Commentary on Isaiah (Super Isaiam)

Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he who reads it may run through it: because the vision is yet far off, and it will appear at the end. Habakkuk 2. From these words three things can be gathered concerning the book of the prophet Isaiah, which we have in hand: namely, the author, the manner, and the matter. Concerning the first, three things are set down: namely, the author, the author's minister, and the minister's office, or gift. The author is shown in the command of the one speaking: hence it is premised: the Lord answered me, and said: write the vision, etc. For the author of sacred Scripture is the Holy Spirit. Below, 48: now the Lord has sent me, etc.; 2 Peter I, 21: for not by the will of man, etc. For the spirit speaks mysteries, as is said in 1 Cor. 14. The minister is shown in the act of writing: for he says, write. Now the tongue of the prophet was the instrument of the Holy Spirit, as in Psalm 44 it is said: my tongue is the pen of a scrivener, writing swiftly. And 1 Cor. 3: what then is Apollo? And what is Paul? The ministers of him in whom you have believed. But the office of the minister is shown in the privilege of vision: for he says, vision. For he who today is called a prophet, was formerly called a seer, as is said in 1 Kings 9. And Numbers 12: if there be among you a prophet of the Lord, I will appear to him in a vision, or I will speak to him in a dream. Thus, then, the author is evident; but the manner is shown in what follows, and make it plain: for the manner of this prophecy is plain and open. Hence, as is said in the prologue, he does not seem to prophesy of things to come, but rather to weave a history of things past. And concerning this three things are set down: the making-plain of the vision, the reason for the making-plain, and the consequent usefulness. The first is shown in what he says, make it plain. Now the sight, or vision, is made plain by him in three ways. First, by the adapting of a likeness; second, by the expressing of the meaning; third, by the elegance of the words. And in these three this prophet excels the other prophets. For he sets forth beautiful and courtly likenesses, which indeed are necessary for us, on account of the connaturality of sense to reason: for it is natural to our reason to receive from sensible things: hence it grasps more keenly those things whose likenesses it sees with sense. Hence Dionysius, in the second epistle to Titus, demonstrates this, namely that sensible figures are necessary in the Scriptures: whoever, when they have heard plain things, compose within themselves a certain figure leading them by the hand to the understanding of theology. And Hosea 12: by the hands of the prophets I have been likened. He excels also in the expression of the meaning, so that he seems to weave not prophecy, but Gospel, as is said in the helmeted prologue. Hence it was said to him, below, 40: lift up your voice, fear not, say to the cities of Judah, etc. He excels also in the elegance of words, as a noble man of urbane eloquence, as is said in the prologue; and Prov. 15: the tongue of the wise adorns knowledge. But the reason for this making-plain is touched on next, when he says, upon tablets. For there are tablets of the law, there are tablets of the stony heart, and there are tablets of the soft and fleshly heart. 2 Cor. 3: our epistle you are (...) written not on tablets of stone, but on fleshly tablets of the heart. The first tablets, (namely) of the law, were written by the finger of God, as is said in Exodus 31. And therefore that Scripture is profound and obscure, and full of many mysteries. Hence it was fitting that a plain prophecy be written over those tablets by the finger of man, for the sake of making it plain — below, 8: take to yourself a great book, and write in it with the stylus of a man. But upon the second tablets, namely the stony hearts, it was fitting to write plainly for the sake of refuting. Matthew 15: well has Isaiah prophesied of you, saying: this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But upon the third tablets, namely the fleshly hearts, it was fitting to write plainly for the sake of instructing. 2 Esdras 8: mark it in the book of the law of God, distinctly and openly, for the sake of understanding. And it follows: and they understood when it was read. But the usefulness of the making-plain is shown in what follows, that he may run through it. For to run through is to arrive at the end swiftly by running. Now the end is threefold: namely, the end of the law, the end of the precept, and the end of life. The end of the law is Christ unto justice for everyone that believes, as is said in Romans 10. The end of the precept is charity: 1 Timothy 1. The end of life is death, Matthew 21: he who perseveres unto the end, he shall be saved. He says therefore: that he who reads may run through it; as if he were to say: that he who reads may, without the hindrance of doubt, run through it by believing in Christ, and believing, may love, and in love may persevere. The matter is touched on in what follows: because the vision is yet far off. And the matter of this book is principally the appearing of the Son of God: hence it is read in the Church in the time of Advent. Now the appearing of the Son of God is threefold. The first, by which he appeared in the flesh, made man. Titus 3: the kindness and humanity of God our Savior appeared. The second, by which he appeared through faith, believed by the world. Titus 2: the grace of God our Savior has appeared, instructing us. The third, by which he will appear through sight in glorification. 1 John 3: we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him. And these appearings are the matter of this book. Hence it is said in the prologue, that all his concern is about the coming of Christ, and the calling of the nations. But certainly he who was afterward seen thus, was still, in his own times, far off. Indeed far off, because exalted in the equality of majesty. Job 36: every man beholds afar off. Behold, God is great, surpassing our knowledge. He was also far off, because hidden in the foreordination of the Father. Eph. 3: what is the dispensation of the mystery hidden from ages in God. He was also far off, because deferred in the expectation of the fathers. Hebrews 11: according to faith, all these died, not having received the promises, but beholding them afar off. But certainly now what was far off has been made near, because what was exalted has been made lowest. For the Word was made flesh: John 1. What was hidden has been made public, because the only-begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared it: (ibid.). What was deferred, has now begun to be possessed by the saints in glory. Matthew 25: come, ye blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the origin of the world. Thus, then, he could say: the vision is yet far off, and will appear at the end. For the first appearing was at the end of the law: because when the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, made under the law: Galatians 4. But the second was at the end of idolatry. Below, 19: behold, the Lord will ascend upon a swift cloud, and will enter Egypt, and the idols of Egypt will be moved at his presence. But the third will be at the end of all misery, which God will wipe away from the eyes of the saints, and there will no longer be mourning, nor labor, nor any sorrow, since the former things have passed away: Apocalypse 21. And these are the last things of which it is said, Ecclesiasticus 48, concerning Isaiah: with a great spirit he saw the last things, and comforted them that mourned in Sion, even for ever; and he showed the things to come and the hidden things before they came to pass.

