A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
Ver. 20. A bruised reed shall he not break] A reed shaken with the wind is taken for a thing very contemptible at the best, how much more when bruised, Matthew 11:7. The wick of a candle is little worth; and yet less when it smokes, as yielding neither light nor heat, but only stench and annoyance. This men bear not with, but tread out: so doth not Christ, who yet hath a sharp nose, a singular sagacity, and soon resents our provocations. He hath also feet like burning brass to tread down all them that wickedly depart from his statutes, Psalms 119:118. But so do not any of his, and therefore he receiveth and cherisheth with much sweetness, not the strong oaks only of his people, but the bruised reeds too; nor the bright torches only, but the smoking wick: he despiseth not the day of small things. Smoke is of the same nature with flame; a for what else is flame, but smoke set on fire? So, a little grace may be true grace, as the filings of gold are as good gold (though nothing so much of it) as the whole wedge. The least spark of fire, if cherished, will endeavour to rise above the air, as well as the greatest; so the least degree of grace will be aspiring to more. Now those very pantings, inquietations, and unsatisfiableness, cannot but spring from truth of grace, which Christ makes high account of. That is a sweet saying of Brentius, Etiamsi fides tua, &c. Albeit thy faith be so small that it neither yields light to others, nor heat to thine own heart, yet Christ will not reject thee, Mode incrementum ores so be it thou pray for more faith.
Till he bring forth] Gr. Thrust forth with violence (εως αν εκβαλη, Heb 12:3), the devil and the world in vain opposing the work of grace (called here judgment), which shall surely be perfected. He that is author, the same will be finisher of our faith; he doth not use to do his work to the halves, non est eiusdem invenire et perficere, we say. But that rule holds not here.
a τυφομενον. Sep. καπνιζομενον. Heb. בהם Caligans, obscure lucens.