterly out of danger and doe boldly contemne all after claps by trusting in their light that is to say in the meanes wherewith they haue furnished themselues the Lord shewes that they shall lie downe in sorrow and that this shall proceede from his hand In a word that such as forsake the light of Gods word to seeke consolation elsewhere shall miserably perish THE LI. CHAPTER Vers 1. Heare mee yee that follow after righteousnesse and yee that seeke the Lord looke vnto the rocke whence yee are hewen and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged A consolation or exhortation vnto patience NOw the Prophet exhorts the Iewes not to faint though they were few in number for they were so humbled and diminished that they seemed neere their vtter ruin euen as if they had been hopelesse of any posteritie to succeed them Hee therefore brings them to their originall to teach them that howsoeuer they were but a small handfull now yet God was able to increase multiply them Then he commands them to looke vnto their father Abraham who being but one man yet grew into a great number and God gaue him children as the starres in the firmament Gen. 15.5 and as the sand vpon the sea shore Gen. 22.17 Thence they might collect that if God in so small a space was able so admirably to multiply their fathers he was no lesse powerfull to make them increase heereafter seeing his power is no whit abated nor his will changed Looke to the rocke Some thinke that Abraham is heere called a rocke because hee was strong in faith as Saint Paul saith Rom. 4.19 Others alleadge a reason cleane contrarie to this similitude for they thinke Abraham is heere called a rocke or stone because he was vnfit to beget children and that Sara was called a caue because she was barren But all of them as I take it are deceiued for it is a plaine similitude taken from stones He saith then that they were hewen or digged out of Abraham and Sara as stones are hewen or digged out of a rocke or caue There was exceeding need that the faithfull should be vpheld by this admonition in the ruine of the whole nation God had promised as we said before that Abrahams seede should be as the starres Gen. 15.5 22.17 and as the sand This promise in outward appearance was abolished in the destruction of Ierusalem for then those that remained were like a small cluster of grapes that remaines after the vintage But in regard they had alreadie prooued how powerfull God was to create a great people of nothing the Prophet exhorts them to hope wel still that they may not bee taxed of vnthankfulnesse towards God And thus hee directs his speech properly to the faithfull who had much adoe to sustaine so sharpe temptations for hee speakes not to all in generall The Prophets alwaies make a distinction betweene the faithfull and the hypocrites but to those only that rested vpon the promises whom he calles followers of righteousnesse The Country was filled with vnbeleeuers and hypocrites who had for along time been apostataes from the exercise of pietie the more praise those deserued then who constantly followed a godly and a sincere course Where there is a desire of righteousnesse there God hath audience Note but where infidelitie raignes there is no place at all for the promises Thus then albeit they boasted they were Abrahams children yet all were not capable of this doctrine In the next place the Prophet shewes the way how to follow this iustice to wit in seeking the Lord for it must needes be that such as seeme to follow righteousnes and yet aime not at this marke doe erre in all the parts of their life These two things then to follow righteousnesse and to seeke the Lord must be ioined together Vers 2. Consider Abraham your father and Sara that bare you for I called him alone and blessed him and increased him The application of the former consolation THis application shews sufficiently whereunto the Prophets exhortation tended namely to confirme the peoples hearts in the hope of a better estate He saith he called him alone not onely because Abraham had no companions with him when he was called to forsake his Country but because the Lord suffered him to inhabit the land of Canaan without hauing issue till his old age so as he looked not to haue any at all And besides that Sarah his wife was also barren but at the last they had a sonne giuen them to comfort their old yeeres in their afflictions Which was no sooner giuen but it seemed that God had appointed him to the slaughter and yet for all this the Lord furnished him with a great number of children I told you ere while how necessary this consolation was for the Iewes which wee may also iudge by that wofull and miserable estate in which they then were as histories doe at large record It is also no lesse needfull for vs at this day Vse to vs. in regard of the scattering of the church that so our small number may no whit discourage vs. No wee are rather to hope that God wil one day multiply the same by means to vs vnknowne For we haue heere a manifest and an excellent example thereof in this blessing whereby wee see how the Lord in Abrahams old age weakens yea and out of death it selfe multiplied his of-spring Which promise appertaines not onely to the Iewes but to other nations and therefore his name is no more called Abram