To this work, however, Jerome prefixes a prologue, in which he does three things. First he shows the manner of speaking; second, the manner of prophesying, at the place, "then this too must be added"; third, the manner of treating the matter, at the place, "he prophesied, moreover."

He shows the manner of speaking, concerning the ornament of the preface, from two things. First from the order of the words; second from the elegance of the words, at the place, "and first concerning Isaiah."

Concerning the first he does three things. First he removes the order supposed by certain persons, namely the metrical order; second he demonstrates the order kept by the prophet, at the place, "but that in Demosthenes"; third he shows that he himself has imitated this same manner in his translation, at the place, "we too."

"By verses," that is, by brief clauses, "written out," that is, marked off, "bound by meter." Meter, in Greek, is called "measure": hence a thing is said to be described metrically where a fixed measure of feet, syllables, and times is kept; from which law the prophets are exempt. And "to have something of the Psalms," that is, something like them, or of the works of Solomon, as regards the end of the Proverbs, and in the Song of Songs; "in Demosthenes," the Greek, "Tully" the Latin, orators, who wrote in prose by cola and commata.

There are three divisions in the Scriptures: comma, colon, and period, on the likeness of the human body, in which there are certain distinctions within the parts of a single member; as there are joints, and distinct members, such as the hands and feet, and again the whole body. To the first distinction corresponds the division that is made by commata, because "comma" is the same as a cutting or division; to the second corresponds that which is made by cola, because "colon" is interpreted as "member"; but to the whole corresponds the period: for "period" is called a going-around, from "peri," which is "around," and "hodos," which is "way." But only the line of a circle is complete, as the Philosopher proves.

Now these divisions are taken in the Scriptures in three ways. First, according to Isidore, in verses, a comma is when after two feet there follows one syllable, which is part of another foot, because then one foot is cut short, as in: "gloria, laus, et honor." Cola, however, are when two feet are taken without a following syllable, as "carmina dulcia." But a period is when the whole sentence, delivered metrically, is completed.

In the second way, in prose, according to Isidore and Tully, a comma is when incomplete clauses are uttered with pauses, as below, chapter 1: "woe to a sinning nation, a people laden with iniquity, wicked children"; and it is called a sub-distinction. Cola are when complete clauses are uttered with a pause, although the sentence is not yet complete, and it is called a distinction, as that same place: "they have forsaken the Lord, they have blasphemed the Holy One of Israel, they are estranged backward." A period is when a complete sentence consists of several clauses.

In a third way, "comma" is taken by Rabanus for a single chapter, upon that verse of Jeremiah 48: "we have heard the pride of Moab"; where he says: "in the comma above he provoked to penance," that is, in the chapter above. But it is taken here in the second way.

"A new translation," first published by us from Hebrew into Latin, in a new kind, the manner that exists among the Hebrews being kept, by cola and commata, which was not kept in other translations.

"And first concerning Isaiah." Here he shows the manner of speaking as regards the elegance of the words; and concerning this he does three things. First he sets down the manner; second he assigns the reason from the condition of the speaker, at the place, "inasmuch as, being a noble man"; third he concludes an excuse for the defect in his translation arising from such a manner, at the place, "whence it happens," etc.

"Eloquent," that is, may he appear learned in eloquence; "noble," in lineage, because he was the maternal grandfather, or kin, of Manasseh king of Judah, as is said in the history.

"Whence it happens." Things that are said beautifully in one language do not sound beautiful when translated into another; and therefore, the more he, beyond the other prophets, employed a more beautiful eloquence, the more his translation falls short of his beauty. "The flower," that is, the sweetness and ornament.

"Then this too must be added." Here he shows the open and express manner of prophesying: and concerning this he does three things. First he shows the manner of prophesying that has been stated; second, from the manner, he concludes the reason for the defect in the ancient translation of the Seventy, at the place, "whence I conjecture"; third he excludes the contradiction of rivals, at the place, "nor am I ignorant," etc.

"Not a prophet," as if obscuring the truth under a riddle, "mysteries," that is, secrets, from "mystim," which is "secret," as the incarnation: below, chapter 10: "a son is given to us"; the passion: below, chapter 53: "he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the one shearing him he shall be silent": and many other things.

"Clearly," expressly. "You would think," you could think, on account of the expression of the deed as accomplished, not as regards the manner, which can be expressed more of things past than of things future: whence in this the Evangelist surpasses the prophet.

"I conjecture," I judge under a certain conjecture; "to the heathen," that is, to the gentiles, from "ethnon," which is "nation." "Pearls." Matthew 7: "one precious pearl having been found." "Hidden," concealed.

Hence he does three things. First he states the defect; second, the reason for the defect, at the place, "lest the holy thing"; third he proves it through his own edition, at the place, "which, when this." "Hidden things," that is, the mysteries.

"Nor am I ignorant." Here he refutes the false judgment of those who contradict, and concerning this he does three things. First he shows through the cause that their judgment is false; second he convicts them by an example, at the place, "and nonetheless"; third he shows them the correct order, at the place, "let them read."

Concerning the first he does three things. First he shows the cause of the false judgment on the part of the intellect, namely ignorance; second, on the part of the affections, namely envy, at the place, "we too"; third he concludes his own constancy amid contradictions, at the place, "knowing therefore how much labor."

Psalm 17: "dark water in the clouds of the air."

An objection: above he said, "clearly," that is, expressly, that this one speaks the mysteries of Christ. I answer: this is true as regards certain more principal things.

"By bites," that is, by detractions. "I put my hand into the flame," that is, I expose myself to danger. And he alludes to a common proverb, which took its origin from this: that Scaevola put into the fire the hand with which he had killed Cillius, believing he was killing Silla, saying: "let the hand perish that wrought this crime." "For zeal," that is, for the exercise of knowledge.

"He prophesied." Here he sets down the manner of treating the subject: and concerning this he does three things. First he touches on the order of the treatise, as regards time and matter and manner together; second he touches on the intention, at the place, "since sometimes"; third, from the intention, he concludes with the petition of a prayer, at the place, "which, the more."

The vision of Isaiah, son of Amos. This book is divided into two parts: a preface, and the treatise, which begins at the words, Hear, O heavens. The preface is set forth as a kind of title, for the manifestation of the work that follows. Now it is manifested from four things. First, from the genre of the work; second, from the author, at the word, Isaiah; third, from the subject matter, at the words, which he saw; fourth, from the time, at the words, in the days.

