Exposition of the Festival Epistles and Gospels, Explication of epistles and gospels 2 · Part 3
The Epistle
ESAY 7.10
God spake once againe to Ahaz, saying, require a token of the Lord thy God, &c.
IN this Scripture two things are more chieflie considerable; namely, the
goodnesse of God
particularly toward Ahaz King of Iuda, God spake againe to Ahaz, saying, aske a signe, &c.
generally toward all the house of Dauid, euen the whole Church, a Virgin shall conceine, &c.
wickednesse of Ahaz
Open gCaluin. in loc.vnthankfulnesse and hHieron. in loc.insolent iHyperius. Vatablas.impiety, then said Ahaz, Vatablas.will aske none.
Secret kMusculus. Hen. Mollerus.hypocrisie, couering his contempt and Atheisme with a cloake of deuotion and duty, neither will I tempt the Lord.
God spake againe to Ahaz] In the daies of Ahaz the sonne of Iotham, the sonne of Vzziah King of Iudah (as wee read in the beginning of this present chapter) Rezm the King of Aram, and Pe…ath the sonne of Remaliah King of Israel came vp and fought against Hierusalem. Now God (as being a lPsal. 46.1.present helpe in troub…e) sent his Prophet Esay to comfort King Ahaz in this extremitie, saying vers. 4. Feare not, neither be faint hear…ed for the two tailes of those smo…ing firebrands, for the furious wrath of Rezin, and of Remaliahs sonne. For albeit they determine to depose thee, and to dispose of thy Kingdome, purposing to set vp in thy throne the sonne of …abeal. vers 6: Yet thus saith the Lord God, their counsell shall not stand, neither shall it bee: for the head of Aramis Damascus: and the head of Damascus is Rezin, and within threescore and fiue yeeres Ephraim shall be broken from being a people. mCal…in.As if he should say, these two kingdomes shall hauehave their limits, and their two Kings must be content with their owne greatnesse, they both aspire to the Crown, but I hauehave set them their bounds which they shall not passe. Beleeue my words and it shall goe well with you, but if ye will not beleeue, surely ye shall not bee established, vers. 9. And therefore that Ahaz and his people might giuegive credit to this promise, the Lord (saith our text) spake once more to Ahaz.
…Where note Gods long suffering and patience toward an Idolatious and a wicked King, o…who did not vprightly in the sight of the Lord his God … Dauid his father … but made his sonne goe thorow the fire after the abominations of the Heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel, and offered, and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hilles, and vnderunder eueryevery greene tree. The Lord pEz…b. 33.11.desired not the death of a sinner but that he may turne from his euill waies and liue, speaking to him as heere to Ahaz, againe and againe; turne you, turne you, for why will ye die O yee house of Israel? He doth inuite to merciemercy, not onelyonly such as are godly men, according to the prayer of qPsal. 125.4.Dauid, Do well O Lord vntounto those that be good and true of heart. But he maketh his Sunne to rise on the euill, and sendeth his raine on the iust and on the vniust, Matth. 5.45. Hee is not slacke faith r2. Pet. 3 9.Peter in comming to iudgement (as some men count s…icknesse) but is patient toward vsus, and would hauehave no man to perish, but would all men to come to repentance. Wherefore thou, whosoeuer thou bee which art in the sAct. 8.2….gall of bitternesse, t1. King 21.25.selling thy selfe to worke wickednesse, nay u…. 4.19.giuing thy selfe to wantonnesse to commit all vncleanenesse, euen with greedinesse. xRom. 2.3.How dost thou thin…e thou shalt escape the iudgement of God? or despisest thou the riches of his bountifulnesse, and patience, and long sufferance, not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance? The Lord spake to Ahaz againe, yet not onelyonly for his sake, nor for the wicked alone: yCaluin.but rather to prouide for the weake which had some seeds of Godlinesse. For albeit they did offend the Lord very much in their distrust and Idolatrie: yet God as being the father of z2. Cor. 1.3.mercies, in wrath remembers mercy. Habac. 3.2. Compassion and forgiuenesse is in the Lord our God, albeit wee hauehave rebelled against him. Dan. 9.9.
