Vers. 29. But there shall be a song vn∣to you as in the night when a solemne feast is kept: and gladnes of heart, as he that commeth with a pipe to go vnto the mount of the Lord, to the mightie one of Israel.
HE shewes, that all the euils wherewith he threatned the Assyrians should turne to the saluation of the Church. Why so? Be∣cause God would no lesse seuerely punish the iniuries done to his children, then if they had been done to himselfe. And thus he sets forth his fatherlie loue and his inestimable good will towards vs, in that he vouchsafes to take armes euen in his owne person as it were for our defence. Whence we may gather,* 1.1 that all the menaces so frequent in the holy Scrip∣tures, serue much for the consolation of the faithfull.
In the next place he saith, that this shall be an holie song; and compares it to those that were vsed in solemne feasts: the rather to stirre the faithfull vp to thanksgiuing, and to teach them how to order their ioy and reioycing. For it is not enough to reioyce,* 1.2 vnlesse our ioy be directlie in the Lord, whose glorie should alwaies be the marke and end we aime at therein: otherwise, our ioy should neither be good, nor acceptable vnto him, but ra∣ther prophane and vaine.
Now because the Iewes began their feast daies at the sun setting,* 1.3 and therefore began to celebrate them as soone as it was euening, he saith, that this song shall be as in the night. And he yet further expresseth the manner of their ioy; to wit, that they shall not leape nor skip after the custome of prophane persons;