The genre of the work is shown in that he says, vision; in which it differs from the historical books, because it is prophecy. Hosea 12: I have multiplied visions. And it follows: in the hands of the prophets I have been likened. Here three things must be seen. First, how vision relates to prophecy; second, concerning the modes of prophetic visions; third, concerning the difference of prophetic vision from other visions.

Concerning the first, it must be known that prophecy can have a twofold interpretation, according as it can come from phanos, which is appearance, or from for, faris. According to the first derivation, a prophet is called one having an appearance of those things that are far off; and according to this, prophecy differs from vision in mode, because appearance signifies the relation of the visible thing to the one seeing, but vision the contrary. Again, they stand in relation by way of addition: because vision is of whatever things, but prophecy is of those things that are far off. Now certain things are said to be far off from our knowledge in two ways: simply, and in a certain respect. Simply far off are future contingents open to either outcome, of which a determinate knowledge cannot be had either in themselves or in their causes; and prophecy is properly concerned with these. In a certain respect far off are those things whose knowledge escapes the one who knows, such as certain past things and certain present things: and of these there is not prophecy simply, but only with respect to those who do not know them. But according to the second derivation, a prophet is called, as it were, one speaking from afar. And thus prophecy adds, over and above vision, the act of exterior declaration, and vision will be material with respect to prophecy.

Concerning the second, it must be known that the modes of prophetic visions are distinguished according to the things in which the foreknowledge of a future contingent is received. Now that is either a species made in the sense, and it is called a bodily vision, because the sense receives species from the bodies present of which they are; or it is a species received in the imagination, and it is called a spiritual vision, because in it is first manifested the act and property of spirituality, which is to know a thing abstracted from matter; or it is a species existing only in the intellect, and it is called an intellectual vision. And it must be known that prophecy is preserved in these three as a potential whole is in its parts, whose nature is that according to its perfect power it is in one, and in the others a certain participation and a certain mode of it; just as it is in the soul, that its whole power is preserved perfectly in the rational soul; and the sensitive soul does not have the perfect power of the soul, and the vegetable soul still less. On account of which Gregory says that plants do not live by a soul, but by greenness. Likewise too, both bodily vision and spiritual or imaginary vision are something of prophecy; but they cannot be called true prophecy, unless intellectual vision is added, in which is the complete nature of prophecy. Daniel 10: for understanding is needed in vision; whence it precedes: and he understood the word, namely Daniel. Vision, however, is said first and properly of bodily vision. And because all our knowledge is from the senses, among which sight is more excellent both in subtlety and in universality, because it shows us more differences of things; therefore the name of vision is transferred to the other interior kinds of knowledge.

Concerning the third, it must be known that not every intellectual vision is a prophetic vision: for there is a certain vision for which the natural light of the intellect suffices, such as the contemplation of invisible things through the principles of reason; and in this contemplation the philosophers placed the highest happiness of man. There is again a certain contemplation to which man is sufficiently raised by the light of faith, such as that of the saints who are on the way. There is also a certain contemplation of the blessed in the homeland, to which the intellect is raised by the light of glory, seeing God through His essence, insofar as He is the object of beatitude; and this, fully and perfectly, exists only in the homeland: but sometimes someone is raised to it in rapture, even while existing in this mortal life, as was the case in the rapture of Paul. 2 Corinthians 12: I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago, whether in the body, etc., where the Gloss says that he saw as those do who are of the third hierarchy. But none of these is a prophetic vision, because for it neither the natural light nor the light of faith suffices; but the intellect of the prophet is raised to it by the light of grace freely given, which is the gift of prophecy: yet it does not attain to seeing God as He is the object of beatitude, but as He is the reason of those things which pertain to the disposition of men in the world. Likewise, not every bodily or imaginary vision is called prophetic, but only that which comes about through a species specially ordained to this by divine power, so that it may be a sign of some future thing, whether the one seeing, or another, receives the understanding of it.

The author is touched upon in that he says, Isaiah, son of Amos. And although this Amos was a prophet, who is placed in the title of the prophecy according to the rule of the Hebrews, nevertheless he is not the one who is among the number of the twelve prophets; because among the Hebrews each of the two is written with different letters.

The subject matter is touched upon in that he says, which he saw over Judah and Jerusalem, because it concerns those things which pertain to Judah and Jerusalem, so that the word super is taken to mean concerning, according to the translation of Symmachus, or to mean against, according to the Septuagint: so that Judah is taken for the land of the two tribes, and Jerusalem for the metropolis of that region. Or Judah for the lot of Judah, and Jerusalem for the lot of Benjamin, because it was within his lot as regards the body of the city, which was on the slope; although as regards the summit of the mountain, on which was the tower of David and the temple, it belonged to the house of God, as can be gathered from Joshua 15.

In the days. Here the work is made known from the time; and four kings are set down, in whose time Isaiah put forth this prophecy: whence some divide this book according to the times of the kings under whom he received the revelation. So that in the first part are set down those things which were seen in the time of Uzziah; in the second, those things which were seen in the time of Jotham, namely in chapter 6: in the year in which he died; in the third, those things which were seen in the time of Ahaz, from chapter 7 to the end of 14, where it is said: in the year in which King Ahaz died; and from there to the end, those things which were seen in the time of Hezekiah. But it is asked why he does not make mention of the kings of Israel, just as Hosea in his title makes mention of Jeroboam, son of Joash, since they were contemporaries. To which it must be said that this one prophesied principally against the two tribes; and therefore he has only their kings in the title; but that one against both. Again it is asked why no mention is made of Manasseh, king of Judah, under whom the prophet also lived, since it is established that he did not lose the spirit of prophecy. To which it must be said that all the things which are written in this book, he saw in the times of the prophets. But it was not fitting that a prophecy which is principally one of consolation should end in a threat; or that in the time of an evil king, who provoked the wrath of God, the consolation of God should be preached. Jeremiah 15: I will give them over to fury unto all the kingdoms of the earth.

