Exposition of Isaiah 9, Part 4
They hauehave reioyced before thee according to the ioy in haruest, & as men reioyce whē they deuide a spoyle,
Before thee, sayth the Prophet, that is, in spirite and faith, wherein the kyngdome of Christ consisteth, and in which he raigneth. Here againe it appeareth that there is a small part whiche reioyceth, as it is a little before mentioned, whereby wée maye vnderstande that it is true that thys texte (Thou hast not increased their ioy) is thus muche in effecte: Thou makest them sadde and angrye, for that they hauehave no ioye, but onelye affliction thereby, as if the Prophete shoulde hauehave sayde after thys sorte:
There is small ioy surely, that is, great sorrowe and resistyng, for hee addeth nexte after: But before thée there is ioy, as if he saide, there is little ioy, that is no ioye, but berfore thée is greate ioy: Moreouer, he sayde Before thee, for this cause also,The vvorldlye ioy to hee looked for in Christes Kingdome. that no manne shoulde looke for worldly and transitorie ioye in the kingdome of Christe. Ioye in God muste be hidden vnderunder the Crosse, as Christe sayth: In the world ye shal hauehave affliction, but in me you shal hauehave peace. The heartes of Christians are alwayes ioyfull,Iohn. 16.33. althoughe in body, goodes and reputation outwardely they are compelled to suffer affliction. For the innumerable multitude, vntounto whome little ioye commeth by the Gospell, and Sathan will worke so far, yt Christians shall be able to reioyce nothing either of their welth, or honor and reputation. So that Christians are togither both in sorrowe and pleasure, in griefe and ioy, in warre and peace, for as much as before God they are mery in spirite, and are also abhorred of the vnfaithfull and Satan, which cannot abide them. The Prophet addeth a similitude of ioy,A similitude of the ioy in Harueste. whiche is wonte to be in a plētiful haruest. For in the Autumn or haruest is the gretest ioy of the whole yeare, when as all the fruits of the earth being reaped and gathered togither, are caried home and laid vp, as wine, graine oile, figs, and whatsoeuer fruits of trées which are without number, especiallye if it be a fruitful yeare, for then it is called a plentifull Autumne or Haruest, then the Earthe gyueth a rewarde to the Tillers thereof, then it yéeldeth profytte and fruite for the laboures of the whole yeare: then euerye one singeth, and reioyceth in gathering togither such fruite. Herevpon the Scripture calleth the Autumne or Haruest, ye ende of the yeare, as Exodus chapter xxiij. When as in the ende of the yere thou hast gathered togither al thy fruits into barnes and store houses. &c. For by and by after haruest the husbandmen beginne to plowe the grounde agayne, and to prepare for the haruest of the yeare following.The Gospel the spiritual haruest. The Gospell is after this sort the spiritual haruest, as Christ declareth Iohn. 4. Loke sayeth he, on the regions, for they are white already vntounto haruest. The Prophets which went before Christ, did in déede till the Earthe, yet they did not liue vntounto haruest: that is, they preached the law, they foretolde of Christ, they prophesied of the gospel, they toke much paines in the scripture, and for the peoples sake, that they might make men ready against the cōming of Christ. Howbeit they liued not vntill the time when as these things were to be fulfilled, as Christe sayth in another place:Luke. 10.24 Many kings and Prophets hauehave greatly desired to sée & heare those things which ye sée and heare, and yet neyther of them was graunted vntounto them.
