respect they might well haue thought that the Lord had brought them out in vaine seeing they were now exposed to greater dangers then euer they were before After the Temple was built things succeeded no whit better for they were inuironed on all sides with mightie aduersaries who hated them most deadly and vexed them without ceasing Afterwards they were visited with sundry afflictions and persecutions so as it might seeme they were as good as ouerwhelmed and rooted out by them Yet notwithstanding God ceased not still miraculously to preserue them euen in the midst of fire and sword If we consider their poore and miserable estate and the sore trials they were put to by tyrants wee may well admire how any one of them escaped That we may the better vnderstand then how wonderfull this deliuerance was To vnderstand this last deiiueuerance of the Church aright we must looke to the histories of things begun and continued till Christs comming The Prophets still kept their eye vpon Christ and in what sort it surpassed the first wee must haue an eye to the histories of things begun and continued vntill Christs comming who then added infinite graces and benefits to the former for doubtlesse the second deliuerance was greater then the first Neither is this any constrained exposition but it agrees with the maners of speech vsed among the Prophets for they haue alwaies respect vnto the Messiah and incessantly did they fix their eies vpon him The Prophet Haggai therefore will giue vs much light for the vnderstanding of this place For he shews that when the Temple was built the olde men which had seene the excellencie of the first wept saying that this latter was nothing in cōparison of the former and hardly could they be perswaded but that God had vtterly forsaken them and that his promises were of none effect Bur Haggai to comfort them and to shew that the glory of the second Temple shall far surpasse the first albeit the outward forme of it were lesse beautifull brings them forthwith to the Redeemer saying on this manner Thus saith the Lord of hostes Yet a little while and I will shake the heauens and the earth and the sea and the dry land and all nations the desire of all nations shall come and I will fill this house with glory saith the Lord of hostes The gold and siluer is mine saith the Lord of hostes the glorie of this house shall bee greater then the first Haggai 2.7 As Haggai then continues the restauration of the Temple till Christs comming to which he refers the true glory of it so this deliuerance out of Babylon held on the course thereof till Christ for these things are conioined together or rather haue affinitie one with another so as it is no maruell though he say it did euery way surpasse that deliuerance out of Egypt Vers 20. The wild beasts shall honour me the Dragons and the Ostriches because I gaue water in the desert and floods in the wildernesse to giue drinke to my people euen to mine elect HE adornes the former sentence for all things standing in this confused maner it was needfull to set out Gods power in the highest termes that might be that at least the word might supplie that which seemed to be wanting in effect His meaning is then that Gods hand shall be so sensiblie felt and perceiued in this worke that not only men but vvild beasts also should be touched with a sense of it so as they should yeeld a kind of honour and thanks vnto God This prophesie therefore answers to Psal 114.3.4 where it is said That the sea saw it and fled Iordan went back the mountaines skipped like sheepe and the little hilles as lambs the earth trembled at the presence of the God of Iaakob Isaiah attributes heere the same feelings to the brute beasts in regard that by a secret instinct they should be constreined to giue place that the people might passe with more securitie And yet the reason hereof hath a larger extent to wit that they shall stand amazed at the beholding of so many miracles To be short God shewes that he will not leaue his people destitute of necessarie foode that they should be inforced to returne back through want for by this excessiue kind of speech he expresseth the incomprehensible loue of God towards the Iewes that by the power of their hope they might mount aboue all present obstacles The vse Now when we heare of these things let vs not measure his power in our distresses according to the order of nature but by faith let vs fix our eies aboue all things visible and comprehensible Moreouer lest these poore banished orphanes should lose all hope of Gods euerlasting fauor in seeing themselues thus reiected and despised of all Isaiah brings them to the remembrance of their adoption as if he should say Thinke not but that you remain the people of God still My people mine elect notwithstanding this your horrible scattering for he who hath once elected you neuer changeth his counsell As oft then as we stand in neede of incouragement to hope well let vs remember the calling of God We must in temptation oppose our vocation against our vnworthines for albeit we feele our owne vnworthines yet it ought to suffice that the Lord hath vouchsafed vs this honor to make vs his people Vers 21. This people haue I formed for my selfe they shall shew forth my praise THe Prophets meaning is that the Lord must needs performe that which he spake before because it concernes his owne glorie to deliuer the people which he hath chosen to himselfe This appertained therefore very much to the consolation of the Iewes as if he should say Do ye thinke I will suffer my glory to fall to the ground It is ioined with your saluation Gods glorie and our saluation ioined together and therefore it stands me in hand to looke to it Be you sure therefore that all shall got vvell vvith you for I can not suffer you to perish but my glorie must therewithall be abolished also But your saluation is sure for I haue determined that you shall magnifie my greatnes for euer Where he saith he hath Created this people it is to let vs vnderstand that our regeneration is a worke supernaturall for we are to hold this principle which we haue often told you of heretofore that he speakes not here of that generall worke of his creation touching mankinde Isaiah speak not here of our common creation but of our spirituall regeneration See Chap. 29.23 but of regeneration or adoption by which God separates his Church from the rest of the world and from all the remainders of it Let no man be so bold then as to attribute this worke either to himselfe or to the merits of men but let vs from this place learne to ascribe so excellent a benefit whollie and only to the free grace of God They shall set forth my
and strength are the two maine points of our saluation the faithfull acknowledge God to be the author of both in them and thus they whollie attribute the glorie of their happines vnto him and in confessing that it proceeds from his free grace it is to testifie to all that by nature they are depriued of such gifts They therefore confesse that they can finde neither strength nor righteousnes in themselues but do seeke the same only in God that he may not be defrauded of his proper right He shall come vnto him The expositors agree not touching the interpretatiō of these words for mine owne part I vnderstand this place only of the faithfull who submit themselues vnto God that so wee might see the reason of the opposition which is betweene them and those rebels which cease not obstinately to resist God Thus I expound it then Those vvho confesse their righteousnes and strength to be from God shall come to him For his meaning it that we haue accesse vnto God by faith so as all those vvhich confesse that their saluation consists in him shall also come vnto him and feele him present vvith them Truely None comes willinglie to God til they feele their reconciliatiō with him a man can neuer voluntarily draw neere vnto God till he be reconciled with him for the more we feele the terror of his Maiestie the further off wee flee from him The Prophet in this place then magnifies this ioyfull fruit of Gods fauor by meanes whereof those that were strangers farre off before Col. 1.21 Ephe. 2.13 shall now come and be made neere vnto him To this agrees that in the 65. Psal Because thou art a God that hearest prayer therefore shall all flesh come vnto thee Now Isaiah hauing shewed that God will gather in strangers from their dispersions and entertaine them in his owne house he denounceth an horrible iudgement against contemners and despisers who giue themselues the raines as if there were no God at all and scorning all pietie wallow themselues in worldlie delights Faith the mother of obedience For as faith only brings forth obedience so the Prophet shews that it is infidelitie only which prouokes God to wrath and displeasure When he brands the vnbeleeuers with this marke Infidelitie the mother of rebellion that they are rebels to God yea that they prouoke him to the combat therewithall hee pronounceth that they shall be couered with shame howsoeuer they make their triumphs in the sight of the world Vers 25. The whole seed of Israel shall bee iustified and glorie in the Lord. HEe now preuents an obiection The preuention of an obiection which might be made against this doctrine to wit it seemes strange that the Lord should call those nations vnto him which were farre off before as if they should say Hath God then chosen the posteritie of Abraham in vaine Shall his promises so often repeated Gen. 15.5 and 17.7 vanish into the aire To this he answers that the Lord will not cease to be true in his promises still so that howsoeuer God hath made choise of the Gentiles yet notwithstanding the couenant contracted and made with their fathers shal stand still inuiolable because the elect Iewes shall hold their soueraigne prerogatiue For hee speakes not heere of their reiection as in many other places but the Prophet only deliuers this point that Gods grace which shall now be extended to all nations shal still flow from this fountaine I am thy God and the God of thy seed after thee Gen. 17.7 whereas the most part of the Iewes then were reiected this ouerthrew not Gods couenant because the remnant that were adopted alwaies remained the true and lawfull seed and albeit they were few in number yet were they the first borne in the Church Moreouer all those among the Gentiles which were grafted into this body began now to be the children of Abraham as in Chap. 44.5 one shall say I belong to Iaakob another shall subscribe with his hand and say I am begotten of Israel From this title it is that we at this day are reputed by good right the Israel of God though Iaacob begat vs not Gal. 6.16 The Prophet addes this then that they should not thinke the couenant of God was abolished as also that they were not so to glorie in their race and stock that they should therfore vtterly despise the Gentiles The vvhole seed of Israel He stretcheth this seed further off lest they should imagin it to be vvhollie restrained to the posteritie of Abraham For the Lord gathers his people indifferentlie both out of Iewes and Gentiles In this place then he speakes in generall of all mankinde Neither righteousnes nor glorie out of God We haue further to obserue that the Prophet saith we are iustified and shall glorie in the Lord for we must neither seeke righteousnes nor glorie out of him Now glorie is added because it depends vpon righteousnes and followes it For which cause S. Paul saith Where is thy reioycing It is excluded By what law of works nay but by the law of faith Rom. 3.27 Also if Abraham were iustified by works he had wherein to glorie Those iustly glorie that seeke their iustice in God only but not with God Rom. 4.2 It followes then that those shall iustlie glorie who seeke their iustification in God only acknowledging that in themselues there is no matter at all of reioycing THE XLVI CHAPTER Vers 1. Bel * Or quite ouerthrown is bowed downe Nebo is fallen their Idols were vpon the beasts and vpon the * Or Mares Cattell they which did beare you were * Or thrown downe laden with a wearie burden The coherence of the sentences rather to be considered now and then in this prophesie then the diuision of the Chapters ISaiah continues forth his former argument for wee must not stande ouer-strictlie vpon the diuiding of the Chapters in regard they were not alwaies aptly obserued but wee are rather to consider of the sentences which cohere very well as I haue said notwithstanding if any had rather haue it the beginning of a new Sermon in regard that he forthwith speaks of the ruine of Babylon I do not much contradict him Bel and Nebo were Idols which the Chaldeans worshipped and it is very likely they were their chiefe patrons for Idolaters alwaies make choice of some principall gods Idolaters wil alwaies make choice of some principall patrons vnder whose protection they thinke to be safe Wee may also coniecture that this Nebo was an inferior god added to the great god Bel as Mercurie was to Iupiter And vnder the names of these two the Prophet also comprehends all other Idols foretelling by the spirit of prophesie that all the abominable Idolatries and superstitions of the Gentiles should be abolished when God hauing subdued the Idolaters vnder his feet shall in triumph leade them captiues for then it should be manifest to all