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. Here begins the treatise of this book, from which the division will be taken according to what the subject matter requires. Now it has been said that its principal intention concerns the coming of Christ, and the calling of the Gentiles. Now it is clear that all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth, as is said in Psalm 24. Hence, when Christ was born, it was said by Simeon, Luke 2: behold, this one is set for the fall and the resurrection of many in Israel. And when the Gentiles were entering in, it was said by the Apostle, Romans 11: blindness in part has happened in Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles should come in. This book, therefore, is divided into two parts. In the first is set forth the threat of divine justice unto the destruction of sinners; in the second, the consolation of divine mercy unto the resurrection of the just, chapter 40, there, "be comforted." The first is divided into three. For since he speaks principally concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the first part he threatens the two sinning tribes; in the second, others who persecute them, chapter 7, "and it came to pass." In the third he delivers them from threatening enemies, chapter 32, "behold in justice." The first is divided into two. In the first he reproaches their fault and threatens a correcting punishment; in the second he threatens a punishment condemning the incorrigible, chapter 6: "in the year that king Uzziah died." The first is divided into two. In the first he charges the fault on the side of aversion, in the second on the side of conversion, chapter 2, there, "the word which he saw." The first into two. In the first he charges against them the sin of aversion from the worship of God; in the second, from justice toward one's neighbor, there, "how has she become." The first into three. In the first he rebukes the fault; in the second he threatens punishment for the fault, there, "your land is desolate." In the third he seeks a remedy for the punishment, there, "hear the word of the Lord." The first into three. In the first he seeks a witness for the judgment; in the second he charges the deformity of the sin, there, "I have nourished sons"; in the third he shows the incorrigibility of the sinners, there, "upon what shall I strike you."

Now he calls upon the creature as witness in the judgment of sin, which had also been witness in the binding of the precept. Deuteronomy 32: "Hear, O heavens, the things I speak" — for indeed the creature had been witness of the obligation to the precept. Deuteronomy 32. Now it is invoked as arbiter of the transgression. Psalm 49: "he called the heaven from above." But at another time it will be called as an instrument of divine vengeance. Wisdom 16: "the creature, serving its Creator, will grow fierce in torment against the unjust." But it seems unfitting that earth and heaven, which are insensible creatures, should be called upon to hear. But it must be said that, with respect to those who are of a rational nature, the insensible creature is called upon to show forth the divine power. Job 38: "I shut it up within my bounds." And Romans 4: "he calls the things that are not as though they were." And by the evidence of a deed. 2 Kings 12: "I indeed will do this thing in the sight of all Israel, and in the sight of the sun." And Luke 19: "the stones will cry out, if these should be silent, I say to you"; to aggravate malice. Jeremiah 2: "Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and, O gates thereof, be very desolate." To magnify joy. Psalm 95: "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth exult." To astonish sorrow. Hosea 4: "Because of this the land shall mourn, and everyone who dwells in it shall languish." As if he were to say: your sin is so evident that it would be convicted by irrational things, if it could be so; and likewise concerning the others.

Or there is here a metonymy, so that heaven is put for the Angels, and earth for men. "Heavens" — plural for singular. Or because, according to the letter, there are many heavens and one center, which is the earth. "The Lord has spoken." That you may hear him speaking, by whose speaking you were made. Psalm 148: "He spoke, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created." "Hear, O heavens" — as being distant; "give ear, O earth" — as being near.

"I have nourished sons." Here he shows the deformity of the sin, and concerning this he does three things. First he shows contempt in the affection; second, ignorance in the intellect, there, "the ox has known"; third, aversion in the effect of the deed, there, "woe to the sinful nation," etc. And this order is kept, so that ignorance is aggravated by contempt, lest ignorance excuse contempt. He aggravates the contempt by the benefit bestowed; hence concerning the first he does two things. First he calls to mind the benefit; second, the vice of ingratitude, there, "but they." Now he sets down a threefold benefit. The first is that of filial adoption, when he says, "sons." Exodus 4: "Israel is my firstborn son." The second, that of careful upbringing, there, "I have nourished." Wisdom 16: "You nourished your people with the food of Angels." The third, that of singular exaltation, there, "and I have exalted." Wisdom 11: "showing, by the thirst which then was, how you exalted your own, and slew their adversaries." The first as regards the assumption and exaltation of the fathers; the second, in the deliverance of the sons; the third, in the subjugation of the enemies. "They have despised me." (Here he sets down the vice of ingratitude.) Jeremiah 3: "As if a woman should despise her lover, so has the house of Israel despised me."

Now he aggravates the ignorance by the example of brute beasts; hence concerning this he does two things. First he brings in the knowledge of brute beasts; second, the ignorance of sinners, there, "but Israel" — "the ox has known" — by a certain custom of benefit. "But Israel." He charges against them a twofold ignorance: namely, of the one commanding, when he says, "has not known me," against what he had said, "his possessor"; and against the meaning of the name; "Israel" is interpreted "seeing God." John 16: "they have not known the Father, nor me." Ignorance of the law: "has not understood," against what he had said, "the manger," and what he had said, "people," who is subject to the precepts of the lawgiver. Hosea 8: "I will write for them my manifold laws, which have been reckoned as though foreign."

Now he aggravates the effect of the deed by confirmed practice; hence first he shows the confirmation; second, their aversion, "they have forsaken." He shows the confirmation, first, through the custom of sin, which induces a habit; hence he says, "sinful nation." For thus a sinner is by habit as a singer is by art, or by office; below, chapter 48: "I have called you a transgressor from the womb." Second, through the readiness of sin, which is, as it were, a certain heaviness in the one sinning; (hence he says: "a people laden with iniquity"). Gregory: "a sin which is not washed away by penance soon, by its own weight, drags one to another." Psalm 13: "their feet are swift to shed blood." Third, from the succession of sin: because, imitating the sins of their fathers, they have them as if by propagation; hence he says, "wicked seed," that is, of the most wicked, according to another translation. Psalm 105: "we have sinned with our fathers, we have acted unjustly, we have done iniquity." Fourth, as to the magnitude of the sins, when he says, "wicked children." Ezekiel 22: "slanderous men have been in you, to shed blood, (...) they have wrought wickedness in the midst of you." Below, chapter 57: "are you not wicked children, a lying seed?"

