Commentary upon the Prophecy of Isaiah

Even a• immediately before, where he commanded them to abstain from evil, he therein comprehended a continual exercise thereof: as if he should say, Hitherto your whole life hath been nothing but a committing ⟨p. 13⟩of evil: now on the other side he teacheth them to be meek and courteous; and draws them to learn what it is: even as if he had had to do with new apprentices, and raw scholars. And first he commands them to seek judgement: others translate, Examine your selves; which I approve not. For by the word seek, he signifies a further thing, namely, an actual study, as they call it. Also by the word judgement he comprehends whatsoever is good and right, as if he should say, Study to be upright.

EVen a• immediatly before, where he commanded them to abstaine from euill, hee therein comprehended a continuall exercise thereof: as if hee should say, Hitherto your whole life hath been nothing but a committing ⟨p. 13⟩of euill: now on the otherside he teacheth them to bee meeke and curteous; and drawes them to learne what it is: euen as if he had had to doe with new apprentises, and raw schollers. And first he commands them to seeke iudgement: others translate, Examine your selues; which I approue not. For by the word seeke, hee signifies a further thing, namely, an actuall studie, as they call it. Also by the word iudgement he comprehends whatsoeuer is good and right, as if he should say, Study to be vpright.

Relieve the oppressed.] The Prophet after his accustomed manner comes to particulars, after he hath spoken of things in general: and howsoever he had already exhorted them to welldoing and equity in special manner; yet now willing to press them more nearly, he reckons up some particular kinds thereof in plain words, by which he comes to a more ample and full declaration of the general. For otherwise men would always go for just and upright; and hardly should you stir or move them with general doctrine. But when one comes once to particulars, even as if one should bring them out by the polls into open view, then they are constrained to submit themselves; or at the least to become more tractable: whereof we have daily experience.