Commentary upon the Prophecy of Isaiah

HE goes on still with the former sentence, wherein he called Ashur the rod of Gods wrath. For even as a father takes not the rod in hand for nothing, but determines to correct his child: so the Prophet shows that the rod of the Lord shall not walk at random; but is ordained and appointed to chastise this wicked and unthankful people. He calls them a dissembling or froward nation; because there was no uprightness nor sincerity in them: so then, dissimulation is opposed to integrity, which is the beginning of all virtues: as contrariwise, hypocrisy is the mother of all vices. Moreover, he accuseth not the Israelites lightly here, but reproacheth them with a thing more execrable then any other. And therefore he presently after calls them the people of his indignation. As elsewhere he saith, that the Idumeans are the people of his curse, Chap. 34.5. But albeit ⟨p. 117⟩he declares that he is angry against the Jews, yet the manner of the Hebrew phrase hath a far greater weight; for it imports as much as if the Prophet should say, that this people is destinate to perdition, because there is nothing else in them but matter of wrath. It is certain that God is never angry, unless he be provoked thereunto by our wickedness; but when impiety is come to the highest degree, then his unappeasable wrath and indignation burneth. Thus he takes away all hope of reconciliation from the hypocrites and contemners, who ceased not to heap sin upon sin.