God promises abundance of spiritual graces to the faithful, that shall believe in Christ out of all nations, and sincerely serve him.
God promiseth abundance of spiritual graces to the faithful, 4. that shal beleue in Christ of al nations: 7. and sincerely serue him.
1All you that thirst, come to the waters: and you that have no money make haste, buy, and eat: come ye, buy wine and milk without money, and without any price.Sitibondi venite tutti alle acque, e voi che non avete argento, fate presto, comprate, e mangiate: venite, comprate senza argento, e senz'altra permuta del vino, e del latte.ALYE that thirst come to the waters: and you that haue no siluer, make hast, bye, & eate: come, bye without siluer, and without any exchange wine and milke.Omnes sitientes, venite ad aquas, / et qui non habetis argentum, / properate, emite, et comedite: / venite, emite absque argento / et absque ulla commutatione / vinum et lac. 2Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which doth not satisfy you? Hearken diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and your soul shall be delighted in fatness.Per qual motivo spendete voi il vostro argento in cose, che non son pane, e la vostra fatica in quello, che non satolla? udite me con docilità, e cibatevi di buon cibo, e nel sostanzioso nudrimento si delizierà l'anima vostra.Why bestow you siluer not for bread, & your labour not for saciety? Hearing heare ye me, and eate that which is ••d, and your soule shal be delighted in fatnes.Quare appenditis argentum non in panibus, / et laborem vestrum non in saturitate ? / Audite, audientes me, et comedite bonum, / et delectabitur in crassitudine anima vestra. 3Incline your ear and come to me: hear and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the faithful mercies of David.Porgete l'orecchia vostra, e venite a me: ascoltate, e l'anima vostra avrà vita, e stabilirò con voi un patto eterno, l'adempimento delle misericordie promesse a Davidde.Incline your eare, & come to me: heare, and your soule shal liue, and I wil make an euerlasting couenant with you, the faythful mercies of Dauid.Inclinate aurem vestram, et venite ad me; / audite, et vivet anima vestra, / et feriam vobiscum pactum sempiternum, / misericordias David fideles. 4Behold I have given him for a witness to the people, for a leader and a master to the Gentiles.Ecco, che io ho dato lui testimone ai popoli, condottiere, e maestro delle nazioni.Behold I haue geuen him for a witnes to the peoples, for a prince and master to the Gentiles.Ecce testem populis dedi eum, / ducem ac præceptorem gentibus. 5Behold thou shalt call a nation, which thou knewest not: and the nations that knew not thee shall run to thee, because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee.Ecco, che quel popolo, cui tu non riconoscevi, tu lo chiamerai; e le genti, che te non conoscevano, correranno a te per amor del Signore Dio tuo, e del Santo d'Israele, il quale ti ha glorificato.Behold thou shalt cal the nation, which thou knowest not: and the nations that knew not thee shal runne to thee, because of the Lord thy God, and the holie one of Israel: because he hath glorified thee.Ecce gentem quam nesciebas vocabis, / et gentes quæ te non cognoverunt ad te current, / propter Dominum Deum tuum, / et Sanctum Israël, quia glorificavit te.
6Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found: call upon him, while he is near.Cercate il Signore quand'ei può trovarsi, invocatelo quand'egli è dappresso.Seeke ye our Lord whiles he may be found, inuocate him, whiles he is neere.Quærite Dominum dum inveniri potest; / invocate eum dum prope est. 7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unjust man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God: for he is bountiful to forgive.La sua via abbandoni l'empio, e l'iniquo i suoi consigli, e ritorni al Signore, il quale avrà misericordia di lui, e al nostro Dio, che abbonda nel perdonare.Let the impious forsake his way, and the vniust man his cogitations, and returne to our Lord, and he wil haue mercie on him, and to our God: because he is bountiful to forgeue.Derelinquat impius viam suam, / et vir iniquus cogitationes suas, / et revertatur ad Dominum, et miserebitur ejus; / et ad Deum nostrum, quoniam multus est ad ignoscendum. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways my ways, saith the Lord.Imperocché i miei pensieri non sono i vostri pensieri, né le vie vostre son le mie vie, dice il Signore.For my cogitations are not your cogitations: nor your wayes my wayes, sayth our Lord.Non enim cogitationes meæ cogitationes vestræ, / neque viæ vestræ viæ meæ, dicit Dominus. 9For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.Imperocché quanto il cielo sovrasta alla terra, tanto le mie vie sovrastano alle vie vostre, e i pensieri miei a' vostri pensieri.For as the heauens are exalted aboue the earth, so are my wayes exalted aboue your wayes, and my cogitations aboue your cogitations.Quia sicut exaltantur cæli a terra, / sic exaltatæ sunt viæ meæ a viis vestris, / et cogitationes meæ a cogitationibus vestris. 10And as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return no more thither, but soak the earth, and water it, and make it to spring, and give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:E come scende la pioggia, e la neve dal cielo, e colassù non ritorna, ma inebria la terra, e la bagna, e la fa germogliare, affinchè dia il seme da seminare, e il pane da mangiare;And as the showre cometh downe, and the snow from heauen, and returneth no more thither, but inebriateth the earth, and watereth it, and maketh it to spring, and geueth seede to the sower, and bread to him that eateth:Et quomodo descendit imber et nix de cælo, / et illuc ultra non revertitur, / sed inebriat terram, et infundit eam, / et germinare eam facit, / et dat semen serenti, / et panem comedenti: 11So shall my word be, which shall go forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please, and shall prosper in the things for which I sent it.Così sarà della mia parola uscita dalla mia bocca: ella non tornerà a me senza frutto, ma opererà tutto quello, ch'io voglio, e felicemente adempierà quelle cose, per le quali la ho mandata.so shal my word be, which shal proceede from my mouth: it shal not returne to me voyde, but it shal doe what thinges soeuer I would, and shal prosper in these thinges for which I sent it.sic erit verbum meum quod egredietur de ore meo; / non revertetur ad me vacuum, / sed faciet quæcumque volui, / et prosperabitur in his ad quæ misi illud.
12For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall sing praise before you, and all the trees of the country shall clap their hands.Imperocché con gaudio uscirete (di schiavitù), e pace avrete nel vostro viaggio: i monti, e i colli rimbomberanno d'inni dinanzi a voi, e le piante tutte del paese faranno applauso colle lor braccia.Because you shal goe forth in ioy, and in peace shal you be conducted, the mountaines and the litle hilles shal sing prayse before you, and al the wood of the countrie shal clap the hand.Quia in lætitia egrediemini, / et in pace deducemini; / montes et colles cantabunt coram vobis laudem, / et omnia ligna regionis plaudent manu. 13Instead of the shrub, shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the nettle, shall come up the myrtle tree: and the Lord shall be named for an everlasting sign, that shall not be taken away.Nel luogo del nardo celtico alzerassi l'abete, e nel luogo della ortica, crescerà il mirto: e il Signore sarà un nome, e un segno eterno, che non sarà cancellato.For the shrubbe, shal come vp the firre tree, and for the nettle, shal grow the myrtle tree: and our Lord shal be named for an euerlasting signe, that shal not be taken away.Pro saliunca ascendet abies, / et pro urtica crescet myrtus; / et erit Dominus nominatus / in signum æternum quod non auferetur.
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Waters, which in that country are very scarce.
Calmet
Milk. Septuagint, "fat." (Calmet)
St. Jerome
In the western Churches, wine and honey were given to the new baptized, Isaias 7:15. (St. Jerome)
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David. I will be equally faithful to you, Psalm 88:29. Septuagint, "the holy things of David faithful," Acts 13:34. The resurrection of Christ fully accomplished the promise made to David.
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Calmet
Him. David, who continually proclaimed the divine mercies, (Psalm 17:1.) or rather Christ; though Grotius alone would refer it to Jeremias. (Calmet)
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Haydock
Not with approbation. (Haydock)
The Gentiles are converted.
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Haydock
Near. He will shortly (Calmet) turn to the Gentiles, John 12:35., and Acts 13:46. (Haydock)
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Worthington
Way. This is a necessary preliminary to God's service. (Worthington)
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Calmet
My ways. I am not vindictive, but require a sincere conversion. (Calmet)
Worthington
We cannot serve both God and the world. We must therefore adhere to the former. (Worthington)
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Sent it. I will assuredly bring you from Babylon; and the rain shall sooner return upwards than I will break my promise.
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Peace, by strangers, Isaias 49:22.
Calmet
Hands, for joy. (Calmet)
Virgil
Ipsa sonant arbusta Deus Deus ille, Menacla. (Virgil, Eclogues v.)
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Myrtle-tree. Instead of the wicked, the just shall be seen. (Chaldean)
Menochius
Away. The conversion and sanctity of the Gentiles shall be a trophy to the Lord. (Menochius)
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Grace is offered to al, but those only are iustified, and replenished with more grace and spiritual giftes that cooperate, doing that which in them lieth, desiring & thirsting iustice, for such (saith our Sauiour) shal haue their fil. Mat. 5. v. 6.
Concordance Apo. 22.
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Concordance Act. 13.
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The beginning of Gods seruice is to forsake the way of wickednes.
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The wayes of Gods seruice, and of seruing this world, are so opposite and contrarie, that it is vnpossible to walke in them both at once. No man can serue these two masters, God and this world. we must therfore so vse this world, that we may serue God, and inherite heauen.
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St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.101
… “Freely ye have received, freely give.” Also in the same place: “Ye have made my Father’s house a house of merchandise; and ye have made the house of prayer a den of thieves.” Also in Isaiah: “Ye who thirst, go to the water, and as many as have not money: go, and buy, and drink without money.”
St Ephrem the Syrian † AD 373 Ephraim Syrus: The Pearl. Seven Hymns on the Faith 5.1
1. O gift that camest up without price with the diver! Thou laidest hold upon this visible light, that without price rises for the children of men: a parable of the hidden One that without price gives the hidden Dayspring!
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 18.34
34. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord alway; again I will say, Rejoice: for your redemption hath drawn nigh , and the heavenly host of the Angels is waiting for your salvation. And there is now the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord ; and the Prophet cries, Ho, ye that thirst, come ye to the water
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 40
… or fire, if this too lies before you; or of any other, small or great, of the hindrances that you may attain to the gift. But if without any labour and trouble at all you may obtain that which you desire, what folly it is to put off the gift: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Holy Spirit 3.17
… And therefore the Lord offered Himself without price, that the necessity of poverty might hold no one back from Christ. The patriarchs sold Him for a small price that all might buy. Isaiah said: “Ye that have no money go buy and drink; eat ye without money,”
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St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 18.34
… And there is now the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord ; and the Prophet cries, Ho, ye that thirst, come ye to the water ; and immediately afterwards, Hearken unto me, and ye shall eat that which is good, and your soul shall delight itself in good things
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St Justin Martyr † AD 165 Dialogue with Trypho 12
… “ ‘Hear My words, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given Him for a witness to the people: nations which know not Thee shall call on Thee; peoples who know not Thee shall escape to Thee, because of thy God, the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified Thee.’
St Justin Martyr † AD 165 Dialogue with Trypho 14
… For the mountains and the hills shall leap while they expect you, and all the trees of the fields shall applaud with their branches: and instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle. And the Lord shall be for a name, and for an everlasting sign, and He shall not fail!’
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 3.20
… “Behold, I have set Him as a testimony to the nations, a prince and commander to the nations; nations which know Thee not shall invoke Thee, and peoples shall run together unto Thee.” You will not interpret these words of David, because He previously said, “I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 4.1
… also when He promises that it shall be followed by an eternal one. For by Isaiah He says: “Hear me, and ye shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you,” adding “the sure mercies of David,”
Novatian † AD 258 A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity 9
… “His voice shall not be heard in the streets; a bruised reed shall He not destroy, and the smoking flax shall He not quench.” Him, too, when he described His Gospel: “And I will ordain for you an everlasting covenant, even the sure mercies of David.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 69.31
… lest while they belch out pride’s satiety, there be denied them the bread whereon they may healthily live. “Seek the Lord,” ye needy, hunger ye and thirst; for He is Himself the living bread that came down from Heaven. “Seek ye the Lord, and your soul shall live.” Ye seek bread, that your flesh may live: the Lord seek ye, that your soul may live.