so auenge himselfe of the wicked and enemies of the Church that hee will thereby shew what care hee hath ouer her Now howsoeuer blood doth vsuallie spot and staine him that vanquisheth yet Jsaiah affirmes that God shall bee glorious in his apparell after he hath made hauocke of his enemies As in chap. 34.6 we haue seene that the slaughter of the wicked there was compared to the sacrifices in regard Gods glorie shined therein For what garment could hee put on more glorious then his iustice Therefore that he might speake honourablie of Gods iust reuengings hee shewes that the blood wherewith he is besprinckled by the slaughter of these desperate wicked ones is glorious and excellent As if hee had said Thinke not that God resembles any common person for though hee bee died ouer with blood yet shall not this hinder but that his Maiestie and glorie shall shine therein The Iewish expositors take the word vvalking diuerslie for some among them referre it to the people whom the Lord should bring backe from the captiuitie others to the nations whom the Lord would transport into other countries notwithstanding they then seemed to haue a setled habitation But I thinke it will better sute to the scope of the Prophets text if we take it absolutelie The Prophet then describes the glorious vvalking of God and his noble presence by which he will manifest his admirable power I am that speake The certenty of the prophesies noted The Lord himselfe answers which carries much more maiestie with it then if the Prophet had spoken in his owne person And herein he brings the faithful to the former prophesies to enforme them that not only Gods righteousnesse and goodnesse but also his faithfulnesse should appeare in these iudgements As if he should say Now you see the accomplishment of that which hitherunto I haue declared vnto you by my seruants For this effect of my promises plainely demonstrates that I am true of my word and that I speake from my heart without faining so as I will not by any meanes disappoint your expectations Now the vision of it selfe had not beene forcible enough vnlesse the Iewes had therewithall bin put in mind of the things they had heard of before Seeing the end thereof was to settle their hearts vpon the saluation of God hee therewithall attributes vnto himselfe an extraordinarie power and might to saue Vers 2. Wherefore is thine apparell red and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine presse HE prosecutes the same argument The former argument still prosecuted But because the bare recitall would not haue been of sufficient weight therefore he doth not at once manifest from whence this red colour in Gods garments did proceede but rather continues his Interrogation still that he might the better rouze vp their spirits to the consideration of so rare vnwonted a thing For his meaning is to say that this sprinkling with blood is a matter extraordinarie and not seene before And therefore the similitude of the presser of grapes sutes very well For Bozrah Vers 1. which hee mentioned in the first verse was situated in a countrie of vines as if he would haue said the grape gatherings shal be much differing frō the old wont for blood in stead of the iuice of grapes shall now bee squezed out Vers 3. I haue trodden the wine-presse alone and of all the people there was none with mee for I will tread them in mine anger and tread them vnder foot in my wrath and their blood shall bee sprinkled vpon my garments and I will staine all my raiment NOw the Prophet expounds the vision The vision expounded and shewes wherefore the Lord is thus died with blood Verse 1. namely because he must be auenged on the Idumeans and other enemies who haue vsed his people very inhumanely It should bee a thing ridiculous to referre this verse vnto Christ in regard he hath redeemed vs without the helpe of any man for the Prophets meaning is that the Lord will so punish the Idumeans that he shall stand in need of no mans helpe because himselfe will bee strong enough to roote them out Ans For the Iewes might obiect Obiect that the Idumeans were mightie that no warre was made vpon them but that they florished and liued at their ease But the Lord shewes that this shall not hinder him from smiting them when him listeth I grant he vsed mens helpe when hee auenged himselfe of the Idumeans but yet in such wise that it was apparant to all how the whole action was managed by his owne hand neither could any thing therein be ascribed either to the counsels or forces of men For they were surprized with a sudden and vnexpected destruction in respect whereof the people could not doubt but that God only was the author thereof seeing they had been so often aduertised of it before Where he saith And of all the people there vvas not one vvith him it is to shew that howsoeuer some should be raised vp to bring destruction vpon Edom yet Gods worke therein should be separate from theirs For the infidell enemies neuer dreamed of auenging the vniust cruelties of the Idumeans The Lord would then that his iudgement should shine and be considered of in the clattering of the harnesse and weapons and in these violent moouings I vvill goe vpon them For mine owne part I willingly retaine the future tence in regard the Prophet speakes of things to come and not yet accomplished For the Idumeans were to bee seuerelie punished for their crueltie though for the present they were at their case and in great tranquillity Wee haue alreadie in part touched the cause why the Prophet hath vsed the simililitude of a bloodie presser which is both a hideous and wofull sight yet therewithall he addes that the punishments and vengeances of God against his enemies are properly his owne as if himselfe had gathered them together when he shall either consume or scatter them Euen as in Chap. 34.6 such an execution is called a solemne sacrifice to teach vs that wee are no lesse to glorifie God when hee executes his iudgements then when hee manifests the tokens of his mercie In the meane while hee expresseth his singular loue towards the Iewes seeing for their sakes he vouchsafeth to sprinkle himselfe with the blood of his enemies so farre that hee vseth the verbe to staine or to defile In my vvrath The Prophet shewes that this alone sufficeth for the destruction of the Idumeans namelie that the Lord is angrie with them As if he should say No man shall be able to deliuer them when God shal haue to doe with them Hence we are to gather that mens ruine proceedes from no other cause but Gods vvrath as on the contrarie our saluation depends wholly vpon his meere grace To conclude Mens ruine proceedes from Gods wrath the Lord meant here to testifie that the Idumeans should not escape vnpunished seeing they
that the faithfull may with the more cheerfulnesse of heart wait for this promised ioy But all the difficultie is to know of what enemies he speakes for wee may vnderstand this place of the Babylonians by whose ruine God deliuered his Church It may also bee applied to the other enemies who were entertained in the bosome of the Church And I rather incline to this latter sense though I denie not but it may be vnderstood of all sorts of enemies But hee respects the home enemies of whom he hath hitherunto spoken who reiected the voice of God sounding continually by the ministry of the Prophets Well saith hee It shall come to passe that you shall heare a more horrible voice And yet hee forthwith mitigates his speech lest this terror should discourage the seruants of God The summe The summe is that the wicked reioice in vaine when they oppose their rebellions against Gods iudgements Why so Because they shall not escape his hand Nay which more is his voice shall sound from that Temple wherein they put such carnall confidence and that the faithfull shall then receiue the fruit of their patience Would to God that we at this day did not perceiue the like contempt among the rout of hypocrites who care neither for admonitioÌ„s nor threatnings at all neither beare they any reuerence to Gods word In stead of that sweete and still voice which they now heare we are constrained to preach the voice of feare and tumult which one day shall ring in their eares but it shal be froÌ„ the mouthes of such masters as shall be of a clean contrary disposition For seeing the world is so audacious as with a sacrilegious contempt to reiect Gods word it shall bee constrained not onely to heare but also to feele an armed voice that is to say fire and blood Vers 7. Before shee trauailed shee brought foorth and before her paine came shee was deliuered of a man child God prouides for the safetie of his children whilest he chastiieth the wicked THe Prophet hauing before comforted the faithfull to the end the arrogancie and pride of their enemies with which they should be afflicted might not astonish them and after that hauing commanded them to wait constantly till the comming of the Lord now he addes therewithall that the wicked shall bee so punished that yet God in the meane while will prouide for the safetie of his chosen Neither speakes he onely of some one or two men but of the vvhole Church which he compares to a vvoman which similitude hee hath vsed heeretofore For the Lords speciall meaning is to gathet vs into a body wherein wee may haue the testimonie of our adoption as also to acknowledge him for our father and that we may be nourished vp in the Church as in the lap of our mother This similitude therefore of a mother is very apt for it signifies that the Church shall bee so restoâ—ed that shee shall haue a large and ample of-spring though for a time she was reputed for a widow and barren And hee repeates the sentence againe which hee vsed heeretofore but now hee expresseth somewhat more namely that this worke of God shall be sudden and vnexpected For he withdrawes the faithfull from all carnall conceits that they should not iudge of the restauration of the Church according to humane reason Women are wont to beare their children the space of nine moneths in their wombes then at last they bring them forth with great paine but the Lord hath another way in begetting of his children It shall come to passe saith hee that the fruit shall come into the world before it can be either perceiued or felt by any paine And that is the cause also why hee attributes the whole praise thereof vnto himselfe in regard that such a miracle farre surpasseth all the industrie of man Now hee speakes especially of a man child to set forth the courage and agilitie of these children For his meaning heereby is that such a race shall be of a noble kind and not delicate or effeminate As we also know that the faithfull are so regenerated by the Spirit of Christ that they finish their course with an inuincible courage And in this sense Saint Paul saith that they haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare againe c. Rom. 8.15 Vers 8. Who hath heard such a thing Who hath seene such things Shall the earth be brought forth in one day Or shall a nation bee borne at once For as soone as Zion trauailed she brought forth children HE extols the greatnes of this work whereof he spake in the former verse For his meaning is that the restauration of the Church shall be admirable and extraordinarie in such wise that the faithfull shall confesse the whole worke hath proceeded from Gods meere grace and not from the order or course of nature For when men thinke of this they are like to them that dreame as it is said in Psalm 126.1 Moreouer his meaning is not that the restauration of the Church shall be perfected by and by For the aduancements thereof are tedious and diuers yea very slow in the iudgement of our flesh but he shews that the beginning it selfe surmounts the reach of al mens capacities And yet he speakes not excessiuely neither For we often see that the Church brings foorth when she was not iudged to be with child before Nay which more is whilest shee is thought to be barren shee is made fruitfull by the preaching of the Gospell in such wise that we admire at the thing after it is come to passe in respect it seemed incredible to vs before These things were in part accomplished when the people returned out of Babylon But we haue a much more euident proofe of it in the Gospell after the publishing whereof what an infinite number of children hath there been borne in the Church And haue not we in our times seene the accomplishment of this prophesie For since thirtie yeeres past that the Gospell hath been preached how many children hath the Church borne Hath not the Lord now troupes of them dispersed throughout the world Nothing was here foretold then which we see not at this day fulfilled euen with our eies Now he sets foorth the glorie of this miracle by a similitude For what people or nation came there euer into the world all at an instant For men are gathered and increased by little and little But it is farre otherwise with the Church who foorthwith brings foorth and replenisheth many places with great numbers of her children The summe The summe is that God will work so powerfully that by an extraordinary manner the Church shal haue an infinite number of children in an instant The word earth may be taken for any countrie or for the inhabitants of it Vers 9. Shall I cause to trauell and not bring foorth shall I cause to bring foorth and shall bee barren saith thy God Gods power ought
