Vers. 12. Therefore shall yee goe out with ioy, and bee led forth with peace: the mountaines and the hilles shall breake forth before you into ioy, and all the trees of the field shall clappe their hands.
NOw the Prophet concludes the argu∣ment of this Chapter: for that which he hath spoken touching Gods mercy, tended to assure the Iews, that God would deliuer them. Now he applies his discourse touching Gods infinite goodnesse to his purpose, and shews, that his thoughts are nothing like to the thoughts of men. Take a paterne heere then of a right order of teaching, namely, when we apply generall doctrines, to the pre∣sent vse.
Lastly, Isaiah speakes of the peoples re∣stitution, which depended vpon the free mercy of God.
By mountaines and hilles, he signifies, that all stumbling blocks which should lie in the way, should notwithstāding serue to aid those that should returne vnto Ierusalem. These are si∣militudes then whereby hee shewes that all creatures are at Gods becke, and are ready to imploy themselues to set forward his worke: yea and reioice to doe it.
He alludes to the deliuerance out of Egypt, according to the custome of the Prophets: for so it is written in Psal. 114. The mountaines leaped like Rammes, and the hils as lambes: What ailed thee O sea, that thou fleddest backe? O Iordan, why wast thou turned backe? For in regard that the restauration of the church is as it were a renuing of the whole world, it is said, that heauen and earth are changed, as if they had quite altered their ordinarie