charitate facta possint mortificari Part. 3. q. 89. and hee affirms it from that in Ezek. 18.24 All his righteousness which he hath done shall not be mentioned Observ 1. It concerns every man to look narrowly to his righteousnesse some righteousnesse or other every man looks at fixes his heart upon and there be deceivable righteousnesses if our righteousnesse be legall a duty righteousnesse and not Euangelicall a righteousnesse of faith it will deceive us Matth. 5.20 Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall in no case enter into the Kingdome of heaven let that righteousnesse be what it will a man is in an ill case that cannot enter into heaven with it yet the Scribes and Pharisees were exact keepers of the Law but the righteousnesse of the Law and of duties will never send or help a man into heaven Paul laboured to win Christ to be found in him not having his own righteousnesse but the righteousness which is of God by faith Phil. 3.8 9. Paul durst not stick to a legall and duty righteousnesse hee knew it was too short to satisfie divine justice to cover mans nakednesse or comfort his conscience it was a higher a better righteousnesse he minded even the righteousnesse of Christ and that 's the righteousnesse God will accept and he that 's righteous with that righteousnesse shall not fall away but shall enter into heaven 2 Pet. 1.10 11. Brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure that is their calling to Christ and election in him and what followes if yee do these things yee shall never fall for so an entrance shall be administred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdome 2. No man should boast of or confide in his own righteousnesse Luke 18.9 there was some trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others but this neither pleased God nor profited them as the Parable insuing shewes If men have excellencies they should be humble and fearing not boasting and confident escpecially when their excellencies are in the number of movables and changeables 1 Cor. 1.29 30. Christ is made unto us wisdome and righteousnesse that no flesh should glory in it self but in the Lord and so that no flesh should have confidence in it self but in the Lord Phil. 3.3 We rejoyce in Christ saith Paul and have no confidence in the flesh what ever wee have or do let us not repose upon it we are apt to do it but there are Apostolicall rules to help us Gal. 6.3 If a man thinks himself any thing when hee is nothing hee deceives himself we are nothing and it 's nothing wee do and shall wee glory in nothing or confide in nothing Christ is something and God is something in them we may wee must glory and confide the more we do it the better wee cannot sin in going too far that way Another rule is Phil. 2.3 Let each esteem others better then themselves their righteousnesse may be a lasting righteousnesse when thine is a perishing one Another rule is Rom. 11.20 Be not high minded but feare Let mens righteousnesse be Legall or Euangelicall they should not swell but feare lest they fall and besides they should watch pray and persevere in prayer remembring what our blessed Saviour hath said Hee that shall indure to the end the same shall be saved Matth. 24.13 Let none be secure but serve the Lord with feare Psal 2.11 3. Apostasie from God and his wayes is a dreadfull condition when men fall from their righteousnesse great mischief is done they stain the Society they were of they blast the Church they make their friends mourn and enemies laugh they wrong God much yea more then Infidels and Heretikes Plura vincula conjunctionis violantur Deus ipse tacite accusatur quasi iniquus which causeth God to complain O my people what have I done unto thee wherein have I wearied thee testifie against mee you are withdrawn fallen to Idolatrous passages I brought you out of Egypt and sent before you Moses and Aaron I delivered you from Balak c. many ties are upon you to keep close to mee and to cause you to honour me but you have forgotten all my kindnesses are gon away and do sleight me as if Idoll gods and wayes were better then Jehovah and his wayes this made God to say Heb. 10.38 If any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him and what an ill condition is that man in in whom God hath no pleasure There be four great evils in the words of our Prophet First hee will commit iniquity when a man turns from righteousnesse he turns to sin imbraces it serves it walks in the wayes of it and fulfils the ends of it and this is a sad condition for such a man is a worker of iniquity and so hated of God Psal 5.5 Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity it 's more then having no pleasure and notes God is against them and will pursue them as enemies Secondly God will lay a stumbling block before him one thing