Vers. 22. And yee shall pollute the couering of the images of siluer, and the rich ornaments of thine images of gold, and cast them away as a menstru∣ous cloth, and thou shalt say vnto it, get thee hence.
HEnce it appeares, that this direction which God will giue vnto his Saints, shall not be in vaine: for hauing abandoned their false worship, they shall giue themselues to the true. And the Prophet plainly men∣tions their externall profession of pietie, when they shall make it appeare vnto all, that they haue renounced idols, and all idolatry. For seeing images are instruments of idolatrie and superstition;* 1.1 therefore those who are tru∣ly conuerted vnto God, must needs abhorre and detest them: yea, and as much as in them is, prophane and pollute them; as we read Iehu did, who prophaned the Altars of Baal, and made a sakes of his Temple: 2. King. 10.27. Fatihfull Princes and Magistrates ought to follow his example, and such as haue done the like, if they will giue any true testimonie of their sound conuersion. I grant repentance hath his seat in the heart, and hath God for a witnesse of it; but wee can discerne it no way but by the fruits. And here vnder one kind, Isaiah comprehends all. For in generall hee toucheth one note of true repentance; to wit, when men make it appeare, that they count all things cōtrary vnto Gods true wor∣ship abominable.
When he saith, that the idols are prophaned,* 1.2 his meaning is not, that euer they were holy. For how can that be esteemed holy, which is erected to Gods dishonour; which also pol∣lutes men with the filthinesse of it? But in re∣gard that men (being besotted with a false opinion) attribute some holinesse vnto them, therefore he saith, they are polluted, and that they ought to bee reiected and cast away as filthy things of no worth.
Also in calling them images of gold and sil∣uer; he therein shewes, that the faithfull cease not to abhor idolatry, what losse or disaduan∣tage so euer come vnto them thereby. For many are loth to abandon idolles, because they thinke thereby they shall lose gold, siluer, or some such like thing; and therefore had ra∣ther retaine them, then to sustaine the least incommoditie. Couetousnes so holds & ham∣pers them, that they thinke it safer wit∣tingly to offend God, and to defile them∣selus with such abominations, then to lose the paring of this or that trifle. But we ought ••o prefer Gods pure worship and seruice,* 1.3 before the most pretious things in the world. Let vs despise gold let vs cast pearles frō vs, & abhor whatsoeuer is deere vnto vs, rather thē to suf∣fer our selues to bee polluted with such vile trash. In a word, there is not ye thing to be na∣med for price & excellencie, which we ought not to esteeme base & vile, when wee are to ouerturne the Kingdome of Satan, and to set vp the Kingdome of our Lord Iesus Christ,* 1.4 which consists in his pure worship.* 1.5 For thus shall wee indeed make it manifest to all the world, whether the loue of true religion hath takē any place in our hearts yea or no; name∣ly, when hauing indeed shewed our detesta∣tion against our owne peruerse ignorance, [ 1] we be also prouoked to put far away from vs [ 2] all pollutions and defilings.