Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Isaiah · Chapter 56
CHAP. LVI.
Ver. 1. Thus ſaith the Lord, Keep ye judgement and do juſtice] i. e. Repent ye, as ye were exhorted, chap. 55.6, 7. and bring forth fruits meet for repentance, as Matth. 3.8 for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, Matth. 3.1. Tit. 2.12. Chriſt came to call ſinners to repentance, Mar. 2.17. and to good works of all ſorts, which are here called Judgement and Juſtice: as he himſelf is here called not only Gods ſalvation but his righteouſneſſe.
Ver. 2. Bleſſed is the man that doth this] And withal layeth hold on that, i. e. That performeth the duties of both Tables, of Piety and of Charity: that maketh conſcience of keeping the Sabbath eſpecially: the fourth Commandement ſtandeth fitly in the heart of the Decalogue, and betwixt the two tables of the Law, as having an influence into both.
From polluting it] Either by corporal labour or ſpiritual idleneſſe: ſpending the holy time holily.
And keepeth his hand from doing any evil] That is, righteous as well as religious: not yielding his members as inſtruments of unrighteouſneſſe unto ſin, Rom. 6.13.
Ver. 3. Neither let the ſon of the ſtranger] If a Proſelite, let not him interline the Covenant of Grace in Chriſt, and ſay It belongeth not to me: Let not him turn the back of his hand to the promiſe, as if he were not concerned in it, becauſe no Jew born; for now the partition-wall is by Chriſt to be broken down, and the rigour of that old prohibition taken away, Acts 10.34, 35. Gal. 3.28. Coloſ. 3.11. Ezek. 47.22.
Neither let the Eunuch] See the Note on Mat. 19.12.
Ver. 4. For thus ſaith the Lord] Who comforteth thoſe that are caſt down, 2 Cor. 7.6. thoſe that are forſaken of their hopes, Jer. 30.17.
That keep my Sabbaths] Which who ſo do not, are worthily deemed to have no true goodneſſe in them at all.
And chooſe the things that pleaſe me] Chuſe them upon mature deliberation and good advice, as Moſes did, Heb. 11.25. By a free election, as Pſal. 119.30. ſo ſhewing themſelves wiſe Eunuchs, Ennius.ſuch as have their name foreign, as Scaliger deriveth it, i. e. well-minded men, egregiè cordati homines.
And take hold of my Covenant] By a lively faith which is ſaid to have two hands: one wherewith ſhe layeth hold on Chriſt; and another whereby ſhe giveth up her ſelf unto him: and although the Devil rap her on the fingers for ſo doing, yet ſhe is reſolute and holds her own.
Ver. 5. Even unto them will I give in mine houſe] In the Church of the New Teſtament, Epheſ. 2.19, 20, 21.
A place] Heb. a hand. A door-keepers place in Gods Houſe is worth having. Pſal. 84. this was that one thing that he ſo dearly begged, Pſal. 27.4.
And a name] That new name, Rev. 2.17. that power or prerogative royal (that heavenly honour, Nonnus there calleth it) Joh. 1.12. viz. to be the Sons of God, and ſo to be called 1 Joh. 3.1. to have both the comfort and the credit of it: this is nomen in mundo praſtantiſſimum; none to this, 2 Cor. 6. ult. for if ſons, then heirs, &c. Rom. 8.16, 17.
Ver. 6. Alſo the ſons of the ſtranger that joyneth] Relinquiſhing his heatheniſh ſuperſtition, and devoting himſelf to my fear. The Levites had their name from the word here uſed; and Leviathan, whoſe ſcales and parts are ſo faſt joyned and joynted together.
To love the name of the Lord, to be his ſervants] Plato could ſay, Parere legibus eſt Deo ſervire: & haec ſumma est libertas. To obey the laws, is to ſerve God; and this is the chiefeſt liberty, this is perfect freedom; But Plato never knew what it was to love to be Gods ſervant. In Pſal. 1.Lex voluntarios quaerit, ſaith Ambroſe. All Gods Souldiers are volunteires, all his people free-hearted, Pſal. 110.3. they wait for his Law, Iſa. 42.8. See Deut 10.12.
Every one that keepeth the Sabbath] See on ver. 2.
Ver. 7. Even them will I bring unto my holy mountain] i. e. Into my Church and Church-Aſſemblies. Quaere whether Eunuches and ſtrangers were made partakers of all holy ſervices in the ſecond Temple, according to the letter? Sure we are, that that holy Eunuch. Acts 8. and the reſt of the Gentiles had and ſtill have free admiſſion under the Goſpel.
And will make them joyful in mine houſe of prayer] by their free acceſſe unto me, and all good ſucceſſe in their ſuits. Pray that your joy may be full, Joh. 16.24. Draw water with joy out of this well of ſalvation, Iſa. 12. Rejoyce evermore, and that you may ſo do, Pray without ceaſing, 1 Theſ. 5.16, 17.
Their burnt offerings and their ſacrifices ſhall be accepted upon mine Altar] Their Evangelical Sacrifices of prayer, praiſe, alms, obedience, &c. ſhall be accepted through Chriſt, Heb. 13.10, 15. who is the true altar that ſanctifieth all that is offered on it, Rev. 8.3, 4.
For mine houſe ſhall be called, &c.] See on Mat. 21.13.
Ver. 8. Which gathereth the out-caſts of Iſrael] According to that ancient promiſe of his, Deut. 30.4. None of his ſhall be loſt for looking after: he will fetch back his baniſhed, as that witty woman ſaid, 2 Sam. 14.14.
