Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Isaiah · Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIV.
Ver. 1. BEhold the Lord emptieth] It muſt needs be a matter of ſome rare and marvellous conſequence, that Behold (the O-yes of the Holy Ghoſt) is thus ſet before.
The Lord emptieth] i. e. Will empty, an Idiom proper to Gods Prophets, who ſaw in the Spirit things to come as if they were even then done.
The earth] Or, the land, ſc. of Jury, by a woefull deſolation, Lege & Luge: Some hold it to be a Metaphor from ſhips over-laden: which therefore muſt be diſburdened: ſo was the Land to be eaſed of her Inhabitants, which ſhe could hardly ſtand under.
And waſte] Making havock of perſons, and things of worth.
Turneth it upſide-down] Ferens, agens ſurſum deorſum omnia, turning all things topſy turvy, as they ſay.
Ver. 2. And it ſhall be as with the people, ſo with the Prieſt] Or, Prince. Digninity and Wealth hindereth him not (Doth he eſteem nobility or riches, or any thing that fortifieth ſtrength?) Poverty or meanneſs findeth no favour with him. In a common calamity, all, commonly, ſhare and fare alike.
Ver. 3. The Land ſhall be utterly emptyed] See on ver. 1.
For the Lord hath ſpoken this word] And his words are not in vain: Doth he ſay, and ſhall he not do it? Numb. 23.23.
Ver. 4. The earth mourneth and fadeth away] Luxit & diffluxit, waileth and ſaileth: gallant Rhetorick in the original, as this is a ſtately Chapter all along: all the rowlings of Demoſthenes are but dull ſtuffe to it.
The world languiſheth] As a ſick man, ſo enfeebled that he cannot ſtand high-lone.
Nempe contactu ſcelerat… rum hominum. Piſc.Ver. 5. The earth alſo is defiled] Viz. With ſin, and therefore ſo decayed: yea the very viſible Heavens are defiled with mans ſin, and ſhall therefore be purged by the fire of the laſt day: like as the veſſels that held the ſin-offering was to paſs the fire.
Becauſe they have tranſgreſſed the Laws] Natural and moral; thoſe bounds and banks ſet to keep men within the compaſs of obedience: but the unjuſt knoweth no ſhame, Zeph. 3.5. is Lawleſs, Awleſs, Yokeleſs, untameable, untractable, as the wild Aſs-colt, as the Horſe and Mule, &c.
Changed the Ordinances] Or paſſed by the Ordinances, ſc. By ſins of omiſſion, as before by commiſſion: ſo Heb. 2.2. every tranſgreſſion and diſobedience, i. e. every commiſſion and omiſſion.
Broken the everlaſting Covenant] Diſannulled, vacated the Covenant founded in Chriſt, when coming unto his own, his own received him not; when the Phariſees and others by ſlighting holy offers and Ordinances of Grace, rejected the counſel of God againſt themſelves, Luke 7.30. This laſt eſpecially brought the curſe, ver. 6. Some by Lawes here underſtand the judicial Lawes: by Ordinances the ceremonial; and by everlaſting Covenant the Decalogue: Others by Lawes, the municipal Lawes of the Common-wealth: by Ordinances the Lawes of Nations, as not to violate an Embaſſadour, &c. by everlaſting Covenant the Law of Nature, which is that Light that lighteneth every man that cometh into the world, John 1.9.
Ver. 6. Therefore hath the curſe devoured the earth] The Chaldee and Vatablus render it the perjury, viz. in tranſgreſſing the Laws, &c. which they had covenanted and ſworn to obſerve; See Pſalm 119.106. That dreadful curſe of the Jews, Matth. 27.25. is come upon them to the utmoſt, devouring their Land, and deſolating the Inhabitants thereof: Though the curſe cauſeleſs come not, yet God ſometimes ſaith Amen to other mens curſes, as he did to Jothams upon the Shechemites, Judg. 9.57. How much more to mens banning themſelves?
Ver. 7. The new wine mourneth] As being ſpilled and ſpoiled by the enemy.
All the merry-hearted do ſigh] Who were wont to ſing away care, and to call for their cups.
Ver. 8. The mirth of Tabrets ceaſeth] Quicquid laetitiarum fuit, in luctum vertitur.
Ver. 9. They ſhall not drink wine with a ſong] Revel it as they had wont to do▪ non convivabuntur pergroecando. We uſe to call ſuch merry-griggs: that is, Greeks.
Ver. 10. The City of confuſion] Ʋrbs deſolanda, deſtined to deſolation: whether it be Babylon, Tyre, Jeruſalem, or any other, Mundum intellige in quo nihil niſi vanum, ſaith Oecolampadius: that is, by this City of vanity (ſo the Vulgar tranſlateth it) underſtand the world, according to that of the Preacher, Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Auſtin in the beginning of that excellent work of his De Civitate Dei maketh two oppoſite Cities: the one the City of God, the other the City of the Devil; the one a City of Verity, the other a City of vanity.
Ver. 11. There is a crying for Wine] The Drunkards weep, the Ale-ſtakes yell, becauſe the new Wine is cut off from their mouthes, Joel 1.5.
All joy is darkened] Heb. It is eventide with joy. As the ayr in the evening waxeth dark, ſo ſhall their mirth be turned into heavineſs.
The mirth of the land is gone] Together with their liquor.foreign. Wine is by Simonides called the expeller of ſadneſs.
Ver. 12. In the City is left deſolation] There is nothing of any worth left, but havock made of all; it is plundered to the life, as now we phraſe it; ſince the Swediſh Wars Cuſtom is the ſole Mint-Maſter of currant words.