giuen of it Vers 16. For the Lord will iudge with fire and with his sword all flesh and the slaine of the Lord shall be many HEe addes nothing different from the former A confirmation of the former denunciation but onely confirmes the former sentence and shewes that this iudgement shall be terrible lest any should thinke the matter hee speakes of were of small consequence Thus then he amplifies this horror the more to terrifie the wicked as also to cause the godly to keepe themselues in all puritie and integritie by withdrawing themselues from the societie of the godlesse And that therewithall they should also patiently beare the iniuries and cruell assaults of the enemies vntill God shewed himselfe with his reuenging hand from heaueÌ„ to execute his vengeance Now he thâ—eatens the destruction of all men in such wise that there should be great heapes of dead bodies And this hee added expresly in regard that impietie raigned in euery place and the faithfull were sharplie assailed in respect of the wickeds prosperitie For as our mindes are variable so wee suffer our selues to bee carried away with bad examples and the multitude puts many toies in our heads as if the same were of sufficient force to withstand the hand of God The Prophet corrects this peruerse feare of ours for by how much the more impietie and the great troopes of the wicked beares the sway so much the more will Gods wrath be inflamed to burne the hotter so as the numbers and plots of the wicked shall not hinder the Lord from wrapping them also vp in the same ruine Vers 17. They that sanctifie themselues and purifie themselues in gardens * Or in a fountaine which is in the midst behind one tree in the middest eating swines flesh and such abominations * Or and. euen the mouse shall bee consumed together saith the Lord. The persons noted to whom this vengeance belonged NOw he notes out these enemies as with his finger against whom he said Gods ire should be inflamed For it was hard to discerne whether hee spake of forraine and open enemies or whether hee directed his speech to the contemners of God who notwithstanding were mingled among the godly And therefore he taxeth the false hearted Iewes which had reuolted And I doubt not but in the first place hee gauls the hypocrites and next of all the wicked that is to say those who ouerflowed in their inordinate lusts which is meant by eating of swines flesh The hypocrites sanctified themselues that is they smoothed ouer things vnder the pretext of holinesse by which meanes they beguiled many They purified themselues in gardens That is they polluted themselues with diuers superstitions And yet by such inuentions they thought to make themselues the purer in Gods sight Others without any dissimulatioÌ„ despised God and all godlinesse It is a generall sentence then vnder which he comprehends all idolatries as well such as manifested their wickednes in all mens sight as the others who couered and cloaked the same vnder diuers shadowes When hee addes by a garden vvhich is in the midst some expositors supply a pond or fish poole as if in the midst of the garden there had beene some holy water put to wash in But the other sense agrees also well in regard that as euery one had his god apart so did he also chuse out some one tree among others Vers 18. For I will visit their workes and their imaginations for it shall come to passe that I will gather all nations and tongues and they shall come and see my glory A confirmation of the former sentence HEe confirmes that which hee said in the former verse namely that all the wicked should be punished to the end that howsoeuer the Lord was content to let them alone for a while to worke their wils yet should the faithfull be well assured to behold the day of their vengeance and that this should be as it were a pteseruatiue to let them from being carried away with the streame of the multitude The Lord testifies heere that he so sees and notes their vvorkes that it shall bee manifested by the effects one day that none could flee from the regard of his eies Some take it as if the wicked were able to doe nothing without Gods permission which senteÌ„ce is true in it selfe but yet it sutes not with this place And euery one may see it to be farre fetched and wide from the Prophets â—eaning for he onely confirmes that which he said before to wit that the hypocrites and notorious offendors should bee punished at the last because God kept a register of all their imaginations deliberations and wicked actions So as they should gaine nothing in the end by their shifts as if it were vnpossible to bring them to iudgement Because the time is come We haue heere the confirmation of that which hath been said for hee shewes that the time drawes neere in which hee will call all nations together and adopt them as one people vnto himselfe after he hath reiected the hypocrites and the open vvicked ones The Iewes were proudly conceited of themselues and contemned all nations besides as vile and prophane But the Lord protests heere that hee will adopt them that they may partake of his glory whereof the Iewes had made themselues vnworthy Truly this is an excellent place Doctrine in which we are taught that God is bound to no people in the world but that it rests in his will freely to chuse whom it pleaseth him and to reiect the vnbeleeuers whom in times past hee had called to himselfe Which doctrine Saint Paul discourseth of at large in Rom. 10.19 and 11.25 where hee shewes how wee are grafted as into an emptie stocke after the Iewes by their infidelitie had been reiected Isaiah threatens them now with it as if he should say I would not haue you so simple as to thinke that God can want a people seeing you forsake him and thereby make your selues vnworthy of his grace For there are others in the world besides you and in the meane while he will shew himselfe to be your Iudge and will make you feele at length that he cannot alwaies suffer his patience to be abused And they shall come For being grafted in by faith they shall come together into the Church with the true Iewes who had not forsaken the true adoption For the Iewes being neere vnto God it was needfull that the Gentiles should be made one with them that so the discord being remoued they might be ioined into one body To see the glory of the Lord is nothing else but to inioy the grace which hee had shewed vnto the Iewes For this was one speciall priuiledge the Iewes had namely that they beheld Gods glory and had with them the signes of his presence Now he saith that the nations which were depriued of such benefits should see and behold this glory in regard the Lord was minded to
manifest himselfe vnto all without exception Vers 19. And I will set vp a signe among them and will send those that escape of them vnto the riuers of Tarshish Pul and Lud and to them that draw the bow to Tubal and Iauan Iles a farre off that haue not heard my fame neither haue seene my glory and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles THis may be taken two waies namely An amplification of the former sentence either that God giues a signe or that hee markes his with some priuy token to the end they might escape safe and sound The first exposition is most receiued But some childishly descant heere vpon the signe of the Crosse The signe of the Crosse others referre it to the preaching of the Gospell and both of them as I take it are wide from the marke For hee rather seemes to allude to that which was done at the going forth and deliuerance of the people as Moses describes it in Exod. 12.12 And to that which is said in Reuel 7.4 namely that the Lord marked all such as should be saued when his wrath should bee powred out vpon the whole world as those in Egypt escaped whose doore posts were marked with the blood of the Passeouer Thus he shewes that none but the elect can escape the wrath of God vpon whom this marke is stamped In a word the Prophet amplifies that which hath been already said touching the fearefull and horrible iudgement of God which should light vpon the wicked for it should consume all if he marked not some He promiseth then to reserue a small number out of this generall ruine of the whole people This I take to bee the true meaning of our Prophet according to which hee said in Chap. 1.9 and 10.22 that the Lord would reserue out of this generall deuouring flame a little remnant He addes that some of these shall bee his heraulds to magnifie his name among the Gentiles And we know that the doctrine of saluation was published farre and wide by the Ministerie of a few sillie men By Tarshish he meanes Cilicia and vnder that comprehends all the coast of the Mediterraneum sea which lay opposite to the lād of Iewrie Others thinke that this word signifies Africa and Cappadocia but I rather rest in the former exposition Some by Lud vnderstand Lybia and others Asia And by those that draw the bow the Parthians because they were good archers Vnder Tubal and Jauan some vnderstand Italy and Grecia and by the Iles hee signifies vnknowne regions For vnder this word the Iewes comprehend all the nations that lay beyond the sea as we haue noted before Which haue not heard He meanes that the knowledge of God shall bee spread through the whole world for the Greekes Italians Parthians they of Cilicia and other nations knew nothing of the pure religion nor of Gods true worship To bee short the whole world was wrapped in deepe dungeons of darknesse and therefore the Lord promiseth that his glory shall be knowne euery vvhere But there is great weight in the word Gentiles for at that time the Lord was onely knowne of the Iewes but now hee hath manifested himselfe vnto all Vers 20. And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering vnto the Lord out of all nations vpon horses and in chariots and in horselitters and vpon mules and swift beasts to Ierusalem mine holy mountaine saith the Lord as the children of Israel offer in a cleane vessell in the house of the Lord. HEere hee cleerely expounds that which was said before namely An exposition of the amplificatiō that all those which shall escape and suruiue the rest shall bee notwithstanding their small number Priests vnto God and shall bring sacrifices vnto him from all parts Now he alludes to the ancient ceremony of the Law though he therewithall shewes the difference which should be betweene these oblations and the sacrifices ordained by the Law for heere he institutes new sacrifices and a new priesthood And a◠he affirmed that all nations should be gathered vers 18. so now he shewes that the Priests by him established shall not trauaile in vaine because the Lord will adde a gracious issue vnto their labours He calles them brethren who were strangers before wherein hee hath respect to that new coniunction which is made by faith Others draw another sense from this place which I doe not altogether reiect namely that when God shall gather a new people from among the Gentiles then the Iewes who were scattered here there should be gathered together againe which also came to passe But yet this seemes to agree better if we referre it to the vocation of the Gentiles in regard that the differēce being thē taken away a brotherly coniunction beganne to be betweene all those whom the Lord had purposed to adopt vnto himselfe for his children Abraham was the father of one nation and yet all that descended from him after the flesh were not reputed his children for the Ishmaelites and the Idumeans were reiected He was then a father of many nations Gen. 17.5 vvhen God adopted and ioined vnto him by couenant the Gentiles to the end they should follow the faith of Abraham Thus we see wherefore the Lord calles vs the brethren of the Iews Gentiles become brethren of the Iewes whereas before we were strangers and farre remote from the Church of God for before hee did cast out the false brethren and reprobates from their place We are to note this fruit which issueth from the labours of such as indeuour to serue the Lord faithfully namely that they thereby reclaime their brethren from all pernicious errors to bring them to God who is the fountaine of life And this consolation ought to cheere them vp and to fortifie them euen in the midst of all the calamities and afflictions which are incident vnto them The Lord will not suffer one of his to perish Happy is our condition then when after a sort he makes vs sauiours of our brethren From all nations His meaning is that there shall bee no more difference betweene Iew and Gentile because God will breake downe the partition wall and will set vp his Church in all nations Thus was that saying of Dauid in Psalm 2.8 touching Christ accomplished Aske of me and I will giue thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the vtmost bounds of the earth for thy possession In that hee mentions the holy mountaine he applies himselfe to the custome of those times For God was worshipped in the Temple at Ierusalem But the Temple hath now spread it selfe ouer all the world 1. Tim. 2.8 in respect that it is lawfull for all men in al places to lift vp pure hands vnto God so as all difference of place and persons is now remooued and taken away He speakes also of the oblations add sacrifices which were offered in the temple though the sacrifices which wee are now to offer bee much
