Commentary upon the Prophecy of Isaiah

Isaiah therefore under this one word comprehends all the servants of God, who stand bound to defend their Masters quarrel, but chiefly the Ministers, who ought to be as the Standard-bearers, and by their example to show the way unto others. It is therefore specially spoken to them here, though in general he is to be held no faithful servant of God, who so smothers the knowledge of the truth within him that he dares not avouch it before men.

Isaiah therefore vnder this one word comprehends all the seruants of God, who stand bound to defend their Masters quarrell, but chiefly the Ministers, who ought to be as the Standard-bearers, and by their example to shew the way vnto others. It is therefore speciallie spoken to them here, though in generall he is to be held no faithfull seruant of God, who so smothers the knowledge of the truth within him that he dares not auouch it before men.

Therefore you shall know.] That the Lord might not seem to procure to himself witnesses of things unknown, he adds, you shall know, you shall believe, you shall understand: thus showing by the order of the words,¹ that faith precedes, or goes before confession. If this confession then have no deeper foundation then in the tip of the tongue, and is not laid in the heart, it shall be held but vain and frivolous, for the Lord neither allows nor approves of it. And yet there is some difficulty in the order of the words, To know, To believe, and To understand:² for faith is not always joined with knowledge: for a man will not say that such believe because they know; faith is often absent, where knowledge is present. Besides, it is doubtful in what sense understanding, which is here added after belief, is to be taken, as if it should differ from knowledge. But our Prophet in this place shows that there is a certain preparation unto faith, by which God first gives authority unto his word as oft as he sees a necessary use of that means. I grant, that faith begins at humility, which captives all our reason under Gods lore: but because we embrace not the doctrine that is offered with such an assurance as we ought, therefore God confirms it unto us by sundry testimonies, and by our own experience, the better to settle us firmly in this faith. In this sense the Evangelist S. John shows, that himself and S. Peter believed the Scriptures after they had seen the signs of Christs resurrection in the Sepulchre,