but Abraham Gen. 17.5 Vers 3. Surely the Lord shall comfort Zion hee shall comfort all her desolations and hee shall make her desert like * Or a place of pleasure Eden and her wildernesse like the garden of the Lord ioy and gladnesse shall be found therein praise and the voice of singing THe Prophet shewes that the example propounded in Abrahams person After darknesse light agrees to all ages For as the Lord created so great a stocke out of one man in a moment so will hee replenish his Church by extraordinarie and vnknowne meanes not for once onely but as oft as in the worlds account she is become a widow and barren And thus after S. Paul hath spoken of Abrahams faith and commended the excellencie of it he applies the same doctrine to euery one of vs in particular Rom. 4.24 Where he addes and shall comfort all her ruines it may be thus expounded The Church must be very low b oughâ— before she is fit to receiue comfort The Lord will comfort his Church not onely whilest shee florisheth but euen when she shal be brought to desolation and solitarinesse And it was necessary indeed that she should be wasled and deformed euen to the vtmost before shee could rightly taste the helpe whereof hee heere speakes Whereas it followes that her desert shall be as a place of pleasure the Prophet hath respect to that place of Moses where he shewes how man at the beginning was put into the garden of Eden Gen. 2.15 The Garden of Eden a place of pleasâ—re Gen. 3.23 that is to say into a place of pleasure whence by his owne fault he was banished Now we which are depriued of this benefit and blessing which God bestowed vpon our first father are also scattered vpon the face of the earth and depriued of these pleasures Wherefore when many desolations befall vs and that wee see the order of nature ouerturned and nothing to bee perceiued but miserable wastes and scatterings let vs acknowledge that this is the iust punishment of our infidelitie and of the rest of our horrible iniquities Let vs also remember the sentence pronounced against our father Adam A good meditation for vs in the Churches desolation or rather against his whole posteritie which as we are to do in the whole course of our liues so then principallie when wee see the desolations and wracks of the Church For the earth which otherwise of it selfe vvould abound vvith all sorts of pleasures is now brought into a vvildernes by our fault and the Church which euery where florished is destroyed and laid waste Now in the next place the Prophet addes ioy and gladnes wherby he signifies that there shal be such a wonderfull change that the Church shall mourne nor lament no more for whilest she was oppressed vnder so heauie a bondage there was nothing heard but sighs and grones but being restored she shall reioyce and sing praises vnto God Heere then we are admonished to praise and blesse the name of God after we haue tasted of his liberalitie Psal 14.7 Vers 4. Hearken ye vnto me my people and giue eare vnto me my people for a law shall proceed from me and I will bring forth my iudgement for the light of * Or peoples the people Our slow attention causes God to dâ—uble his exhortation See verse 1. IT is not without cause that the Lord so often calles for audience for wee haue too wofull experience how dull wee are of hearing and chiefly in aduersitie When wee stand in greatest need of consolation then by our impatiencie and faint-heartednes we put it farre from vs. Wherefore it stands euery one of vs in hand to pluck vp our spirits especiallie when aduersities do pinch vs to the quick that by this meanes wee may rouze vp and awaken our spirits and banish all slothfulnes to receiue coÌ„sort Such an attention theÌ„ is heere required as may confirme our hearts in patience till the time of grace be come And thus the Lords meaning is that he will reigne againe and restore his Church to her first estate in which he will haue his name called vpon Albeit the word Law signifies as much as the Edict which the Lord will publish when he is determined to gather together his scattered Church How God wil raigne in his Church yet therewithall he shewes by what meanes he will reigne to wit by his law and by the doctrine thereof And thus we see that where the doctrine of the law is reiected there God reignes not that is to say there men acknowledge him not By Iudgement he meanes the rule of a well ordered gouernment by which he will restore his kingdome He saith that this Iudgement shall be for the light of peoples because miserable men by nature are drawne out of darknes when God begins to raigne and are then enlightened by the doctrine of the word The verb J vvill bring forth is diuerslie translated by the Interpreters because the Hebrue word Raga hath diuers significations for sometimes it signifies to cut and to open sometimes to rest Some then expound I will cause to rest that is to say I will make firme and this sense agrees not ill Many among the Iewes vnderstand it otherwise but I will not trouble the reader with their harsh and intricate expositions I rather willinglie receiue this translation I will bring forth or cause to come forth that is to say I will manifest my iudgement for this I thinke sutes best with the former member Now we know that the Hebrues are wont to vse many repetitions And therefore albeit the Lord repeates one thing twice yet the sense is but one and the same For where he said that a law should proceed from him now he promiseth to bring forth or to manifest his iudgement Vers 5. My righteousnes is neere my saluation goeth forth and mine armes shal iudge the people the Iles shall wait for me and shall trust vnto mine arme HEE confirmes the former doctrine A confirmation of the former doctrine The righteousnes of the Lord hath relation vnto men who haue experience that he is iust When the people were oppressed vnder so sore a bondage they had good cause to think they were iustlie chastised for their sinnes But they might wonder they were thus left and forsaken that Gods worship was dissolued and his holy name blasphemed by the prophane vngodly who committed many outrages against him without punishment That he might giue them some consolation then Isaiah promiseth that God will shortly assist them that so his truth and righteousnes may be published throughout the whole world But by the word Iustice he meanes not that recompence which he giues to euery one but that faithfulnes of the Lord who protects his Saints and bestowes many graces vpon them and keeps his promise touching their deliuerance in not suffring them to be ouerwhelmed This appeares yet better to be so by