or other at which he shall fall God denies him assistance gives Satan leave to tempt and seduce propounds objects to draw out his corruptions to the full 2 Tim. 4.10 Demas forsook Paul and the truth and loved the present world there was an object sufficient to draw out his covetous disposition sometimes the afflictions of the godly is a stumbling block unto the wicked sometimes the prosperity of the wicked is a stumbling unto them c. It 's a dreadfull thing when God shall make any thing a stumbling unto a man but more dreadfull when he makes every thing so Thirdly Hee shall die in that condition Julian apostatiz'd and by the stroke of God hee died in his apostasie and what heavier judgement then to die in a mans sinfull condition therefore Christ told the Pharisees they should die in their sins John 8.21 they would not receive him believe in him therefore they should die in their unbeliefe and no place is left unto them for repentance Fourthly His righteousnesse which he hath done shall not be remembred If a man die yet if his righteousnesse might follow him and help him it were some comfort but that shall not be thought upon he loseth all he hath done and suffered Suppose he have done much for the Church for poor Ministers prisoners and other Christians for Truth it self and for the glory of God no good shall come of it unto him now All Adams righteousnesse would not advantage him what ever he had done before when he comes to eat of the forbidden fruit hee must surely die Gen. 2.17 his former righteousnesse is forgotten Jam. 2.10 Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and offend in one point is guilty of all Antecedent righteousnesse will not make up the present breach nor prevent future wrath Gal. 3.4 When the Galatians began to fall off Paul intimates to them that all their
into his mouth 3. In the whole race and work of his Ministery that hee might not be discouraged seeing that hee had seen such a vision heard such a voyce Thirdly to confirm the Jewes Gentiles all to whom this Prophecy should come of the Majesty reality and truth of it Note 1 God sets one sense awork after another his eye was taken up before with the sight of great and glorious things now his eares come to be exercised and fill'd with as choyce truths as the eye had objects and after there is a roll for his taste and touching God lets in mercy and goodnesse to us through every window and door Note 2 That grat feare doth astonish and hinder judgement hee heard a voyce but knew not whose it was feare doth disturb and surprize Ezekiel Chap. 2. vers 1. And hee said unto mee Son of man stand upon thy feet and I will speak unto thee IN the former Chapter wee met with great deeps and difficulties mysteries of a high nature and if any light have appeared in the opening of them let him that sits upon the Throne have the glory of it by his assistance we have gone over sundry rocks and through some deeps In quibus liberis gressibus locut onis nostrae inâ—repidum pedem ponamus Greg. Hom 9. in Ezek. and we desire by the same assistance to proceed and now wee are come from the Mountains to the Plains where wee may walk with more safety The glory of the Lord being set out in this government of the world in his dispensations towards his Church in the antecedent Chapter The scope of this Chapter is to corroborate Ezekiel smitten down with the sight of glory and to shew his Call unto his Propheticall Office the parts are the confirming sending and instructing of the Prophet 1. His confirmation and comforting is laid down in the two first verses 2. His sending in the three next to the sixth verse 3. His instructing from the sixth to the ninth after that mention is made of a roll in the two last verses and in the beginning of the next Chapter which is of much concernment as in its place may appeare The confirming of the Prophet is 1. By the Word of God in the first verse 2. By his Spirit in the second verse In the first verse are two things considerable 1. The party speaking 2. The matter spoken where you have 1. The Appellation Son of man 2. The Command Stand upon thy feet 3. The ground of it which is a gracious promise And I will speak unto thee It 's Christ who speakes and unto Ezekiel whom hee calls the Son of man the originall is the sonne of Adam that is of earthly man for as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 15.47 The first Adam was of the earth earthly and Adam signifies earth or red earth whereof his body was made and when we read in Scripture this phrase it notes out to us 1. Our base beginning that we are of the earth there is no man be he never so excellent high wise honourable but hee is the son of Adam terrae filius a brat of the earth Psal 49.2 Both low and high Adam and Ish the base man and the noble man as the Chaldee renders it