we Art thou become like vs BEhold what taunts the dead shall vtter against this tyrant whē he shall be in their companie as if they asked a reason of him why he also is dead as well as others And therefore the Prophet being astonished with the noueltie of such a thing brings in the dead enquiring thereof with admiration as of a thing vtterlie incredible For tyrants are so blinded with their greatnes that they thinke themselues no mortall creatures but make themselues halfe gods and worship themselues For this cause it is well inough perceiued after their death that their condition differed in nothing from other men howsoeuer they thought themselues exempted out of their ranke According to this sense the dead reproch him with a wonderfull nipping derision in saying that he is made like vnto them because death onely giues vs to know as the satyrike Poet speakes how weake a thing the bodie of man is Dauid also speaking of Princes See Chap. 5. vers 9. sect 2. and of their dignitie saith thus I haue said you are Gods yet must you die like men and fall like one of the people Psal 82.6 7. For the bodies of Princes must needes bee eaten and consumed with wormes at the last although sumptuous and glorious sepulchres be prepared for such kind of persons Vers 11. Thy pompe is brought downe to the graue and the sound of thy viols the worme is spread vnder thee and the wormes couer thee HE mentions the royall pompe to the end one might more diligently note this mutation when they should compare the former things with the latter and thus shewes that nothing could let this tyrant from being brought into a like estate with others Vnder the instruments of musicke hee comprehends all pleasures and voluptuousnesse wherein Kings are wont to take delight because by the sweete harmonie thereof they not onely forget death but also by these mixed sounds all cares are driuen away so as their mindes are somewhat intoxicate therewith In the second part of the verse the dead doe pleasantly say vnto him Thou hast a bed fit for thee For in stead of tapestrie or a soft pillow thou hast mothes and for a sumptuous couerlet thou hast wormes To be short we haue heere a liuely image of mens foolish confidence who being besotted with the present prosperitie and peaceable estate of their affaires reioyce and cheere vp themselues This doctrine ought to be diligently obserued for howsoeuer men know well enough what their condition is and haue death still before their eyes yet are they so dulled with ambition and tickled with pleasures yea bewitched with vaine glory that they vtterly forget themselues Vers 12. How art thou fallen from heauen O Lucifer sonne of the morning and cut downe to the ground * Or which weaknedst men which didst cast lots vpon the nations ISaiah continues the matter which hee began before in the person of the dead and concludes that this tyrant differs in nothing from others although by all his flatteries he indeuoured to perswade himselfe that he was some god He vseth an elegant similitude in comparing him to the starre of the morning calling him the sonne of the twilight and that because of his excellencie and glorie which made him shine far aboue all others Whereas some haue expounded this place of Satan they haue done it ignorantly for the scope of the text doth sufficiently shew that it should be vnderstood of the King of Babylon But when men snatch vp places of Scripture at randome and consider not the coherence of the text we neede not meruaile if wee often meete with so many errours And yet was it a more absurd blockishnesse when they made Lucifer the prince of diuels making folkes beleeue that the Prophet gaue him this name But for as much as such inuentions haue no colour at all let vs leaue them for fables as we found them The expositours haue been deceiued in the second member of the verse in translating the Hebrew particle in the passiue signification saying Thou art weakened seeing it is in the actiue signification Notwithstanding because the verbe whence it is deriued signifies to cast the lot and that the particle Sur is ioyned therewith this sense agrees well that this tyrant diuided all regions by lot as the Lord and Master of them and drew them to himselfe as if they had appertained to his succession And yet I reiect not the other exposition namely that he weakened the people Vers 13. Yet thou saidst in thine heart I will ascend into heauen and exalt my throne aboue besides the starres of God I will sit also vpon the mount of the * Or couenant Congregation of God * Or in the sides of the north This phrase To say expounded THis must bee ioyned to that which went before To say in this place is taken to resolue in himselfe according to the Hebrew phrase For he derides the pride of the Babylonian who resting vpon his greatnesse durst be so bold as to promise himselfe continuall happinesse euen as if it had been in his power to bring the euents of things to passe at his pleasure Wherein wee haue a faire looking glasse to behold the foolish pride wherewithall the wicked are puffed vp which also sometimes they are not ashamed to vomit forth Neither must we heere consider the person of one tyrant onely but the damnable furie of all the wicked which make their conclusions in secret no otherwise then if they were able to dispose of all things according to their owne fantasie Whose plots S. Iames describes in liuely colours We will goe into such a Citie say they wee will buy and sell and get gaine and yet in the meane while they know not what shall come to passe to morrow Iam. 4.13 They neuer thinke they are vnder Gods hand but haue this sottish conceit that they will doe all things by their own strength I grant that this brag I will ascend into heauen and that which followes also is so absurd as it seemes impossible how it could come out of the mouth of a mortall man but in regard it was not the Prophets meaning to set downe the speeches of Nebuchadnezzar word for word let it suffice vs to consider the thing it selfe For to speake the truth whosoeuer he be that attributes more vnto himselfe then the condition of men can beare hee exalts himselfe against God as the Giants did of whom the prouerb speakes whence it followes that all their deuises shall come to confusion But especially hee who passing beyond the bounds of his calling prouokes the Lord against him by his boldnesse And therefore let euery one of vs content himselfe with his estate and not desire to be mounting vp aloft but let vs rather continue in that degree wherein God hath placed vs. Indeed if God reach out his hand vnto any and lift him higher he may go further but he ought to vsurpe nothing to
that which hee hath foretold alone but also what end the Lord aimed at in this execution that is to say why he afflicted so many nations with such diuersities of punishments namely that he might bring vnder those which were before vnrulie and ouerflowed in a brutish sensualitie who as they had no feare of God before their eyes so had they no sense of religion or godlinesse at all Thou art my God Being perplexed and confounded in himselfe he suddenly turnes his thoughts vnto God as we haue said Whence we may gather a very profitable doctrine to wit that when our mindes are tossed to and fro with diuers cogitations What ought to be our refuge in time of deep distresses in regard of the many miseries and calamities which daily happen that we by and by flee vnto God resting our selues vpon his onely prouidence for we shall be at our wits end euen for the wagging of a straw if wee haue not this doctrine for our refuge by sustaining our hearts therewith But the better to see the Prophets meaning wee may well adde a particle aduersatiue here in this sense Although I be now oppressed with many temptations on euery side yet will I still acknowledge thee to be my God The assuraÌ„ce of Gods sauour giues vs ample matter of ioy and reioicing euen in the greatest troubles And thus he voweth to giue vnto God that praise which vnto him appertaineth which none of vs can doe vnlesse an assured perswasion of Gods grace doe raigne and beare sway in our hearts from whence springs that ioy which affords vs exceeding ample matter of praises when being certaine of our saluation we are assured that the Lord is our God For all those that are not caried with an affection to magnifie Gods goodnes in the middest of their sorrowes know not what faith is The faithfull may bee daunted for a time but faith gets the victorie neither yet did they euer taste the sweetnesse of his mercy for if wee haue a sure confidence in God we must of necessitie extoll his name with ioy and gladnesse of heart A wonderfull thing The singular number is put for the plurall Now the Prophet rests not in the contemplation of present things but rather lookes to the end of them for you shall haue euen profane men that will be affected at the wonderfull euents of things which fall out in the gouernement of the world and will stand amazed thereat as no doubt the Tyrians Sidonians Babylonians and Moabites did Who they are that profit by the view of Gods works But none could benefit themselues by this sight but such as therewithall had a taste and feeling of Gods wisdome and goodnesse for without that men doe rather scorne and despise such workes then apprehend the excellencie of them because they looke not to the end that God aimeth at to wit 2. Cor. 4.6 that by drawing light out of darknesse he is wont after a wonderfull manner How God is wont to deale with his Church to raise vp and reuiue his Church in the middest of death orders and disposeth rightly and to good vse those things which the wit of man conceiues to be exceedingly confused But the better to set forth the commendation of Gods prouidence he addes The counsels ordained of old as if he should say Nothing falles out suddenly or at randome in respect of God And indeede albeit to vs it often seemes he doth things vtterlie at vnawares yet is it most certaine that he hath foreseene and appointed all of theÌ„ so to come to passe before the creation of the world By these words then the Prophet meant to say that all the wonders which happen beyond the expectation of men flow from the order of this moderation which God keeps in the gouernment and disposition of all things from the beginning vnto the end Now because we are not able to attaine to his secret counsels and that our wits can not mount so high we must be brought to the manifestation of that which for the present is hidden from vs and is aboue our reach till such time as the Lord discouer the same vnto vs by his word by which he applies himselfe to our weakenes because his secret counsell is incomprehensible Isaiah therefore descends by and by from these hidden ordinances of God to the doctrine of the word and the promises therein coÌ„tained Isaiâ—h descends fâ—om Gâ—ds secret will to his reuealed will which doubtlesse he comprehends vnder the word Truth For this repetition should be to little purpose vnlesse he had had some relation in this word for after God hath by it reuealed his counsell vnto vs then he properlie appeares to be true if we beleeue and credit his sayings Thus then the Prophet commends the stablenes and certentie of the word when he calles it a stable truth as if he should say All things which God pronounceth and proceed from him is stable and immoueable Vers 2. For thou hast made of a Citie an heape of a strong Citie a ruine euen the palace of strangers of a Citie it shall neuer be built SOme referre this to Ierusalem but I rather thinke it to be a change of the number only which is a thing very vsuall among the Prophets for Isaiah speakes not of one Citie alone but of many which he foretels should be laid vpon heapes Whereas others take it that Ierusalem serued for a palace to the Romanes they come nothing nigh the Prophets meaning which will plainely appeere if we call to mind what hath been said before to wit that the Prophet busies not himselfe in thinking of the scourges wherwith God hath afflicted diuers nations but rather aimes at the end and issue of them For by them the Lord purposed to subdue and tame the pride and rebellion of men whom he could neuer haue subdued vnto himselfe vnlesse they had been smitten with diuers calamities Moreouer Isaiah saith not only that strangers shall inhabit the surprized Cities out of which they were driuen that dwelt in them for so that which he by and by addes would not agree to wit that the palace shall be no more a Citie but his meaning is that vagabonds who should haue no place of abode at all shall find sufficient roome there because the inhabitants shal betake them to their heeles Now because Armon signifies goodly houses he saith by way of derision that theeues shall dwell there as in Palaces in regard of the great space which should lie waste like vnto a desert Vers 3. Therefore shall the mightie people giue glorie vnto thee the Citie of the strong nations shall feare thee SEe heere the end whereof I haue spoken in the first verse for if the Lord should destroy the world no fruit would come of it such a desolation could ingender nothing but horror neither would it euer bring vs neerer vnto God to praise him nay contrariwise we must needs remaine as blocks wheÌ„
