Commentary upon the Prophecy of Isaiah

HE confirms the same doctrine: and because the restitution of the Church was a thing hard to be believed, he shows that it hangs not upon the will of men, but that it is grounded upon the Judgement and Justice of God: as if he should say, God will by no means endure that the Church should wholly be destroyed, because he is just. The meaning of the Prophet then is, to withdraw the minds of the faithful, from all earthly cogitations, to the end, that when the hope of the salvation of the Church is in question, they should depend upon God, and not be discouraged, although in stead of help and succour they should see lets and hinderances on all sides. For those that refer these words of Judgement and Justice to men, are deceived; as if Isaiah should speak now of the well ordered estate of a city: and therefore that sense which I have given is according to the true meaning of the Prophet, to wit, that although no succour appear unto them from men, yet that the justice of the Lord notwithstanding is more then sufficient to redeem his Church. And truly whilst we look into our own strength, what hope of help can we conceive? Nay, how many rocks do there by and by rather appear, to dash our ⟨p. 20⟩faith all to pieces? It is in God only then that we shall find a perpetual firmness of trust. In the second member, and they that return, the means of the redemption is expressed, to wit, that those which were banished and scattered far off, shall be gathered together again.