Require a token of the Lord thy God] aMusculus.As if Esay should hauehave said. I perceiue you giuegive credit to my report, entertaining my speech as the words of a meere man, and not as the word of God. Wherfore to demonstrate that I come not in mine owne name, but from the Lord of Hosts, Aske a signe, bHierome.not of Idols, or of strange gods vnable to helpe thee: but of thy God Aske a signe not of me, but of the Lord cPsal. 72.18.which onelyonly doth wondrous things. Aske of him, Ahaz, and thou shalt vnderstand that it is the Lord who speakes vntounto thee. God for the confirmation of our faith dMollerus. Caluin.addeth vntounto his promises as proppes of our infirmitie, signes and tokens, which *Tract. 80. in Ioan.Augustine calles aptly visible words. And these signes are of two sorts, extraordinarie, whereof the Prophet in our present text, and that which was giuen to Hezekiah in the 38. chapter of this prophesie, vers. 7. Ordinarie, in daily vse, as Baptisme and the Lords Supper, the which are signes and seales of Gods holy couenant with vsus. And wee must so ioyne faith vntounto the word, that wee despise not the Sacraments which Almighty God offereth as helps for the strengthening of of our faith. e1. Tim. 1.15.It is a true saying that Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners. And this saying ought by all meanes to bee receiued and one chiefe meane is the ministration of the Sacraments: and therefore the frantick spirits in our time who make no reckoning of Baptisme, nor of the blessed Eucharist, but esteeme them abces onelyonly for little children, are worthily censured by reuerend f…Caluin to separate those things which God hath ioyned together.
Whether it be toward the depth beneath, or toward the height aboue] The Prophet prescribes not what token Ahaz should aske, g….lest happily the truth of the miracle might be suspected: but hee leaueth it to the Kings owne free choice, whether hee will hauehave it toward the depth or height, h….that is in earth or heauen. Or it may be the word depth is of some deeper signification; iHieron. Caluin.as if Esay should say, God will openly shew thee that his dominion is farre aboue all the world; yea that it reacheth euen from the heauen of heauens, to the very depth of depthes, insomuch as hee can at his good pleasure fetch Angels out of heauen, and also ra…e the very dead out of their graues, k….Here then obserue Gods omnipotencie, who can doe whatsoeuer hee will in heauen and in earth, and in the sea, and in all deepe places, Psal. 135.6. l…. 32.17.O God the great and mighty, great in Counsell, and mighty in wor…e. Behold thou hast made the heauen, and the earth, by thy great power and stretched out arme, and there is nothing hard vntounto thee. This doctrine is comfortable to the godly, who mPsal. 91.1.dwell vnderunder the defence of the most high, and abide vnderunder the shadow of his wings, hauing his spirit for their guide, and his Angels for their guard. But it is very terrible to the wicked, in that all the creatures in heauen, in earth, and vnderunder earth attend the Lord of Hosts, euenmore readie to fight against such as fight against him.
I will require none … This argueth his nHieron.pride, rather then humblenesse. Or as o….other, his trust in the strength of the King of p2. King 16.Ashor, rather then his affiance in the King of Kings. And yet hee colours his foule contempt q….hypocritically with a faire pretence, saying▪ I will not tempt the Lord, alluding doubtlesse to the text, Deut. 6.16. ye shall not tempt the Lord your God. He forgate the words in the some chapter a little before, yee shall not walke after other gods, &c. and only wrested that clause which he thought would fit his turne, wrest I say, for to require a signe when God inuiteth and inioyneth vsus, is not to tempt the Lord; but to trust and obey, which is r1. Sam. 15.22.better then sacrifice. Gedeon is commended for asking signes of the Lord, Iudges 6. the Pharities on the contrary condemned euen by sMat. 16.4.Christ himselfe, the wicked generation and adulterous seeketh a signe: now the reason hereof is exceeding plaine, their actions differed in their tMollerus. Musculus.endes: for whereas Gedeon asketh a signe to bee confirmed in Gods promise; the Pharisies required miracles of Christ out of curiositie to betray, rather then to be taught of him: in this acceptable time of grace we need not aske for new miracles, it is sufficient to beleeue those which are recorded in holy Bible. The blessed Sacraments are Gods ordinary signes appointed in his word for the strengthening of our faith▪ hee that refuseth them as a superfluous helpe commits the sinne of Ahaz, he that vseth them according to Christs ordinance, spiritually receiues Christ himselfe, as uApud Elien. respon. id apol…g. Bellarmin… pag. 11.Durand…ss pithily, verbum andimus, motum sentimus, modum nescimus, praesentiam credimus.