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Dialogues. The “Eranistes” or “Polymorphus” of the Blessed Theodoretus, Bishop of Cyrus 1
… But to remove all possibility of doubt by the witness of the majority, let us hear how God makes mention of the promises given to David through the voice of the prophet Isaiah. “I will make,” he says, “an everlasting covenant with you,” and, signifying the law-giver, he adds, “even the sure mercies of David.”
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Tertullian † AD 220 An Answer to the Jews 8
… For Daniel says, that “both the holy city and the holy place are exterminated together with the coming Leader, and that the pinnacle is destroyed unto ruin.” And so the times of the coming Christ, the Leader,
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 3.20
… In another passage He also says: “Behold, I have set Him as a testimony to the nations, a prince and commander to the nations; nations which know Thee not shall invoke Thee, and peoples shall run together unto Thee.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 1.22
… “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou wentest forth from the womb, I sanctified thee, and established thee as a prophet among the nations.” Also in Isaiah: “Behold, I have manifested him for a witness to the nations, a prince and a commander to the peoples.”
Novatian † AD 258 A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity 9
… “And I will ordain for you an everlasting covenant, even the sure mercies of David.” Him, too, when he foretells that the nations should believe on Him: “Behold, I have given Him for a Chief and a Commander to the nations. Nations that knew not Thee shall call upon Thee, and peoples that knew Thee not shall flee unto Thee.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Dialogues. The “Eranistes” or “Polymorphus” of the Blessed Theodoretus, Bishop of Cyrus 1
… And what follows after the prophecy is in harmony with what I say, for he saith “Behold I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold nations that know thee not shall call upon thee, and peoples that understand thee not shall run unto thee.”
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Tertullian † AD 220 An Answer to the Jews 14
… In short, again, a throne “unto the age” is more suitable to Christ, God’s Son, than to Solomon,—a temporal king, to wit, who reigned over Israel alone. For at the present day nations are invoking Christ which used not to know Him; and peoples at the present day are fleeing in a body to the Christ of whom in days bygone they were ignorant
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 1.22
… “Behold, I have manifested him for a witness to the nations, a prince and a commander to the peoples.” Also in the same: “Nations which have not known Thee shall call upon Thee; and peoples which were ignorant of Thee shall flee to Thee.”
Pope St Leo I the Great † AD 461 Sermons 33
… and peoples which were ignorant of thee, shall run together unto thee
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Tertullian † AD 220 An Answer to the Jews 13
… “On your account the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles:” for it is from them that the infamy (attached to that name) began, and (was propagated during) the interval from Tiberius to Vespasian. And because they had committed these crimes, and had failed to understand that Christ “was to be found”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.12
In Isaiah: “Seek ye the Lord; and when ye have found Him, call upon Him. But when He hath come near unto you, let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him be turned unto the Lord, and he shall obtain mercy, because He will plentifully pardon your sins.”
Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 1.11
… For they lost the first commandment, like that woman who lost one drachma from the ten. So the Prophet cried unto them:— Light you a lamp and seek ye the Lord . And furthermore the Prophet Isaiah also said:— Seek ye the Lord and when ye shall have found Him, call upon Him; and when He is near let the sinner abandon his way and the wicked man his thought .
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Festal and Personal Letters of Athanasius 11
… ‘Seek ye the Lord, and when ye have found Him, call upon Him; when He is near to you, let the wicked forsake his ways, and the lawless man his thoughts
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 15.2
… And yet the prophet Isaiah testifies, that the Lord God can be found when He is sought, when he says: “Seek ye the Lord; and as soon as ye have found Him, call upon Him: and when He has drawn near to you, let the wicked man forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts.”
Pseudo-Cyprian Exhortation to Repentance 1
Also in the same: “Seek the Lord; and when ye shall have found Him, call upon Him. But when He has drawn near to you, let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him be converted to the Lord, and mercy shall be prepared for him, because He does not much forgive your sins.”
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 2.13.3
… while, at the same time, they endow Him with human affections and passions. But if they had known the Scriptures, and been taught by the truth, they would have known, beyond doubt, that God is not as men are; and that His thoughts are not like the thoughts of men.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 An Exhortation to Theodore After His Fall 1
… “For my counsels” we read “are not as your counsels nor my ways as your ways; but far as is the Heaven from the earth, so far are my thoughts from your mind, and my counsels from your counsels.”
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Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 8.15
… For He Who brings it to pass is not feeble or insufficient. For with one word of summons He will cause all the ends (of the world) to hear, and all that are laid (in the grave) shall leap forth and rise up; and no word shall return void to Him that sent it forth, but as it is written in the Prophet Isaiah,
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1. All you that thirst. In Hebrew it is: O you all who thirst come to the waters. That is, as the Chaldean paraphrase has it, all who desire to learn and to quench the thirst of their longing, all who are eager for truth and saving wisdom, come to the waters of the doctrine and grace of Christ, draw from them and drink wisdom and the evangelical spirit, and thus satisfy the thirst of your souls, the thirst for truth, the thirst for heavenly and saving wisdom. To this Christ alluded, John vii, 37: If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink. And Matthew XI, verse 28: Come to me all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. And to the Samaritan woman, John iv, 13, discoursing on this matter. Indeed St. Gregory of Nazianzus, in his oration on Holy Baptism, which is the 40th, says: The Lord thirsts, he says, and to be thirsting, and if we can obtain so great a good without labour and most easily, namely by merely approaching the fountain, what madness is it to defer so great a good? Wherefore he here, inviting them to the waters, awakens and sharpens that thirst, so that the innate thirst in us from concupiscence—the thirst for vain knowledge, the thirst for honours, the thirst for gold and silver, the thirst for wine and feasting—he may extinguish by the thirst for true wisdom, the thirst for honours, riches and spiritual and heavenly feasting (Whence the Septuagint translates it, woe; others, alas you who thirst, namely vanities). For these, not those, can satisfy and fill the soul. Thus David thirsted, Psalm XLI, 3: My soul hath thirsted after God, the fountain (in Hebrew, the strong one) living. For Christ is the living fountain, which never runs dry, but flows forth abundant and copious waters, springing up unto life eternal. And St. John, Apocalypse xxii, 17: And the Spirit and the Bride say: Come. And he that heareth, let him say: Come. And he that thirsteth, let him come; and he that will, let him take the water of life, freely. Whence he himself, now aged and desiring to be dissolved and to enjoy Christ, verse 20, answering to this invitation, says: Surely I come quickly: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, as if to say, Come, my Jesus; come, my love, my joy, my delight. And eat. Hence it is clear that God offers not only water to drink, but also food to eat. Namely, the doctrine and grace of Christ is both food and drink for the soul: as also are his holy Sacraments, especially the Eucharist. Whence he himself sent servants to call the invited to a supper richly furnished, Matthew xxii, 4. Buy without money. For buy in Hebrew it is scibru, that is, break, that is, prepare and buy food and bread to be broken: for the Hebrews were accustomed to break and divide bread when about to eat, hence they called bread sceber, that is, a breaking, or food to be broken. Thence scabar, that is, to break, by metonymy signifies a breaking, that is, bread, to prepare and buy. Buy therefore without money, that is, prepare and receive freely. Thus St. Jerome and Cyril. Acutely also and piously St. Bernard, sermon 2 On the Resurrection of the Lord: These, he says, are to be bought with the coin of one's own will, so that what was one's own may become common. Moreover, common will is charity. To this Christ alludes, Apocalypse III, 18: I counsel thee to buy of me gold fire-tried and proved. What is this gold? and how is it bought? I answer first: This gold is pure and burning charity of God, which strongly endures persecutions and adversities, even martyrdoms. This is bought; that is, obtained, at no other price than prayer, tears, penance, good works. This gold, says Rupertus in the same place, buy at the price of pious confession, and continual remembrance of your own frailty, always remembering what you are of yourself, what you have received from God. That you may become rich, that is, grace may be added to you, and you may be clothed with white garments, not from your works, but from that same grace of his bounty. Ambrose adds, in his book On Joseph the patriarch, chapter vii, that this gold is bought with silver, not ours (for a sinner can merit the first grace by no work or merit), but Christ's, namely at the price of the blood of Christ. Buy, he says, without money: for he sought no price from us, who paid for us the price of his blood. Third, Nazianzen in his Oration on Holy Baptism responds that God, on account of His immense goodness, by which He desires our salvation, esteems our desire for grace and salvation as the price: O wonderful, says Nazianzen, swiftness of beneficence! O easy manner of contracting obligation! this good is proposed to you to be purchased by the price of will alone; God esteems the very appetite itself in the place of great price; He thirsts to be thirsted for; He provides drink to those desiring to drink; when a benefit is sought from God, He thinks Himself affected by the benefit; His nature is prompt, munificent and lavish; He gives more joyfully than others receive. Whence Nazianzen infers that this thirst must be sharpened and increased: so that we may draw and receive more graces from God: This one thing let us beware of, he says, lest we incur the mark of faint and diminished spirit, asking for small things unworthy of God's liberality. Blessed is he from whom, as from that Samaritan woman, Christ asks for drink, and gives a fountain of water springing up unto eternal life. And Clement of Alexandria in his Exhortation to the Gentiles: All you that thirst, come to the waters: He exhorts, he says, to the washing, to salvation, to illumination, almost crying out and saying: I give to you, O son! the earth, the sea, heaven; only, O son! thirst for your Father, God will be shown to you freely. Fourth, Abbot Joachim on the Apocalypse III: God gives, he says, grace for grace, John I, 16; let us therefore trade with lesser grace of God, so that we may buy and obtain greater. And Thomas Aquinas: Purchase, he says, is a disposition of free will. The word therefore of buying signifies that man ought to do great things, and contribute much, so that he may be worthy to receive these gifts from God. Thus therefore this purchase sharpens the industry of our will. Thus in Proverbs xxiii, it is said: Buy truth, that is, with great labor and study, even with loss of temporal things, obtain wisdom: do anything, suffer anything, so that you may attain it. Thus Pererius. And Dionysius the Carthusian: Buy, he says, at a price not condign, but congruous. For acts of faith, hope, penance, and other good acts merit grace not ex condigno, but ex congruo. Wine and milk. What before he called waters and food, here he calls wine and milk. By waters therefore he understood every drink, and from drink he left food to be gathered: whence he names milk which serves both for eating and drinking. By wine therefore and milk understand every food and drink. For wine is savory, hot and robust; milk is sweet and rich. Whence by these two Scripture signifies any feasts and delicacies. Just as therefore wine and milk, first, are pleasing to the taste by color and flavor; second, they induce sweet sleep; third, they take away the sense of other things: so the doctrine and gifts of the Holy Spirit are most efficacious and most sweet, they lull and tranquilize the mind, and draw it away from vain desires and anxieties, and satisfy it, so that it thirsts not eternally, says Forerius. Whence the Chaldean renders it: Come and hear without price, without money (which is wont to be given to teachers by disciples) doctrine better than wine and milk. Furthermore, wine signifies spiritual food and drink, namely wisdom and grace of those making progress and the perfect (whence wine is called the milk of the aged); but milk of the little ones and beginners: for to these belong simplicity, candor and innocence. Hence from this place of Isaiah wine and milk were once given to the newly baptized, as Nazianzen teaches above. Which custom, says St. Jerome, is observed even to this day in the Churches of the West, so that wine and milk are given to those reborn in Christ. Just as in the primitive Church, the same were given honey and milk, from the fact that Isaiah said of the little Child Christ, chapter vii, 15: He shall eat butter and honey. See what is said there. Most excellently St. Dionysius the Areopagite, in his epistle to Titus, teaches that divine wisdom provides food to each according to his capacity, and therefore divine and spiritual utterances are rightly compared to dew, and water, and milk, and wine, and honey; because they possess the power of giving life and fecundity, as in water; and of leading to increase, as in milk; and of recreating and strengthening, as in wine; and of purifying at the same time and preserving, as in honey. Clement of Alexandria treats extensively of this milk and wine, in book I of the Paedagogus, chapter vi, where, first, he says: The Word (that is, Christ, who is the Word of the Father) is said allegorically in many ways to be both food, and flesh, and nourishment, and bread, and blood, and milk, and wine. Second: The mixture, he says, of milk and wine is useful; for milk is curdled and split by wine, and whatever is adulterate in it is drawn out as through an aqueduct; thus faith, causing carnal desires to curdle, contracts man to eternity, making him immortal through divine things. Third, wine is as it were the heat and soul of curdled milk. Thus the Church consists of a body, namely faith, and a soul indeed hope, as Christ consists of flesh and blood (for the ancients thought blood to be the substance of the soul). In truth indeed the blood of faith is hope, in which it is contained, just as faith is the soul. But when hope has expired, just as if blood had flowed out, the vital faculty of faith is dissolved. Thus therefore milk is faith, wine is hope, which is as it were the soul of faith. The Seventy, reading for chalab, that is milk, with other points cheleb, that is fat, translate: Buy wine and fat; which St. Jerome, Cyril, Procopius and Leo Castrius rightly refer to the sacrament of the Eucharist. For the Hebrews call fat or richness that which in any thing is most choice and best. Such indeed in the new law is the Eucharist, which is the wheat of the elect, and wine producing virgins, as Zechariah says, chapter ix, 17. Concerning which in the mystical sense the Psalmist says, Psalm lxxx, 17: He fed them with the fat of wheat.