Yet will I gather others to him] Strangers, Eunuches, all mine other ſheep that are not yet of this fold, Joh. 10 16. together with all my ſtraglers, thoſe that are relapſed will I recover.
Ver. 9. All ye beaſts of the field come to devour] Statim quaſi vehementer ira accenſus, &c. All upon the ſuddain, as one much enraged againſt the wicked Prieſts eſpecially (as greateſt Traytors to the ſtate) the Lord thundereth and threateneth terribly. By the beaſts here called for, we may underſtand the Babylonians, Grecians, Syrians, Egyptians, but eſpecially the Romans, who made clean work of them, when as they were grown extreamly wicked, and even ripe for ruine, as Joſephus witneſſeth. See Jer. 50.17.
Ver. 10. His watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant] Invehit in Pſeudepiſcopos, ſuch as were (and are ſtill in part) the Popiſh Clergy, thoſe of the ninth age eſpecially, and not much better a little before Luther ſtickled: blind leaders of the blind, lamentably ignorant, as the Biſhop of Dunkelden in Scotland for inſtance;Act. & Mon. Luther. who profeſſed that he knew neither the New Teſtament nor the Old: ſo Biſhop Albert reading the Bible, and being asked by a Noble-man What book it was he read? I know not, ſaid he, what book it is; but all that I read in it, is contrary to our Religion. As for the other ill qualities of the watchmen here enveighed againſt, Hugo the Cardinal ſaid, that the Devil had two daughters, Covetouſneſs and Luxury: the former he had heretofore married out to the Jews, the latter to the Gentiles: but now the Monkes and Prieſts had gotten them both from their old husbands, and taken them for their own uſe. The Hebrew Criticks have obſerved, that the word here rendred watchmen, hath a Tſade bigger than ordinary; to ſhew what odious creatures ſuch are as are here deſcribed.
They are all dumb dogs that cannot bark] i. e. Will not deal plainly and faithfully with mens ſouls: but either preach not at all, or placentia only, toothleſſe truthes. Lib. 29. chap. 4.Pliny tells of the dogs in Rome that were ſet to keep the Capitol; becauſe, when the Gaules ſcaled it, the dogs being fed too full, lay ſleeping and did not give warning, they not only hanged them up, but every year on that day of the year, hanged up certain dogs in the City for exemplary juſtice; yea crucified them alive upon an Elder-tree. Let dumb dogs and paraſitical Preachers (treacherous to mens ſouls) take heed they be not one day hanged in hell.
Sleeping, lying down, loving to ſlumber] Non dormiunt ſolum, ſed dedita opera dormiunt; Somno…entia paſtorum luporum eſt gaudium.ſo full they have farced themſelves, and ſo deeply drunk they are, that they ſleep ſoundly (though Lyons roare, and wolves worry the poor flock) and that many times far enough from the fold; wherein they ſhew themſelves to be worſe then Ʋlyſſes his ſwineherd, of whom Homer ſaith,
— foreign
foreign.
that he would not be drawn to ſleep from his ſwineſty.
Ver. 11. Yea they are greedy dogs that can never have enough] Heb. ſtrong of ſoul, or of appetite, they know not to be ſatisfied. Lac & lana is that they look for; the inſtruments of a fooliſh ſhepherd, forcipes & mulctra, the ſheares and milk paile are in their hand, Zach. 11.15. they eat the fruit and drink the milk, as Ezek 25.4. yea they eat the fat, and tear the claws in pieces, Zach. 11.16. Albertus Magnus complained heavily of the covetouſneſs of Paſtours in his time:In Mat. 10.16. Temporalia colligunt perſe, ſpiritualia ſeminant per alios, ſaith he; they take little paines, but care not how much profit they make: he that made Faſciculus temporum, doth the like. Another modern writer fitly applyeth that to them, which Oedipus in Sophocles ſaith of Tireſias the Heathen-Prophet,
— foreign
foreign.
i. e. that he looked only to his gain, but was little ſeen in his profeſſion. Such a one was Balaam, Jude 11. ſuch were thoſe falſe Prophets, Ezek. 13. the covetous Phariſees, Luke 16.14. the falſe Apoſtles, Rom. 16.18. called dogs, Phil. 3.2. ſuch as had a greedy worm under their tongues, and could never be ſatisfied.
And they are ſhepherds that cannot underſtand] The duſt of covetouſneſſe hath even put out their eyes:Midas ſecundum Etymologi…m Graecam coecus eſt. as it fared with the blind and greedy Phariſees, Avidi à non videndo: the world is a pearle in their eyes, they cannot ſee God, nor skill of their office. Tremellius rendreth it neſciunt docere, they know not to teach, as being choaked haply with a fat benefice; a common practice of the Pope.
They all look to their own way] Mind their own commodity, whereby they are led up and down, as an Ox may be all a ground over, by a bottle of hay.
Ver. 12. Come ye] The wicked have their Come ye; as well as the godly, chap. 2. 3. See there.
I will fetch wine] A Paſtour ſhould be no winebibber or Aleſtake, 1 Tim. 3.8. Ebrietas in ſe culpas complectitur omnes. Drunkenneſſe is a foul fault in any man (ſaith Petrus Ravennas) but in a Miniſter, it is ſacriledge; eſpecially if he draw on others to it as here: and as the Popiſh Prieſts do at Paris and Lovain, where the beſt wine is called Vinum Theologicum, and they uſe to lengthen out their drunken compotations.
And to morrow ſhall be as this day] Words of profane ſecureneſs and diſſoluteneſs. See Chap. 22.13. Prov. 23.35.