And they shall build houses and inhabit them and they shall plant vineyards and eate the fruite of them 22. They shall not build and another inhabit they shall not plant and another eate for as the daies of the tree are the daies of my people and mine elect shall * Or shall continue the worke c. in old age enioy the worke of their hands IN these two verses hee puts them in mind of the blessings contained in the law namely that such as serued God should inhabit the houses they had built and should eate the fruites of their trees Leuit. 20.10 As on the contrarie the rebellious should bee driuen out of their houses to giue place vnto strangers neither should they gather the fruite which they had planted Deut. 28.30 From this curse saith Isaiah shall the Lord deliuer you to the end you may enioy your substance Now thc Prophet sets before them the things appertaining to this life present and from thence borrowes similitudes thereby teaching vs how to ascend vp higher and to apprehend and lay hold of the blessed and endles life For we must not sticke fast glued to these transitorie things but rather vse them as steppes and staires to scale the heauens Temporall blessings ought to bee as ladders by which wee may ascend to the enioying of eternall benefits that being rapt vp thither wee may possesse the eternall and immortall benefits It is also good reason that the enioying of these blessings whereof the vnbeleeuers depriued themselues should bee promised to the regenerated Church which rested whollie vpon the only free fauour and good pleasure of her God Where it is added According to the daies of a tree some thinke eternall life should be here promised as if men should then enioy the tree of life But this deuice is vtterly friuolous and too farre remote from the Prophets meaning Neither can I sufficientlie maruell at the expositors who vexe themselues so much about the interpretation of this place seeing our Prophet speakes not onely of life but of the quiet estate thereof also As if hee should say You shall plant vines and liue of the fruite of them neither shal you depart out of this world till you haue enioyed them both you and your childrens children He takes a similitude from a tree in respect that before hee had spoken of planting of vines Therefore hee now promiseth they shall peaceablie enioy their houses and vines without being any more annoied either by enemies or theeues So as this tranquillitie should bee no lesse durable then the life of a tree The worke is continued or is made perpetuall when it hath good successe otherwise men should trauell a long time for nothing if God did not blesse their labour because the enemie would rob or spoile that which men haue begun so as they should not be able to enioy the fruits of their hands The worke is continued therefore not onelie when it hath some good progresse but when it is come to perfection Hence let vs note that we cannot so much as enioy our goods nor haue any true rest No true rest to them that are out of Christs kingdome vnlesse we be in the kingdome of Christ who is the only heire of the world and stand ingrafted by faith in his bodie I grant the wicked may enioy the benefits of this life present but therewithall they shall be in continuall anguish and the worme of an euill conscience shall continually gnaw them so as euen their very abundance shall bee their bane and destruction For onely faith causeth vs to apprehend the things which belong to the blessed life those then that are destitute of faith can bee no members of Christ Those that are destitute of faith no members of Christ Vers 23. They shall not labour in vaine nor bring foorth in feare for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their * Or of-spring buds with them THe Prophet reckons vp here other kinds of blessings which God promiseth to the Kingdome of Christ For albeit God had continued to blesse his people alwaies yet were those blessings after a sort withheld till Christs comming in whom there was to be seene full and perfect felicitie The sum is that both Iewes and Gentiles should bee euery way happie vnder the kingdome of Christ Now as it is a signe of Gods wrath and curse when we receiue no fruit at all of our labour so on the contrarie it is a testimonie of his blessing when wee enioy the fruites of our trauels For this cause hee shewes how the Iewes being returned home from their captiuitie to enioy a true and full deliuerance shall not labour in vaine neither shall their works be fuitlesse The law threatnes the death of friends warres losse of goods and anguish of minde Leuit. 26.22 Deut. 28.65 But God here on the contrary promiseth tranquillitie fertilitie peace and the fruit of our labours These blessings are well to be noted for there are few to be found who in taking paines fixe their eies vpon Gods blessing Few fixe their eies whilest they labour vpon Gods blessing so as to attribute all things vnto him or to bee perswaded that they doe but labour in vaine vnlesse the Lord giue good successe thereunto Psalm 127.1 Euen as then we are to expect all blessing from God onely so to him alone ought we to render the whole praise after wee haue receiued the same Some expound that which followes That the women shall not bring foorth in feare and that they were not to feare bearing of children in regard they should feele no paines therein We know this punishment was inflicted vpon the woman because of her sinne namely that shee should bring foorth in sorrow and should be in danger of death Gen. 3.16 Children are also begotten with feare and trembling when there are any rumors of warres and it is more likely that the Prophet alluded to this to wit that there should be such tranquillitie that men and women should haue no cause of feare at all For these words must be referred to fathers and mothers who are fearelesse in respect of their children in time of peace which they cannot but feare when any calamitie threatens vs. The reason that is added That they shall be the seed vvhich the Lord hath blessed agrees very well For whence arise feares terrors Whence feares and terrors arise and disquietnes of men but from Gods curse when this curse then shall bee remoued the Prophet hath good cause to affirme that the fathers with their of-spring shall bee freed from feares and distractions because being in Gods fauour they shall bee alwaies so secured from feares and dangers that they shall dwell in safetie And their of-spring with them This is contrarie to the priuation of children which is reckoned vp amongst the curses of God in Leuit. 16.22 And it is as much as if hee had said I will no more