But we, that is,They vvhiche belieue the Gospel, are made partakers of the fruites of the spiritual haruest. the Apostles and all the godly, do receyue the gospell, & come into the haruest, that we may enioy al the fruites of the gospel, that is, the spirite, the comforter with al his giftes, wherein we are made so ryche, that we hauehave grace and remission of sinnes for euer: moreouer, that we may enioye redemption from deathe, dominion and power ouer the Diuel and al euil what so euer, and briefly, the fulnesse and most abundant plentie of all goodnesse, so that Saint Paule doth rightly call them vnspeakable good things and excéeding riches, which we enioy through Christe. This is a true Autumn or haruest, this is a rich vintage, filling the barnes and vessels. Herevnto the deuine Prophets laboured to bring men, in as muche as they foretolde that such a time shoulde assuredlye come, and hereby they comforted them. These we hauehave assured witnesses of our faith, according as Saincte Peter saith: Not for their owne, but for oure sake they declared such thinges as they preached of Christe. Here is that saying verified. There is one whiche soweth, & another that reapeth, as Christ himselfe sayeth. Ioh. 4. Other men laboured, and yee are entred into their laboures, euen as the Israelits came into the land of Canaan, which notwithstanding they had not tilled, but as it is saide, Psal. 105. They tooke the labours of the people in possession. And Moses saith in Deuteronomie: God shall giuegive thée Cities whiche thou haste not builded, and fieldes in whiche thou haste cast no séede &c. This therefore is in déede great ioy, both to know and to hauehave suche greate good thinges, and therefore to giuegive God thankes,The goodnesse and grace of God is offered to the vvhole vvorld, but receiued of …evve. to extoll and praise him. Nowe althoughe these bee offered to the whole worlde, howe fewe bee there, (such is mens peruersnesse) which do acknowledge and receiue them? howe fewe bee there, whiche (alas) hauehave ioye by them? for they are very exceeding greate and highe good things.
Another similitude the prophete bringeth of victory,A similitude of the diuision of the spoile after the victorie obtayned. when as the battel being ended, the spoiles are diuided, whereby the Souldyoures are enriched.
The more daungerous and sharpe that the battayle hathe béene, so much more pleasaunte is the victorye, so much more swéeter is the diuision of the spoyle: then there is a ioyfull retournyng into theyr Countrey: then is there shoutyng, reioycing, singyng, and talkyng of the perilles and laboures of the battell, of the prosperitie and safetye of the victory: Then they speake much of theyr enimyes, and deride and scorne them. Muche more is that done in the Spirituall victory before God, Sinne, Death, and Sathan being ouercome.
Esay makyng no mention of the victorye, speaketh of the diuision of the spoyle,The victorie is not ours, yet the fruite therof is giuen vntounto vsus. for he afterward speaketh of the victorye, whose it is, for it is not ours, so that we hauehave got it of our selues, but the profitte and fruite of the victorie, is giuen vntounto vsus, that is the diuision of the spoyle, whiche is the holy Gospel, the worde of life, whereby we are made partakers of the fruite of Christs victorie, namely of deliuerance and fréedome from sinnes, as it is sayde. This doth in déede make hartes ioyfull, quiet, strong vntounto God and stable, againste Sathan and all his power and wickednesse. For before Christ came, the Prophets when they pitched their campe with the word of God, they obtayned as yet no victory. They stoode and loked for the true Captaine of the armie,Christ the true Captaine, vvith out vvhom the victorie can not be obtained. who should encounter for vsus with sinne, death, the Diuell, and hauing ouerthrowen them, obtayn a noble conquest and victorie. Otherwise, without that captaine of the armye, it woulde fall out as it did with the people of Israel, 1. Sam. 17. when they had pitched their tentes ouer agaynste the Philistines, as often as they beheld the champion Goliath, they were discouraged and greatly afrayde, vntil the righte champion Dauid obtayned the victorie. So also doeth the case stande with vsus, if without Christe we hauehave to fight against sinne and death.
But for as much as our Dauid hath ouercome death togither wyth sinne,The ioy of the deuisiō of the spoil… of whom we could not but be afrayde, and discouraged by them, we are ioyfull and safe, we sing with a mery cheare, deuiding the spoyle with ioy, that is, wee preach and publish the Gospel, praysing God, and giuing him thankes, we comfort and strengthen one an other, & saye: Be not sorrowfull or sadde, nothing can hurt thée, sinne is abolished, death is ouercome, all wrath and indignation is taken away, here is nothing but grace and peace remayning, Sathan is destitute of strength, his kingdome is fallen, as Saint Paule sayth. 1. Cor. 15. O death, where is thy sting? O hel where is thy victorie? But thankes be vntounto God which hath giuen vsus victorie through our Lorde Iesus Christe▪ With such wordes we comfort one another. Nowe Esay entreateth more at large of the battel and victory, wherby the Gospel is for a part of the spoyle deuided amongst vsus vntounto eternall peace. Let vsus heare him therefore speaking as foloweth.