both the sons of Adam and the sons of Jacob are so they have all one father and all one mother and that is the earth 2. Our frailty that wee are earthen vessels and soon broken in pieces Psal 9.20 Put them in feare O Lord that the nations may know themselves to be but men they think themselves gods but shew them thy power thine iron Rod and Scepter bring a War a plague a Famine amongst them and then they will know that they are frail weak men 3. Our worthlesnesse and fitnesse to be rejected who amongst us regards a clod of the earth an earthen vessell silver or golden ones some prize and prize too much but earthly ones are contemptible Nations are as the drops of the bucket and small dust of the ballance Isa 40. and are not they contemptible things this made David to wonder and say Psal 144.3 Lord what is man that thou takest knowledge of him or the son of man the son of earth that thou makest account of him that thou visitest him Psal 8.4 and Job 7.17 What is man that thou shouldest magnifie him and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him these be high and great expressions to be bestowed upon so poor a thing as man is to take knowledge of him and such knowledge as to make account of him as to minde him visit him magnifie him to set the heart upon him this is exceeding much from an infinite great and glorious God towards worthlesse men and not credible if the Spirit of God had not revealed it 4. Our end that wee are earth thence wee came and thither we must Gen. 3.19 Dust thou art and unto dust thou must return This title of Son of man I do not find given to any but three in the Book of God once to Daniel Chap. 8. 17. Vnderstand O sonne of man forty times and upwards to Christ and above eighty times to this our Prophet but with this difference Ezekiel is called the Son of man by another Christ alwayes calls himself so Ezekiel is four times in this Chapter so called and it 's given him 1. To prevent pride say some Expositers hee had a glorious Vision was among Angels saw the Lord Christ and was to enter upon the Propheticall Function the least of which might stir corruption and make pride blossome when Paul had his rapture into the third heavens and heard things unutterable what saith he 2 Cor. 12.7 Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abunance of revelation there was given to mee a thorne in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me c. Paul was in danger of being lifted up but God prevented it and so here Ezekiel is minded of his mean originall his frailty worthlesnesse and end that he might not be exalted with his Vision or Office we are exceeding apt upon the receit of great mercies to grow proud and confident which are evill in any but worst in a Prophet and therfore to prevent these hee calls him Son of man 2. To frame his spirit to a right estimate of himself through out the whole course of his Office that what ever good was done Nihil supra naturae humanae vires sibi assumeret he should still remember he was the Son of man and it was God not he that did it It 's a hard thing to keep the heart in an humble frame and fitnesse to give unto God the glory of what he doth by us God helps our Prophet by this title which runs through the whole Prophecy and took such interest in his heart that whatsoever was seen heard said or done by him the Son of man the glory of all was given to Christ the Son of
voyce of that glorious Person sate upon the Throne Two things fall into consideration here touching the Spirit The first is the Spirits entrance into him The second the Spirits setting him upon his feet 1. It entred into him there be phrases in Scripture concerning the Spirit which import motion of it from place to place but must not be so understood 1. The sending of the Spirit Gal. 4.6 2. The coming of the Spirit Joh. 15.26 3. The descending of the Spirit Joh. 1.32 4. Receiving of it Joh. 20.22 5. The entring of the Spirit These all seem to imply the moving of the Spirit from one place to another but the Spirit of God is infinite in essence filling heaven and earth and changes not place the thing aimed at in them is 1. Operation 2. Manifestation 3. Impletion When the Spirit works effectually in any manifests it self by any fils the heart of any with divine graces and influences when it doth either of these or all these then it 's sent descended come received entred But for the phrase here The Spirit entred into mee a like one is in Hab. 3.16 Rottennesse entred into my bones that is it came not ab extra but there was a disposition and principle in him before to rottennesse but now it wrought it manifested it self and filled him with it so here the Spirit was in the Prophet before but now there was a more lively operation and manifestation of it yea farther this entrance of Spirit notes out