"Upon which — adding." Here he shows the incorrigibility of the sin, removing a threefold mode of correction. First, that which is through the divine scourge, saying, "upon which," that is, to what end, "adding," namely, that from where correction comes, from there you add sins? Jeremiah 2: "in vain have I struck your children: they have not received discipline." Second, that which is through the counsel or help of a neighbor, when he says, "every head is languid": because no one is fit to come to another's aid, on account of his own weakness. And this he shows as regards the person of the king or the prince, saying: "every head is languid." 1 Kings 15: "Did you not, when you were little in your own eyes, become head over the tribes of Israel?" As regards the person of the priest, "every heart is mourning": for the heart is the first to receive life from the soul and to transmit it into the body, being as it were a medium between soul and body; so the priest is a medium between God and the people. Exodus 4: "you shall be to him in those things that pertain to God." As regards the person of a private man, when he says: "from the sole of the foot"; below, chapter 56: "all have turned aside, each to his own way." And it must be noted that the unfitness of the king is shown in languor, because he could have come to aid by punishing, through power. Ecclesiasticus 7: "seek not to become a judge, unless you are able by strength to break through iniquity." That of the priest is shown in mourning, through which he becomes unfit for the sacrifices, by which he used to expiate sins. Leviticus 10: "how could I eat it, or please the Lord in the ceremonies, with a mournful mind?" Psalm 99: "enter into his sight with exultation." But the private man could correct by example; and therefore he is shown to be unfit through sin, which is designated in the privation of health: Psalm 13: "all have turned aside, together they have become unprofitable"; namely, for correcting. Third, there, "wound and bruise," he removes the mode that is through human effort, as when someone is disposed toward grace, which blots out sins, through good works. Hence he says: "wound" — evident guilt, and "bruise" — hidden envy, and "swelling sore" — inflating pride — "is not bound up" by the restraining bond of the law. Jeremiah 2: "of old you have broken my yoke, you have burst my bonds, you have said, I will not serve" — as to the first: "nor cured with medicine" — charity healing — as to the second: Proverbs 10: "charity covers all sins": "nor fomented with oil" — humility soothing — (as to the third), Judith 9: "the prayer of the humble and meek has always pleased you." Ecclesiasticus 3: "the greater you are, the more humble yourself in all things." Proverbs 15: "a mild answer breaks wrath." Judges 9: "can I forsake my fatness, which both gods and men make use of?"

"Your land." Here he threatens punishment; and first he sets down the judgment of the one punishing; second, whatever comfort of consolation there is, there, "unless the Lord." He sets down a threefold punishment. First, as to the destruction of possessions; hence he says, "your land is desolate," as to the open fields, which will be as uncultivated as a desert. Below, chapter 7: "for briers and thorns shall be in all the land." "Your cities are burned," as to the towns. Amos 2: "I will send a fire into Judah, and it shall devour the houses of Jerusalem." Jeremiah 4: "I looked, and behold Carmel a wilderness, and all its cities were destroyed at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the wrath of his fury." The second punishment is as to the destruction of the produce of the land; hence he says: "they devour the region," as to the fruits. Deuteronomy 28: "let it devour the fruit of your cattle, and the fruits of your land, until you perish." "It shall be desolate," as to the destruction of trees and vineyards. Jeremiah 4: "woe to us, for we are laid waste." Third, as to the captivity of men; hence he says: "the daughter of Zion shall be left" — that is, Jerusalem, or the temple, whence was the guard of the whole province — "as a lonely one," and "as a shelter in a vineyard," after the vintage. Below, chapter 5: "for the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah his delightful plant." "As a hut in a field of cucumbers," after the last fruits have been gathered, by which he signifies the fathers. Hosea 9: "as the first fruits of the fig tree, in its top, I saw their fathers." "As a city that is laid waste," because it was the metropolis. Ezekiel 33: "the city is laid waste, said he who had come from Jerusalem." Jeremiah 6: "this is the city of visitation: all calumny is in the midst of her."

"Unless the Lord of hosts." Here is set down the consolation from the promise of a seed to be delivered. Now the Lord left them the seed of the flesh gathered together. Below, chapter 43: "from the east I will bring your seed, and from the west I will gather you." The seed of blessing promised. Galatians 3: "to Abraham were the promises made, and to his seed." The seed of preaching spread abroad. Below, chapter 27: "he who shall go forth with impetus from Jacob, and Israel shall flourish and bud: and they shall fill the face of the world with seed." The new seed of the saints. Below, chapter 66: "as the new heavens and the new earth, which I make to stand before me, so shall your seed stand, and your name, says the Lord."

"I have nourished sons," etc. Here three things are noted: the benefit of nourishment, the privilege of exaltation, the contempt of ingratitude. Now he nourished them in the time of the law, when the heir was still a little child, Galatians 4, first refreshing them with promises in the fathers. Galatians 3: "to Abraham were the promises made." Second, governing by judgments in the lawgivers, Psalm 147: "he has not done in like manner to every nation, and his judgments he has not made manifest to them." Third, defending by aids in the judges and kings, Judith 5: "their God defends them, and we shall be a reproach to all the earth." Fourth, he instructed by admonitions in the prophets, Malachi 2: "and the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth." Fifth, he corrected by scourges through enemies, 2 Maccabees 6: "for indeed not to allow sinners to act according to their own mind for a long time, but to apply vengeance at once, is a mark of great kindness." But he exalted them in the time of grace, first, as to the assumption of flesh. Hebrews 2: "nowhere does he take hold of the Angels; but he takes hold of the seed of Abraham." Second, by personal preaching, Matthew 10: "I was not sent but to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel." Third, by his own manner of life, John 10: "many good works have I done among you: for which work," etc.; fourth, by the working of miracles, John 5, and Luke 7: "because a great prophet has risen up among us, and because God has visited his people." Fifth, by the preaching of the disciples, Psalm 44: "instead of your fathers, sons are born to you: you shall make them princes over all the earth." But, on the contrary, they revile the lineage of Christ, Luke 4: "is not this the son of Joseph?" They condemn his teaching, Matthew 26 and Luke 23: "from Galilee even to this place, we have found this man perverting our nation." They blaspheme his life, Matthew 9: "why does your master eat with publicans and sinners?" They pervert his miracles, Matthew 12: "he casts out devils by the prince of devils." They kill his disciples, Matthew 10: "behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves."