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2. Why do you spend silver not on bread (that is, as follows), and your labor not on satiety? that is not on food and bread that satisfies. It is a metonymy; for bread that satisfies is called satiety, because it produces it. Thus chapter lvi, 12, drunkenness is called wine that intoxicates. Under bread understand any food from the Hebrew phrase: for among all foods, bread as the most common, so also nourishes and satisfies most, when other foods often only irritate or dull. By silver therefore understand labor, industry, effort, study, etc. The sense therefore is, as if to say: Why, O mortals! do you pursue with such study and price the vain goods of this world, such as riches, honors, delights, vain wisdom and eloquence, which cannot satisfy the mind? God alone, and God's grace, doctrine, and especially the Eucharist, is the bread which can refresh and satisfy the mind: why do you neglect this, and buy such rubbish so dearly? Whence groaning at this madness of men he says, verse 1: Hark, all you that thirst, come, as it is in the Hebrew. Plato said the same thing, book VI of the Republic, which he seems to have learned and received from this place of Isaiah. For he himself was the Athenian Moses: He who is well born, he says, and who is truly a lover of learning, will not cling to those goods which the crowd admires, which truly do not satisfy; but will proceed further, will not grow weary, but mingled truly with being, that is grasping in mind true being, that is God, will truly live, will be truly nourished, will be truly satisfied. And, book XI, he teaches that these goods which men, like beasts, desire, and for which they contend, no more satisfy than those feast who dream they are feasting sumptuously: For when they awake they feel themselves hungry, just as before. I heard a wonderful story from the Governor of the city of Utrecht in Belgium: He related that he had been invited with leading Nobles by another to dinner: I went, he said, with others; I found a splendid castle, an illustrious dining hall, a sumptuous table, furnished with all feasts and delights. All drank and ate cheerfully. But when they departed, soon with empty belly they began to hunger, and the stomach to growl, as if they had eaten nothing. Certainly by the work of some magician, all these things had been arranged and accomplished by the aid of a demon, and were mere illusions. For they seemed to themselves to eat, which they truly did not eat, nor did they see. Such are all the goods of the world, they have appearance, not truth; pleasure, not satiety: they are a mockery of the eyes, not food of the mind. The reason is, because the mind was created by God to the image of God; whence it is capable of infinite good, namely God; therefore it cannot be filled and satisfied by any finite, thin and shadowy thing, such as all earthly things are: but when it has drunk in one, soon equally hungry it seeks another, and with mouth always open and gaping, like a most voracious dog, it gapes after one thing and another, and can never satiate its insatiable gluttony. We see this in drunkards and the intoxicated, who the more they drink, the more they thirst, and the more they desire to drink, and they always say that word of Proverbs, chapter xxiii, verse 35: When shall I awake, and find wine again? God alone therefore is the rest and satiety of our soul: and therefore in Hebrew he is called Shaddai, concerning which I have said more at Genesis xvii, 1, and Exodus vi, 3. Hear, you that hear, that is hear diligently and listen, not as hateful hearers, but as doers of the word and of the discourse heard. Shall delight in fatness. Vatablus, in richness, that is in that rich food, which is more savory, and nourishes more the lean, such as milk, in which is the richness of butter and cheese; likewise rich meat, rich bread, etc. Such is the doctrine and grace of the Gospel, which fattens and enriches the mind.
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3. I will make with you an everlasting covenant (a new testament, of which verse 6, namely) the faithful mercies of David, that is stable and firm. This covenant therefore is the mercies promised to David by God concerning Christ, in which his kingdom is to be perpetuated; and he will enrich and make blessed his followers, giving them abundantly the sweetest wine, and the richest milk, as if to say: The covenant which I will make with you is entirely milky and honeyed; it is entirely charity and mercy. Whence the Septuagint and from them St. Paul, Acts xiii, 34, translate: I will give you the holy things, namely covenants, of David faithful, as if to say: I will faithfully and most certainly provide the covenant, namely the mercy promised to David, and the good things to be given through Christ. Moreover these mercies and these good things are recounted both elsewhere and in Psalm lxxxviii, which begins: The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever; whence that psalm is called by the Hebrews the Mercy of David. Thus St. Jerome, St. Thomas, Hugh and Forerius. You will say: How does St. Paul, Acts xiii, 34, bring forward these things and from these prove the resurrection of Christ? I answer: He does this rightly, from the fact that this covenant and the mercies promised to David concerning Christ are about the blessed and eternal life, to be given to those who have believed and obeyed Christ as the conqueror of death, who rising from the dead, became the firstfruits, lord and king of those rising. Whence, Psalm lxxxviii, verse 38, an eternal throne is promised to Christ; in which is included and presupposed the resurrection of Christ and of Christians unto life and eternal kingdom. The same is clearly promised to David, bearing the type of Christ, Psalm xv, 10, where it is said: For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; nor wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. Leo Castrius responds and explains this wonderfully: I will give, he says, the holy things of David faithful, that is I will give the holy David, or the holy body of the Lord sprung from the line of David, faithful, that is incorruptible, which ought not return to corruption. Whence Enriquez, lib. IX On the Mass, cap. IX, num. 5, letter H, in the gloss, by the holy things, that is the holy thing, understands the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, which taken from the seed of David is faithful, that is uncorrupted and firm. But that these holy things are literally covenants is evident from what has been said. Whence Tertullian, lib. III Against Marcion, cap. xx, for holy reads religious (for the Greek osia signifies both), namely covenants and pacts, which are to be kept holy and religiously, especially those which are holy from God, that is sanctioned by God.
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4. Behold, I have given him as a witness to the peoples. Behold, here he designates the fetial, who makes this covenant between God and men, and to whom pertain the mercies of David: for he says, him, namely Christ: for into him the eyes of the Prophet were continually borne and fixed. Christ therefore he calls a witness, namely of the divine covenant and promise, equally as of faith and fidelity. For Christ, coming into the world, testified to the world those things which he saw and heard in heaven, concerning God and the Holy Trinity, and especially God's benevolence toward men, love and mercy, by which it pleased him to redeem fallen men through Christ, and to enter into this new covenant with them concerning the glory and beatitude to be given to them. Whence St. Jerome: He, says he, is a witness of all things which the Father promised to the world and performed. For Christ fulfilled those things which the Father promised to the world. Whence Christ himself, Matt. cap. xxiv, 14: This Gospel of the kingdom, says he, shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations. Whence he himself subdelegated other witnesses, namely the Apostles, who would fulfill and perfect this testimony of his. This is what St. Augustine says: Christ was a witness of the divine charity toward men. Again, as St. Ambrose, Cyril, Isychius, and from them Leo Castrius say: He was a witness that all the prophecies and promises of God were fulfilled. For he himself accomplished and completed the work of our redemption. Secondly, Christ was a witness of the divine will. For he taught us what God wishes to be done by us, that we may please him, and that we may obtain from him the salvation promised in the new covenant. Thirdly, he was a witness of truth, of true and sound and salutary doctrine. Whence he himself says to Pilate, John cap. xviii, 37: For this was I born, that I should give testimony to the truth. Hence immediately after Isaiah adds that he was given as a leader and teacher to the Gentiles. Fourthly, he was a witness of future things in eternity. For he testified to all that there would be a universal judgment, that there would be a resurrection, that there would be a retribution of both evil and good works, that for the pious there would be eternal joys, for the impious the flame of hell and unquenchable fire. Thus Theodoret. Hence he is not only a witness of these things, but also a guide of the way to blessed eternity, and prescribing the modes and methods by which we may strive toward and arrive at the same: namely, a pure and holy life, works of faith, hope, charity, penance, almsgiving, etc. Whence Joel, cap. II, 23, calls him a teacher of justice. Fifthly, John, Alba Electorum, cap. c, says witness, that is, a prince. Whence explaining it he adds, a leader. For among the Hebrews a witness is sometimes called a judge; and a judge is called a prince. Thus, Apoc. III, 14, Christ is called a faithful witness, that is, a stable judge, an eternal prince. Thus Malachi, cap. III, 5: He calls a swift witness a most keen judge. And Psalm lxxxviii, vers. 38: A faithful witness in heaven, that is, an eternal prince in heaven, just as heaven is stable and eternal. It is a catachresis. For God and Christ is a judge not mortal, who is often deceived by false witnesses, but certain and infallible, inasmuch as he sees all things, and is at the same time both witness and judge. Therefore he is rightly called a faithful witness. But why do the Hebrews call a witness a judge? I answer, by metonymy, because witnesses are the cause of judgment, why namely this one is condemned, that one acquitted. For a judge ought to judge according to what is alleged and proved, namely according to witnesses; for the law of God ordains: In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand, Deut. xix, 15. Therefore to testify against someone, or for someone, in reality and in effect is to condemn him, or acquit him. Therefore a witness is as it were a judge: for by his testimony he compels the judge to judge according to his testimony.
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5. Behold, a nation which you did not know, you shall call. It is an enallage of person: for he passes from the third to the second. By apostrophe therefore addressing Christ, he says: You, O Christ! a nation which you did not know, that is, which you did not recognize as alien from you, did not love, did not approve, you shall call to yourself, and it being called shall run to you because of the Lord your God, that is, because of the gifts and graces with which God shall adorn you, who is namely the God of your humanity, not of your divinity. Thus Christ says to the foolish virgins: I know you not, that is, I do not love, do not approve you. Moreover these gifts of God, by which Christ drew the Gentiles to himself, were wisdom, integrity, holiness, miracles, the efficacy of preaching, the glory of resurrection, the sending of the Holy Spirit, the zeal and virtue of the Apostles. For these things showed Christ to be God: whence when the Gentiles saw them, they ran to Christ in crowds: as they still do, when the splendor and glory of Christ, and the holiness of the Gospel, are worthily, as is fitting, proposed to them by the preachers of the Gospel. To this Christ alluded, John xvii, 1: Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For this is the same as what Isaiah says here: Because you have glorified me.