Heare ye now O house of Dauid] For as much as it was an intollerable wickednes to shut the gates against the might and mercies of God vnderunder colour of honesty and modesty; the Prophet is iustly displeased, and sharpely rebukes these painted xMat. 23.27.sepulchres▪ and saith, heare ye now O house of Dauid, &c. for albeit it was an honour for them to be held the race of Dauid (if they had walked in the steps of Dauid) yCa…in.yet notwithstanding he now cals them house of Dauid rather by way of reproach then otherwise. And in very deed the contempt and vnthankfulnes in refusing a signe was so much the more hainous, because this fauour was reiected by that house, out of which the saluation of the whole world should come. Note then here the Prophets order and exquisite method in teaching: first he begins with doctrine, take heed, be still, and feare not, &c. then he proceeds to the confirmation of his doctrine, … a token of the Lord thy God, &c. … when he saw … both his offered sayings and signes vntounto King Ahaz were fruitlesse, hee comes to reproofe, grievously …ding this obstinate man; and …o him …lone, but also all the royall house defiled with this impietie: we must in our ministry take the l…ke course: first beginning with doctrine, then proceeding to confirmation, and when these two faile, we must (as our Prophet speakes Esay 58.1.elsewhere) lift our voice like a trumpet, s…ewing Gods people their transgressions, and to the house of Iacob their sinnes, after proofe wee must (as Esay here) come to reproofe… … lachrimae laudes tuae sint, as …. Tom. 1. fol. 14.Hierome doth aduise Nepotian, for saith he, melius est ex duobus imperfectis rusticitatem sanitam habere, quàm eloquentiam peccatricem, and bLoc. com. tit. de of…. minist. in tavan. vit….Martin Luther that sonne of thunder was wont to say, cortes meus esse potest durior, sed nucleus mollis & dulcis est.
Is it not enough for you that ye be grieuous vntounto men, but ye must grieue my God also?] cCaluin.He doth vse comparisons between God and men, not as if the Prophets could in deed be separated from God, for they be nothing else but his instruments, hauing one common cause with him as long as they discharge their duties, according to that of Christ, Luke 10.16. He that heareth you, heareth me: and he that despiseth you despiseth me: the Prophet then shapes his speech according to the wicked opinion of Ahaz. and his followers, imagining that they had to doe with men only, as if hee should say, though I am a mortall man as you conceiue, yet in reiecting the signe which is offered vntounto you, yee greiue God himselfe, for asmuch as the Lord speakes in mee: … ….Luther is our comfort and credite, that in de… Gods errand, our tongue is Gods tongue, and our … Gods voice, e…hee therefore that despiseth our preaching, despiseth not men▪ but God; as the Lord said to 1. Sam. 8 ….…, they hauehave not reiected thee, but they hauehave reiected mee, that I should not raigne ouer them: and this ought to moue the Prophets and preachers of the word, gMusc….that a wrong done to them in executing their holy sunction is an iniury done to God himselfe, and they must grieue not so much in respect of their owne …ishonour, as for that God is grieued, according to that of hPsal 119.136.Dauid, mine eyes gush ou… with water, because men keepe not thy law: it is well obserued, that whereas Esay said before whilest Ahaz rebellion and ingratitude was hidden, aske a signe of the Lord thy God: he now takes this honour to himselfe, saying my God, not thy God, insinuating that God is on his side, and not with these wicked hypocrites; and so testifies with what a confidence and conscience hee promised deliuerance to the King, as if he should hauehave said, I came not of my selfe but I was sent of the Lord, and hauehave told thee nothing but out of the mouth of my God, all preachers of the word should hauehave the same boldnes, not in appearance only: but effectually rooted in their hearts: as iVbi supra.Luther excellently, Summa summarum haec est inestimabilis gloria conscientiae nostrae contra omnem contemptum in mundo, quod Christus nos praedicatores plane deos creat, dicendo qui vos recipit, me patrem que meum recipit.
Therefore the Lord shall giuegive you a signe, behold a virgine All orthodoxal interpretours aswel ancient as moderne construe this of Christs admirable natiuity, herein being taught by the spirit of truth, in the 1. Chapter of Saint Matthews Gospell at the 22. verse, all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet, saying, behold a virgine shall conceiue, &c. I know the Iewes hauehave many cauils against this exposition he that desires to know them, as also the Christians answere to them: at his opportune leisure may read the Commentaries of Hierom and Caluin vponupon this text, of Aretius, Marlorat, M…ldonat, in Mat. 1.22. Pet. Galatinus de arcanis cat. verit lib. 3. cap. 18. & lib. 7 cap. 15. Suarez in 3. Thomae disput. 5. sect. 2.