his father worshipped Iosh 24.2 But he redeemed him often besides that to wit when he was in danger in Egypt and in Gerar Gen. 12.17 20.14 Also when he discomfited the Kings Gen. 14.16 Lastly when God granted him issue euen at the time when hee was past power to beget any Gen. 21.2 For albeit the Prophet had a speciall respect to Gods adoption when he commanded him to goe out of his fathers house yet vnder this redemption he comprehends also all the benefits which God bestowed vpon him for we see that Abraham was not redeemed onely once that is from extrem dangers and perils of death Now if the Lord raised vp his Church in the onely person of Abraham and that in such a time as he had lost all strength to beget any children to conserue the same after him will not the Lord preserue it for the time to come when in mans iudgement it was as good as forlorne A singular consolation What a miserable waste was there of the Church at the comming of Christ How many enemies were there which opposed the same Yet did he set vp this his kingdome in despite of them all the Church florished and made all the world to wonder at the glorie of it Let vs not doubt then but that the Lord will in his due time manifest his power both in auenging himselfe vpō the enemies of his Church which oppresse it and in restoring of her to her first beautie When he saith Iaacob shall not be confounded we often see that the faithful are constrained to hang downe their heads with shame as Ieremie witnesseth I will put my mouth in the dust Lament 3.29 Also Micha Mich. 7.16 saith The time is come in which the wise shall put their hands vpon their mouth and licke the dust for when the Lord corrects his people so sharplie the faithfull must needes bee confounded therewith But the Prophet afterward shewes that this shall not indure for euer Let vs not dispaire then in aduersitie for albeit the wicked make vs their laughing stockes and lade vs with all the indignities in the world Harken to this O thou troubled soule and know it for thy selfe Iob. 5.27 yet will the Lord in the end draw vs out of this shame and confusion of face Yet the Lord therewithall shewes that this fauor belongs not vnto such proud ones who either are obstinate or oppose their hard heads against Gods blowes that hee laies vpon them but that it onely belongs vnto the humble who are bowed with shame walking humbly with their heads bowed downe But may some obiect Obiect how can it bee said that Iacob shall not be confounded seeing he was dead long before it seemes hee attributes some feeling to the dead and then they know what we doe in this world thence the Papists argue that the dead know all that we doe I answer Ans there is here the faining of a person which is often found in the Scriptures in which sense Ieremy saith That a voice was heard in Ramah Rachel weeping for her children and would not be comforted for them because they were not Ier. 31.15 For in that place he sets forth the destructiō of the Tribe of Beniamin by the lamentation of Rachel which was the grandmother as it were So Isaiah brings in Iaacob couered with shame and confusion in regard of the vices and wickednesses of his posteritie For as a wise sonne is the glory of his father so a foole is an heauinesse to his mother Prou. 10.1 Although mothers doe cocker their children most yet are they ashamed when they see them offend How much more fathers then Simile whose loue being guided by discretion are chiefly carefull for the well ordering and instructing of their children Must they not needs be much more grieued in seeing them wax wicked and dissolute But the Prophet meant here to touch the people to the quicke in setting Iaacob their father before them who being adorned with such rare graces of God was now dishonoured by his successors so as if himselfe had been present to haue seene them it would haue constrained him to blush for shame He therefore taxeth the vnthankfulnesse of the people who in stead of honouring dishonored their father Vers 23. * Or for whē he shall se◠c. But when hee seeth his children the worke of mine hands in the middest of him they shall sanctifie my name and sanctifie the holie one of Iaacob and shall feare the God of Israel THe particle Chi is here to bee read in its proper signification to wit For because the Prophet giues a reason why the shame of Israel should be taken away that is he should haue children raised vp vnto him againe as it were from death to life In that the Lord cals them the worke of his hands I nothing doubt but he therein meant to expresse the admirable worke of their redemption for he makes those new men as it were whom hee adopt◠and ioines vnto him for his children as it is said Psal 102.19 The people that shall be created shall praise the Lord in which place the holie Ghost doth in like manner speake of the restauration of the Church See chap. 4◠7 For there is no mention heere of that vniuersall creation of mankind vnder which all good and bad are comprehended as wee haue often said but he now brings vs to the knowledge of his power to the end we should not iudg◠of the saluation of the Church by viewing her present estate Here therefore wee must note diuers oppositions first betweene the deformitie of the Church and her beautie or excellencie betweene glory and shame secondly betweene the people of God and other nations thirdly betweene the worke of Gods hands and the worke of men for the Church can no way be reestablished but by the onely hand of God fourthly betweene her florishing estate and that miserable waste by which she was pittifully rent in sunder before For he calles the middest of her a perfect restauration by which the people shall be so reunited and ioyned together that she shall not only possesse the borders of the land but the middest and the chiefe place thereof also Lastly he shewes what the end of our redemption is The end of our redemption noted whē he saith That they shal sanctifie his name for we are all created to the end Gods goodnes may be magnified amongst vs. But because the most part of men doe shun this end God hath chosen his Church in which his praises do sound and continue as it is said in the Psalme 65.2 Praise waiteth for thee ô God in Zion Praise waiteth for the Lord but it is in Zion Now because many sheep in the flock grow corrupt the Prophet assignes this office to the faithfull whom God miraculouslie had preserued Moreouer because the hypocrites honour God with their lips and are farre from him in their hearts as we haue
called the first borne of euery creature Colos 1.13 so the Church also which is his bodie obteines in this world the preheminence of dignitie and honour I leaue the Rabbins to their rauings Rauings of the Rabbins when they say that God created the Messiah and Ierusalem with a throne of glorie before he formed heauen or earth But we must hold this principle that he will be the faithfull gardian of his Church seeing he hath vouchsafed to preferre it before all the world besides As touching that which followes in the end of the verse And should I now bring it to this point Some draw it to a sense altogether wrested I denie not but the Prophets words are in the preterperfectence Now I haue brought it and put it but because the change of the tence is very familiar and vsuall in the Hebrue tongue it is certaine that the Prophet hauing affirmed that God is in such wise the former of his Church that it is the chiefest of all his works he now thence concludes that it can not be ruinated as other common things are It must be read by an Interrogation then Shall I bring it now or should I suffer it to be brought As if he should say Should I suffer it to be raced as other Cities which are quite ouerthrowne and laid on heapes For he compares Ierusalem with other Cities which were destroyed and subdued by the Assyrian that so they might know that this Tyrant should not so easily obtaine that which he desired because the difference is great betweene it and other Cities which haue beene raced to the foundation It must not be compared then with other Cities how well fortified soeuer they be because they with the earthlie matter of which they consist shall easily fall but albeit the Church be but weake and feeble in outward shew yet hath shee such a stable and firme foundation laid in Gods secret election that it can neuer be ouerturned by any tempests whatsoeuer The glory of the Roman Empire gone We see strange changes haue befallen the world Commonwealths haue been turned topsie turuie Empires abolished mightie nations subdued and their renowne and glorie extinguished What is now become of the glory of the Roman Empire What is become of the Nobles of this people who were the Lords of all the earth If any reliques thereof remaine which is very small is it not brought vnder the miserable slauerie of that cursed monster That Antichrist of Rome an exec able monster I meane Antichrist who exerciseth his tyranny ouer al the earth Where is now the liberty which Rome once inioied Where is that goodly forme of a Common-wealth which was once to be seene there Rome may now well be called the shop of all mischiefe and impietie Rome may now be called the shop of al imipâ—ty and a cage of euery vncleane bird But in the midst of all these horrible confusions the Lord shewes that he wil preserue Ierusalem that is to say his Church and albeit among these changes she be tossed vp and downe and diuersly afflicted yet she shall stand fast notwithstanding At least the shakings and persecutions which she suffers shall not hinder her so that by many resurrections as it were she should not still be renued and multiplied from age to age Now although the members of the Church are not alwaies of one ranke in this world yet it is one and the same body knit by ioints and bands to one head Iesus Christ Thus then The Lord will keepe and defend the Citie and will cause the children of his seruants to continue that their seede may be established for euer Psal 102.28 Vers 27. * Or For the. Whose inhabitants * Ebr. are short in haÌ„d haue small power and are afraid and confounded They are like the grasse of the field and greene hearb or grasse on the house toppes or corne blasted before it be growne THe Prophet now better expresseth that which hee touched in briefe before to wit that the estate of the Church is not to be iudged according to that which she is in this world for though the strongest Cities be taken that the most valiant doe faile in heart and fall into their enemies hands yet the Church shall remaine and florish because she rests not vpon her owne strength neither hath she her foundation from earth but from heauen For there is a close opposition here betweene strong Cities which the inhabitants cannot keepe because they are frighted and troubled and the Church of God which being vpheld by his onely grace sustaines all assaults and is neuer vanquished for she referres all things to God onely who giues her beginning and being continues her strength indues her with constancie and all sorts of benefits in a word with all the parts of her saluation Hence we are taught that all the fortresses in the world are nothing vnlesse God be the watchman All the forces of men are but as shiuering reeds vnlesse they be sustained by his power castels ramparts and weapons bee they neuer so many and inuincible without him shall serue their turnes nothing at all This is yet better expressed by the similitudes which are added For it was necessarie that the faithfull should bee well informed touching the loue and singular affection which the Lord bare towards them lest they should be offended at the prosperitie of the prophane and wicked Albeit humane forces then be neuer so glorious in outward appearance and make all the goodly shewes that can be deuised yet the Prophet affirmes that it is but like the grasse and flowers of the field The first Simile which are greene and florish for a time and suddenly are gone He abaseth them more by the other similitude which hee ads touching the grasse vpon the house tops The second Simile whose stalkes are high and easie to be seene of all but if they grow vpon any high place then are they neerest their withering being neuer fit for any vse as the Psalmist saith for the reaper filles not his hand nor the gleaner his lap and therefore the passers by say not so much as God speed you Psal 129.6 7. So albeit the enemies of the Church be like the tall Cedars whose toppes touch the heauens as it were and florish by inioying the world at will yet shall they in a moment wither and come to nothing As the corne then which growes on the ground serues to much better vse then the vnfruitfull grasse which growes on the house top so the Lord shewes that the base and abiect condition of his seruants is much more excellent then theirs who by reason of their power exalt themselues so farre as to iustle against the Lord of heauen and earth Some thinke that that which is added touching the corne blasted should be the fourth similitude but as I thinke the Prophet would haue it serue as an exposition of the former similitude as if he should say