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6. Seek ye the Lord, whilst he may be found. He proposed a covenant with God, verse 3; here he sets forth the conditions of the covenant, of which the first is: Seek ye the Lord, whilst he may be found. First, St. Jerome refers these words to the Jews who were in the time of Isaiah, as if to say: You, O Jews, who will not hear Christ and will not receive his covenant! hear me and the other Prophets, persuading you to penance and holy conversion in this life, so that through it you may find God, whilst you have time for penance and salvation. Second, Forerius refers these words to the Jews who were in the time of Christ and the Apostles, until their destruction by Titus. For throughout this entire time Christ, God and salvation, was near to them, as if to say: Christ is near; for he lives and dwells among you; therefore hear him and receive him, lest, when he has passed, you seek him in vain. Third and genuinely, the Prophet speaks to all men, both Gentiles and Jews. For Christ and salvation have been proposed by God to all. The time, therefore, in which these things can be found and are near, is the time of the new law, which the Apostle, II Corinthians vi, 2, therefore calls the acceptable time and the day of salvation, of which Christ also says: The kingdom of God is within you. He also commanded the Apostles to preach this, saying: Do penance, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Wherefore the Church rightly uses these words of Isaiah in the time of Lent, and by them daily admonishes the faithful to seek the Lord, whose passion, redemption and resurrection is at hand and near. Fourth, the Chaldean takes the time in which God is near and can be found to be the time of this life. For until death we can do penance and be reconciled to God. For this entire time is one of mercy; what follows will be one of justice and judgment. For there will not then be a time for calling upon him, when God will be near to no one; but to some indeed present, to others truly very far removed, says St. Bernard, sermon 3 On Lent. Mystically Theodoret: Whilst he is near, he says, that is, whilst you have obtained forgiveness of sins from God and approach his friendship through grace. For thus God is near to the just, not to sinners: as if the Prophet here exhorts the just to seek God and the worship of God more deeply and steadfastly and to undertake it. But the following and preceding passages indicate that the Prophet speaks more to the impious and unfaithful Gentiles: for he calls them to faith and to Christ. Sinners therefore and the penitent are here stirred up and invited to seek God. Thus the bride, having lost her spouse, seeking him and yearning for him, says in Canticles iii, 2: I will rise, and will go about the city; by the streets and broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth, etc. Thus Mary Magdalene sought Christ and found him in the house of Simon, where, washing his feet with tears, wiping them with her hair, kissing them with her mouth, she merited to hear: Thy sins are forgiven thee. Appositely St. Bernard, sermon 75 in the Canticles, citing these words of Isaiah: Seek ye the Lord, whilst he may be found. Observe, he says, that there are three causes by which those who seek are usually frustrated, namely either because they do not seek in time, or not as they ought, or not where they ought. For there will certainly be a time when he cannot be found, namely when avenging Angels will bar the wicked from seeing the glory of God. In vain will they cry out and the foolish virgins: he will by no means go out to them, the door being shut. Let them therefore think these words are said to them: You will seek me, and will not find me, John vii. But now the acceptable time, now the day of salvation are, a time truly both for seeking and for calling upon him. First, therefore, you, and in the midst of hell expect salvation, which has already been made in the midst of the earth. Second, seek in the manner in which the bride seeks the spouse in the Canticles, saying: I sought him whom my soul loveth: she does not seek tepidly or negligently or perfunctorily; for she seeks with ardent heart and altogether indefatigably, truly as is fitting. Third, see that you do not seek where it is not fitting: In my bed, says the bride, I sought him whom my soul loveth: in the bed, I say, either of his immortality or of his sublimity. You ought to mind the things that are above, not the things that are below; but you must seek Christ above, where he sits at the right hand of the Father.
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7. Let the wicked man abandon his way. Here he gives the manner in which the Lord is to be sought and found, so that we may enter into friendship and covenant with Him: namely, if we abandon the former way and life of vices, and apply ourselves to penance and virtues. Thus did three thousand men do on the day of Pentecost, who, believing in Christ at the preaching of St. Peter—whom they had crucified a short time before—and doing penance, were received by him into grace and the Church. Thus did the prodigal son abandon the distant region and the husks of swine, and returning to his father: Father, said he, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. Wherefore the father immediately rushed into his embraces and kisses, and instead of a torn and worn garment, clothed him in a comely and noble robe, adorned him with a ring and bound him to himself, and received him with a feast. Whence it is clear that "let him abandon" does not signify mere abandonment of sin, or change of mind (which alone the heretics wish penance to be), but also sorrow and detestation, together with the purpose of amendment and satisfaction. Because He is great in forgiving. Most excellently St. Fulgentius, epistle 7 to Venantius, chapter IV: In this greatness, said he, nothing is lacking, in which there is almighty mercy, and merciful omnipotence, and omnipotence of benignity in God, so that there is nothing which He is unwilling or unable to remit to the converted, and chapter III: If our physician is skilled, he can heal all infirmities. If our God is merciful, He can forgive all sins. There is no perfect goodness by which all malice is not overcome; nor is there perfect medicine to which some incurable disease is found. But it is written in the sacred books: Wisdom hath not overcome malice; and Psalm cii: Bless the Lord, O my soul, etc., who is merciful to all thy iniquities, who healeth all thy infirmities.
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8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts. These indeed cohere plainly and aptly with what immediately precedes: Because he is great to forgive, as if to say, Do not despair of pardon and the friendship of God, do not be terrified by the multitude, enormity, repetition and constancy of your sins: for God's mercy, which he here offers and promises to the penitent, is greater than all these things. For God, when offended, is not as man, who breathes threats and vengeance against the offender; but he is separated from him by the whole heaven, and breathes pardon and grace, and therefore his clemency and indulgence contend with our offense. Thus St. Cyril, St. Thomas and Adam. Secondly, Sanchez refers these words to what precedes: Let the wicked man abandon his way, and thinks that God here opposes his ways to the ways of men, as if to say, Your former ways are separated from mine by the whole heaven; wherefore, if you wish to return to me from them, great distances must be overcome by you, great change of morals must be made, human thoughts must be laid aside, and divine ones assumed: from earth to heaven in mind and conduct you must strive and transcend. Thirdly, Forerius thinks these words can be referred to what follows, namely to the covenant, verse 3, as if to say, Do not wonder that God appears among men as a man, that he may establish a new covenant, by which it may be well with you, and you may live in delights and the highest felicity (and you will live thus if you seek God in Christ, having returned to him from your former life. For this covenant and God's benevolence will not turn away, but rather will reconcile and sharpen, if you repent of it), because my thoughts are wholly unlike yours, and so much more sublime, as heaven is more sublime than earth: wherefore I have devised this new and wonderful covenant, I have deemed this the one way to succor human affairs in distress, and to show my immense and paradoxical clemency to the world toward them. Do not therefore scrutinize this divine counsel of mine, but admire it, and give thanks to it. Thus Forerius and St. Jerome. The first sense is plainer; this one is fuller and more sublime. In a similar way the Psalmist speaks, Psalm cii, 11: According to the height of heaven above the earth, he hath strengthened his mercy toward them that fear him, as if to say, The proportion of God's mercy to men is as that of heaven to earth: that is, of an immense circle to one point and center, as if to say, Into the immense he surpasses and embraces us and our merits, our thoughts, as well as our miseries, and always confirms and strengthens them with the most high mercy of God. 10, 11. As the rain and snow come down from heaven, etc., so shall my word be. St. Jerome, Cyril, Haymo and Forerius explain this word in three ways, which however almost come down to one and the same thing. For by the word, first, they understand Christ, who, as rain and snow coming from heaven, made the earth of our heart fruitful of good works; secondly, they understand the Gospel, through which Christ works these fruits; thirdly and most plainly, this promise of God, as if to say, This word of mine, by which I have promised such great things concerning the new covenant, and concerning the Messiah and grace, and good things to be given through him to the world, namely to those believing in him and repenting, shall be most firm and most efficacious; for it shall effect that men, stirred up by hope of pardon, friendship with God, and salvation, shall produce fruits worthy of repentance and virtues, by which they shall truly be reconciled to God, shall be bound in covenant with him, and shall become eternal friends of God, indeed heirs and sons. For thus this word of God irrigates and makes fruitful the soul, just as rain and snow make the earth fruitful.
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10. It shall not return thither empty, namely, the word, that is to say, It shall not be barren and sterile, but shall bring forth abundant fruit. For this is what it means to the Hebrews to return and not to return; otherwise this particle would not be fitting to the thing signified by the similitude. For it is certain that Christ returned to heaven, and His elect, as it were the harvest of the Lord, to the same place, as it were into the storehouse of the Lord. For "He that descended, the same also ascended above all the heavens." Nor would it be fitting to the parable itself; for rain, when it has watered and made the earth fruitful, being resolved into vapor and exhalation, again ascends into heaven and returns. Beautifully St. Bernard, sermon 71 in the Canticles: "It shall not return," he says, "the word of God to me empty, or hungry, but as it were prospering in all things, it shall be satisfied with the good deeds of those who shall rest in love upon it. Finally, by the usage of speech, a word is said to be fulfilled when it has been devoted to affection; which indeed remains empty and lean, and in a manner famished, until it is completed in deed. But hear him himself, by what he says he is nourished: My food, he says, is to do the will of my Father."
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12. Because you shall go out in joy, and be led forth in peace. The word "because" gives the reason why this word of covenant, promise and divine benevolence shall not return empty, namely because it will bring it about that the unbelievers and impious, who were ensnared in the snares of the devil and sin and held captive, shall be freed from there, and go out joyfully to Christ and the Church, and from there be led peacefully to heavenly beatitude. See Canon XVII. The mountains and hills shall sing praise before you, that is to say, So great shall be the joy and exultation of the Gentiles, coming from the worship of idols and demons to Christ and the Church, that the mountains and hills shall seem to leap forth, to exult and to applaud them. It is a hyperbolic prosopopoeia. A similar, indeed a greater one, is in Baruch chapter v, throughout the whole chapter. See the things said there. Moreover, by mountains and hills, the inhabitants or watchers of mountains and hills can be understood. It alludes to the joy of those returning from Babylon, and to the watchers, whom the Jews placed on mountains and trees, as Sanchez rightly observes. For these, seeing a joyful thing, for example the return of their people from captivity, gave applause, and thereby stirred all citizens and inhabitants to applause. 12. BECAUSE YOU SHALL GO OUT IN JOY, AND BE LED FORTH IN PEACE. — The word "because" gives the reason why this word of covenant, promise and divine benevolence shall not return empty, namely because it will bring it about that the unbelievers and impious, who were ensnared in the snares of the devil and sin and held captive, shall be freed from there, and go out joyfully to Christ and the Church, and from there be led peacefully to heavenly beatitude. See Canon XVII. THE MOUNTAINS AND HILLS SHALL SING PRAISE BEFORE YOU, — that is to say, So great shall be the joy and exultation of the Gentiles, coming from the worship of idols and demons to Christ and the Church, that the mountains and hills shall seem to leap forth, to exult and to applaud them. It is a hyperbolic prosopopoeia. A similar, indeed a greater one, is in Baruch chapter v, throughout the whole chapter. See the things said there. Both merits, our thoughts, equally as our ministries, surpass and embrace, and the most high mercy of God always strengthens and fortifies. St. Jerome, however, distinguishes somewhat between "name" and "sign": "It shall be," he says, "the Lord for a name and for an eternal sign, so that from His name itself they may be called Christians, and be branded with the cautery of His cross;" and soon after: "Concerning which He Himself who is the sign says: When you shall see, He says, the sign of the Son of Man, which shall not fail nor be changed by any end; but from the present conversation it shall pass into the future." For the cross of Christ in the heavens, as it were an eternal trophy of Christ, shall be set up and shall shine. St. Jerome seems to signify that the bodies of the blessed are to be marked with the stigma of the cross, which eternity shall not blot out; just as the stigmata of the cross and five wounds shall remain forever in the very body of Christ itself, so that they may be a perpetual monument of that and of our redemption; unless you say the cross, that is the stigmata and glorious scars of each passion shall remain in the bodies of the Blessed. For thus the signs of wounds shining in the bodies of Martyrs in heaven as trophies of victories, St. Augustine teaches, book XXII of the City of God, chapter xx; St. Ambrose, sermon 57; Paludanus in IV, distinction xlix, Question viii, article 4; John Major and others there. Thirdly, Sanchez adds that this "sign" can be understood as a stone or an inscribed title marked with the name or insignia of him, which he himself fixed in the field or in his inheritance, when he took possession of it, so that it might be clear to all that it was his and belonged to him: thus Christ everywhere in churches fixes the title of the cross, which signifies that they belong to Christ crucified. Fourthly, others, whom Adam seems to favor, understand by sign the character of baptism; for this consigns us to Christ, and is indelible. But the first sense is most genuine.
