Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Isaiah · Chapter 44
CHAP. XLIV.
Ver. 1. YEt now hear] Hear a word of comfort after ſo terrible a Thunder-crack, chap. 43.28. But there it is bare Jacob and Iſrael, who are threatned: here it is Jacob my ſervant, and Iſrael whom I have choſen: it is Jeſhurun or the righteous Nation, who are comforted. And becauſe we forget nothing ſo ſoon as the conſolations of God, as is to be ſeen in Chriſts Diſciples, and thoſe believing Hebrews, chap. 12.5. therefore doth the Prophet ſo oft repeat and inculcate them; like as men uſe to rub and chafe in Ointments into the fleſh, that they may enter and give eaſe.
Ver. 2. Thus ſaith the Lord that made thee] See on chap. 43.1, 7, 21. and obſerve how this Chapter runneth parallel with the former: yea how the Prophet from chap. 41. to chap. 47. doth one and the ſame thing almoſt; labouring to comfort his people againſt the Babylonian captivity, and to arm them againſt the ſin of Idolatry, whereunto, as of themſelves they were over-prone, ſo they ſhould be ſure to be ſtrongly tempted amongſt thoſe Idolaters.
And thou Jeſhurun] Thou who art upright or righteous, whith a twofold righteouſneſs, viz. Imputed and Imparted. The Septuagint render it Dilecte, or Dilictule, my dearly beloved.
Ver. 3. For I will pour water upon him that is thirſty] Or, upon the thirſty place, hearts that hunger and thirſt after righteouſneſs, Matth. 5.6. See the Notes there.
I will pour my Spirit — and my bleſſing] When God giveth a man his holy Spirit, he giveth him bleſſing in abundance: even all good things at once, as appeareth by Matth. 7.11. with Luke 11.13. Here are three ſpecial operations of the Spirit inſtanced. 1. Comfort. 2. Fruitfulneſs. 3. Courage for Chriſt, ver. 5.
Ver. 4. As willows by the water-courſes] Not only as the graſs, (but by a further growth) as the willows, which are often lopped, ſed ad ipſo vulnere vires ſumunt, Ʋberius reſurgunt, altiuſque excreſcunt.but ſoon thruſt forth new branches; and though cut down to the bottom, yet will grow up again: ſo will the Church, and her Children.
Ver. 5. One ſhall ſay, I am the Lords] When God ſeemeth to cry out, Who is on my ſide, who? then the true Chriſtian, by a bold and wiſe profeſſion of the truth, anſwereth as here. After the way that they call hereſy, ſo worſhip I the God of my Fathers, ſaid that great Apoſtle. We are Chriſtians, ſaid thoſe Primitive Profeſſours: and ſome of them wrot Apologies for their Religion to the perſecuting Emperours, as did Juſtin Martyr, Athenagoras, Arnobius, Tertullian, Minutius Felix, and others. The late famous Reformers Zuinglius, Luther, Muſculus, &c. had been Franciſcans, Auguſtinians, Dominicans: but relinquiſhed thoſe ſuperſtitious titles and gave up their names to Chriſt and his truth. I knew a Noble-man (ſaith Mr. Burroughs) who when he came into jearing company of great ones,On Hoſea. would begin and own himſelf one of thoſe they called Puritans, a nick-name then put upon the godly party; and ſo odious to the profaner ſort, that the ſame Author elſewhere telleth us of a Scholer in Queens colledge, who profeſſed he had rather ſuffer the torments of hell, then endure the contempt and ſcorn of the Puritans.
Subſcribe with his hand] Or, write on his hand, I am the Lords.
And ſirname himſelf] So Chriſtian is my name, ſaid an Ancient, and Catholick my ſirname.
Ver. 6. Thus ſaith the Lord] Here and in the ſubſequent verſes we have an evident and excellent teſtimony of the Unity of the true God, and vanity of Idols.
Ver. 7. And who as I ſhall call, and ſhall declare it?] Theſe are alledged by God as Arguments or Demonſtrations of his Deity, praedicare, & indicare & ordinare, to call his Elect (ſtiled here his ancient people, populum aternum) to foretel them things to come, and to order all occurrences for their eternal good.
Ver. 8. Have I not told thee from that time] Ever ſince I made thee mine ancient people, well-affected to old truths, and diffaſting novel-opinions.
Is there a God beſides me?] Vehementi ſpiritu hoc quaerit, & gravitate magna reſpondet, There is no God (no other God) I know not any. This was ſpoken by the Prophet, ſay ſome, in the daies of Ahaz, that notorious Idolater.
Ver. 9. And their delectable things] their Mawmets and puppets, which they ſo dearly affect and take ſo great delight in. He ſpeaketh thus, ſaith Diodate, becauſe that Idolatry is a kind of ſpiritual concupiſcence, and unchaſt or diſordered love: like as fornication or adultery.
