“Rejoice thou barren that barest not; break forth and cry thou that travailest not; for the children of the deserted are many more than hers that hath a husband.” In saying, “Rejoice thou” barren that barest not,’ he meant us, for our church was barren before children were given her.
And in saying, “ Cry thou that travailest not,” he means this,—that we should offer our prayers in sincerity to God, and not grow weary as women that give birth.
And in saying, “ For the children of the deserted are many more than hers that hath a husband,” he meant that our people seemed to be deserted by God, but that now we who have believed have become many more than those who seemed to have God.
And another Scripture also says, “I came not to call righteous, but sinners”;
He means that those who are perishing must be saved,
for it is great and wonderful to give strength, not to the things which are standing, but to those which are falling.
So Christ also willed to save the perishing, and he saved many, coming and calling us who were already perishing.