Vers. 10. For the starres of heauen, and the planets thereof shall not giue their light: the Sunne shall bee darke∣ned in his going forth; and the Moone shall not cause her light to shine.
TO the end men might be the more liue∣ly and effectually touched with the feare of Gods iudgemēt, the Prophets are wont to adde excessiue manners of speeche to their threatnings, which should euen set the wrath of God as it were before their eyes; that so it might pierce into all their senses: euen as if there were not one of the elements which should not rise vp on Gods behalfe to exe∣cute his vengeance. And yet these excessiue speeches exceede not the heinousnesse of the offence: for it is impossible to set forth so hor∣rible a representation of Gods iudgement; but the feeling thereof shall be far more ter∣rible. Well, he speakes of the Sunne, Moone, and starres, and the reason is, because these are ex∣cellent testimonies of the fatherly kindnesse of God towards men. Christ therfore shewes, that Gods goodnesse doth in speciall maner appeare, because he makes his Sunne to shine vpon the good and bad: Matth. 5.45. When the Sunne, Moone, and starres then shine in the heauen, God giues vs cause of reioycing, e∣uen as it were by a sweete and amiable coun∣tenance. In as much then as in the bright∣nesse of the heauens, he shewes a ioyfull and cheerefull face, euen as if he laughed: the darknesse which the Prophet here describes, signifies as much, as if God hauing hid his face, would cast men headlong into sorrowes and into darknesse, because he is angry with them.
There is the like description in the second Chapter of Ioel: and wee haue alreadie said, that this manner of speech is familiar in the Prophets; to let vs know, that all things shall turne to our ruine, if God be once against vs. True it is hee sometimes shewes signes of his indignation in the Starres; but that is extra∣ordinarie: and the darknesse which the Pro∣phet here describes, shall not come before the last cōming of Christ Iesus. But this ought to suffice vs, namely, that all creatures which imploy themselues for our seruice, as testimo∣nies and instruments of the louing kindnesse of God, shall not onely cease from the seruice which now they doe vs; but shall euen arme themselues for our destruction, as soone as God shall ascend to iudgement.