Hear the word of the Lord. Here the remedy against the punishment is set forth; and first he calls them to hear; second he removes the useless remedy, at the words, What are they to me? Third the wholesome counsel is applied, at the words, Wash yourselves, be clean. Now he calls to hearing, first the greater ones, saying: Hear the word of the Lord, you princes; second the lesser ones, at the words, people of Gomorrah, Matth. 10: amen I say to you, et cetera. But why does he invite the greater ones to hear, the lesser ones to perceive? Because the things that are heard by the greater ones, the lesser ones easily perceive. Again, since he leaves them a seed, why does he compare them to those? And it must be said that, as regards the incorrigible, he compares them for two reasons. On account of the likeness of sin: below, 2: and they have clung to foreign children; and on account of publication: below, 3: they have proclaimed their sin as Sodom, and have not hidden it. And although there were five, he compares them chiefly to these, because they are the chief among the others. And for this reason too he compares the princes to Sodom, because that city was the metropolis, as is clear from Genes. 14. Now it belongs to princes to hear the word from the Lord and to impose the law on the people; and therefore he invites them to the hearing of the word, and the people to the perceiving of the law.

What are they to me? Here he shows the uselessness of the remedy that they were applying: and first as regards the offerings of sacrifices; second as regards the celebrations of feasts, at the words, The new moon and the sabbath; third as regards prayers to God, at the words, and when you stretch out your hands. Concerning the first he does two things. First he reproves the offering of animate things; second of inanimate things, at the words, incense is an abomination. Now in the sacrifices of animals there was something that went wholly to the worship of God; as the holocaust, as it were wholly burnt, from olon, which is whole, and cauma, which is burning. Lev. 1; the fat, which was wholly burned, Levitic. 3, and the blood, which was wholly poured out, Levitic. 17, but there were certain things that went partly to the worship of God, partly to the use of the minister: as the victim for sin; except when it was for the sin of the priest or of the multitude, Levitic. 4. But there were certain things of which something went to the worship of God, and something to the use of the minister, and something went to the offerer himself, as in the peace-offerings, which were offered for thanksgiving, or for well-being, Levitic. 4. And according to these three it is divided into three parts. First he reproves the sacrifices divided into three, namely the peace-offerings. And first he sets down the reproof, saying, What are they to me, that is, to what end do you offer to me the multitude of your victims, as though not mine? And they are called victims, either because the bound animal was led to the priest, or because it was offered for a victory had or to be had. Then he sets down the reason for the reproof, saying, I am full: either on account of distaste, because they are not good: Genes. 4: but unto Cain and his gifts he had not respect: or on account of dominion: Psalm. 49: mine are all the beasts of the forests, the cattle on the mountains and the oxen. Second, he reproves those things that were offered wholly to God. And first he sets down the reproof of those three; and he sets down only three animals, because from these were made only the sacrifices that were from the herds: certain sacrifices were also made from birds, turtledoves and young pigeons: but this was on account of the deficiency of poverty, as is clear in Levitic. 1 and 4 and in several other places. And again their use was not universal in all cases, because a peace-offering was not offered from these. Then he sets down the reason for the reproof, at the words, when you come, as if to say: you offend me more by walking in my courts and polluting them, than a holocaust can please: hence I do not accept this communion. Psalm. 39: holocaust and offering for sin thou didst not require. Jerem. 7: I spoke not to your fathers, and I commanded them not, in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning the word of holocausts and victims; but this I commanded them, to hear my voice; and I will be to you a God, and you shall be to me a people. Third he reproves those things that were owed to God and to the priest, saying: offer no more. Jerem. 11: shall the holy flesh take away from thee thy evils, in which thou hast boasted? And Mich. 6: what worthy thing shall I offer to the Lord? (...). Shall I offer him holocausts and calves of a year old? Can he be appeased with thousands of rams, or with thousands of fat he-goats?

Incense. Here he reproves the offerings of inanimate things, for all of which he sets down incense, because this was more worthy among the others, as the incense-compound, concerning which Exod. 30, and more common, as regards frankincense, which was placed and added to any such offering, and was wholly burnt to God. Below, 66: he who remembers frankincense, as one who blesses an idol. But an objection is raised concerning this from what the Gloss says, that God never loved their sacrifices, though he commanded them to be made. Genes. 8: and the Lord smelled the odor of sweetness; and he said to him: I will no more curse the earth for man's sake. And it must be said: that in any sacrifice there is something to be considered on the part of the offerer, and something on the part of the thing offered. On the part of the thing offered, our sacrifices please God of themselves, but not the sacrifices of the ancients; and this is because that is called pleasing or loved of itself which has in itself that by which it is loved, as the honorable good; but what is loved only through the relation of that thing to another is not called loved of itself, just as being cut or being burned is said to be loved, according as it is referred to the end of health. But our sacrifices contain in themselves the grace of sanctification, according to which they are acceptable to God; but those sacraments or sacrifices of the ancients were only signs of these; and therefore they were not loved of themselves. But on the part of the offerer, both ours and theirs can be acceptable on account of the devotion of the offerer. A fourfold time, therefore, can be distinguished. The first, before the written law and idolatry; and then the ancient sacrifices made by the holy fathers were pleasing both on account of the devotion of the offerer and on account of the signification of the thing offered. The second time is under the written law; and then, idolatry having intervened, something was added on account of which they simply displeased, because it was not fitting that God should be pleased by the same thing by which the Devil was worshipped: and on the other hand one utility was added on the part of the offerer, that it might be a remedy against idolatry for a people prone to this. Hence also nothing was commanded concerning sacrifices before the fashioning of the idol. And thus the authority of Jeremiah adduced is to be understood. The third time was under the prophets, in which, on account of the sins of the people, they no longer pleased on the part of the offerer, but only insofar as they were a sign. Hence according to this they did not appease God, but rather offended. The fourth time is under grace, when now their use has been wholly abolished, because, the truth having come, the figure ceased.

The new moon and the sabbath. Here he removes the celebrations of solemnities. And first, as to the future, he sets down the intent of the prohibition, saying, The new moon. Psalm 80: Blow the trumpet in the new moon, as a sign of your solemn day. The sabbath. Exodus 20: other festivities. Leviticus 23: these are the feasts of the Lord, which you shall call most solemn and most holy. Your assemblies are wicked. Below, 58: behold, in the day of your fast your own will is found, and you exact all your debtors.

Second, at your Kalends, as to the present he sets down hatred, saying: Kalends, which above is the new moon. Whence in another Psalter: Sound the trumpet at the beginning of the month. Lamentations 2: the Lord hath delivered over to oblivion in Sion the festival and the sabbath, and to reproach and to the indignation of his fury the king and the priest.

