Commentary upon the Prophecy of Isaiah

Vers. 21. How is the faithful city become an harlot! It was full of judgement and justice lodged therein, but now they are murderers.

Vers. 21. How is the faithfull citie become an harlot! It was full of iudgement and iustice lodged therin, but now they are murtherers.

TO the end the reprehension might be the more forcible, and that their wickedness might be the more detestable, in that this people were thus revolted from God and from all integrity and uprightness, he cries out as if he saw some strange and unwonted thing. And surely it was an horrible change, that the people whom the Lord had chosen and set apart to be a royal priesthood to himself, should thus fall from so sovereign piety and godliness, into the gulf and sink of all sin and wickedness. But he speaks chiefly of the city of Jerusalem, which was the royal seat of the Sanctuary of God: he complains that she which heretofore was a faithful guardian of justice, is now become a den of thieves: and that of an holy and chaste virgin, she is become an harlot. To the end therefore he might make the bastard Jews (who were far from the integrity of the holy Patriarchs) the more ashamed, he takes unto himself the person of a man astonished, who wondereth and reasoneth with himself ⟨p. 16⟩how such a thing could come to pass. Also in this word faithful, he alludes, as I think, to the faith in marriage which the wife ought to keep to her husband. I grant that the signification of the word reacheth further: but weighing the circumstance narrowly, I think it not amiss to take the word faithful, for chaste. For a little after he opposeth the contrary member; calling her harlot. So as being in times past a loyal wife keeping faith to her husband, she is now become an harlot past shame, and blusheth not at her villainy. Now it is an usual thing in the Scriptures to call the Church of God by the name of his wife: which degree of honour Jerusalem kept whilst she retained her spiritual shamefastness and persevered in the lawful and pure worship of God: but as soon as she gave over that, then she became an harlot.