Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Isaiah · Chapter 59
CHAP. LIX.
Ver. 1. BEhold the Lords hand is not ſhortened] That their Faſts were not regarded, their Sabbath-keeping rewarded, as chap. 58.3, 14. their prayers anſwered, chap. 59.1, 2. according to expectation; the fault is not at all in God, ſaith the Prophet, as if he were now grown old, impotent, deafiſh, or biſon (as they were apt to conceit it) but meerly in themſelves, as appeareth by the following catalogue of ſins; which he therefore alſo, in his own and their names confeſſeth to God, and aſſigneth for the cauſe of their ſo long-laſting calamity.
Ver. 2. But your iniquities have ſevered] i. e. Have ſet you at a very great diſtance (hinted alſo by the redundancy of ſpeech that is here in the Original) or rather defiance, Pſal. 5.5. Prov. 15.29. chap. 29.13. Nothing intricates our actions more than our ſins, which do likewiſe enſnare our ſouls whiles they are as a wall of ſeparation between God and us, Ezek. 43.8. and as an interſtitium, ſuch as is the firmament that divideth the upper and the lower waters, Gen. 1.6.
Mimus.And your ſins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear] Crudelem medicum intemperant aeger facit. Sin is as a devil in the ayre, ſaith one, to hinder our prayers: turning from ſin will charm the devil, and make him fall from heaven.
Ver. 3. For your hands are defiled with blood] The Prophet well knew, that theſe perverſe Jews would ſtand upon their juſtification, and put God to his proofs (as their poſterity alſo did, Jer. 2.35.) catalogum ergo bene longum texit, therefore he here brings in a long bedrol of their ſins; wherein their hands, lips, heart, feet, &c. were found guilty of high offence. See chap. 1.15.
Your lips have ſpoken lyes] Thoſe very lips of yours that have uttered prayers, have muttered lyes. See James 3.10.
And your tongue hath muttered perverſeneſſe] How this was done, none hath better ſet forth than the Prophet Jeremy, chap. 9.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Ver. 4. None calleth for juſtice] Mindeth the Judges of their duty, but rather connive, collogue, partake, &c. The Chaldee hath it, There is none that delivereth the poor and needy.
They truſt in vanity] As thoſe did, Jer. 7.4. making a bridge of their own ſhadows, they fall into the brook.
They conceive miſchief, &c.] This is taken out of Pſal. 7.14. See the Note there: as alſo on Job. 15.35. Heb. Going great with grievance, and bringing forth vexation.
Ver. 5. They hatch cockatrice egges] i. e. Poiſonous and pernicious deſignes; there are that interpret it of falſe doctrines, as deſtructive to mens ſouls: as Cockatrice egges-eaten, or but broken, would be to their bodies. As the bird that ſitteth on the ſerpents egges, by breaking and hatching them, bringeth forth a perilous brood, to her own deſtruction: ſo here.
And weave the ſpiders web] Good for nothing but to catch flyes. The natural man is ever either weaving ſpiders webs (which are futiles and fragiles) or hatching Cockatrice-egges. Vanity or villany is his whole ſtudy and practice.
Ver. 6. Their webs ſhall not become garments] Garments quaſi gardments; one uſe of them being to guard our bodies from the injury of wind and weather. Wicked devices and falſe doctrines profit not thoſe that are therein occupied, as Heb. 13.9. In the day of Gods wrath, they will prove but as a coat of cobweb.
Their works are works of iniquity] Here Miniſters may learn roundly to reprove the ſins of the people.
Ver. 7. Their feet run unto evil, &c.] They trot apace toward hell; they take long ſtrides, as if they feared leaſt hell ſhould be full before they come thither.
And they make haſte to ſhed innocent blood] This is taken from Prov. 1.16. and fitly applyed by St. Paul to the whole race of mankind, Rom. 3.15. ſith by nature there's never a better of us: we are all in a pickle; Ecce hic te las aranearum & ova aſpidum explicat.A …apide.
Waſting and deſtruction are in their paths] A Metaphor from torrents or tempeſts: or from a peſtilence that ſweepeth all, as now it doth at Genna, and as it did not long ſince at Naples.
Ver. 8. The way of peace they know not] Like Salamanders, they love to live in the fire of contention, to ſwim againſt the ſtream with the Trout, to ſow ſedition, as the devil, &c.
Shall not know peace] Shall not know what it meaneth.
Ver. 9. Therefore is Judgement far from us] Here followeth, the complaint of the godly party, together with their confeſſion: this they knew well to be the readieſt way to get off with comfort. God, ſay they here, hath neither avenged us on our enemies, nor ſhewed us favour: he letteth our foes deal with us, as we have dealt one with another.
We wait for light, but behold obſcurity] We promiſed our ſelves a better eſtate: but the matter mendeth with us, quoth that Martyr, as ſowr ale doth in ſummer.
Ver. 10. We grope for the wall like the blind] We are altogether to ſeek, utterly deſtitute of good counſel or advice: neither can we enjoy thoſe comforts that we have.
We are in deſolate places as dead men] As free among the dead, free of that company, Pſal. 88.5. Leo Judae rendreth it, we are in our graves as dead carcaſſes. Piſcator thus, In fatneſſes (that is, in the abundance of all things) we are as dead men.