and let them take counsell together who hath declared this froÌ„ the beginning or hath told it of old Haue not I the Lord and there is none other God besides mee a iust God a Sauiour there is none besides me A comparisoÌ„ betweene Gods predictions and those of the Idols AGaine hee protests against all such as might trouble the Iewes or weaken their faith by their scornings For the Prophet aimes alwaies at this marke to wit that hee may fortifie the peoples faith against the assaults of the Gentiles because the poore Iews who were so extreamly handled were in danger of staggering in the midst of so many great and violent temptations had they not had some pregnant arguments set before them to hold them in their faith and obedience towards the true God Thus then hee permits the prophane to bring in whatsoeuer they can for the maintenance of their cause Where he saith let them consult together it is added in token of the greater boldnesse and confidence for the Prophets meaning is that they shall gaine nothing as wee haue said before albeit they conspire neuer so much together It may be also hee meant to shew how there was nought else but vanitie and deceit in all that which the Idolaters dreame of touching the excusing of their errors Make what pretences you will then saith he to colour your inuentions yet shall Gods word be strong enough to sustaine the faith of his seruants Hee calles them therefore to a right examination of things that they may compare all the brags of the Infidels touching the predictions of their Idols with the Law and the prophecies I willingly receiue that which is affirmed by all to wit that the Prophet speakes of the deliuerance of the people But in regard the ouerthrow of the Babylonian Monarchy was ioined therewithall therefore I thinke one of these things is compared with the other And because one sentence is repeated twice these two words Mikkedem and Mean are as much in effect as if he had said From the beginnig and from the times past for this prophecie was published long time before the things prophecied were accomplished whereby the faithfull might euidently perceiue that it was God which spake To prescience he addes his power as we haue often said and yet withall he shewes to what end God is powerfull euen to saue his people Vers 22. Looke vnto mee and yee shall bee saued all the ends of the earth shall be saued for I am God and there is none other HItherunto hee hath spoken onely to the Iewes Now the Prophet turnes his speech from the Iewes to the Gentiles as if saluation appertained to none but them Now he extends his speech further off for he cals a great audience to him euen the whole world to partake of the hope of saluation and therewithall condemnes all nations of vnthankfulnes if in giuing themselues still to be seduced with erâ—ors they obstinately shunned the cleere light which was offered For can a man commit a greater sinne then directly to reiect his owne saluation God commands all then to looke vnto him to which Commandement he addes a Promise for this hath greater weight in it and confirmes the matter much more then if he had set it downe simply by way of a command We haue in this text therefore an excellent testimony touching the vocation of the Gentiles wherein wee see how the Lord indifferently calles all sorts of men vnto him the partition wall being broken downe which separated betweene the Iewes and the Gentiles Eph. 2.14 Moreouer wee are heere taught the true meanes how to obtaine saluation euen to looke vnto God and to turne vnto him with our whole heart But we must looke vnto him with the eie of faith that we may imbrace the saluation promised to all in Iesus Christ For God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne that vvhosoeuer beleeues in him might not perish but haue euerlasting life Iohn 3.16 Now when hee exhorts all the ends of the earth All haue erred he shewes that all men haue hitherunto erred out of the right way haue had no respect vnto the true God for where infidelitie raignes there God cannot be discerned from Idols In a word he shewes that the condemnation of the whole world ariseth from doting vpon their owne inuentions whereby they forsake the liuing God for from the knowledge of him flowes eternall and assured saluation The way to saluation described The Lord then reacheth out his hand to saue all nations and shewes them what way they should take to obtaine it And thus it appeares it fel not out by chance that the Gospell was generally preached vnto all nations vnder heauen but that it proceeded from Gods decree who had ordained it so to come to passe long before Yet hee accuseth the Gentiles of blindnesse as I haue said ere while in that they turned their eies after vanities and ranne which way soeuer their giddie spirits led them For howsoeuer by nature they could not find out the true God hauing from their infancie been trained vp in superstitions and were bewitched with them yet God had iust cause notwithstanding to blame them for the prophane contempt of his grace Hypocrisie you know is alwaies wrapped in ignorance Hypocrisie alwaies mixed with ignorance so as men had rather bee deceiued through vaine deceits then to be led the straight way vnto God Vers 23. I haue sworne by my selfe the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousnesse and shall not returne * O that is euery knee c that euerie knee shall bow vnto mee and euerie tongue shall sweare by me HE addes a more manifest confirmation to the former sentence A confiâ—mation of the fâ—rmer sentence for because this calling was extraordinary and vnheard of hee therefore addes an oath as men are wont to doe in things that are strange and hard to be credited The Iewes might haue made replies in regard they were then reputed the onely elect people But in that he confirmes it with an oath all contention is taken away I grant the Prophet aimes againe at the same marke that he did in vers 6. to wit that Gods glory shall so shine in the restauration of the Church that all the world from the rising of the Sunne to the West shal admire the same or to tell it you in a word that the signes of Gods power shal so shine in this deliuerance that all nations shall bee confounded with feare and astonishment In the meane while hence wee may gather that which I touched before namely the Gentiles are heere equalled with the Iewes so as God shall be the common father of all and his name called vpon in all places Now God sweares by himselfe because there is none more sufficient to be a witnesse of his truth for he is the truth it selfe Men sweare by greater then themselues The câ—use of
because there was no such thing to be seene in outward appearance he brings vs to the soueraigne King who should set all things in their perfect estate and bids them to wait for him Now the oppositions which the Prophet heere vseth are diligentlie to be marked for he opposeth the highnes of this King whom the Lord would exalt to the poore and miserable condition of this people who were almost brought into despaire And he promiseth that this King shall be the head of the people who shall florish vnder so worthie a leader though now they be afflicted and brought to the gates of destruction Why so Because all things shall prosper that their King takes in hand He calles Christ a seruant in respect of the office which God had imposed vpon him For Christ is not to bee considered of heere as bearing the person of a priuate man but with that office which the Father had committed vnto him namely that he might be this leader and conducter of the Church and might restore all things And let vs for our part know that the things heere spoken of Christ doe also belong vnto vs. Chap. 9.6 Christ is giuen vs of God and therefore haue wee interest in his office For the Prophet might haue said in a word that he should be exalted and be verie high but in attributing to him the name of a seruant it is as much as if he had said Hee is thus exalted for your sakes Vers 14. As many were astonied at thee his visage was so deformed of men and his * Or beautie forme of the sonnes of men A preuention in this and the next verse HEe vseth this preuention in regard this maiestie and dignitie of Christ appeared not at the first blush for which cause they might take occasion to reiect him Therefore the Prophet shewes that Christ must first be humbled and made low And thus he preuents the doubts which might haue caused them to stagger in beholding his abiect and deformed estate As if he should say You must not despise this his basenesse and deformitie for it brings with it forthwith eternall felicitie By men I vnderstand not this by way of comparison as many expound it to wit More then men or Aboue that which falles out among men But I willingly accept of the plainest sense namely that Christ was deformed amongst men or that his beautie was defaced in regard of the peruerse iudgements of men All vvere astonished Some take this astonishment for that admiration which men were in when they saw the miracles which Christ did and yet being brought to the Crosse they straightway reiected him But they come nothing neere the Prophets meaning for hee saith that Christ shall be so deformed that all shall be astonied at him his basenesse of birth was such as all despised him his glory was hid vnder the infirmitie of flesh And howsoeuer a maiestie worthy of the onely begotten Sonne of God shined in him yet men discerned it not but they rather gazed vpon that his abasement which eclipsed and darkened his glory See heere the true cause of this astonishment then namely because he conuersed among men Luke 9.58 without any outward pompe For the Iewes expected not a Messias of so meane an estate Now at his crucifying this astonishment was augmented much more Saint Paul speakes of this abasement of Christ and then of his exaltation when hee saith He being in the forme of God thought it no robberie to be equall vvith God â—hil 2.6 and â—he verses â—ollowing but he humbled or emptied himselfe by taking vpon him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men and was found in shape as a man Hee humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto the death euen vnto the death of the Crosse Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him and giuen him a name aboue euery name that at the name of Iesus euery knee should bow both of things in heauen and things in earth and things vnder the earth and that euery tongue should confesse that Iesus is the Lord vnto the glory of God the Father Christ humbled before he was exalted It was needfull theÌ„ that Christ should first be humbled and shamefully intreated and that this glory into which hee was exalted should not appeare at the first But after his humiliation vpon the Crosse came a glorious resurrection with a soueraigne degree of honour Vers 15. So shall hee sprinkle manie nations the Kings shall shut their mouthes at him for that which had not been told them shall they see and that which they had not heard shall they vnderstand OThers expound He shall distill so vnder a figure taking it To speake But seeing the verbe Nasa signifies to sprinkle and being so taken in the holy Scriptures I had rather follow this interpretation His meaning is that the Lord shall spread his word among many nations In the next place he addes the effect of this doctrine in saying that Kings shall shut their mouthes in signe of astonishment but yet diuers from that which he mentioned before for men shut their mouthes and stand astonished when the matter is of such consequence that they are vnable to expresse it because they can finde no wordes wherewith to vtter the same They shall see that vvhich vvas not told them The Prophet shewes that this astonishment shall not proceede from the bare sight of Christs person but rather from the preaching of the Gospell for though he rose againe yet all esteemed him dead if the glory of his resurrection had not been published The preaching of the gospel therfore manifested those things which neither the eye had seene nor the eare heard of before 1. Cor. 2.9 as also in regard the publishing of this doctrine came to Kings and nations farre off euen to the ends of the world Saint Paul alleadgeth this text and shewes that it was fulfilled in his ministerie reioicing that hee had preached the Gospell to those who had neuer heard of it Rom. 15.21 For this is the office of an Apostle The Apostles office and not of euery Minister now Thus then our Prophet shewes that the kingdome of Christ shall not be shut vp in so narrow bounds as within the â—and of Iudeah but should spread it selfe furlther off The Iewes vnderstood somewhat by the Law and the Prophets but the Gentiles knew nothing at all This therefore by consequence belongs vnto them Faith consists in certaintie of knowledge Shall vnderstand By this hee shewes that faith consists in certentie in assured knowledge for where this wants No faith without certaintie of knowledge there faith questionlesse is not Whence we may discerne how ridiculous the opinion of the Papists is touching their implicite faith in beleeuing as the Church beleeues which indeede is nothing else but an absurd ignorance or to say better a meere circle and blinde imagination THE LIII CHAPTER Vers 1. Who will beleeue
