Commentary on Isaiah, Commentary on Isaiah · Chapter 1 · Verse 2
Verſ. 2. Heare O heauens, and thou earth hearken: for the Lord hath ſaid, I hauehave nouriſhed, and brought vp children, but they hauehave*Or, hauehave done wickedly againſt me. rebelled againſt me.
ISaiah hath here imitated Moſes: for ſo it is the cuſtome of all the Prophets to doe; neither is it to be doubted but he alludes to that excellent ſong of Moſes, Deut. 32.1. in the very entrance whereof he cals heauen and earth to witneſſe againſt the people. I graunt that it is a terrible proteſtation: for it is as much as if both of them ſhould turne themſelues to the dumbe elements voyde of ſenſe, becauſe men had no eares to heare, but were become vtterly benummed in all their ſenſes. Iſaiah then ſpeakes here as of a rare and prodigious thing, which were euen enough to ſmite the very elements with aſtoniſhment (though otherwiſe ſenſeleſſe in themſelues.) For what could be more horrible then to ſee the Iſraelites reiect the Lord, from whom they had receiued ſo many benefits? Thoſe who by heauen, vnderſtand the Angels, and by earth, men, doe too much leſſen the force of theſe words: and doe alſo take away that wherein the chiefeſt weight of the Prophets vehemencie lieth. Now all the expoſitors almoſt doe finiſh the clauſe, For the Lord hath ſpoken, here: As if the Prophet meant to ſay, Seeing God hath opened his ſacred mouth, it ſtands all men in hand attentiuely to receiue his word. And thus the ſentence in appearance indeed is more full: but the circumſtance of the place requires another knitting together of the words; namely, t…t this word hearken bee referred, not generally to what purpoſe one will; but ſolely and onelyonly to the next complaint. And ſo, the ſenſe is thus; Heare the complaint which God commenceth againſt you: I hauehave nouriſhed, &c. For he recounts ſuch a monſtrous thing, as he is almoſt caſt into a ſwound at the ſight of it: ſo as he is faine to call in all the inſenſible creatures (contrarie to all order) to be witneſſes thereof. I had rather then take theſe things in their proper ſignification, becauſe they doe better ſet forth the Prophets meaning.
And to the end that no man ſhould wonder why he ſpeakes thus to things without ſenſe or reaſon, experience it ſelfe not obſcurely teacheth vsus that the voyce of God is heard euen of the dumbe creatures: yea, and the very order of nature is nothing elſe but an obedience, which is yeelded vntounto him thorowout all the partes of the world, to the end his ſoueraigne authoritie might ſhine in all places. For the elements, the heauens and the earth, doe their duties, and yeeld obedience to the commaundement which is preſcribed them, and that at the leaſt becke which God maketh to them: The earth bringeth foorth her fruits; The Sunne, the Moone and the Starres doe finiſh their courſes; The Sea paſſeth not beyong the limits which God hath appointed vntounto it; The heauens alſo doe turne about to their certaine ſpaces: Finally, in all things wee may obſerue a wonderfull diſtinction, although all theſe creatures be deſtitute of reaſon and vnderſtanding. But man, who is indued therewith, in whoſe eares and heart the voyce of the Lord ſo often ſounds, as if he were wholly ſenſeleſſe, mooueth not, neither boweth he his necke to ſubmit himſelfe to the obedience of his God. The dumbe and inſenſible creatures then ſhall beare witnes againſt ſuch obſtinate and rebellious perſons, to the end they may one day feele that this obteſtation was not vſed in vaine.
I hauehave nouriſhed.] Word for word it is, I hauehave made them great. But becauſe he ſpeaketh of children, wee cannot turne it better then that, I hauehave nouriſhed, or brought vp. For the Latines, in ſtead of nouriſhing; ſay, to bring vp children. Yet hee by and by addes other benefits wherewithall hee had wonderfullie inriched them: as if he ſhould ſay, I hauehave not onelyonly performed the office of a good father in nouriſhing, and ſuſtaining you in this life: but I hauehave alſo taken paines to exalt you to honour and dignitie. For there was no kind of fauour or merciemercy which the Lord withheld from thē, euen as if he meant wholly to emptie himſelfe. As hereafter in the fifth chapter he reprocheth them ſaying, What could I hauehave done any more to my vineyard that I hauehave not done vntounto it? Why? the Lord might very well hauehave ſaid as much to all nations, ſeeing hee nouriſhed, and beſtowed many bleſſings vponupon them: but the Iſraelites were his ſpeciall choſen people, whom he had adopted before the reſt of the world to himſelfe, and intreated them as his moſt deere children, embracing and cheriſhing them with a ſpeciall care, euen as in his very boſome. In a word, he adorned and beautified them with all manner of good things.
Now to applie this to our time; let vsus conſider whether our condition bee not like, or rather much better than that of the Iewes in auncient times. The adoption of God obliged them to the puritie of his ſeruice: our bond or obligation is double: namely, becauſe he hath not onelyonly redeemed vsus by the blood of Chriſt, but becauſe he who hath once vouchſafed to deliuer vsus, doth ſtill call vsus alſo to himſelfe by the preaching of the Goſpell, and therein prefers vsus farre before all thoſe whom he hath yet left blinded in their ignorance. If we acknowledge not theſe things, of how much greater puniſhment ſhall we be worthie? for by how much the more the grace of God hath been abundantly powred forth vponupon vsus, of ſo much the more ingratitude ſhall we be conuinced before him.
But th…y …aue r…belled] S. I…ome tranſlates it, They hauehave deſpiſed me. But it appeares ſufficiently by other places, that the Hebrew word Paſh…ng, expreſſeth yet ſomewhat more; namely, that they reuolted. G…d teſtifies then that he could not hold them vnderunder his obedience; no not by all the benefits hee could beſtow vponupon them. But that they turned away more and more, & eſtranged themſelues, no otherwiſe then the ſonne, who by leauing his fathers houſe, ſhewes that hee is become altogether incorrigible. It is a monſtrous thing for children not to be obedient to their fathers; eſpecially to ſuch a one as neuer ceaſeth to doe them good, beſtowes his whole care as it were vponupon them. Licurgus would not make any law againſt the vnthankfull (becauſe it was a thing againſt nature not to acknowledge a benefit receiued. A child then that is vn…hankfull to his father is a double monſter, yea rather a threefold monſter againſt a liberall father, who ceaſeth not to doe him good. For albeit the Prophet cals them child…en, it is not giuen them heere as a title of honor, but the more to aggrauate this their reuolt, and to make it the more odious.