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13. For spikenard shall come up the fir tree. Spikenard is a plant that springs forth immediately from the earth; hence spikenard is called from springing, concerning which Pliny, lib. XXI, cap. vii: Spikenard, he says, is indeed leafy, but short, and which cannot be woven. Numerous roots cohere to the root, more a plant than a flower, dense as if pressed by hand, and a turf of its own kind briefly. Pannonia produces this and the sunny slopes of the Norici and Alps. Pliny adds that it is nevertheless of the most noble odor and such sweetness that the Romans established upon it, as much as in a mine, a public tax and revenue. The same, cap. xx, relates that its root boiled in wine stops vomiting and strengthens the stomach. Therefore spikenard is humble, vile and abject, but fragrant. Whence Virgil, eclogue v: Humble spikenard as much as Punic roses, By our judgment Amyntas yields to you so much. See Ruel, lib. II, cap. vii. Whence the Septuagint for spikenard translate stebam, that is, the vilest stalk, says St. Jerome. Aquila and Theodotion translate myzam, which for Hesychius is cunilago, a garland herb, by syncope mysla, concerning which Pliny, lib. XXI, cap. ix, and Dioscorides, lib. IV, cap. cxxxvi. It restrains lustful motions, says the Scholiast of Theocritus, idyll. 7, myrtle on the other hand aids salacity and fertility; whence formerly it was sacred to Venus. From which Delrio, adage 794, draws out this sense, that is to say, Those who were formerly sterile in virtues, now shall be fertile in them. But the sense of our version is, that is to say, The nations and souls of Pagans which, as dry, thorny and sterile earth, produced only thorns, spikenard and nettles, that is, vain, vile, injurious and wicked works; now watered and made fertile by the rain of the word of God and the preaching of the Gospel, shall produce fir trees, myrtles, etc., that is, honest, just, fruitful and holy works, that is, to speak in a word, virtues shall be born in place of vices, humility in place of pride, sobriety in place of gluttony, chastity in place of lust, justice in place of rapine, mercy in place of cruelty, etc., say Procopius and St. Jerome. Whence the Chaldean translates: In place of the impious shall arise the just, and in place of sinners shall arise those who fear God, as Paul in place of Saul, the penitent Magdalene in place of the sinner, the Apostle Matthew in place of the publican, etc. Isaiah used a similar metaphor, cap. xli, 19: I will give, he says, in the wilderness the cedar, and the thorn, and the myrtle, etc. Thus Cyril, Theodoret and others. Hear St. Gregory, XVIII Moral. xii: For spikenard ascends the fir tree, when in the heart of the Saints in place of the abjection of earthly thought, the height of heavenly contemplation arises. But the nettle is altogether of a fiery nature; the myrtle moreover is said to be of a temperate virtue. In place of the nettle therefore grows the myrtle, when the minds of the just pass from the itching and burning of vices to the temperance and tranquility of thoughts, when they now do not desire earthly things, when they extinguish the flames of the flesh with heavenly desires. The same, lib. XXXIII, cap. IV, understands by nettles the itchings of thoughts, by thorns the prickings of vices. Vatablus translates, in place of the thorn or thorny bramble, the fir tree shall ascend; and thus explains: Those who were formerly thorny and harmed others, shall cease to do injury to others. Hence also Forerius translates: In place of the thicket shall grow the ash, and in place of the bramble shall grow the myrtle. And the Lord shall be named for a sign eternal. In Hebrew: And the Lord shall be to him for a name for a sign perpetual, that is to say, This wonderful conversion and sanctification of the Gentiles through Christ made, shall be to him for a name and for a monument of eternal glory and victory. For a victory gained, signs or monuments are accustomed to be set up. That all the faithful subjected and converted by Christ from him are named Christians, and in heart and mouth, indeed and in his name profess themselves to be subjects of Christ, and this they shall profess eternally: this shall be an eternal monument of Christ's glory. For just as emperors assumed the name and title of conquered nations, as a perpetual trophy of victory; for they were called Parthians, Asians, Adiabenes, Sarmatians, Illyrians, etc.: so likewise a perpetual trophy of Christ is that he is the ruler of all nations, so that all nations as if subjected to Christ, bear the name of Christ, and are called Christians by him. Therefore Christ's name itself is a sign, that is, a trophy. St. Jerome, however, makes some distinction between "name" and "sign": "It will be," he says, "the Lord for a name and for an eternal sign, so that from His name they may be called Christians, and be marked with the branding iron of His cross;" and soon after: "Concerning which He Himself who is the sign: When you shall see, He says, the sign of the Son of Man, which shall not fail nor be changed by any end; but from the present conversation it shall pass into the future." For the cross of Christ in the heavens, as it were an eternal trophy of Christ, shall be set up and shall shine brightly. St. Jerome seems to signify that the bodies of the blessed are to be marked with the stigma of the cross, which eternity shall not erase; just as the cross and the five wounds' stigmata shall remain eternally in the very body of Christ, that they may be a perpetual monument of that and of our redemption; unless you say the cross, that is, the glorious stigmata and scars of His passion, shall remain in the bodies of the Blessed. For thus the shining signs of wounds remaining in the bodies of Martyrs in heaven, as trophies of victories, teach St. Augustine, lib. XXII De Civitate, cap. xx; St. Ambrose, serm. 57; Paludanus in IV, dist. xlix, Quæst. viii, art. 4; John Major and others ibid. Thirdly, Sanchez adds that this sign can be understood as a stone or an inscribed title marked with a name or insignia, which he himself fixed in the field or in the inheritance of Christ when he took possession of it, so that it might be clear to all that it was his and belonged to him: thus Christ everywhere in churches fixes the title of the cross, which signifies that they belong to Christ crucified. Fourthly, others, whom Adam seems to favor, understand by sign the character of baptism; for this indeed marks us with Christ, and is indelible. But the first sense is most genuine. sor is, Baruch cap. v, throughout the chapter. See the things said there. Add that by mountains and hills, the inhabitants or watchers of mountains and hills can be understood. It alludes to the joy of those returning from Babylon, and to the watchers, whom the Jews placed on mountains and trees, as Sanchez rightly notes. For these, having seen a joyful thing, for example the return of their own from captivity, gave applause, and thereby excited all citizens and inhabitants to applause. 13. FOR SPIKENARD SHALL RISE UP THE FIR TREE. — Spikenard is a plant that springs forth immediately from the earth; hence spikenard is called from springing, concerning which Pliny, lib. XXI, cap. vii: "Spikenard," he says, "is indeed leafy, but short, and which cannot be woven. It adheres to numerous roots, a plant rather than a flower, dense as if pressed by hand, and briefly a turf of its own kind. Pannonia produces this and the sunny regions of the Norici and Alps." Pliny adds that the same is nevertheless of the noblest odor and of such sweetness, that the Romans established a public tax and tribute upon it, equally as upon spikenard. The same, cap. xx, relates that its root boiled in wine stops vomiting and strengthens the stomach. Spikenard is therefore humble, vile and abject, but fragrant. Whence Virgil, ecloga v: Humble as much as spikenard to crimson roses, By our judgment so much does Amyntas yield to you. See Ruellius, lib. II, cap. vii. Whence the Septuagint for spikenard translate stobam, that is, the vilest stubble, says St. Jerome. Aquila and Theodotion translate amyzam, which to Hesychius is cunilago, a coronary herb, by syncope myola, concerning which Pliny, lib. XXI, cap. ix, and Dioscorides, lib. IV, cap. cxxxvi. It restrains venereal motions, says the Scholiast of Theocritus, idyll. 7; myrtle on the contrary aids salacity and fertility; whence formerly it was sacred to Venus. From which Delrio, adagio 794, draws out this sense, as if to say: Those who formerly were sterile in virtues, now shall be fertile in them. But the sense of our version is, as if to say: The nations and souls of Pagans which, as dry, thorny and sterile earth, produced only thorns, spikenards and nettles, that is, vain, vile, injurious and wicked works; now irrigated and made fertile by the rain of God's word and the preaching of the Gospel, shall produce fir trees, myrtles, etc., that is, honest, just, fruitful and holy works, that is, to speak in a word, virtues shall be born in place of vices, humility in place of pride, sobriety in place of gluttony, chastity in place of lust, justice in place of rapine, mercy in place of cruelty, etc., say Procopius and St. Jerome. Whence the Chaldean translates: In place of the impious shall arise the just, and in place of sinners shall arise those who fear God, as Paul in place of Saul, the penitent Magdalene in place of the sinner, Matthew the Apostle in place of the publican, etc. Isaiah used a similar metaphor, cap. xli, 19: "I will give," he says, "in the wilderness a cedar, and a thorn, and a myrtle," etc. Thus Cyril, Theodoret and others. Hear St. Gregory, XVIII Morals xii: "For the fir tree ascends in place of the thornbush, when in the heart of the Saints, in place of the rejection of earthly thought, the height of heavenly contemplation arises. But the stinging nettle is altogether of a fiery nature; the myrtle, however, is said to be of a temperate virtue. In place of the nettle, therefore, the myrtle grows, when the minds of the just, from the origin and burning of vices, arrive at the temperance and tranquility of thoughts, when now they do not desire earthly things, when they extinguish the flames of the flesh with heavenly desires." The same, lib. XXXIII, cap. iv, understands by nettles the itchings of thoughts, by thorns the prickings of vices. Vatablus translates, for thorn or thorny bush, the fir tree shall ascend; and thus explains it: Those who were formerly thorny and harmed others, shall cease to do injury to others. Hence also Forerius translates: In place of the thicket the ash tree shall grow, and in place of the bramble the myrtle shall grow. AND THE LORD SHALL BE NAMED FOR AN ETERNAL SIGN. — In Hebrew: And it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an eternal sign, that is to say, This wonderful conversion and sanctification of the Gentiles through Christ, made, shall be to him for a name and for a monument of eternal glory and victory. For a monument or sign is customarily set up for a victory won. That all the faithful, subdued and converted by Christ, are named Christians, and profess with heart and mouth, indeed by his very name, that they are subjects of Christ, and shall profess this eternally: this shall be an eternal monument of Christ's glory. For just as emperors assumed the name and title of conquered nations, as an eternal trophy of victory; for they were called Parthians, Asians, Adiabenes, Sarmatians, Illyrians, etc.: so likewise an enduring trophy of Christ is this, that he is the ruler of all nations, so that all nations, as it were subject to Christ, bear the name of Christ and are called Christians by him. Therefore Christ's name itself is the sign, that is, the trophy. 10, 11. As the rain and snow come down from heaven, so shall my word be. — St. Jerome, Cyril, Haymo and Forerius explain this "word" in three ways, which nevertheless are reduced almost to one and the same thing. For by the word, first, they understand Christ, who, like rain and snow coming from heaven, made the earth of our heart fruitful with good works; second, they understand the Gospel, through which Christ works these fruits; third and most plainly, this promise of God, that is to say, This word of mine, by which I have promised such great things concerning the new covenant, and concerning the Messiah and grace, and good things to be given through him to the world, namely to those believing in him and repenting, shall be most firm and most efficacious; for it shall effect that men, stirred up by hope of pardon, friendship with God, and salvation, shall produce fruits worthy of repentance and virtues, by which they shall truly be reconciled to God, shall be bound in covenant with him, and shall become eternal friends of God, indeed heirs and sons. For thus this word of God irrigates and makes fruitful the soul, just as rain and snow make the earth fruitful.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
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Paupercula, tempestate convulsa, absque ulla consolatione. Hic promittit prosperitatem contra adversitatem: et commemorat adversitatem pristinam: Paupercula, Jerusalem spoliata bonis, tempestate, adversitate. Supra 18: «Ad gentem convulsam et « dilaceratam mittam te. » Secundo promittit prosperitatem futuram, et quantum ad affluentiam bonorum, proponens metaphoram: Ecce ego sternam, quasi in pavimento, lapides, pretiosos, significans homines virtutibus eminentes, per ordinem, unumquemque in ordine suo: et explanans ipsum quantum ad scientiae divinae doctrinam, Universos doctos. Jer. 51. «Dabo legem meam in visceribus « eorum, et in corde eorum scribam eam. » Quantum ad pacis abundantiam, Multitudinem. Psalm. 418: «Pax multa diligentibus legem tuam. » Et quantum ad operum justitiam, Et in justitia. Supra 1: «Sion in judicio redimitur; et reducent eam in « justitia. » Secundo quantum ad caeritiam malorum, promittens primo periculorum evationem, Recede, idest recedes, quia calumniam non patieris. Ps. 71. «Humiliabit calumniatorem. » Secundo extraneorum accessionem. Ecce accola, quia multi adhaeserunt de gentibus excuntibus de captivitate. Infra 56: «Non dicat filius adventa, qui adhaeret Domino, di-« cens: Separatione dividet me Dominus a populo « suo. » Tertio promittens hostium destructionem, Ecce ego. Et primo ostendit promittentis potestatem, proponens similitudinem, Fabrum, persecutorem qui sufflat in igne tribulationis vasa contraria seHaec est hereditas servorum Domini, et justitia eorum apud me, dicit Dominus. Omnes sitientes venite ad aquas; et qui non habetis argentum, properate, emite et comedite. Venite, emite absque argento et absque ulla commutatione vinum et lac.
