Commentary upon the Prophecy of Isaiah

Vers. 2. I have spread out mine hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walked in a way that was not good, even after their own imaginations.

Vers. 2. I haue spread out mine hands all the day vnto a rebellious people, which walked in a way that was not good, euen after their owne imaginations.

¹Here he accuseth the Jews, and complains of their ingratitude and rebellion; wherein he shows that they have no occasion given them to affirm, that the Lord offered them any wrong, if he made others partakers of the same grace with them. The Jews proudly insulted against God, as if their merits had been the cause of their election. But for this their insolencie and unthankfulness the Lord rejects them as unworthy: and upbraids them, that he hath but lost all his time, in stretching forth his hand unto them, to draw and unite them to himself. For by stretching forth of the hands, he signifies a daily summoning of them. Now the Lord is said to stretch forth his hand divers ways. For he draws us to him either by §1his works, or word: but he principally respects §2the latter in this place. The Lord never speaks unto us, but he therewithal stretcheth forth his hand to unite us unto himself, and causeth us to feel that he is near unto us. Yea, he so manifests his fatherly love, & so willingly accepts of us, that if we yield not obedience unto his voice, we ought justly to impute the same to our own frowardness. Moreover, the clause, all the day long, aggravates the fault greatly, namely, that God ceased not for the space of many years together, to send his Prophets one after another: yea, as it is said in Jer. 7.13. and 35.14. He rose early, and stinted not his care and pains until the evening.

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