his filling with the Spirit it possessed him fully there was abundance of the Spirit in him to fit him for and confirm him in his Propheticall Function The Spirit entred into him took him up and singled him out for divine service 2. It set him upon his feet here the efficacious operation of the Spirit appeares that which nature could not do the Spirit did it chased away all distempering fears inabled him to stand up to behold glory to heare the King speak from his Throne of glory and to be ready to do his will what ever he should say this was a great work of the Spirit in our Prophet Observ 1. From the Prophets being down and set up by the Spirit that the Spirit is the chief comforter the words of Christ Stand up and I will speak unto thee were good and comfortable words but the Spirit wrought the solid and lively comfort which scattered the clouds of feare confirmed him and set him up To speak good words to one sick in prison is a comfortable thing but to heal the sick party to bring out the prisoner is reall comfort thus did the Spirit it healed the sick heart of the Prophet and freed him being imprisoned with feares the reall and choyce comfort is from the Spirit hence the Spirit is called the Comforter in John four times Joh. 14.16 26. Chap. 15.26 and Chap. 16.7 and not only the Comforter but the Comforter that testifies of Christ that teacheth all things that abides with you for ever as appeares in the places before mentioned Men comfort the Word comforts Angels comfort it was an Angel comforted Christ in his Agony Luke 22.43 but none comfort like the Spirit Ezekiel had the Spirit of God the great and solid Comforter to raise confirme and comfort him 2. That those the Lord Christ intends to set up for Officers in his Church he gives his Spirit unto the Spirit enters into Ezekiel before he is called he is filled with the Spirit the gifts and graces of it When Officers of an inferiour nature were to be made in the Apostles dayes even officers to serve tables what men must be looked out men of honest report full of the Holy Ghost and Wisdome they must be such as the Holy Ghost hath entred into and filled else they were unfit for that service Act. 6.3 much more then should they be fill'd with the Spirit that are for the highest place in the Church of God Act. 9.17 Saul was fill'd with the Holy Ghost Acts 11.24 it 's said of Barnabas hee was full of the Holy Ghost the Spirit entred into them and they preached Acts 13.2 They must be separated for the work whereunto the Lord had call'd them even for the chief places in the Church of God the Offices in the Church are for men that have the Spirit of Christ in them in some fulnesse of it those places are not for others such as are fill'd with wine with the world with a spirit of envie error contention and Antichristianisme but have not the Spirit of Christ in them the false and lying Prophets had no entrance of the Spirit into them and therefore the Lord saith he sent them not Jer. 14.14 They flattered themselves they were call'd and sent of God and had the Spirit as Zedekiah said to Micaiah Which way went the Spirit from mee to thee 1 King 22.24 but they neither had it nor were sent of God but ran and were not sent Ier. 23.21 And unlesse men have the Spirit enter into them they are neither fit for that Function nor satisfyingly know they are call'd to it many among us are called of men that were never call'd of God 3. That man by his naturall abilities cannot reach or receive the things of God Ezekiel must have the Spirit enter into him before hee can heare or understand any thing to purpose reason and discourse is not more above the capacity of a Beast then the things of Christ and his Spirit are above the capacity of man 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man receives not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him the preaching of the Gospel and Christ crucified was a stumbling-block to the Iewes and foolishnesse to the Greekes the Iewes were skill'd in the Law and the Greeks in Philosophy and neither of them entertain Christ or his Gospel their knowledge and abilities served them to take offence at Christ and to condemn the Gospel for foolishnesse and it 's not all that naturall abilities do not only not reach the things of the Spirit but they cannot do it neither can hee know them saith the Text for they are spiritually discerned Tell a naturall man that God hath begotten a Son that God is man that a Virgin hath brought forth that God hath purchased a Church by his blood that men are reconciled unto God and justified by the death of Christ Verba audit spiritualem sensum non assequitur they are riddles unto him such truths are like a sealed book the spirit and life of them he is incapable of tell him that a man must deny himself mourn for his sins walk in the Spirit believe in another for salvation and these things are foolishnesse unto him 4. That the Word without the Spirit is inefficacious when hee pake the Spirit entred had not there been entrance of the Spirit the Word had not prevail'd the Prophet had not been raised the Word is of little moment and power unlesse
