Commentary upon the Prophecy of Isaiah

WE must not think there is any superfluity in that the Prophet so often repeats this exhortation. All of us know, and have sufficient experience how inclinable our nature is to distrust. Now it is hard for us to think or imagine into what wonderful straits and distresses the Church of the Jews was then brought. As soon as we begin once but to call Gods promises into question, our minds are distracted with many passions, we stand amazed at the greatness and diversity of the dangers, we are daily assaulted with vexations of spirit; at last we grow sottish, and cannot be brought to taste how gracious our God is. Our minds therefore being thus possessed with despite, have we not need that this voice should again & again ring in our ears, I am with thee, fear not? that so this fear may either be wholly rooted up out of our hearts, or at least so corrected by little and little, that we may not be overcome of it: for I can tell you, if it take never so little rooting there, it is not so easily displanted. Hence we observe, that we ought to place our hope in nothing but in Gods being present with us: for if he be absent, ¹we must needs tremble for fear or wax dull and dead hearted, or stagger to and fro like a drunken man. And yet the Lord would not have us be so void of fear, as that we should thereby grow careless or idle; but when we hear that he is near, and that he will assist us, faith must then overcome all difficulties in the middest of eminent dangers.