Third, as to the past, he sets down weariness, saying: they are become troublesome to me: and he sets down two things: the heaviness of the burden: they are become troublesome, Psalm 37: as a heavy burden they are become heavy upon me: second, the labor of the one who bears it: I have labored in enduring. Isaiah 43: thou hast made me to labor in thy iniquities. And he speaks of God after the manner of men: because it is said to be burdensome for a man to labor at what does not please him.

And when you shall stretch forth. He reproves their prayers: and first he sets down the reproof; second the reason for the reproof, at, for your hands. Concerning the first he does two things. First he reproves as to the sign of devotion, at, and when you shall stretch forth. Lamentations 3: let us lift up our hearts with our hands to heaven, to God. And below, 65: all the day I have spread forth my hands to an unbelieving people, who walk in a way that is not good. Second, the prolixity of prayer (at: and when you shall multiply), Proverbs 28: he who turns away his ear that he may not hear the law, his prayer shall be execrable. For your hands are full of blood, which you have shed. Psalm 13: their feet are swift to shed blood. Proverbs 1: keep back thy foot from their paths: for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.

Wash yourselves. Here he sets down wholesome counsel; and concerning this he does three things. First he sets down the efficacious remedy; second the effect of the remedy, at, come; third the punishment against contempt, at, but if you will not. The remedy consists in two things: in the flight from evil and the following of good, at, learn. Evil is put to flight in two ways. By the purging of the past; and as to this he says, wash yourselves, Jeremiah 4: wash thy heart from malice, Jerusalem, that thou mayest be saved: how long shall hurtful thoughts abide in thee? Second, by caution as to the future: and this comes about in three ways. That he not think evil in his heart: be clean. Proverbs 22: he who loves cleanness of heart, for the grace of his lips shall have the king for his friend. That he not fulfill in deed what he has thought: Micah 2: woe to them that devise that which is unprofitable, and work evil in their beds: in the morning light they do it. Take away the evil, namely, the deed. That he not complete what he has begun: cease to act perversely. Jeremiah 2: keep back thy foot from being bare, and thy throat from thirst. A swift runner explaining his ways, in the same, 2.

Learn to do well. Here he sets down the remedy as to the following of good: and first that they may learn it; second that they may fulfill it in deed, at, relieve the oppressed. For one works good in ordering himself; and as to this he says, learn to do well. Jeremiah 6: be instructed, Jerusalem, lest perhaps my soul depart from thee, lest perhaps I make thee a desert land, and uninhabitable. In relation to one's neighbor; and this is what he says, seek judgment. Job 29: the cause which I knew not, I searched out most diligently. Jeremiah 6: stand upon the ways, and see, and ask concerning the ancient paths.

Relieve the oppressed. Here he sets down the fulfilling of the work in relieving the wretched. Now what makes one wretched is either violence: and as to this he says, relieve the oppressed: Proverbs 24: deliver them that are led to death, and cease not to free them that are drawn to destruction: or the ignorance of youth: judge for the fatherless: Ecclesiasticus 4: be to the fatherless as a father in judging: or the weakness of sex: defend the widow. Job 29: the ear that heard blessed me, and the eye that saw gave witness to me.

And come. Here he promises the effect: and concerning this three things are set down. First, the obligation of the one who promises, when he says, come; as if he were to say: if you do what I say, and what I promise does not follow, I bind myself to this, that you may accuse me. This Job lamented, 9: there is none that can reprove both, and lay his hand between the two.

Second, the cessation of evils: if your sins be. And he promises specifically the cleansing from sins: because when the cause ceases, the effect ceases; he touches on two kinds of sin. That which is from burning love, which is noted in the scarlet on account of its intense redness, against which he sets the whiteness of cold snow. Job 9: if I shall be washed as it were with snow waters, and my hands shall shine ever so clean, et cetera. And that which is sin from deadening fear, which is noted in the crimson, whose color approaches whiteness: against which he sets wool: Ezekiel 27: in the multitude of divers riches, in wools of the best color; Matthew 28: his countenance, etc.; Daniel 7: his garment white as snow, and his hair like white wool.

Third, the restitution of good things is set down: if you be willing, and will hearken, the good things of the land. Psalm 26: I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. You shall eat. Below, 65: behold my servants shall eat, and you shall be hungry.

But if you will not. He sets down the punishment against contempt. And first he sets down the contempt, saying: but if you will not, Zechariah 8: I thought to afflict you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath. Second, he threatens the sword of vengeance; the sword shall devour you. Ezekiel 5: I will draw the sword after them, and I will accomplish my fury, and I will cause my indignation to rest upon them. Third, he shows the judgment to be unchangeable: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken. Numbers 23: God is not as a man, that he should lie, nor as the son of man, that he should be changed.

How is she become a harlot. Here he shows their sin according to the turning away from justice toward one's neighbor: and concerning this he does three things. First he describes the fault; second he threatens the punishment, at the place, Therefore thus saith the Lord; third, the sequel of the punishment, at the place, And I will restore. Concerning the first, first he reproves the sin of the people; second, the sin of the priest, at thy silver; third, the sin of the prince, at thy princes.

In the people he reproves two things, aggravating by comparison to their former state: namely, venality by comparison to their former fidelity: whence, how is she become a harlot? Jer. 2: under every leafy tree and upon every high hill thou didst lie down, a harlot: and cruelty by comparison to justice and judgment, which is the execution of justice. Ps. 93: until justice be turned into judgment. Whence he says: but now murderers. Hosea 4: cursing and lying and killing and theft and adultery have overflowed, and blood hath touched blood.

The sin of the priest he reproves in two things. In the corruption of the truth of doctrine: whence he says: thy silver is turned into dross. Ps. 11: the words of the Lord are pure words, silver tried by the fire, proved from the earth, refined seven times. Jer. 5: the prophets have prophesied a lie. Second, in the remission of the severity of discipline, which is signified in the wine: for this is the wine which the Samaritan poured in: Luke 10. Whence he says: thy wine. Ezech. 13: woe to them that sew.