finde a reward in heaven if none on earth 5. That those are sent of God must deliver not their own but Gods message and thou shalt say unto them Thus saith the Lord God a Prophet is os Dei and it 's great honour to him that the great God will speak by his tongue Thou shalt be as my mouth Jer. 15.19 So Jeremy had Gods words put in his mouth Chap. 1.9 and those hee must speak not his own words what God commanded that he must speak and not what himself fancied When a man comes furnished with the word of God then hee comes as a man of God with authority and power this made the Apostle say our weapons are not carnall not the words of mans wisdome but the Oracles of God which are mighty through God Acts 20. he delivered the whole counsell of God and not his own VER 5. And they whether they will heare or whether they will forbeare for they are a rebellious house yet shall know there hath been a Prophet amongst them HEre the end or reason of the Prophets sending is given I send thee to this people to take away all pleas and pretences of theirs thou shalt prophesie unto them and tell them of their sins what I require at thy hands and if they will not heare I have not left my selfe without witnesses they shall know c. they would otherwise have had to object against thee and said If we had had a Prophet in our captivity to have reproved us for our sins to have shewed us Gods displeasure our danger and the way to escape we would have ceased from our evill wayes have learned righteousnesse and laid hold of offers of mercie and grace but we had not to reprove or instruct us wee perished for want of visions It 's true wee had Prophets in our countrey but there they were common and we did not much regard them but had one been given us now in this desolate afflicted condition we would have hearkened obeyed c. This objection God takes away and tells them whether they will heare or no a Prophet they shall have he will not be wanting to them they shall have no cause to object against or complain of him A rebellious house The originall is a house of rebellion it 's in the abstract 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and notes the strength and provocation of their sin the Vulgar hath it the exasperating house the house that provokes and vexes the Lord Domus exasperans Irritans Sept. Domus amaricans In amaritudinemme convertunt or the imbittering house that imbitters God and so the Septuagint renders that in the third verse which have rebelled against mee which have turned mee into bitternesse and made me deal bitterly with them A house not because God dwelt amongst them and was now driven out by their rebellions but a house because they were the family and seed of Israel and this parenthesis is inserted to arm the Prophet against their obstinacie that he understanding before hand what they were might not be despondent but proceed cheerfully in his work what ever he met withall Observ 1. That there be few that heare and receive the Word savingly I send thee to this people and there be not many among them that will entertain thy message or believe the word that I put into thy mouth Whether they will heare or forbeare for they are a rebellious house this strongly imports they would not heare not savingly but rather oppose the truth there was a great number of them in Babylon yet very few hearkened to the Prophet and so was it before they went into Babylon Isa 53. Who hath believed our report we have preached and made report of God and Christ in the Temple in the Synagogues in the gates and streets but Who hath believed us Isaiah was a Princely Prophet had a Princely language and yet neither among the great ones at Court nor inferiour sort was there any considerable number for Isa 8.18 He saith I and the children the Lord hath given mee are for signs and wonders in Israel if they had been many they would not have been for wonders that is a wonder which is rare unusuall and it 's a rare unusuall thing for men and women to believe the Word of God multitudes flock to the gates and posts of Wisdome but few lay up sound wisdome in their hearts â—â—x cent â—simum quimque sore fiddem Calv. â—t Es 51 Quot esse putatis qui in eâ—vitate nostra salventur infestum quidem est quod d cturus sum d cam tamen non possunt in tot millibus centum inveniri qui salventur quin de his dubito Quanta enâ—m est in juvenibus malitia quantus in senibus torpor nemo zelum habet multitudo sumus saeni inordinatum mare Chrys Ad fidem plures veniunt