Ver. 11. We roar all like bears] Fremimus, ac gemimus. The bear, when hurt or robbed, runs into his den and roareth. Doves, when bereft of their mates, ſit ſolitary and groan. So do we indiſinenter & intimè gemimus, make pittiful moan: and that's all we can do.
Ver. 12. For our tranſgreſſions are multiplied before thee] When complaints end in confeſſions, it is right: the Phyſick worketh kindly. Some furious fools have brutiſh and fell affections, full of rage, when in pain or grief they fly upon God and man, and all that comes next hand; hoping to eaſe themſelves, not by confeſſion or reformation, but by revenge.
And our ſins teſtifying againſt us] Sin put a ſting into their croſſes: and hence it was they lay ſo heavy. This brought ſuch roarings and groanings upon them,Heb. Peccatū reſpondit. l. c. peccatorum unumquodque. and that alſo when ſalvation was looked for.
For our tranſgreſſions are with us] They lie like a lo…d of lead upon our conſciences, where they are yet unpardoned.
And as for our iniquities, we know them] Our conſciences are burdened with them, and we feel the terrours of God in our ſouls. Conſcientia nihil aliud eſt quam cordis ſcientia: Conſcience is the reflection of the ſoul upon it ſelf. See 1 Cor. 4.4. So here, As for our iniquities we know them, namely by a ſecond act of the underſtanding, whereby, after we think or know a thing, we think what we think, and know what we know, and this is properly the action of Conſcience.
Ver. 13. In tranſgreſſing and lying againſt the Lord] Or dealing diſloyally with him. This is to lay on load; to be full in the mouth, to enter into particulars, and to confeſs them all with utmoſt aggravation.
Ver. 14. And judgement is turned away backward] Nihil amplius ex aequo & bono agitur: All's out of order: cauſes are carried the contrary way.
Truth is fallen in the ſtreets] When the diſputation at Oxford with Cranmer, Ridley and Latimer Martyrs was finiſhed, Weſton the Prolocutor triumphed with Vicit Veritas: whereas he ſhould rather have ſaid, Vicit Potestas, Act. & Mon. 1300.not Truth but Force hath carried it. In the Convocation at Pauls about the ſame time, when Philpot and other good men argued for the truth againſt the Popiſh Prelates, it was ſaid, that thoſe diſtreſſed Miniſters had the Word for them, but the Prelates had the ſword on their ſide, and would therefore get the better.
Ver. 14. Yea truth faileth] See ver. 13.
And he that departeth from evil, maketh himſelf a prey] Praedae patet, is like to ſuffer for his ſingularity and preciſeneſs. The luxurious Epheſians once made this decree, foreign, Let there be never a ſober man ſuffered to live amongſt us. The Athenians were wont to caſt good men out of their Common-wealth by an Oſtraciſme. Thraſcaes was commanded by Nero to dye, becauſe he was a better man then was fit to live in ſo looſe an age. Joſephus ſaith, that before the laſt deſtruction of Jeruſalem, Religion was not only a matter of form, but of ſcorn. Bede reporteth of the ancient Brittons immediately before their deſtruction by the Saxons, that they were come to that height of wickedneſſe, as to caſt odium in religionis profeſſores tanquam in adverſarios, hatred upon profeſſours of religion, looking upon them as their adverſaries.
Ver. 15. And wondred] The vulgar hath it Aporiatus eſt.
That there was no Interceſſour] No Interpoſer (as Job 36.32.) that would ſtickle for truth and right, as did Nehemiah, Athanaſius, Luther, &c.
Therefore his arm brought ſalvation—and his righteouſneſſe] i. e. Chriſt, the power of God,Jun. and the wiſdom of God, 1 Cor. 1.24, 30.
Ver. 17. For he put on righteouſneſſe as a breſt-plate] i. e. Chriſt did; and ſo muſt every Chriſtian, Eph. 6.14. where the Apoſtle Paul ſoundeth the Alarm, and deſcribeth his weapons as here, defenſive and offenſive; alluding likely to this text.
Ver. 18. Fury to his adverſaries] Viz. The Devil and his Agents, his peoples adverſaries.
Ver. 19. So they ſhall fear the Name of the Lord] Chriſt ſhall get him a great Name, as a renowned Conquerour.
When the enemy ſhall come in like a flood] When they ſhall pour out a deluge of evils upon the Church, Rev. 12.15.
The Spirit of the Lord ſhall lift up a ſtandard againſt him] i. e. Againſt ſtrong temptations, corruptions, perſecutions: the Motto ſhall be (as once) Chriſtus nobiſcum: ſtate.
Ver. 20. And the Redeemer] Shall come to the Iſrael of God.
That turn from tranſgreſſion] See Rom. 11.26. with the Note.
Ver. 21. My ſpirit which is upon thee, and my words] The efficacy of the Word is by the Spirit; the expreſſion of the Spirit by the Word: both are here promiſed to the Church, as her true goods, Iſa. 30.20, 21. Joh. 14.16, 26. It is with the Word and Spirit, as with the veines and arteries in the body: as the veines carry the blood, ſo the arteries carry the ſpirits to quicken the blood.