And they are their own witneſſes, &c.] Or, even themſelves are their own witneſſes to their ſhame, that they neither ſee nor know ought.
Ver. 10. Who hath formed a god — that is profitable for nothing?] q. d. Who but a mad man? foreign, ſuch as was Julian the Apoſtate, called therefore Idolian by ſome.
Quis furor eſt, quae tanta animas dementia ludit?Sedulius.
What can be more ridiculous, ſaith Baſil, Quis hacludibria non derideat? Lact.then for man to go about to make God? and yet Popiſh Prieſts take upon them ſo to do: which made Averroes abhor Chriſtianity, and wiſh that his ſoul might rather be among the Philoſophers.
Ver. 11. Behold all his fellows] his fellow fools.
Shall be aſhamed] they may be well enough, of their madneſſe: they ſhall be (ſure enough) of their diſappointments.
And the work-men, they are of men] Not of Angels, or the heavenly virtues, ſaith Oecolampadius; but vile varlets.
Let them all be gathered together] As were, at Epheſus, Demetrius and his Aſſociates, Acts 19.29.
Yet they ſhall fear] As Tullus Hoſtilius did with his new Gods Pavor & Pallor: as Papiſts do with their Valentine, Antony, Sebaſtian, &c. whom they worſhip as the ſenders of ſuch and ſuch diſeaſes.
Ver. 12. The Smith with the tongs, &c.] He lively ſetteth forth the weakneſs of the work-men, that thereby may be underſtood the weakneſs of the Idols: ſith they cannot help in the leaſt thoſe that take ſuch pains about them. All theſe things muſt be taken as ſpoken with utmoſt ſcorn, and ſtomach.
And faſhioneth it with hammers] He knocks and works his Idol, in manner as he doth his coulter, or Plow-ſhare.
Hoc agunt ut nihil agant.With the ſtrength of his arms] Tanto conatu tantas nugas agit, cum ſit calidus in re frigida: he much troubleth himſelf about ſuch trifles.
Ver. 13. The Carpenter ſtretcheth out his rule] As did the Carpenter of Cockram, who yet made but an ill-ſhaped Rood,Act. & Mon. fol. 1340. and was forced to ſue for his money. Mrs. Catiſmore ſuffered in King Henry the eighth his daies, for ſaying that Images were but Carpenters chips: and yet they are no better. That's a remarkable ſaying of Seneca, Ridiculum eſt genu poſito &c. It is a ridiculous thing to worſhip Images, and yet to ſlight the man that made them.
Quaſi ad hoſtimentum.And maketh it after the figure of a man] God made man after his own Image: and man to be even with God, will needs make him after his image.
Ver. 14. He heweth him down Cedars] Choice wood, yet but wood: Qualis igitur inde Deus confurgat?
And the rain doth nouriſh it] Not the Idol: for it can do nothing toward the production of that matter whereof it is made. Some have obſerved, that the four ſorts of Trees here mentioned, are all of them fruitleſs, and growing in woods.
Ver. 15. Then ſhall it be for a man to burn] The chips at leaſt ſhall, and the offal.
Yea, he maketh a god and worſhippeth it] Quod Dei eſt, trunco tribuit.
Ver. 16. He burneth part thereof in the fire] which is to far better purpoſe, then the other part made into an Idol.
I have ſeen the fire] i. e. I have felt it: one ſenſe put forth another.
Ver. 17. He falleth down unto it and worſhippeth it] Do not Papiſts even the ſame, whatever they pretend in defence of their Idolatry? (See Rev. 9.20. with the Note.) ſo loth they are to have their Aſſes-ears to be ſeen.
Ver. 18. They have not known nor underſtood] How ſhould they (ſay) when infatuated and given up to an injudicious mind, or reprobate ſenſe? as thoſe, Rom. 1.28.
For he hath ſhut their eyes] Heb. danbed up their eyes from ſeeing, their hearts from underſtanding.
Mens oblita Dei, vitiorúmque oblita coeno.
Ver. 19. Shall I fall down to the ſtock of a tree?] This the beſotted Papiſts do to this day, by the command of the Council of Trent. But before that Council ſo decreed it, Ludovicus Vives (a learned Papiſt) confeſſed, that there could no other difference be found of Paganiſh and Popiſh worſhip before Images, but only this, that names and titles were altered; viz. we cry Jehovah, and they Jupiter: we Mary, they Diana; they Minerva, we Katharine, &c. And here I bethink me of what Luther on the ninth Commandement writeth of a baſe and beaſtly woman, Quae ut falleret ejuſmodi ſuperſtitionis quendam fatuum cultorem, pubim ſuam totondit, & illi porrexit, ſuadens quod eſſent capilli S. Catharinae trans mare advecti. Credidit ille cuculus, & pro reliquiis oſculandos praebuit & venerandos: & ecce quid fit? caepit etiam miracula operari pubes illa turpitudinis.