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Quare appendifis argentum non in panibus, et laborem vestrum non in saturitate? Audite audientes me; et comedite bonum, et delectabitur in crassitudine anima vestra.
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Inclinate aurem vestram, et venite ad me; audite, et vivet anima vestra: et feriam vobiscum pactum sempiternum, misericordias David fideles.
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Ecce testem populis dedi eum, ducem ac praeceptorem gentibus.
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Ecce gentem quam nesciebas vocabis; et gentes quae non cognoverunt te, ad te current propter Dominum Deum tuum et sanctum Israel, quia glorificavi te.
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Quaerite Dominum dum inveniri potest, invocate eum dum prope est.
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Derelinquat impius viam suam, et vir iniquus cogitationes suas, et revertatur ad Dominum, et miserebitur ejus; et ad Deum nostrum, quoniam multus est ad ignoscendum.
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Non enim cogitationes meae, cogitationes vestrae; neque viae meae, viae vestrae: dicit Dominus.
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Quia sicut exaltantur caeli a terra, sic exaltatae sunt viae meae a viis vestris, et cogitationes meae a cogitationibus vestris.
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Et quomodo descendit imber et nix de caelo, et illuc ultra non revertitur, sed inebriat terram, et infundit eam, et germinare eam facit, et dat semen serenti, et panem comedenti: sic erit verbum meum quod egredietur de ore meo.
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Non revertetur ad me vacuum; sed faciet quaecumque volui, et prosperabitur in his ad quae misi illud. Quia in laetitia egrediemini.
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Montes et colles cantabunt coram vobis laudem, et omnia ligna regionis plaudent manu. Pro saliuncula ascendet abies, et pro urtica crescent myrtus.
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Et erit Dominus nominatus in signum aeternum, quod non auferetur.
Hic adhibet tertium remedium, promittens eorum abundantiam contra pristinam penuriam. Et dividitur in duas partes: In prima ponit promissionem; in secunda ostendit promissionis firmitatem, ibi, Et quomodo descendit imber et nix de caelo. Circa primum tria facit. Primo ostendit eorum quibus promittitur, conditionem: Haec est hereditas; idest, haec quae sequuntur, debentur servis Domini, qui ei filii sunt, quasi hereditario jure, et justitia, quasi justa merces. Secundo proponit promissionem, promittens fructuum copiam in necessariis: Omnes sitientes, idest vos ex Judaeis, qui prius prae inopia sitientes eratis, emite, sine pretio, comedite, panem, et alia necessaria. Joan. 7: « Si quis sitit, veniat ad me, et bibat. . . . et » de ventre ejus fluent aquae vivae. » Et in deliciis: Venite, emite, quasi, ac si emereis accipite, absque argento, idest minus quam justo pretio, vinum et lac. Can. 5: « Bibi vinum meum cum la- » cte meo. » Et commemorans pristinam inopiam, Quare appendifis? quasi dicat: Quare hactenus argentum dabatis, et panem emere non poteratis? Aggaei 1: « Seminastis multum, et intulistis pa- » rum. » Haec autem mystice exponuntur de aqua divinae sapientiae, quae gratis sitientibus datur, secundum Glossam. Tertio indicit praeparationem ad
consequendam dictam promissionem: Audite audientes: et primo excitat attentionem: secundo ponit exhortationem, Quaerite Dominum. Excitat autem attentionem triplici promissione. Primo promittens attendentibus bonorum copiosam fruitionem: Comedite, idest reficiam vos diversis bonis, si me auditis, in crassitudine, quantum ad copiam. Supra 1: « Si volueritis et audieritis me, bona terrae co- » medetis. » Secundo promittens mortis evasionem, Inclinate. Psal. 118: « In aeternum non obliviscar » justificatione tuas, quia in ipsis vivificasti me. » Tertio promittens potestatem. Et primo ponit similitudinem: Et feriam pactum sempiternum: sicut David veras promissiones feci, ut in sempiternum semen suum permaneret: sic et vobiscum faciam. Secundo explicat ipsam, ostendens quid David fecerit: Ecce testem populis dedi eum, ducem ac praeceptorem gentibus. Psalm. 17: « Populus quem » non cognovi, servivit mihi; in auditu auris obedii- » vit mihi. » Et quid eis facturus sit, subdit: Ecce gentes vocabis, ad praeceptum tuum implendum, non tuis viribus, sed propter Dominum. Supra 49: « Adorabunt propter Dominum, quia fidelis; et san- » ctum Israel qui elegit te. » Quaerite Dominum dum inveniri potest. Hic indicit eis praeparationem ad consequendam dictam promissionem: et primo dat temporis congruitatem quaerendi divinum consilium: Quaerite Dominum dum inveniri potest, antequam adversitas vel mors veniat. Secundo docet quaerendi modum: Derelinquat impius, peccans in Deum, iniquus, peccans in proximum. Supra 1: « Auferte malum cogitationum vestrarum ab » oculis meis. » Tertio ponit reversionis fructum, scilicet misericordiam: Et revertatur ad Dominum. . . quoniam multus, idest multiplicis misericordiae, ad ignoscendum. Joc. 2: « Convertimini ad Dominum » Deum vestrum quia benignus et misericors est, » patiens, et multae misericordiae et praestabilis » super malitia. Quis scit si convertatur et igno- » scat, et relinquat post se benedictionem? » Quarto excludit misericordiae impedimentum: Non enim cogitationes meae, cogitationes vestrae, quasi dicat: Vos impii, ego pius; vos ultionem cogitatis, ego misericordiam. Ezech. 18: « Numquid viae meae non » sunt aequae, domus Israel, et non magis viae ve- » strae pravae sunt? » Et quomodo descendit imber et nix de caelo. Hie ostendit promissionis firmitatem: et primo ponit divini verbi efficaciam, Ad me vacuum, idest sine fructu. Oseae 6: « Veniet » quasi imber nobis temporaneus et serotinus terrae. » Secundo ponit continentiam quantam ad laetam remissionem de Babylone; Quia in laetitia. Ps. 104: « Eduxit populum suum in exultatione, » et electos suos in laetitia. » Quantum ad aliorum congratulationem, Montes et colles, potentes et populares, laudantes in vobis Dominum. Vel est hyperbole. Terra vestra, vestrae reversioni congratulans. Quantum ad bonorum multiplicatem restitutionem: Pro saliuncula ascendet abies; idest, priora pauca erant respectu futurorum. Aggæi 2: « E- rit gloria domus hujus novissimae, plus quam » primae. » Saliuncula, a saliendo dicta, quae car-dus leporinus dicitur. Tertio ponit consequentem Dei gloriam, Et erit Deus nominatus, ubique et semper gloriosus pro liberatione vestra, in si-gnum æternum, ad quem confugient sicut ad signum salutis. Supra 49: « Ecce ego levabo ad gen- » tes signum meum »
Item nota super illo verbo, Omnes sitientes venite ad aquas, quod divina doctrina primo dicitur
aqua; et hoc primo quia infirmos sanat. Eccl. 15: « Aqua sapientiae potabit illum. » Secundo quia inquinatos mundificat. Ezech. 36: « Effundam super » vos aquam mundam, et mundabimini ab omni- » bus inquinamentis vestris. » Tertio quia sitientes satiat. Joan. 4: « Si quis biberit ex aqua quam » ego dabo ei, non sitiet in æternum. » Secundo dicitur vinum; et hoc primo quia pungit argendo. Supra 1: « Vinum tuum mixtum est aqua. » Secundo quia incendit exhortando. Psal. 104: « E- » loquium Domini inflammavit eum. » Tertio quia inebrïat consolando. Infra ult.: « Inebriamini ab » uberibus consolationis vestrae. » Tertio dicitur lac; et hoc primo propter pulchritudinem. Gen. penult.: « Nephtali cervus emissus dans eloquia » pulchritudinis. » Secundo propter dulcedinem. Can. 2: « Sonet vox tua in auribus meis: vox enim » tua dulcis. » Tertio propter sumendi facilitatem. 1 Petri 2: « Quasi modo geniti infantes lac con- » cupiscite. »
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v. 1 « Ommnes sitientes venite ad aquas et qui mon habetis argentum properate, emile et comedite ! venite, emite absque argento et absque ulla commutatione vinum et lac » ! — quid magis per se patet quam ut sitientes veniant ad aquas? praesertim si quibus sitim exstinguant, vinum et lae, absque ulla solutione pretii, gratis habere possunt? Unde monitio in eo consistit, ut ibi tandem remedia quaerant, ubi vere adsunt ! ut ne falsis fucatisque implicentur. Eam loquendi rationem vates adhibet quae proverbiis est propria. In proverbiisautem vera doctrina aquae, vini symbolo saepius proponitur (cf. Prov. 9, 2. 8; 18, 4; 20, 5; 25, 25); insuper vates iam supra sermonem intulit de aquis salutis (12, 3; 44, 3), de convivio pinguium vinique meracissimi (25, 6). Unde ad vera bona i. e. messiana inquirenda invitat et in tali inquisitione omnem sitim omneque desiderium exstingui ac satiari docet. Bona ea describit tamquam bona prorsus gratuito danda, tamquam bona ordinis altioris, quare pretio soluto vel ullius rei commutatione acquiri nullatenus possunt. Homo igitur per se nihil afferre potest quo ad illa pertüingat; gratis autem donantur properantibus. Hae aquae salutis optime declarantur per eum qui dixit : si quis sitit veniat ad me et bibat (cf. Ioan. 4, 43. 14; "1, 31. S. Hier. Cyr. Sanct. Lap. etc.). Admonitio autem ut est generalis, ita omni tempori facillime accommodatur et omni valet aetate : pro aequalibus Isaiae, pro exsulibus, ut data opportunitate ad verum salutis fontem redeant neve cisternas sibi fodiant dissipatas quae aquas nequeunt continere etc.; valet pro tempore messiano, de quo haec habet S. Hier. ::« spreto igitur illo argento et pecuniis quibus aquas Domini emere non possumus, pergamus ad eum qui tenens calicem sacramenti discipulis loquebatur : accipite et bibite... quod vinum miscuit et sapientia in cratere suo omnes stultos saeculi mundique sapientiam non habentes provocans ad bibendum ; et ut non solum vinum emamus sed et lac quod significat innocentiam parvulorum, qui mos ac typus in occidentis ecclesiis hodie usque servatur, ut renatis in Christo vinum lacque tribuatur ». Ad verum igitur fontem accedant! Cur enim vano labore et inutili consumantur? Unde adhortationem fulcit
Anc. — Admonentur ut relicta rerum vanarum atque inutilium consectatione ad Deum verum vitae et salutis auctorem et largitorem se convertant, qui promissiones Davidi datas implebit dans Messiam ad quem gentes congregabuntur (58, 1-5). Ad Deum autem sese convertant abiecta omni iniquitate ; ad quem reditum quo efficacius invitentur, quam sublime sit Dei consilium et quam certo in opus deducendum explicat. Egredientur enim laetantes ex captivitate, innovabitur terra et Dominus regnabit in aeternum (55, 6-13). In oratione praecedente vates novam theocratiam, opus Messiae, ostenderat et pacem et securitatem quae in ea continentur descripserat. Iam in hac oratione doctrinam propositam pro suis aequalibus utilem reddere ac proficuam conatur. Salute enim illa adeo praeclara per se fluit adhortatio, ut abiectis vanis studiis et conatibus ibi pacem et felicitatem quaerant, ubi plene adest, id. est apud Dominum. Dein vates illis ostendit viam qua iam nunc ad salutem illam animos praeparent vitaeque praecepta proponit. Quae quo libentius opere exsequantur, Dei sublime. consilium magnificis verbis eis ob oculos ponit. — Est haec oratio iterum nobis argumento, quomodo vates ex oraculis messianis pro aequalibus suis vitae normam et praecepta colligat. Messias enim omnibus in salutem mittitur et non est aliud nomen in quo nos oporteat salvos fieri. Ante eius adventum fides in ipsum requirebatur; salus iis hominibus non potuit esse obstructa et negata. Unde vates ostendit et docet, qua ratione salutis se possint participes reddere et quid ea temporum conditione ab iis sit praestandum, qua fide et spe divina promissa sint am-
