"The sun was raised up, and the moon stood still in her course;" that is, Christ ascended into heaven, and the Church was established under her King."Thy darts shall go in the light;" that is, Thy words shall not be sent in secret, but openly.For He had said to His own disciples, "What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in the light."(8) "By threatening thou shall diminish the earth;" that is, by that threatening Thou shall humble men."And in fury Thou shall cast down the nations;" for in punishing those who exalt themselves Thou dashest them one against another."Thou wentest forth for the salvation of Thy people, that Thou mightest save Thy Christ; Thou hast sent death on the heads of the wicked." None of these words require exposition."Thou hast lifted up the bonds, even to the neck." This may be understood even of the good bonds of wisdom, that the feet may be put into its fetters, and the neck into its collar."Thou hast struck off in amazement of mind the bonds" must be understood for, He lifts up the good and strikes off the bad, about.which it is said to Him, "Thou hast broken asunder my bonds,"(1) and that "in amazement of mind," that is, wonderfully."The heads of the mighty shall be moved in it;" to wit, in that wonder."They shall open their teeth like a poor man eating secretly." For some of the mighty among the Jews shall come to the Lord, admiring His works and words, and shall greedily eat the bread of His doctrine in secret for fear of the Jews, just as the Gospel has shown they did."And Thou hast sent into the sea Thy horses, troubling many waters," which are nothing else than many people; for unless all were troubled, some would not be converted with fear, others pursued with fury."I gave heed, and my belly trembled at the voice of the prayer of my lips; and trembling entered into my bones, and my habit of body was troubled under me." He gave heed to those things which he said, and was himself terrified at his own prayer, which he had poured forth prophetically, and in which he discerned things to come.For when many people are troubled, he saw the threatening tribulation of the Church, and at once acknowledged himself a member of it, and said, "I shall rest in the day of tribulation," as being one of those Who are rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation.(2) "That Imay ascend," he says, "among the people of my pilgrimage,"departing quite from the wicked people of his carnal kinship, who are not pilgrims in this earth, and do not seek the country above.(3) "Although the fig-tree," he says, "shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines the labor of the olive shall lie, and the fields shall yield no meat; the sheep shall be cut off from the meat, and there shall be no oxen in the stalls." He sees that nation which was to slay Christ about to lose the abundance of spiritual supplies, which, in prophetic fashion, he has set forth by the figure of earthly plenty.And because that nation was to suffer such wrath of God, because, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, it wished to establish its own,(4) he immediately says, "Yet will I rejoice in the Lord; I will joy in God my salvation.The Lord God is my strength, and He will set my feet in completion; He will place me above the heights, that I may conquer in His song," to wit, in that song of which something similar is said in the psalm, "He set my feet upon a rock, and directed my goings, and put in my mouth a new song, a hymn to our God."(5)He therefore conquers in the song of the Lord, who takes pleasure in His praise, not in his own; that "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."(6) But some copies have, "Iwill joy in God my Jesus," which seems to me better than the version of those who, wishing to put it in Latin, have not set down that very name which for us it is dearer and sweeter to name.
CHAP.33.--WHAT JEREMIAH AND ZEPHANIAH HAVE, BY THE PROPHETIC SPIRIT, SPOKEN BEFORECONCERNING CHRIST AND THE CALLING OF THE NATIONS.
Jeremiah, like Isaiah, is one of the greater prophets, not of the minor, like the others from whose writings I have just given extracts.He prophesied when Josiah reigned in Jerusalem, and Ancus Martius at Rome, when the captivity of the Jews was already at hand; and he continued to prophesy down to the fifth month of the captivity, as we find from his writings.Zephaniah, one of the minor prophets, is put along with him, because he himself says that he prophesied in the days of Josiah; but he does not say till when.Jeremiah thus prophesied not only in the times of Ancus Martius, but also in those of Tarquinius Priscus, whom the Romans had for their fifth king.For he had already begun to reign when that captivity took place.Jeremiah, in prophesying of Christ, says, "The breath of our mouth, the Lord Christ, was taken in our sins,"(7) thus briefly showing both that Christ is our Lord and that He suffered for us.Also in another place he says, "This is my God, and there shall none other be accounted of in comparison of Him; who hath found out all the way of prudence, and hath given it to Jacob His servant, and to Israel His beloved: afterwards He was seen on the earth, and conversed with men."(8) Some attribute this testimony not to Jeremiah, but to his secretary, who was called Baruch; but it is more commonly ascribed to Jeremiah.Again the same prophet says concerning Him, "Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that Iwill raise up unto David a righteous shoot, and a King shall reign and shall be wise, and shall do judgment and justice in the earth.