Vers. 20. And when the Lord hath giuen you the bread of aduersitie, and water of affliction, thy raine shall be no more kept backe, but thine eyes shall see thy raine.
HEe continues on his former speech, con∣firming the hearts of the faithfull, lest they should faint:* 1.1 for patience alwaies begets hope of a better issue. He therefore instructs them p••tiently to beare the chastisement to come, because they should onely feele Gods wrath the••ein for a time; but soone after, the storme sh••ll be blowne ouer; hee promiseth them that ioy and deliuerance shall bee at hand,* 1.2 because God will turne his anger away from them.
I expound the latter Ʋau, After that: as if hee should say; After you haue been thus af∣flicted,* 1.3 then the Lord will blesse you; for hee will change your mourning into ioy. Where∣as some take the word Raine, for Instructer, it agrees not with the text: for albeit the prin∣cipall fruit of our reconciliation with God, stands in the inioying of faithfull Teachers, yet because the common people had suffe∣red much want, Isaiah fitting his speech accor∣ding to their weaknes, giues thē therin a taste as it were of Gods fatherly goodnes in men∣tioning great plenty of all things.
By the words bread and water, hee signifies an extreme pouerty and want of outward things: and therefore hee addes aduersitie and affliction. Now in stead of this penurie, he pro∣miseth to send them fruitfull increases, which he expresseth vnder the word Raine. For hee takes the cause for the effect: as if he should say; The earth shall be exceeding fruitfull: in which phrase of speech, the Prophet also had respect to the situation of that Country; which waited for no other meanes to make it fruitfull, but the raine which fell from hea∣uen; for it was not watered by the ouerflow∣ing of riuers or fountaines,* 1.4 but onely with raines. Isaiah therefore shewes that the Lord will send abundance of those fruits, which o∣therwise he could haue diminished or taken away by barrennesse. In any wise therefore let vs learne to comfort our soules with these and the like promises, when wee shall in anie sort feele the hand of our God heauie vpon vs.