Eam temporis conditionem vates ob oculos habet qua multi sedulo conatu et magno desiderio reipublicae populique statum feliciorem reddere student vel saltem res meliores magisque prosperas exoptant difficultate temporum pressi. Eiusmodi rerum conditionem iterato tempore Isaiae adfuisse qua optimus quisque inquireret quo tandem remedio malis praesentibus esset obviam eundum, nemo in quaestionem vocabit. Vana et inutilia conamina ut relinquant, veram ut seligant viam vates: hortatur
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v. 2 « quare appenditis argentum non in panibus et laborem vestrum mon in saturitate? audite audientes me et comedite bonum et delectabitur in crassitudine anima vestra » ! — hebr. quare appenditis argentum in non-panem et laborem vestrum 1n non-saturitatem ? pecuniam expendunt et laborem impendunt, verum in eas res quibus panis et saturitas minime acquiritur. Ergo exserunt conamina ad conditionem rerum emendandam ; at ibi quaerunt auxilia, ubi non sunt ; « in alia studium confertis vestrum, ex: quibus non potest anima enutriri neque cibo ad satietatem frui » (Euseb.). Increpatio haec aeque valet de studio foedera ineundi cum exteris (cap. 30 seq.) ac de labore et argento idolis impenso (46, 6; 57, 5; cf. 2, 18. 90) ac generatim de omni conatu quo quis suis viribus vel ope humana salutem ac felicitatem acquirere vult. Loquitur vates commiseratione quadam de inutili labore et conatu quo vires exserant, molestias subeant pro nihilo! Ubi vero labor et sedulitas maxima utilitate collocari possit ac debeat, indicat monens ut ad se animos advertant, ut Domino dicto sint audientes, quo fiet ut bonorum abundantia fruantur et delectentur ubertate divina. In hac animorum obedientia et promptitudine bona pro iis cuncta reponuntur; quare
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v. 3 « nclinate aurem. vestram et venite ad me! audite et vivet anima vestra et feriam vobiscum pactum sempiternum, misericordias David. fideles » ! — magna epitasi Dominus fidem, obedientiam, promptitudinem animi postulat; si verba Dei audierint, fide et obedientia susceperint, vivet anima eorum, vera vita coram Deo et vera felicitate fruetur; qua in re beatitas illa consistat, sequentibus declaratur; Deus scil. pactum aeternum quod promisit omnino exsequetur (cf. Os. 2, 18), huius autem pacti aeterni quasi culmen et fastigium sunt gratiae illae quas Davidi stabili modo et constanti se daturum promisit. Verba T?1 "T?" promissa illa dicunt quae iisdem vocibus 9 Sam. 71, 14 seq. et Ps. 89, 29 seq. declarantur; sunt promissa de throno aeterno David, proin de Messia ex domo David prodituro. In hisce omnium bonorum cumulus continetur et misericordiis David speciali ratione quale sit pactum declaratur; nam, ut bene S. Cyr. : « quale sit igitur illud aeternum foedus quod accedentibus ad ipsum per fidem consummabit, planum facit cum subdit statim : sancta (£o:x, ita LXX) David fidelia; vel enim pollicitationem factam divino Davidi de omnium nostrum servatore Christo gentibus revertentibus praestandam dicit, vel divina vocat et sacra vaticinia de Christo ». Haec autem promissa fidelia i. e. stabilia, inconcussa vocat, uti 9 Sam. 1, 16. Pactum suum in istis potissimum consistere declarat (cf. Mald. For. Malv. Sasb. Lap.); apta monitio et pro tempore schismatis inter regnum iudaicum et israeliticum et pro tempore exsilii; qui igitur salutis se participes reddere volunt, ne a domo David se sepgrent, sed illi subiectione adhaereant, ducem ex stirpe davidica sequantur! In hac enim domo ex tempore Nathan omnia promissa messiana reposita sunt, huic sollemni iureiurando sunt attributa (cf. 4 Par. 17, 14. Ps. 89, 29. 30. 36-38) ita ut foedus Dei cum populo in hac promissione suam habeat perfectionem, absolutam, quia in Messia demum omnia bona nobiscum communicantur. Quam bene autem David intellexerit promissiones illas in Messia demum iri absolutum, elucet ex ultimis eius verbis (2 Reg. 23, 3-5; cf. de IHwumnmelauer, comment in h. 1.). s Quia igitur misericordiae David fideles i. e. gratiosae promissiones firmae atque robustae (S. Hier.) de throno aeterno et regno sempiterno Messiam dicunt filium David qui ab aliis prophetis iam immediate David appellatur (Os. 3, 5. Ier. 30, 9. Ez. 34, 23. 94 ; 31, 24. 95), etiam vates noster immediate transire potest ad ipsum illum, de quo in hac parte iam eadem fere annuntiaverat :
55:4
v. 4 « ecce testem populis dedi eum, ducem ac praeceptorem gentibus »! — cf. 49, 6; 49, 6. 8; 53, 41. Unde Deus cum post illas admonitiones (v. 1-3) Messiam introducit, eo ipso clare ostendit, a quo aquae illae salutares sint expetendae, quis sit audiendus, ad quem sit properandum, ut comedant bona, ut vivat anima et abundantia bonorum delectetur. De Messia enim hic fieri sermonem, ex eo patet, quia iis inducitur titulis qui in hac parte Soli Messiae attribuuntur; dein cum hae orationes arcte cohaereant cum 53, 10-19, transitus ad Messiam non est repentinus, abruptus, immo in misericordiis David fidelibus iste ad Messiam transitus iam adest, quia summa promissionum teste Davide in Dominatore illo consistit. Quare cum S. Hier. Cyr. Euseb. Theod. et plerisque interpretibus catholicis et multis etiam protestantibus (Hos. Iahn, Naeg.) hic non ipse David rex, verum is cuius typus erat David, Messias agnosci debet. Messias testis est, quia de foedere a Deo promisso testimonium exhibet omnium gravissimum et maximum, pactum scil. plene adimplens et omnia foederis bona nobis merens, et quia nobis de Dei veritate et. voluntate testimonium perhibet, et tamquam talis testis simul est princeps nationum et illarum legislator. Neque desunt qui verba ea de Davide rege explicent; cf. S. Thom. Schegg Kn. Del. Or.; monent Davidem victoriis suis testem potentiae Domini fuisse, item psalmis laudes Dei annuntiasse neque semel in psalmis spopondisse se Dei laudes annuntiare velle in gentibus (Ps. 17, 50; 56, 10) ; dein alios populos ab eo esse subiectos quibus praecepta dederit etc. Haec utut vera sunt, hic tamen rem non evincunt. Nam cur subito ea ex historia David in hoc contextu commemorentur, nulla ratio afferri potest; neque enim in his ostenduntur eae misericordiae David fideles quae aequalibus Isaiae solatio et confortationi esse possunt, et cum exsilium et dissolutio veteris theocratiae iam ob oculos prophetae versetur, etiam pactum sempiternum, de quo v. 3, hisce illustrari nequit quae ad solum Davidem referuntur. Dein bene notari oportet, sermonem fieri de pacto futuro et prophetam totis viribus in id incumbere, ut populum ad fidem Dei et obedientiam adducat. Iam in ea. admonitione difficile cernitur quid sibi velit David qui olim victor exstiterit et dominator in gentes vicinas; oplime vero ad quorum desiderio tenentur reposita sunt et qui est pacti. sempiterni et promissionum Davidi concessarum ultima et summa perfectio et terminus. De Messia tandem ea quae v. 4 dicuntur vere valent et plene; sed quot et quantis limitibus opus est, ut verba adeo ampla ad Davidem restringantur ? Quibus transitus ad Messiam ' nimis abruptus videtur, velin v. 3 iam explicant misericordias Davidi et semini eius datas et eodem modo in v. 4 eum de Davide et semine eius interpretantur, vel statim David ut nomen Messiae in v. 3 capiunt. At neutrum opus est neque commode admitti potest. Posteros enim David non tales se praestitisse, quales verba in v. 4 postulant, non indiget probatione ; et quamvis Osee vocet Messiam David (Os. 3, 5), Isaias tamen id non facit hoc loco quia ea affert verba quae ex libris historicis et psalmis non possunt intelligi nisi de Davide. Sed si quis transitum explicat ita ut vatem dicat a typo Davide immediate transiisse ad antitypum Messiam, non repugno ; at addi debet in ipsis verbis v. 4 et in contextu huius partis quae tota est in servo Domini eiusque opere describendo satis adesse indiciorum, quibus cognosci possit de quo loquatur propheta. Iam quomodo Messias dux futurus sit et legislator gentibus et qualis inde gloria in ipsum populum Israel redundatura sit, proponit, ut ostenso gentium studio ipsi quoque ad talis salutis aemulationem etamorem incitentur. Quare arctus adest cum antecedentibus nexus isque non solum cum v. 4, sed etiam cum admonitionibus praeviis
55:5
v. 9 « ecce gentem quam nesciebas vocabis et gentes quae te non cognoverunt ad te current propter Dominum Deum tuum et Sanctum Israel, quia glorificavit te »; — quae similia David de se dixit (2 Reg. 22, 44. Ps. 17, 44), modo eminenti in eius filio, in Messia, adimplebuntur. Populus enim messianicus gentes alias eousque ignotas ad Dei cognitionem et foedus advocabit ; aliae iterum gentes longinquae ad Dei populum sese insigni aemulatione aggregabunt; et ratio est propter Dominum, Dei causa, quia eum tamquam Jahve cognoverunt et quia Sanctum ]srael qui gloriam suam et sanctitatem in populum electum effundit et ibi se gloriosum reddit agnoverunt. Si ergo gentes gloria Domini et gloria qua suum populum exornat ad assiduum studium quaerendi Deum incitantur, quanto magis aequum est, ut ipsi Israelitae, populus electus, quem Dominus tanto honore praevenit, pari assiduitate salutem exquirat? Eos ergo stimulos adhibet propheta quos 2, 8 gentium fervore proposito properantium ad montem Sion et ad domum Dei Iacob : domus Iacob venite et ambulemus in lumine Domini ! Splendore Sionis messianicae gentes efficaciter invitantur ; cf. 60, 3 et iam 2, 3; 44, 5; 49, 93. Quantopere autem Israel sit glorificatus per Messiam, lege apud S. Paulum (Rom. 9, 4. 5)
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v. 6 « Quaerite Dominum, dum inveniri potest, invocate eum, dum prope est »! — monet ne gratiam oblatam sibi elabi patiantur; simul subobscure minatur dicens dum ... fieri posse ut Dominus aliquando recedat a populo infideli et gratias adeo abundantes iam non concedat. Apertiora sunt quae apud Amos habentur : « ecce dies veniunt, dicit Dominus, et mittam famem in terram, non famem panis neque sitim aquae, sed audiendi verbum Domini ... circuibunt quaerentes verbum Domini et non invenient » (Am. 8, 41. 12). Quae igitur contumacibus imminent, vates innuit (cf. 30, 11) postea rem fusius declaraturus (56, 9 seq.). Unde « quaerite eum, dum datur locus poenitentiae, et quaerite non loco sed fide; et invocemus eum dum prope est, ne nostris vitiis atque peccatis procul recedat » (S. Ilier.). Quomodo autem quaeri oporteat Dominum, declaratur
