Commentary upon the Prophecy of Isaiah

Another cause then was this, God meant by §5this consolation to assuage the sorrow of the faithful, lest they should grow out of heart, as if their estate had bin worse then that of the heathen, ⟨p. 143⟩if they should have seen them escape the hand of God altogether without punishment. For if so be the monarchy of Babylon should have continued safe, the Jews would not only have thought they had served the Lord in vain, and that the covenant which he had contracted with Abraham had been to no purpose, seeing strangers and wicked men were better dealt withal then the elect people of God: but they might also have entered into a worse suspicion, to wit, that God had favoured these cursed thieves, who trod all justice and equity under their feet by their robberies and seditions; truly they §1might by and by have thought either ye God §2had had no care of his people, or else that he wanted power to succour them in their need; §3or that all things were turned upside down by the confused moving of fortune. To the end then they should not be too much appalled, nor become utterly desperate, the Prophet prevents this by the consolation of this prophecy, showing therein that Babylon also shall be punished.

Another cause then was this, God meant by §5this consolation to asswage the sorow of the faithfull, lest they shold grow out of hert, as if their estate had bin worse then that of ye heathen, ⟨p. 143⟩if they should haue seene them escape the hand of God altogether without punishment. For if so be the monarchie of Babylon should haue continued safe, the Iewes would not only haue thought they had serued the Lord in vaine, and that the couenant which he had contracted with Abraham had been to no purpose, seeing strangers and wicked men were better dealt withall then the elect people of God: but they might also haue entred into a worse suspition, to wit, that God had fauored these cursed theeues, who trod all iustice and equitie vnder their feet by their robberies and seditions; truely they