Vers. 13. The glory of Lebanon shall come vnto thee, the firre tree, the elme and the box tree together to beautifie the place of my sanctuarie: for I will glorifie the place of my feete.
ISaiah vseth yet another similitude, which hee brought in when hee compared the Church to a building or Citie. For he recites such things as are necessarie to build withall, to wit, the firre tree, the pine tree, and the box tree; all which grew in Lebanon, a forrest that abounded with goodly and excellent trees. His meaning is then, that whatsoeuer was faire and exquisite in this forrest, should be brought vnto the Church. But we must refer the truth of these figures to Gods spirituall worship; for he adornes his Church with the title of the sanctuarie, because himselfe dwels in the midst thereof: notwithstanding hee hath alwaies respect to the Temple, and to the customes of those times. He sets before vs then a paterne of the Temple that stood in Ierusalem; that vnder the image thereof we might consider of the spirituall Temple, whereof wee are the matter and the liuing stones: Eph. 2.21. 1. Pet. 2.5.
By the place of his feete, he signifies that hee so dwelles in the Temple, that yet his Maie∣stie is not inclosed therein, for he is not con∣tained within so narrow limits. There is no∣thing but his feete then, that is to say, his lowest and meanest part: thereby teaching vs, to aspire vp vnto heauen, and not to rest fix∣ed in these externall signes, which instruct vs according to our slender capacitie. Accor∣ding to which, it is said in Psal. 99.5. Worship the footstoole of his feete, for he is holy. Also, We will enter into his Tabernacle, and worship before his footstoole: Psal. 132.7. Not that Gods essence is diuided into pieces, part in heauen, and part in earth; but in regard that by such helpes, hee raiseth vp his seruant as it were from his feete to his head.