…That which here troubleth interpretours most, is how this token is a confirmation of Gods promise to King Ahaz: examine the circumstances of the place say the Iewes, Hierusalem is besieged, and the Prophet is to giuegive them a signe of their deliuerance; to what end then is the Messias of the world promised now, who should be borne fiue hundred yeares after? answere is is made by k….some that the coherence may be thus, O Ahaz, thou art exceedingly deceiued in thinking that God is not able to deliuer thee from the furious wrath of Rezin, and of Remaliahs sonne; for hee will in time to come shew greater arguments of his power vntounto thy succeeding posterity, for behold a virgine shall conceiue and beare a sonne, who shall deliuer his people from more dangerous enemies then the two tailes of these smoaking firebrands; he will in the fulnes of time send a Sauiour to deliuer vsus lLuke 1.71.from all that hate vsus, euen our spirituall enemies, as sinne, death and the deuill: he shall be called Emmanuel, m… Mat. 1.23.which is by interpretation God with vsus, not God against vsus, but with vsus and for vsus, as Musculus vponupon the words of Saint Matthew, non siue nobis, non contra nos, sed nobiscum & pro nobis.
nMollerus. Caluin.Other obserue that it is the custome of the Prophets in confirming the particular promises of God, euermor… to lay this foundation that he will send his sonne the redeemer. By this generall prop the Lord eueryevery where ratifies that which he specially promiseth vntounto his children, according to that of o2. Cor. 1.10.Paul, an Christ all the promises of God are yea and amen: that is, pAretius.categoricall and true, qLombard. Anselm. Cal….complete and implete, and assuredly whosoeuer expects help and succour from God, must also be perswaded of his fatherly louelove: but how should hee be fauourable without Christ, in rEphes. 1.4.whom he hath adopted vsus his sonnes, and sRom. 8.17.heires before the foundation of the world? so louing vsus that hee hath giuen his only begotten sonne to t….dewell among vsus, and to be God with vsus, and when his houre was come to u…. 4 25.dye for our sinnes, and to rise againe for our iustification: so that vponupon these premises we need not at any time doubt of Gods holy promises, but infalliblely conclude with the blessed Apostle Rom. 8.32. If God spared not his owne sonne, but gaue him for vsus all to death, how shall he not with him giuegive vsus all things also?
xHyperius in loc.Other hold this signe most agreeable to the present occasion of Iudahs promised deliuerance, because the Patriarke yGen. 49.10.Iacob had prophesied, that the scepter should not depart from Iuda, nor a law giuer from betweene his feet vntill Shilo come: as if Esay should thus argue with Ahaz, the Messias of the world is to bee borne of the tribe of Iudah, and of the linage of Dauid, it is impossible therefore that either Rezin or Pekah, or any other prince whatsoeuer should rent thy Kingdome from the successours of Dauid, vntill a virgine conceiue and beare a sonne, who shall bee called Emmanuel. It is reported Mat. 2. that the wise men enquired after the birth of Christ, in the dayes of Herod the King, wherein they shewed themselues to bee wisemen in deed, obseruing their right zLeo ser. 3 de epiphan. The… phylact. Euthym. Anselm. in Mat. 2.quando, because now the scepter had departed from Iudah, and was in the hands of Herod an alien and a tyrant crept in by the Romane Emperour: this then is a fit and a full signe to confirme Gods promise touching Iudahs deliuerance from the furious wrath of Rezin and of Remaliahs sonne. For there be two kindes of signes, vnum prognosticum, alterum remoratiuum, as aDe arcanis cat. verit. lib. 7. cap. 15.Petrus Galatinus in his examination of this text aptly distinguisheth: one which is a prognostication of an euent to come, so bIudges 6.37.Gedeons fleece was a signe to him of a future victory, another which is a memoriall of a thing past, so the Lord said vntounto Moses Exod. 3.12. This shall be a token vntounto thee, that I hauehave sent thee, after thou hast brought the people out of Egypt, yee shall serue God vponupon this mountaine: now the signe mentioned here was a rememoratiue, not a prognosticke. Ahaz saw not this token, but his posterity might say with cPsalm. 48.7.Dauid, as wee hauehave heard, so hauehave wee seene in the city of the Lord of Hosts, in the city of our God: God vpholdeth it for euer. And heere the fathers dIre…aus. lib. 3. cap. 27. … in P…. 18. …. 8 Epithan. heus. 30. Basil. in loc. …obserue that Christs admirable natiuity was a signe both in the depth beneath, and in the height aboue. For in being a man, eating butter and honis, nourished after the same manner that other children are, he was a signe on earth: and in being Emmanuel, conceiued of a Virgin without the seed of man, hee was a signe from heauen. Thus as you see this token is accommodum, aptly fitted to the present occasion of the Prophet, I proceed now to shew that it is also commodum, as profitable for vsus as it is pertinent for Hierusalem.