Ver. 20. He feedeth on aſhes] i. e. he ſeeketh comfort of his Idol, but findeth as little as he doth nouriſhment who feedeth upon aſhes.
A ſeduced heart hath turned him aſide] And hence it is that he is brought to deify a thing ſo contemptible. From this expreſſion note that man is the cauſe of evil to himſelf; and is ſo blinded by his own default, that he cannot ſo much as once think ſeriouſly of his ſouls health: His deluded heart, that hath ſo oft deceived him, may well ſay to him, as the heart of Apollodorus the Tyrant ſeemed to ſay to him, who dreamed one night that he was fleaed by the Scythians, and boyled in a Caldron, and that his heart ſpake to him out of the kettle, foreign, It is I that have drawn thee to all this.
Is there not a lye in my right hand?] i. e. An idol that is nothing in the world, and nothing it can do for me. How then are Images fit to be Lay men books? being unprofitable, lyes and teachers of lyes? Jer. 10.8. and 16.19. Hab. 2.18.
Ver. 21. Remember theſe O Jacob and Iſrael] i. e. Remember theſe abominable Idolaters, and enjoy their madneſs: learn wiſdome by their folly.
Thou ſhalt not be forgotten of me] Or, forget me not, as ſome render it. Scultetus addeth that whereas many ſacred ſentences are written upon our walls, this ought to be written upon our hearts, O Iſrael forget me not.
Ver. 22. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy tranſgreſſions, and as a cloud thy ſinnes] God blotteth out or wipeth away the thick cloud as well as the cloud, enormities, as infirmities: like as the Sun diſpelleth foggs and miſts with his bright beams. Think of this ſweet ſimilitude, together with that other, Mic. 7.19. Thou wilt caſt all our ſins into the bottom of the ſea, and then deſpair if thou canſt. The ſea by its vaſtneſs can drown mountaines as well as mole-hills: and the Sun by his force can ſcatter the greateſt miſt, as well as the leaſt vapour. So here.
Ver. 23. Sing O ye heavens, for the Lord hath done it] It is uſual both with the Prophets and the Apoſtles, when they mention the great work of mans Redemption (typified by that famous deliverance from Babylon) to break forth into praiſe and thankſgiving to God, the ſole Authour thereof. See Pſal. 68, 89, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100. Iſa. 12.25, 26. Rom. 7.24, 25. 1 Cor. 15.56, 57. 1 Tim. 1.17. Rev. 5.11, 12. Here is hinted, that ſo very great is the benefit of our Redemption, that it might well affect Heaven and Earth, and all things, high and low.
Ver, 24. Thus ſaith the Lord thy Redeemer] All this God had ſaid oft before; ſee chap. 42.5. but, for the further confirmation of ſome who were unſettled by the contrary predictions of ſome vain diviners and wizzards, he ſaith it over again.
Ver. 25. That fruſtrateh the tokens of the lyars] Their falſe Prognoſtiks of the long laſtingneſs of the Babylonian Empire; and therefore no likelihood of the Jews enlargement.
And maketh diviners mad] Diviners the Latines call Southſayers and ſuch fellows, by a term that is altogether too good for them; quum ſint potius diabolici, ſaith Piſcator, ſith they are rather Devils incarnate than Divines. By a like form of ſpeech Alſted ſaid of his Germans, In Encyclop.that if the Sabbath day ſhould be named according to their obſerving of it, Daemoniacus potius quam Dominicus diceretur.
That turneth wiſe men backward] The worlds Wizzards, who approved of that which the Diviners affirmed, judging according to outward appearance, &c.
Ver. 26. That confirmeth the word of his ſervant] i. e. Of my ſelf and other Prophets, ſaying the ſame with me.
That ſaith to Jeruſalem] Who then ſhall gainſay it? is not Gods Word his Will? and his Will his Work?
Ver. 27. That ſaith to the deep, Be dry] i. e. That will put it into the heart of Cyrus to dry up Euphrates, and ſo to take Babylon: which, (according to ſome) is here called the Deep or Abyſſe, becauſe ſituated in a plain well watred with ſundry rivers, had wealth at will, and many Princes who ran into her, as rivers do into the ſea.
And I will dry up thy rivers] This Baſil expounds of the end of the world.Hexaem. l. 3.
Ver. 28. That ſaith of Cyrus] One hundred and ſeventy years at leaſt before he was born.
Thou art my Shepherd] i. e. Princeps meus beneficus. Coreſh in the Perſian tongue ſignifieth food, ſaith Scaliger: and then there might be ſome alluſion here to his name in calling him a Shepherd, or Feeder.