dwell there Moreouer Vse these things ought to bee applied to our desolate times For howsoeuer the Lord permits his Church to be raced and to lie long in her ruines without any hope at all of being restored yet let vs confirme and strengthen our hearts with these promises for it is Gods proper and peculiar office to build vp and to renue the things which for a long timc haue beene ruinated and lien rotting in a perpetuall consumption But wee haue handled this matter before in Chap. 58. Vers 5. And the strangers shall stand and feede your sheep and the sonnes of the strangers shall be your plowmen and dressers of your vines HIs meaning is that the strangers shall bee readie to obey them For in respect they were at that time diuided from other nations no man would lend them their hand And therefore hee saith that the strangers doe stand that is to say are readie prest to meete and to succour them Where he addes that they shall feede their sheepe and shall be the plowmen and vinedressers these are borowed kinds of speeches For the Prophet speakes of Christs kingdome which is spirituall and sets foorth the perfect felicitie thereof vnder these figures that we might the better conceiue of those things which are here proposed vnto vs by examples Let vs know therefore that wee shall bee truely happie when Christ shall reigne ouer vs for by meanes thereof many commodities whereof the posteritie of Adam is worthily depriued Who shall be tâ—uly happie when Christ shall reigne ouer vs. shall be restored vnto vs vnawares Vers 6. But yee shall be named the Priests of the Lord and men shall say vnto you The Ministers of our God yee shall eate the riches of the Gentiles and shall be exalted with their glory THis verse giues vs a little better light into the former for in the second part thereof Isaiah foretels that the faithfull shall eate the riches of the Gentiles and shall be exalted with their glorie The Iewes lay hold of these places with great earnestnesse and greedily deuoure al the goods of other nations as if one day they should be masters of all and glorie as if all the pompe of the world should fall to their shares But for our better vnderstanding of these things wee must especially obserue two points First that the Prophets minding to set forth the glorie and felicitie of Christs kingdome Two points must be obserued for the better vnderstanding of the Prophets borrow similitudes from things belonging to men Secondlie in speaking of the Church they so conioyne the head with the members that sometimes they rather respect him then the members Neither must we reape this fruition of other mens goods as if those which should bee conuerted vnto Christ should gripe vnto themselues riches glorie or the dignities of others for this would not stand with the rules of charitie But in respect that all things should be subiected vnder Christs dominion that so he might obtaine the soueraigne rule and authoritie ouer them This is it which I haue alreadie said to wit that the Prophet hath not so much regard of the members as of the head himselfe But when riches are brought vnder Christs power then they are called ours because he hath nothing which belongs not to his spouse the Church It is said in chap. 45.14 in the same sense that the enemies of Christ shall fall downe at his feet and make supplicâ—tion vnto him and yet this is done to the Church in whom they acknowledge Christ submit themselues vnto his doctrine See chap. 60.14 Jsaiah then shewes what the Father will giue to the Sonne who hath lawfull power ouer all the world to whom also all things ought to be subiect In the meane while we must not omit that which I touched erewhile namely that God feedes his elect liberally in this world to the end thy might feele that their estate is better then that of the infidels For howsoeuer they may want many things yet a little contents them for which they giue God heartie thankes so as their wants to them are much better then all the wealth of the world is to the wicked By the word Priests hee shewes that the condition of the common people shall bee much better then it was in times past As if he shuld say Hitherunto the Lord hath chosen you for his heritage onely but hereafther he will indue you with more excellent giftes for hee will make you Priests Now howsoeuer all the people were a kingdome of Priests Exod. 19.6 yet wee know that the Tribe of Leui onelie exercised this office Deut. 33.10 But our Prophet here testifies that afterward it shall be common to all Yet this was not manifested till Christ came I grant that the restauration of the Church began at the returne of the people out of Babylon but in the end at Christs comming the faithfull were adorned with this dignitie Hereunto appertaines that which is written in 1. Pet. 2.9 You are an holy nation a royall Priesthood But withall we ought diligently to note what this kind of Priesthood is for we must no more offer vnto God any brute beasts but reasonable men must now be offered and sacrificed to the obedience of Christ According to which S. Paul saith that hee offered vp the Gentiles by the sword of the Gospell that they might afterwards yeeld their obedience vnto God Rom. 15.19 Hence we see how childishly the Papists trifle in abusing this place to proue their priesthood Childishnes of Papists in proouing their Priesthood for the Pope and his chaplens ordaine Priests to sacrifice to Iesus Christ and not to teach his people both which Moses ioines together in Deut. 33.10 But Christ offered vp himself by an eternall redemption he only once for all hath performed this Priestly office Heb. 9.12 Minding that the fruit of this sacrifice should now be offered vnto vs by the preaching of the Gospell They which vsurp this office are sacrilegious persons namely such as wil reiterate that which Christ hath by himselfe accomplished Euery one ought rather to offer himselfe with all that hee hath vnto God Rom. 12.1 that he may exercise this Priesthood as hee ought to doe Secondly the Ministers who are especially called to teach ought to vse the sword of Gods word to offer vp and to consecrate men vnto God Lastly those are indeede faithfull and true Ministers who enterprise nothing of their owne heads but boldly and vprightly put those commandements in execution which they haue receiued from God Vers 7. For your shame you shall receiue double * Or honour and for confusion they shal reioyce in their portion for in their land they shall possesse the double euerlasting ioy shall be vnto them HE confirmes the former sentence A confirmation of the former sentence where he had said that the faithful which mourned being couered with sackcloth and ashes should be sprinkled vvith the
condemnes not the sacrifices but the corruptions mingled therewith namely in that the Iewes thought that God contented himselfe with vaine appearances and themselues in the meane while neglected his feare and the hauing of a good conscience Hee speakes not of the thing it selfe then but taxeth the persons who abused the sacrifices For in thus doing they offered him no better then the emptie shels His meaning brieflie is to say That God approoues of none other sacrifices but such as proceede from a pure heart and a sincere affection In the meane while it is very likely the Prophet alludes to those horrible and monstrous sacrifices of the Gentiles For they sacrificed men aliue or buried them quicke in the earth And the Romanes who thought themselues more deuout then others yea and the Iewes also abstained not from so horrible and execrable a crime Nay which more is these men in their inconsiderate zeale defiled themselues with the murthering of many children thinking therin forsooth to imitate their father Abraham Gen. 22.10 And Isaiah therfore saith that in sacrificing an oxe it was al one as if they had cut a mans throate And thus he shewes that albeit the Iewes had a religiō apart by themselues and such a one as was ordained by God yet were they esteemed no better then the prophane heathen among whom all things were filthie and vncleane Also that God approued no more of the one then of the other in regard his name was no lesse profaned by their hyprocrisie then by the superstitions Gods name no lesse prophaned by hypocrisie then by superstition of the Gentiles But in another place we haue shewed how needfull this admonition was For though the Iewes were sufficiently conuinced of all manner of abominations yet they iudged themselues in good case as long as they might lie lurking vnder this couerture The Prophet therefore meets with them in their turnings and affirmes that they shall gaine no more by thinking thus to pacifie God then if they offered vp vnto him the sacrilegious abominations of the heathen When in the end of the verse he saith yea or in truth the place may be translated two waies because the relatiue may agree as well to the Gentiles as to the Iewes namely that the Iewes had mingled intangled themselues in the idolatries of the Gentiles or that they followed theit owne inuentions The first exposition is not much amisse were it not constrained for he spake not of the Gentiles before And the height of the Iewes impietie consisted in this that besides the abuse of Gods pure worship and contempt of the law they had prophaned the Temple and all other places with wicked and cursed superstitions They set vp Altars they planted groues they set foorth plaies and sights so as they walked after euery thing that was set vp to corrupt their minds Thus there was a mingle mangle of all superstions betweene them and the heathen such as is at this day to bee seene in the papacie Where wee behold many fragments patched together of all sorts of superstitions not only Jewish and heathinesse Popish superstitions Iewish Heathenish and diuellish but also newly inuented by the diuell himselfe that by meanes thereof they might vnder such goodlie shewes the more easily cosen and deceiue the world The Prophet then meant to say that both themselues and their companions deserued double condemnation because whilest they gloried in the name of God and made profession of his seruice they were not ashamed to pollute the same with the sacrileges of idolatrous nations The other exposition is not obscure and it also sutes well namely that the Iewes were addicted to follow the vanitie of their owne inuentions and so followed their abominations And thus he affirmes that such serue not God with a pure affection who at their pleasure despise him Not onely in respect that they are stuffed full of auarice hatred ambition guile crueltie and robberies but in regard that by their inuentions they had corrupted Gods seruice And albeit the relatiue ought to bee vnderstood of the Iewes yet the Prophet therewithall condemnes all the superstitions which they had borrowed from prophane nations Thus there is no great difference in respect of the thing it selfe For he only teacheth that whatsoeuer proceeded from them was filthie and abominable because they had malepertly and rebelliously shaken off Gods yoke so as impiety raigned among them in euery place Simile For how can those riuers be pure and cleane which receiue nothing but mier and durt from an impure fountaine Their choice and desire did more manifestly discouer their obstinacie for hauing wittingly cast Gods commandements behind their backes they applied their minds vnto things vtterly contrarie thereunto as if of set purpose they had determined to reiect whatsoeuer proceeded from God that they might yeeld obedience to their owne peruerse lusts Vers 4. Therefore will I chuse out their delusions and I wil bring their feare vpon them because I called and none would answere I spake and they would not heare but they did euill in my sight and chose the things that I would not THe Prophet meant to say that the Iewes should gaine nothing by seeking out goodly pretences and starting holes because God cannot bee deluded by the fained and coloured words of men For what reason is it indeede that wee should measure God according to our blind reason neither is it meete he should stand to mans arbitrement but wee must iudge of his workes by his word Gods works must be iudged of by his word J will chuse out That is to say I will so disperse the fogges and mists which they labour to spread abroad that all shall be able to discerne of the illusions They seeme now to steale away in their darke but a time will come wherein they shall bee laid open as at noone day The summe The summe is that in regard the Iewes were addicted to such a licentiousnesse that they preferred whatsoeuer pleased them before Gods commandements it shuld also come to passe that God would also take his turne at his pleasure to discouer all their iuglings Vnder the word feare he repeates one and the same thing according to the custome of the Hebrues thus I will cause them to know that they haue erred in such wise that that which they feared shall fall vpon their owne heads Whereby you see that their turnings and windings should stand them in no stead in confounding the truth with lies or to cloake their superstitions and all because the Lord hath skill enough to separate the one from the other For J haue called The Prophet doth againe condemne the obstinacie of the Iewes who could not abide that the Lord should correct them There is but on onely remedy left to tame our vices But one remedie left to tame our vices that is to hearken vnto God speaking when hee labours to bring vs into the right way But if we