A Virgin shall conceiue] That is, e…. Maldo…t. in Mat. 1.23. Hiabna. … &c.the Virgin, or that Virgin, for the Hebrew particle … added in the text originall, and the Greeke article - prefixed by the Septuagint interpretors are both emphaticall, and import so much as this excellent Virgine. So the fathers vseth to speake, fEphyhas. … 78.Quis vnquam, aut quo seculo ausus est proferre nomen S. Maria, & interrogatus non siatim intulit virginis vocem? In what age did any man name the blessed Mary without adding her surname Virgin. Nay the blessed Apostles in their Creed hauehave taught vsus so to beleeue, borne of the Virgine Marie. For she was a gSee C…d art. borne of the Virgin.perpetuall Virgine: hAretiu… …. 1.17.ante partum in part…. post partum. All which is concluded, at the least included in our present text. A Virgin before she conceiued, and when she conceiued her sonne our Sauiour, as we defend against vnbeleeuing Iewes and Gentiles; and against misbeleeuing hererickes also; namely, the Cerinthians, Ebionites, Carpocratians, holding that Christ was the naturall sonne of Ioseph, & verus & mer us home, contrary to the words of our Prophet here, behold a Virgin shall conceiue. iPsal. 132.…1.The Lord hath made a faithful oath vntounto David, and he shal not shrinke from it, Of the fruit of thy belly shall I set vponupon thy seat. Where the k…word.… in … 131. & …. 3. cap. 27.Doctors note, that he saith according to the Hebrew, de fruitu ventris, and not de fructu femoris, aut renum, because the promised seed is the seed of the woman, Gen. 3.15. made of a woman, Gal. 4.4. hauing the materials of his body from Mary, but his formale principium, of the holy Ghost agent in his admirable conception, as it is in the Gospell allotted for this day, the holy Ghost shall come vponupon thee, and the power of the most high shall ouershadow thee. See Gospell on the Sunday after Christmas.
2. We say that Mary was a Virgin in her childbirth, against Iouinian, and Durandus, according to the tenor of our text, A Virgin shall conceiue and beare a sonne. The which is not to be construed, in lSuarezan 3. Thom. disp. 5. sect. 2. idem Ardens intuan gel. annunti.sensu diuiso, sed in sensu composito: to wit, a Virgin shall conceiue, and continuing a Virgin shall bring forth her child, mBernard. hom. 3. super missas est angelus.granida sed non granata. So runnes our Creed, borne of the Virgin. For otherwise what wonder had it beene that one who sometime was a Virgin, should afterward knowing a man, hauehave a sonne. Consule S. Irenae. lib. 3. cap. 18.21.24. Epiphan. haeres. 30. Circa sinem. nNeque virginit is partum prohibuit, neque partus virginitatem soluit.Grego. Nyssen. orat. de sanct. Christi natiuitat. Basil. & Hierom. in loc.
Partus & integritas discordes tempore longo. virginis in gremio foedera pacis habent.
3. Mary was a Virgin after the birth of Christ, as the Church hath euer taught against oHieron. aduers. beluid. & August. heres. 84.Heluidians, and pEpiphan. heres. 78.Antidicomarianites. And some probable reason hereof also may be gathered out of this Scripture, thou shall call his name, &c. that is (as our Communion booke) thou his qIta Munsterus, tu mater.mother. Or as our new translation hath it, A Virgin shall conceiue and beare a son, and shall call his name, &c. For (as rIn loc.Caluin notes) the verbe is of the feminine gender among the Hebrewes, which occasioned happily the translators of Geneua to reade, she shall call his name. Now the naming of children is an office properly belonging to fathers, and not to mothers. In that therefore this charge was wholly referred and transferred to Mary: wee may note that Christ was so conceiued of his mother, as that hee had no father on earth; as also that Ioseph affianced to Mary, was rather an helpe then an absolute head, a wedded, but not a bedded husband. I say not a bedded husband after the birth of Christ, as Hierome notablie proues in a tract of this argument, against Heluidius. And for the strengthening of this reuerent opinion, I finde a tradition entertained by the most ancient Doctors, sTract. 16. in Mat.Origine, tThem. de human. Christi generat.Basile, uIn Mat. 23.Theophylast, and xGreg. Nyss. de sacta Christi natiuit.other, that whereas the married women had one seuerall in the Temple for their deuotions, and the Virgins another: Mary not onelyonly before, but after the birth of her sonne also did vsually troupe with the maidens, and not with the married, yPerkins reform. cat. tit. tradit.liuing and dying a Virgin. This Epistle then is all one with the Gospell, Esay and Gabriel are messengers of the same errand; for that which Esay speakes of Mary, Gabriel speakes vntounto Mary; Thou shalt conceiue in thy wombe, and beare a sonne, and shall call his name Iesus. And they both are so fit for the present feast, that he who runs and reades, may see the reason why the Church allotted them for this day.