Vers. 11. I, euen I am the Lord, and besides me there is no Sauiour.
THe Lord triumphs heere as hauing got∣ten the victorie. In the former verses he hath sufficiently instructed vs touching the meanes whereby to come to his knowledge; and hath shewed that there is no other God but him. Now to confirme this doctrine hee breakes out into this exclamation; It is I, euen I, that am the Lord, and there is none besides mee. And thus wee may see how dangerous a thing it is to forge a god according to our fantasie: for wee haue no sooner effected it, but behold, an Idoll in stead of God. Let not vs therefore, accept of any thing but that which proceeds from him, lest we runne out in this behalfe. Hath he manifested himselfe vnto vs? It is good reason wee should dailie profit, grow, and bee more and more confir∣med in his knowledge. And this is the vse wee should make of this repetition, I, I am the Lord.
Yet I would not haue you thinke he speaks heere of his eternall essence onely; but let vs know that his power and goodnesse, which he fully manifests by causing vs to feele the same, are here cōprehended. And that is the reason why ye epithete of the only Sauiour is ad∣ded; which is a mark whereby to separate him from all his creatures. For the world deceiues it selfe in attributing vnto God a naked and bare title, and in the meane while transports his dignitie ouer to the creatures. In the Pa∣pacie I grant there is mention made of God, but they strip him of his honour; when one part thereof is giuen to Peter and Paul, and another to William and George: that is to say,* 1.1 when his offices are diuided into so many parts, that they leaue nothing to him but the bare title of God.* 1.2 They brag that they wor∣ship but one God: I wot well; but when wee come to speake of his offices, they forge as many gods as there are creatures, and to them they distribute his authoritie and pow∣er. But the Lord will haue these things to re∣maine wholly and soly vnto him; neither can they be attributed to any other without com∣mitting horrible sacriledge: for it is he onely that bestowes all good things vpon men, and he onely defends and preserues them.
The latter member of the verse then, ex∣presseth that knowledge which proceedes from experience, that so we might seeke sal∣uation in none but in him, who is the author of it. Whence we gather, that the principall part of Gods seruice consists in faith; which is, when he is acknowledged to be the foun∣taine of life, when he is adorned with the ti∣tle of Sauiour; as also when these things which