Igitur apud unum Dominum est salus eaque praeclarissima. Immo gentes quoque sacro quodam studio ad eius salutis participationem accurrentes cernit propheta. Quid ergo ex iis consequitur pro populo? quomodo ad dignitatem illam in v. 5 indicatam sese debet praeparare? et quid iam nunc facere? Respondet, vates
55:7
v. 1 « derelinquat impius viam suam. et vir iniquus cogitationes suas et revertatur ad Dominum et miserebitur eius, et ad Deum nostrum, quoniam multus est ad. ignoscendum »! — duo illa inculcantur : declina a maloet fac bonum, quibus utique continentur omnia; recedere a malo et accedere ad Deum iubentur. Hisce duobus, aversione a creaturis et conversione ad Deum, omnis in melius emendatio, omnis coram Deo iustificatio consistit. Monet propheta internam animi mutationem esse peragendam, fontem malorum i. e. cogitationes et desideria mala esse obstruendum. Unde pro- .pheta eodem modo praeparationem esse faciendam dicit ad salutem percipiendam, quo a praecursore et ab ipso Christo regnum messianum est annuntiatum : poenitentiam agite, appropinquavit enim regnum coelorum(Matth. 3, 2. Marc. 1, 4. Luc. 3,3) ; dicit enim yezévou mentis mutationem, ut ergo animus avellatur ab illis quibus male adhaesit et ei adhaereat a quo aversus male erat. Haec adhortatio spe fulcitur miserationis amplissimae consequendae; nam multus est i. e. saepe et multum et libenter ignoscit, condonationes multiplicat (cf. For. Mar. Osor.); quare nemo etsi scelerum sarcina oneratus animum abiiciat, sed ad laetam spem et fiduciam assurgat. Hane adhortationem propheta confirmat ex sublimitate divinorum consiliorum, qua ratione et pusillanimis dubitantibusque omnem diffidentiam eximit et omnium animos ad tantam salutem capessendam vehementer impellit
55:8
v. 8 « non enim cogitationes meae cogitationes vestrae meque viae vestrae viae meae, dicit Dominus ;
55:9
v. 9 quia sicut exaltantur coeli a terra, sic exaltatae sunt viae meae a viis vestris et cogitationes meae a cogitationibus vestris »; — hac sententia et comparatione vehementer admonemur, ne de rebus consiliisque divinis humano more i. e. secundum angustas nostras et limitatas normas sententiam feramus. Nam et consilia divina (cogitationes) et modi auxiliaque (viae) quibus illa in opus deducere Deus constituit ita ab humana cogitandi agendique ratione recedunt et sublimitate excellunt, sicut a terra elevati sunt coeli; aliis verbis sunt incomprehensa. Huius autem doctrinae applicatio ad antecedentia complura in se continet. Exhibetur enim in hac su-. blimitate et excellentia ratio gravissima, cur relictis rebus vanis totis animis Deum quaerant; Deus enim adeo praeclara iis donare vult quae. ipsi ne excogitare quidem possunt ; eacomparatione idem fereinnuitur quod S. Paulus dicit : oculus non vidit nec in cor hominis ascendit quae praeparavit Deus iis qui diligunt illum (1 Cor. 2, 9). Unde nexum bene adstruit Mald. : meliora ego erga vos cogito. Sed simul in ea sublimitate continetur summa quaedam ratio et consolatio ne quis de Dei misericordia et fidelitate (S., Cyr. Sasb.) vel de Dei potentia ad salutem illam adducendam dubitet (S. Hier. Reinke, Schegg); continetur misericordiae Dei descriptio : « homines vel semel vix condonant in se peccanti; si autem bis vel ter id quispiam faciat, praeter hominum naturam facere videtur; longe ab his moribus est Dominus » (For. sim. Theod. Osor. Troch. etiam apud Pint. Lap. Men. Tir.). Comparationem autem distantiae coeli a terra attulit, quod nulla alia maior esset in rebus creatis, qua simul declarare velle videtur se velle efficere, ut numerus peccatorum dummodo resipiscant infinitis modis a misericordia sua superetur (cf. Procop. Malv.). Neque a proposito alienum est quod alii connectunt efferentes necessitatem conversionis, cum hominum viae et cogitationes. longissimae absint a divina sanctitate et iustitia (cf. Sanct. Calm. RoM. sim. apud Pint. Hahn, Del. Or.); quam acceptionem, uti Sanct. monet, iam Chald. quoque in sua paraphrasi exprimit. Haec autem omnia in eo conveniunt, consilia divina non esse dimetienda secundum angustam mensuram mentis humanae. Dei quidem consilia in se sunt hominibus incomprehensa prae sublimitate ; nihilominus in opus deducentur; qua in re nova ratio continetur, cur ad Deum revertantur Deoque uni omnium bonorum auctori adhaereant neque de praeclara salute dubitent; nam
55:10
v. 10 « et quomodo descendit imber et nix de coelo et illuc ultra non revertitur, sed inebriat terram. et infundit eam et germinare eam facit et dat semen serenti et panem comedenti :
55:11
v. 41 sic erit verbum meum quod. egredietur de ore meo; non revertetur ad me vacuum, sed. faciet quaecumque volui et prosperabitur in his ad quae misi illud » ; — comparatione illustratur quam efficax sit verbum Dei i. e. promissio a Deo facta (v. 3), sed simul modus operationis divinae praeclaro exemplo delineatur. Dei enim gratia blande ac leniter sese animis infundit, eos excitat et elevat et germine divino fecundat, ut fructus demum praeclari edantur. Neque igitur repentinae rerum mutationes neque inaudita quaedam ac strepitu et admiratione plena exspectanda erunt, sed promissiones Dei ratione placida paulatim ad fruges laetissimas maturescent. Nonne etiam iste modus operandi longissime abest ab humana ratione? Deus enim non uno impetu hostes prosternit, non subito regnum suum universale instituit neque statim ad plenum adducit triumphum, quamvis homines de illa Dei mora ac patientia facile conquerantur (cf. Ier. 12, 1 seq.). Vide comparationes quibus idem modus agendi placidus ac quietus innuitur 50, 9 et 51, 6. Verbum Dei h. l. est promissio Dei de qua sermo fuit. Pulchre verba accommodant ad Verbum quod erat in principio apud Deum et in mundum missum est neque vacuum reversum est ad Patrem (cf. S. Hier. Cyr.) ; sed sensu literali non esse hic Atque pactum.illud sempiternum et misericordias David fideles (v. 3) in opus iri deductum, uti habent pignus firmissimum in ipsa Dei fidelissimi ac potentissimi promissione, ita in liberatione ex exsilio habebunt eiusdem rei testimonium et initium
55:12
v. 12 « quia in laetitia egrediemini et in. pace deducemini ; montes et colles cantabunt coram vobis laudem et omnia ligna regionis plaudent manu »; — egredientur e Babylone non in tumultu nec in fuga nec in pavore (cf. 52, 19), sed in laetitia; secure et cum honore proficiscentur (cf. 40, 11. 31). Ipsa rerum natura iis de recuperata libertate gratulabitur; neque id solum quia laetis omnia laeta et festiva videntur, neque solum modus loquendi est usitatus, quando ingens aliqua laetitia atque triumphus significatur (Sanct. Calm.), sed significatur ipsam rerum naturam si opus fuerit eis fore emolumento et adiutorio ad prosperum reditum (cf. 41, 18. 19; 43, 20 ; 44, 23; 49, 13) et uti fuerint res creatae suo modo poenae participes, ita etiam fore redemptionis et salutis (cf. ad 11, 6; 35, 1. Rom. 8, 23). Iste egressus initium quoddam est conditionis et instaurationis multo melioris, quam symbolo quodam e rerum natura deprompto declarat vates
55:13
v. 13 « pro saliunca ascendet abies et pro urtica crescet myrtus, et erit Dominus nominatus in signum aeternum quod non auferetur » ; — hebr. pro vepreto (senticeto) ascendet cypressus i. e. generatim pro re vili substituetur alia multo praeclarior, uti simili modo 32, 15 dictum est. Symbolum tale eo melius eligitur, quia gloria instaurationis in ultima sua perfectione etiam ad glorificationem rerum creatarum redundabit, quando scil. liberabitur a servitute corruptionis creatura, cui nunc invita subiecta est. Nota aliquam iam rerum creatarum elevationem ' et liberationem contineri et exprimi in sacramentis et sacramentalibus Ecclesiae et varia ad eandem spectantia.occurrere in vitis Sanctorum. Quibus aliisque patet has imagines a natura depromptas non esse nuda symbola neque meras fictiones vel inanes prosopopoeias, sed ex intimo cum homine eiusque redemptione nexu et ex veritate quadam gloriae hauriri; quare etiam illi a proposito aberrant, qui in eiusmodi symbolis varios hominum ordines vel varia hominum opera delineari opinantur. Exsistet ergo nova quasi terrae facies in locis desertis et horridis et iucundissima quaedam amoenitas apparebit, in qua rerum in melius mutationem egregie adumbratam cernere licet. Atque haec nova rerum facies erit Domino in nomen et in. signum aeternum quod. non auferetur hebr.; in ea relucet gloria Dei et magnifica maiestatis eius manifestatio et. gloriae divinae monumentum illustre, nova theocratia, laudem Dei eiusque magnitudinem. per orbem annuntiabit neque unquam deficiet vel delebitur (hebr.). Ita implebitur illud : plena est omnis terra gloria eius (6, 3). Et nova haec rerum conditio cuius gloria et homines et res creatae collustrantur, splendore suo atque ornatuin Domini honorem et praeconium magnificentissime redundabit. Tunc habebitur illud : in te gloriabor (49, 3; cf. 42, 19). Atque hoc exitu ostenso efficaciter sustinetur admonitio illa in v. 6 et "1 proposita et ubertim declaratur quanta felicitatis copia Deus desideriis suorum sit satisfacturus, unde ratio potentissima est proposita pro illo : omnes sitientes venite ad aquas (v. 1) et ad quid ultimatim tendat Zustificabit multos (53, 11) praeclare ad animos voluptate perfundendos est exhibitum. De nominibus arborum et plantarum haec notat S. Hier.: « czot$7, quoque et xovoto (xóvo£a) sive saliuncea et urtica in abietem vertentur ac myrtum et cyparissum. Ecora iuxta, Symmachum et LXX. in hebr. scribitur nesus (y*3Y3), quem Aquila et Theodotio «ov)tn» interpretati sunt. Est autem. zóvozx herba vilissima et amara odorisque pessimi. Ubi autem LXX transtulerunt zóvo£a quae in hebr. dicitur sarphod (27D, vel ut alii seribunt 32D; cf. Liber Iesaiae, ed. Baer), Symmachus verüt urticam; utcumque se habet nominum proprietas, hoc dicendum est, quod mala verlantur in bona et pro vitiis nascantur virtutes ».
55:1
… "They will be satisfied": the recompense was assured (Jer. 31:25) in the messianic kingdom to all who had toiled (Is. 49:10; 55:1-2 "without money"; cf. Eccl. 51:33; Apoc. 22:17). The expression is spiritually evocative, for in the Bible "hunger and thirst" often indicates the desire for supersensible goods (Is. …
… Many prophecies of the Old Testament announce that from the Messiah must gush torrents of graces, rivers of living water (Is. 12, 3; 55, 1; 48, 21; Zach. 12, 10). St. Paul presents the Messiah as the miraculous rock, which gives the refreshing water to the Hebrews in the desert (I Cor. 10, 4). St. John emphasizes that …
55:10
… Elsewhere the "word of God" is described as sent by him: "He sent his word and they were healed" (Ps. 106:20; cf. 147:14-18; Is. 9:8; 55:10-11). These are rhetorical personifications, which nonetheless permitted deeper intuitions. …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.