Vers. 7. Your land is wast: your cities are burnt with fire: strangers deuoure your land in your presence, and it is deso∣late like the ouerthrow of strangers.
WAst] Word for word it is, desolation. And thus Isa••ah prosecutes that more largely, and more clearely, which he had said before figuratiuely touching the wounds: To wit, that the land was afflicted with an horri∣ble wast. For I had rather referre the senten∣ces to the time past: because the Prophet rather recountes how many calamities haue formerly h••ppened, before he denounceth the vengeance of God. For he casts their do∣tage and benummednes of hart in their teeth, in that they continued so besotted in their miseries. As the ouerthrow of strangers. This is added for amplification sake. For their sense is too narrow and constrained, who would haue the Hebrew word zarim, which signifi∣eth destruction (which word the Prophet also here vseth) to bee put in the stead of zerem, which signifies an ouerflowing of waters. True it is that the word may be applied to e∣nemies: but it is better to take it in his pro∣per signification, for strangers. For the cala∣mitie is then much more grieuous when men vnknowne, and those that come from a farre countrie doe make warre in a kingdome; be∣cause they are lightly farre more cruell, and doe more hurt then the nighbour enemies. For they race the cities: they burne vp hou∣ses, buildings, and villages; destroying all things; and sparing nothing. In a word, they rush in with barbarous inhumanitie, seeking nothing but to kill, sack, and burne: yea, they study rather to do hurt, thē to get their boo∣ty. But ye neighbour enemies because they are able to hold that which they haue won, vse to leaue garisons there; and as soone as any reuolt is intended, or any trouble moued, they forthwith send succors: and therefore are not so cruell, neither doe they spoyle the countrie out of which they may fitly reape a∣ny commoditie. Hee therefore describes no ordinarie destruction, but rather so bloodie and fierce an one, as exceeded all the rest.
From hence then we may note, that when God hath once begun to chastice & correct, he makes not an end with vs by and by. But in striking vs with many wounds, hee redou∣bles the blowes, and ceaseth not to visit vs stil with one plague after another, if so bee wee cannot be brought to true repentance. Let vs then eschew and flee such an obstinacie, if we meane to escape the like punishments: or if we meane this reproach which was iustly cast vpon the Iewes, should not by as good right light vpon vs: namely, that albeit wee haue been diligently admonished, and haue felt the hand of the Lord, yet for al that we could not bee corrected nor amended. What mar∣uaile is it then, I pray you, if wee are pressed with so many and so diuers calamities, where∣of we can see neither end or issue? Surely we euen fight hand to hand as it were with God and against all his roddes by our rebellion. Is it not needefull then that hee should take vs in hand; and deale with vs, as men do with restie and vnruly lades, who the more they wince and kick, the more they must bee pum∣melled about the head, and spurred vpon the sides? There want not many at this day, I dare say, who accuse God of crueltie as if he were too outragious, and that he ought to carrie a more soft and gentle hand ouer vs: But in the meane while they consider not how hor∣rible our wickednesses be. For if they would looke well into them, truely they should ea∣sily perceiue an admirable mercie of God, e∣uen in the midst of this his seueritie, which seemes so great in their eyes. And to the end wee may not thinke the Lord was too rigorous towards this people, let vs con∣sider the vices which he by and by reckons vp.
But a question may here be demanded; to wit, why the Prophet should say that the people were so many waies afflicted, seeing he began to prophesie (as we said before) vn∣der the reigne of Vzziah; in whose time the state of the kingdome of Judah was verie quiet, so that howsoeuer the kingdome of Is∣rael sustained some losse towards the ende of Vzziah his daies, yet that notwithstanding appertained nothing at all to the kingdome of Iudah. For which cause the Iewes indeed thinke this to appertaine to the reigne of Io∣tham, and not to the reigne of Ʋzz••ah. Now howsoeuer their opinion seemes not to agree very well at the first blush, yet is it not with∣out some probabilitie of reason, if wee shall examine the opinions of others. For wee know that they haue not alwaies kept the or∣der of time in gathering together of the pro∣phesies. And it may bee that this Sermon of Isaiah had obtained first place here for no o∣ther cause, but for that it containes a summe of that doctrine which shall be handled after∣wards. Others thinke they escape easily a∣way when they expound all these things of vices; and not of punishments: but they can∣not so easily auoid that which is spoken of the burning of cities, and wasting of the land. If any thinke the Prophet speakes not of the