Vers. 13. Therefore I will shake the heauens, and the earth shall remoue out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hostes, and in the d•••• of his fierce anger.
THis is an other figure which serues for an amplification. For God cannot repeate this doctrine too often. The reason is, not onely to astonish the infidels, but also to bring consolation to the good, who are of∣ten times disquieted, when the wicked are at their ease, and haue all things at their desire: which Dauid confesseth when he saith; I haue cleansed mine heart in vaine, and washed mine hands in innocencie: Psal. 73.13. These liuely images then are for good cause thus painted out before our eyes, to shew vs plain∣ly the destruction of the wicked. And there∣fore it is as if Isaiah should say; Were it so that the verie heauens had neede to be shaken for the bringing downe, and the rooting out of infidels; euen that should be done. For they thinke themselues out of all danger, and so deepely rooted in the earth, as if it were impossible to plucke them vp: but the Pro∣phet shewes that they greatly deceiue them∣selues, because the Lord will rather shake the heauen and the earth also, then that they should not come tumbling downe from their greatnesse, whereunto they are mounted vp aloft. Whence it followes, that although the world presents a thousand leaning stockes vnto vs, as well high as lo••e, yet notwithstan∣ding there shall be no stedfastnesse in any of them, vnlesse God therewithall be mercifull vnto vs. And if this appeares in particular iudgements, how much more will it appeare in that generall iudgement, when Christ shall ascend into the iudiciall throne of his maie∣stie to pronounce sentence of condemnation against all the wicked?