Commentary upon the Prophecy of Isaiah

¹BY this exclamation the Lord puts an end to the former sentence, as if he should say, that he for his part can rejoice, that he puts away the iniquity of his people, and holds them in freedom,² that they can plead no merit whereby to obtain this at his hands, seeing they deserve rather to be severely chastised, nay to be utterly confounded.

¹BY this exclamation the Lord puts an end to the former sentence, as if he should say, that he for his part can reioyce, that he puts away the iniquitie of his people, and holds them in freedome,² that they can pleade no merit whereby to obteine this at his hands, seeing they deserue rather to be seuerely chastised, nay to be vtterly confounded.

1. 1The conlusion.
2. 2No man is saved for his merits.No man is saued for his merits.

Now he repeats one and the same thing twice, that he might touch men to the quick for §1their unthankfulness: for we are wont either §2to take unto our selves, or in some sort to obscure the honour which belongs to God only. Those take the Prophets words in too naked a sense, which think that God attributes unto him here the authority and preeminence in pardoning of sins, for he rather opposeth his mercy to all other causes, as if he should say, There is nothing moves me to show mercy, but only my free favour, and that Redemption therefore is wrongfully attributed to Merits or satisfactions, seeing I am the only author of it. The sum is, that the people were to continue their hope of return, because God was willing for his own names sake freely to remit their sins, and to work their deliverance.