Thy princes. Here he reproves the sin of the princes: and first he shows them unfaithful in the execution of their office, in that they carry it out for their own advantage and not that of the people. Amos 6: anointed with the best ointment, drinking wine in bowls. Ezech. 34: woe to the shepherds of Israel, that feed themselves. Should not the flocks be fed by the shepherds? And for this he says, faithless. Second he shows them transgressors in the harboring of evildoers: companions of thieves, by defending them and affording them patronage: Hosea 6: as the throats of robber men, the princes of the priests. Prov. 1: son, walk not with them. Third he shows them corrupted in the receiving of gifts. Below, 5: Woe to you that justify the wicked for gifts, and take away the justice of the just from him. Whence he says: they love gifts — received ones; they follow after — things promised or hoped for. Fourth, he shows them unjust in the repulsion of the poor, saying they judge not for the fatherless. Jer. 5: they have not judged the cause of the widow, they have not directed the cause of the fatherless.

Therefore thus saith the Lord. Here he threatens the punishment: and first, of the prelates; second, of the subjects, at and I will turn. Concerning the first he sets down three things. First, the power of the one punishing, in authority, saying, the Lord. Malachi 1: if I be the Lord, where is my fear? saith the Lord. In the multitude of ministers: of hosts. Job 25: is there any numbering of his soldiers? In strength, mighty. Job 9: he is wise in heart and mighty in strength: who hath resisted him, and hath had peace? Second he sets down the will of the one punishing. Ah, namely to them, I will comfort myself, since their punishment will be a consolation. Below, 63: the day of vengeance is in my heart, the year of my recompense is come. Third he sets down the cruelty of the punishment: at and I will take vengeance on my enemies: as if to say: I will punish you as enemies. Deut. 32: I will render vengeance to my enemies, and repay them that hate me.

And I will turn. Here he threatens the punishment of the subjects. And first is set down the preparation of the one punishing, at and I will turn my hand upon thee to punish thee, which, in sparing, I had held as it were folded up. Job 19: the hand of the Lord hath touched me. Second, the completion of the punishment: I will melt away, by the fire of tribulation, to the pure, until whatever is to be purged is purged. Matt. 5: thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last farthing. Third, the multitude of punishments: I will take away all thy tin: because for every sin, below, 40: she hath received of the hand of the Lord double for all her sins.

And I will restore. Here he sets down the sequel of the punishment: and first, as regards those corrected, renewal; second, as regards the obstinate, consumption, at and he shall crush. For by the same fire (as Augustine says) gold is proved, and straw smokes. Concerning the first he does three things. First he promises renewal as regards the amendment of the prelates; second, as regards the restoration of good name, at after this thou shalt be called; third, as regards the observance of justice, at Zion in judgment.

He says therefore: I will restore the judges, as regards the secular princes, whose office it is to judge the people, and thy counsellors, that is, the priests, whose office it is to minister the counsels of God to the peoples: Malachi 2: the lips of the priests keep knowledge, and they seek the law at his mouth: because he is the angel of the Lord of hosts: as they were before, as Moses and Joshua, who pleased God. Jer. 3: I will give you pastors according to my own heart, and they shall feed you with knowledge and doctrine. And thou shalt be called, that is, thou shalt recover thy fame, so that thou art called such as thou wast before, the city of the just, that is, in which justice is kept. Below, 62: thou shalt no more be called Forsaken, neither shalt thou any more be called Desolate; but thou shalt be called My will is in her. Zion in judgment, through the execution of justice, shall be redeemed, from those who wrong her; and they shall bring her back in justice; for judgment is to bring back to equality, in which justice consists. Ps. 71: to judge thy people with justice, and thy poor with judgment. Jer. 23: a king shall reign (...) and shall do justice and judgment in the land.

And he shall crush. Here is set down the destruction of the obstinate; and concerning this he does three things. First he foretells the destruction; second, the manner of the destruction, at they shall be confounded; third, he takes away the hope of escape, at and thy strength shall be. And since the punishment is ordered against the fault, therefore concerning the first he touches on the fault in two ways. On the part of turning, as regards the crime of idolatry: whence he says, the wicked; and as regards the sin of pleasure and luxury: whence he says, sinners: because men are most prone to such things; against which he ordains the punishment of crushing, wherein a punishment is marked out to match the wrong inflicted. Jer. 17: crush them with a double destruction; as it were for a double sin. Second, on the part of turning away, because they have forsaken the Lord; against which he ordains the punishment of consumption, saying, they shall be consumed; in which he designates the punishment of desertion: for what is consumed goes into nothing, and all things would fall into nothing, unless the hand of the Lord held them together; as Gregory says. Jer. 17: O Lord, all that forsake thee shall be confounded: they that depart from thee shall be written in the earth: because they have forsaken the vein of living waters, the Lord.

They shall be confounded. Here he sets down the manner of the destruction: and first, as regards the confusion of sin; second, as regards the taking away of good, at when you shall be. Concerning the first, against idolatry he ordains confusion, saying: they shall be confounded for the idols, that is, on account of the idols. Ps. 96: let them all be confounded that adore graven things: against pleasure, shame, when he says: you shall be ashamed of the gardens, that is, of the pleasurable places, which you had chosen, of your luxury. Rom. 6: what fruit had you in those things, of which you are now ashamed? For confusion regards more the evil; but shame regards the fault. For carnal sins (as Gregory says) are of lesser fault and greater infamy. And the reason is, that they are according to the baser powers, and most material ones: and yet they are innate and connatural and subject to passion.

When you shall be. Here is set down the taking away of good: and first, of that which pertains to protection and adornment, which is signified in the taking away of leaves; second, of that which pertains to fruit, at as a garden without water, barren. And in contrast it is said of the just man, Ps. 1: he shall be as a tree which is planted near the running waters.

And it shall be. Here he takes away from them the hope of escape: and he sets down three things. First he takes away from them the support of their own strength: whence he says: thy strength shall be as the ash of tow, which is quickly consumed. Ecclus. 21: the congregation of sinners is like tow heaped together. Second, the help of idols, saying: your work, namely of idols, which your hands have wrought, as a spark, which is of no consequence. Deut. 32: where are their gods, in whom they trusted? And yet it is burnt up: whence follows, and it shall be kindled. Below, 50: walk in the light of your fire. Third, the help of men: and there shall be none to quench it. Ezech. 20: the flame of the kindling shall not be quenched, and every face shall be burnt in it, from the south even to the north; and all flesh shall see.