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Vers. 14. All you assemble your selues and heare: which among thē hath declared these things? The Lord hath loued him, he will doe his will in Babell, and his* 1.1 arme shall be against the Chaldeans.
* 1.2NO doubt but the Lord directs his speech to the Iewes, though hee vtters nothing heere which ought not to be knowne of all. But because the heathen & prophane people had no eares, therefore hee summons not them to heare. Wee know that the Iewes had this priuiledge aboue other nations, that God manifested himselfe to them: as it is said in the Psalme; God is knowne in Iudah, his name is great in Israel: Psal. 76.1. and 147.19, 20. And thus their senslesnesse was the lesse excusable, in that they reiected their owne happinesse. For whence sprang this lightnesse and inclination to apostasie, but from the lit∣tle or no regard they had of this inestimable treasure of the heauenly doctrine? They well deserued then to bee thus sharpely chidden, and that he should thus closely tax them for their malicious and manifest conspiracies to darken the grace of God.
Now it seemes the Lord permits the Iewes to bring in their allegations which they had, as those who trusting to the goodnes of their cause, dare thus defie their aduerse partie: Bring in thy reasons, and if thou hast anie metall in thee, shew it. The Lord then pro∣uokes them first, and bids them tell if they can, whether the gods of the Gentiles haue foretold any such things or no. And this may also be applied to the Soothsaiers and Prog∣nosticators, who attributed to themselues the knowledge of things to come, which they could not foresee at all. And in the same sense he repeates that which followes in the verse insulng: I, euen I haue spoken it. The summe comes to this then, that the Iewes wauer, yea and fall; because they haue not well infor∣med themselues how singular a grace of God it is, to learne from his sacred mouth, what∣soeuer is needfull to saluation. In the latter part of the verse, hee recites one particular; namely, God had foretold the end of their captiuity in Babylon. True it is that he names not Cyrus as the dispenser of this benefite:* 1.3 but in speaking of some certaine personage well knowne, he saith, God hath chosen him to surprise Babel by force.
The word To loue, is not taken heere sim∣ply, but for some speciall respect: and there∣fore he restraines it to the happy issue of his voyage. And so we may say that Saul was be∣loued of God for some priuate end;* 1.4 namelie, that hee might raigne for a time, and might haue the gift of prophecie: 1. Sam. 10.10. But there is an higher matter to bee considered of touching the faithfull, whom God loues with an euerlasting loue: for hee will neuer suffer them to be separated from him.* 1.5 The Prophet then meant to say, that Cyrus shall vanquish Babylon, because he shall vndertake that businesse vnder Gods authoritie & lea∣ding; not of his owne motion, but after such a manner, as God thrusts forward the blind and ignorant, whither him listeth: or as hee vseth sometimes to serue his turne of men a∣gainst their wils. For Cyrus is not praised for his voluntary obedience, but it is rather indeed an extolling of Gods singular prouidence, by which hee disposeth of all sorts of men to performe his will, and to execute his de∣crees.
By arme, (vnder a figure familiar amongst the Prophets) we may vnderstand his vvorke. And thus the speech will runne better; Hee shall execute his vvill against Babylon, and his vvorke against the Chaldeans. And wee know that the Prophets are wont to ioine Gods counsell and worke together. Now he priui∣lie taxeth the Iewes for their ingratitude, in that they would not beleeue Gods promises, though hee pointed out the thing before them with his finger, and spake far otherwise then did the Chaplaines of the false gods. To conclude, hee meant to informe the Iewes, that the surprizing of Babel by the hand of Cyrus, shall bee a vvorke of the Lord, vn∣der whose direction all things shall bee so carried, that the Church in the end shall be deliuered.