Ver. 13. When thus it ſhall be in the midſt of the Land] Or, for ſo it ſhall be in the land among the people, as in the beating of an Olive-tree, &c. En miſericordiae ſpecimen, ſtill there is a remnant reſerved for royal uſe; quando omnia paſſim peſſum …unt: God never ſo puniſheth but he leaveth ſome matter for his mercy to work upon: A Church on earth he will ever have.
Ver. 14. They ſhall lift up their voyce, &c.] Laudabunt Deum & laetabuntur: this Elect remnant in all Countries ſhall be filled with ſpiritual joy and peace through the belief of the Truth, which ſhall vent it ſelf by ſinging praiſes to God. And here we have the very mark of the true Church, which is to celebrate and profeſs the great and glorious Name of the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
For the Majeſty of the Lord] Or, for the magnificence: that great work of his eſpecially of divulging his Goſpel all the world over; and thereby gathering his Church out of all Nations.
They ſhall cry aloud from the ſea] i. e. From the Iſlands and tranſmarine parts, as we do now from great Brittain (thanks be unto God for his unſpeakable gift) calling to our Neighbour-nations, and ſaying,
Ver. 15. Glorifie ye God in the fires] In ipſis ignibus, in the hotteſt fires of afflictions, rejoyce in hope, be patient in tribulation, praiſe God for croſſes alſo: this is Chriſtianorum propria virtus, ſaith Hierom.
Jun.In the Iſles of the ſea] Quicun que quocun que loco, & inter quoſcunq ſitis.
Ver. 16. From the uttermoſt part of the land have we heard ſongs] Or Pſalms, aliquid Davidicum: The Martyrs ſang in the fire; Luther in deep diſtreſs called for the 46. Pſalm to be ſung in contemptum Diaboli, in deſpight of the Devil.
Maerore ac macie conficior.Even glory to the Righteous] To Jeſus the juſt One, 1 John 2.2.
But I ſaid, my leanneſs, my leanneſs] The Prophets fleſh was waſted and conſumed with care and grief for his graceleſs Country-men. See the like in David, Pſalm 119.158. and Paul, Rom. 9.1, 2.
Wo unto me] Or, Alaſs for me.
The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherouſly] They have crucified the Lord of Glory, upon a deſperate and deep malice, out of moſt notorious contumacy and ingratitude. This was with moſt treacherous treachery to deal treacherouſly: this was to do evil as they could.
Ver. 17. Fear and the pit and the ſnare are upon thee] Metaphora à venatoribus, a Metaphor from Hunters, elegantly expreſſed in the original by words of a like ſound. God hath variety of plagues at command: his quiver is full of ſhafts: neither can he poſſibly want a Weapon to beat his Rebels with. If the Amorites eſcape the Sword, yet they are brain'd with Hail-ſtones, Joſh. 10. If the Syrians get into a walled Town, yet there they are baned by the fall of a Wall upon them, 1 King. 20.
Ver. 18. He who fleeth from the noiſe of the fear] See Am. 5, 19. with the Note, and learn to fear God, the ſtroke of whoſe arm none may think to eſcape.
For the windows from on high are opened] The cataracts or ſluces of the clouds, as once in the general Deluge.
The foundations of the earth do ſhake] Heaven and earth ſhall fight againſt them, and conſpire to miſchieve them.
Ver. 19. The earth is utterly broken down] This he had ſaid before. Oyl, if not well rub'd in, pierceth not the skin: Menaces muſt be inculcated, or elſe they will be but little regarded. Let Preachers preſs matters to the utmoſt, drive the nayl home to the head: not forbearing through faint-heartedneſs, nor languiſhing through luke-warmneſs.
Ver. 20. The earth ſhall reel too and fro like a drunkard] As the Inhabitants thereof had drunk in iniquity like water, Job 15.17. ſo they ſhould now drink and be drunk with the Cup of Gods wrath.
And ſhall be removed like a cottage] Or lodge, but or tent, ſo ſhall they be toſſed and tumbled from one place to another.
And the tranſgreſſion] i. e. The puniſhment of your tranſgreſſion. Obſerve here the wages and the weight of ſin.
Ver. 21. The Lord ſhall puniſh the hoſt of the high-ones that are on high] Altitudinis in excelſo: Hereby he may mean the Jews Gods firſt-born, and therefore higher then the Kings of the earth, Pſalm 89.27. though now for moſt part degenerated, and therefore in the next words alſo heavily threatened: for verſum viceſimum primum ſecundus explicat, ſaith Scultetus.
Ver. 22. And they ſhall be gathered together, &c.] Id quod de poenis Judaeorum intelligimus, ſaith an Interpreter: that is, This we underſtand of the puniſhment of the obſtinate Jews, whoſe bodies after death were clapt up cloſe priſoners in the grave, their ſouls held faſt in hell till the laſt day: when after many dayes they ſhall be viſited, i. e. in the whole man puniſhed, with eternal torments. Caveamus, ſi ſapimus, à deſtinata peccandi malitia. Origen was certainly out when he argued from this Text, that the damned in Hell ſhould after a time be viſited, that is, delivered. There are that begin the promiſe at theſe words,
And after many dayes ſhall they be viſited] i. e. In mercy and favour (as chap. 23.17.) thorow Chriſt. This gracious viſitation began in Iſrael, Luke 1.68. and then came abroad to the Gentiles alſo, Act. 15.14, 15.16, 17.
Ver. 23. Then the Moon ſhall be confounded] The glory of Chriſts Kingdom ſhall be ſo great, that in compariſon of it the Sun and Moon ſhall caſt no light. See Iſa. 54.11, &c. and 60.12.
When the Lord of hoſts] The Lord Chriſt, ſummus coelitum Imperator.
And before his Ancients] The whole Church, and eſpecially her Officers, which are the glory of Chriſt, 2 Cor. 8.23.