10.24 For he opposeth iudgement to vvrath as in 2. Sam. 7.14 it is said that he chastiseth vs with the rods of men because he wil not come against vs himselfe to vtter all his force in punishing vs lest we shuld be forthwith ground to powder The Iewes pray not simplie against afflictions But it is worth the noting that they do not simply desire to be freed from Gods iudging of them but so offer themselues to be chastised that the blowes may not dash them to pieces And this is the cause why they desire that the memorie of their iniquities may be blotted out for if God should not shew thē mercie this way there should be no end of their miseries The Prophet repeates that which he had said before in vers 8. namely Behold we are thy people that God had chosen Abrahams posteritie For the best assurance they had to obtaine pardon was that God being true of his promises could not reiect those whom he had once adopted In speaking of all he meanes not euery one in particular but comprehends the whole body of the Church And howsoeuer the greatest part of them were cut off by their wicked reuolt yet this was true that the Iewes were Gods peculiar people Neither was this prayer made for all indifferentlie but only for the little flock of the faithfull Now the people set not forth their merits before God but flee to his free couenant by which they were adopted For this indeed is the sure and only recourse the faithfull haue this I say is a remedie against all mischiefes and that is the reason why Moses and all the Prophets doe so often repeate the same Deut. 32.13 Vers 10. Thine holy cities lie wast Sion is a wildernes and Ierusalem a desert THe Church here againe recounts her miseries The Church recountes her miserie againe in this and in the verse following that she might thereby bow the Lord to compassion and forgiuenes She saith the Cities were wasted and for an amplification she addes that Zion is become a wildernes for it was the seate royall in which God would be called vpon Then he addes Ierusalem wherein Zion was For it seemed strange that the Citie which God had consecrated to himselfe should be laid on heapes and wasted by the enemie The Prophet calles them Cities of holines in respect that as God had sanctified the people so was it his will that the Cities yea the whole countrie shuld be consecrated vnto him Seeing the Cities then were dedicated vnto God they were rightly called holy because God raigned therein and was called vpon in them What Cities deserue to be called Gods holinesse And thus we may call those Cities of holinesse in which God is purely worshipped hauing abandoned all superstitions Vers 11. The house of our sanctuarie and of our glory where our fathers praised thee is burnt vp with fire and all our pleasant things are wasted THe sanctuarie is otherwise attributed to the people then to God For it being a pledge of that holy vnion betweene God and the people it is often called the house of God because it answered to his holinesse Heere the faithfull call it their sanctuarie in regard they were thence to draw their sanctitie which they yet confirme more apparantly by the word glory For they confesse they had nothing to glory in but the Temple wherein God was pleased to bee worshipped and serued And yet we see that this their reioicing was often vaine in so much that Ieremiah reproues them for it saying Trust not in lying words to wit The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord this is the Temple of the Lord Ier. 7.4 But as the boasting of such as made faire shewes and grew insolent in regard of some titles was vaine so on the contray they reioiced rightly who honoured Gods ordinance laid it vp in their hearts and also resting vpon the testimonie of the word were assured to dwell vnder his protection who had chosen out a perpetuall habitation for himselfe in the middest of them For the Temple was built by the commandement of God so as the Iewes might well boast that they had God for the vpholder of their saluation But because his seruice was then marred and corrupted and that all in a manner ran riot after superstitions and impietie the Prophet mentions the time past and not the time present As if he should say Albeit vvee haue not yeelded thee that obedience vvhich vve ought to haue done yet behold it is thy Temple still wherein our fathers serued thee purely and vvilt thou suffer it to be prophaned and to lie waste VVill not this reproch redound to thine owne dishoner seeing this building vvas erected for thy vvorshippe The Iewes plead not their merits heere neither dawbe they ouer their sinnes no they rather confesse and lay them open onely they put God in minde of his seruice that in remembring his holy couenant hee would not permit his promises to bee fruitlesse And all the faithfull ought to imitate this their example The verbe To praise is taken to giue thanks as if he should say In this Temple the lamentable ruine whereof breakes the hearts of the faithfull in sunder in times past thy praises were wont to sound when thou diddest entertaine thy people there in thy mercy and compassion Vers 12. Wilt thou hold thy selfe still at these things O Lord Wilt thou hold thy peace and afflict vs aboue measure THe people fortifie thēselues in vndoubted hope that God will not suffer his glorie to be thus trampled vnder foote though he be prouoked to wrath by mens infinite offences Hypocrites reape no consolation at all by this but these things indeed belong onely to such as are touched with a true sense of Gods mercy Such conclude and are certainly perswaded that howsoeuer death doth menace them yet God hauing regard to his owne glory will at the least bee mercifull to some that so the whole seed perish not VVilt thou afflict vs Isaiah shewes that God cannot forget his mercie Why so Because he cannot deny himselfe for his glory is ioined with our saluation Gods glory ioined with our saluatiō And this is a thing diligently to be noted or hauing spoken before of Gods glory now he addes wilt thou afflict vs aboue measure The Lord then will moderate his corrections for his glory requires it that wee bee deliuered from death which glory he can in no wise neglect Let vs then take vp this praier as oft as our enemies inuade vs not after the manner of hypocrites who make a great craking of Gods glory whereof they haue neither taste nor feeling Vse But let vs come vnto it with faith and repentance that so wee may truly reape the fruit of this glory THE LXV CHAPTER Vers 1. I haue been sought of them that asked not I was found of them that sought me not I said Behold me behold me vnto a
nation that called not vpon my name In this verse the Prophet turnes from the Iewes to the Gentiles NOw the Prophet passeth ouer to the handling of another point of doctrine For he shewes that God hath iust cause to reiect and cast off the Iewes because neither admonitions nor threatnings would serue the turn to reclaime them from their errors nor to bring them againe into the right way But to the end they should not imagin that the couenant of the Lord should therefore be broken he addes that another people which then were of none account should come to him and that his name should bee honoured and magnified in the places where he was vnknowne before The Iewes thought this very strange and iudged thereof altogether contrary to that couenant which God had contracted with Abraham namely that such a grace should be communicated to any other nation then to his posteritie But the Prophet meant to plucke this vaine confidence away from them to the end they should not imagin that God was onely tied to the posteritie of Abraham For the Lord bound not himselfe vnto them but vpon a certaine condition which if they happened to breake they were to be held as traitors and disloiall and so by consequence depriued of the fruit of this couenant Besides the couenant was not onely made with Abraham and with his posteritie according to the flesh but also with all such as should bee ingrafted into the familie of this Patriarke by faith But it shall be more conuenient for vs to beginne at the second verse that so wee may the better vnderstand the Prophets meaning for there the cause of this reiection is expressed Vers 2. I haue spread out mine hands all the day vnto a rebellious people which walked in a way that was not good euen after their owne imaginations Heere hee shewes the reason of their reiection HEre hee accuseth the Iewes and complaines of their ingratitude and rebellion wherein he shewes that they haue no occasion giuen them to affirme that the Lord offered them any wrong if he made others partakers of the same grace with them The Iewes proudly insulted against God as if their merits had been the cause of their election But for this their insolencie and vnthankfulnesse the Lord reiects them as vnworthie and vpbraides them that hee hath but lost all his time in stretching foorth his hand vnto them to draw and vnite them to himselfe For by stretching foorth of the hands he signifies a dailie summoning of them Now the Lord is said to stretch foorth his hand diuers waies For hee drawes vs to him either by his workes or word but he principallie respects the latter in this place The Lord neuer speakes vnto vs but hee therewithall stretcheth foorth his hand to vnite vs vnto himselfe and causeth vs to feele that hee is neere vnto vs. Yea he so manifests his fatherly loue so willingly accepts of vs that if we yeeld not obedience vnto his voice we ought iustly to impute the same to our owne frowardnes Moreouer the clause all the day long aggrauates the fault greatly namely that God ceased not for the space of many yeeres together to send his Prophets one after another yea as it is said in Ier. 7.13 and 35.14 He rose early and stinted not his care and paines vntill the euening First hee calles them rebellious or disobedient Next he shewes what this rebellion was to wit Nothing displeaseth God more then when wee follow our owne inuentions the people walked after their owne imaginations for nothing is more displeasing vnto God then when men are giuen to follow their owne reason which he will haue vs to renounce that wee may be fit to comprehend the true doctrine The Lord heere protests then that he was not to be blamed for not vpholding the peoples good estate and that he fauoured them not as he was wont but that themselues through their folly had reuolted and loued rather to sticke to their owne inuentions then to follow him Now hauing spoken of this reiection it remaines that wee come to touch the calling of the Gentiles The calling of the Gentiles who succeeded in the roome of the Iewes for it is not to be doubted but hee speakes thereof in the first place Now the Lord had long before prophecied of this by Moses so as this was not to seeme any new thing As they haue prouoked me saith the Lord to ielousie with that which is no God and haue stirred me vp to wrath by their vanities so also will I moue them to ielosie by that which is no God and will prouoke them by a foolish nation Deut. 32.21 In a word the Prophet now pronounceth the same threatning which Christ thundered forth afterwards Matth. 21.43 when the time of their blinding drew neere The kingdome of God saith he shall be taken from you and shall be giuen to a nation that vvill bring forth the fruits of it Where hee saith in the former verse that God manifested himselfe to them that asked not after him it is to shew that the Gentiles were preuented with this grace of God without giuing him any occasion to receiue them into fauour either by merit or yet by any worthinesse at all of theirs Which manifestly agrees with that place which we haue alleaged out of Deut. 32. where Moses calles them a foolish nation Wherefore vnder this generall title he makes it apparant what men are before the Lord hath preuented them by his free grace for they neither call vpon him seeke him no nor so much as thinke vpon him This place then ought to bee well noted The key that opens vs the doore into Christs kingdome to establish the certaintie of our vocation which is as it were the key which opens vs the doore into Gods kingdome By this our consciences are quieted and appeased which otherwise would alwaies hang in doubt and be in perplexities were they not vpheld by such testimonies Wee see then that this was not written at a venture nor vpon some sudden motion namely Our vocatiō long since prophecied of that wee are called the people of God and are so accounted because it was thus foretold long since by many prophecies S. Paul from this place ingeniouslie disputes to prooue the calling of the Gentiles and saith that Jsaiah cries and boldly pronounceth that the Gentiles were called by the Lord Rom. 10.20 How so Because our Prophet expressed more here then the circumstance of his times would permit Thus then by this text we perceiue that wee were called by an eternall decree of God long before the thing it selfe came to passe In that he twice repeates Behold me behold me he further confirmes that God will manifest himselfe so familiarlie vnto strange and prophane nations that they shall be well assured of his dwelling in the middest of them And questionlesse it was needfull that this so vnlooked for a change should be thus