sed ad coelestia regna pauci perducuntur Greg. Hom. 19. in Euang. many hearers few believers 1 Cor. 1.22 Wee preach Christ crucified unto the Jewes a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishnesse the generality of both reject Christ and his Doctrine of those that heare the Gospel scarce the hundreth man is a believing man saith Calvin and Chrysostome exceeds him in his 40. Hom. Ad pop Antioch hee thinks that scarce the thousand man that hears the Word will be saved It 's conceived by some Expositers that in Antioch were above an hundred thousand people and yet this Father feared that hardly an hundred of them were right Noah preached unto the old world and few or none hearkened When the Jewes were in the Wildernesse how few hearkened unto the voyce of the Lord of 600000 only Caleb and Joshua hearkened obeyed and entred into Canaan set aside all prophane hearers all negligent ones all forgetfull all unbelieving and unpracticall hearers and you shall find the number very few of saving hearers many come to heare but few get into heaven And you know what Christ hath said That narrow is the way to life and few there be that find it but broad is the way to destruction and many there be that go in thereat Let Christ speak hee is not heard not received let Satan or Antichrist do it they are heard and followed Josh 5.43 I come in my Fathers Name and yee receive mee not if another shall come in his own name him yee will receive When Antichrist came hee was received Rev. 13.3 And all the world wondred after the Beast and worshipped the Beast saying Who is like unto the Beast The Doctrine and worship of the Beast was easie suitable to carnall spirits but the Doctrine of Christ is spirituall deep contrary to our fleshly and sinfull principles and herein the greatnesse of the mysterie of the Gospel is set out that few do heare and believe 2. See the infinite goodnesse of God that will give a Prophet to such a people as this they were rebellious had sleighted rejected abused
Ahab is sicke and cannot sleep unlesse he have Naboths vineyard Amnon must have Tamar to satisfie his lust else he must lie awake all night Wicked men cannot bee in quiet unlesse they sleep in wickednesse When Christ came to his Disciples they were asleep but the wicked rout were awake and comming to take him they are restlesse like the Sea Isai 57.20 The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest not when it is calme but in its working boyling restlesse condition when it threatens stormes to swallow up ships to break over the banks c. Such are wicked ones they storm they swell and watch where to break out to empty themselves of their estates to drown a countrey in the blood of a civill warre Mich. 7.2.3 they all lie in wait for blood they hunt every man his brother with a net that they may doe evill with both hands earnestly c. They have their net set they hunt they watch and will not lose an opportunity if one hand will not serve both shall and the intention of their spirits also they are earnest in the work And as they are wife to watch their season so their feet are swift in running to the accomplishment of them Prov. 6.18 Were not our enemies watchfull and active to break Parliaments to make Canons to search pockets to fetch men into their Courts 3. They are exceeding troublesome to the countries where they are they will get up their walls into their chambers and beds as some Expositers observe Eglinus in Apocal and therefore to prevent such evills they set their beds remote from the wall and the feet of their beds in pots full of water and for feare of them they lie in the highest roomes they molest them much and multiply their feares in this they are not unlike them Ahab was a troubler of Israel wicked men are the incendiaries in Church and State I must not name any you know more then enough that are not nick-nam'd when they are so term'd they have troubled this State this City 4. They confederate and joyne together to do mischief one will stick fast to the roof or wall a second unto him a third unto the second and so make a chain till they reach to the party asleep and the last stings him and returns and so every one back in order this I find of the Scorpion in Eglinus upon the Revelation here is both their craft and malice unto man that they are subservient one to another and so linked together for such a purpose herein are wicked men truly Scorpions Prov. 1.14 Come let us all have one purse Nahum 1.10 the wicked are as thorns folden together stick together as the scale of Leviathan Acts 4.5 6. Rulers Elders Scribes High-priest Caiphas John Alexander and as many as were of the kindred of the High-priest were gathered together against Christ and his Apostles 5. The Scorpion feeds upon the dust of the earth it feeds upon base and low things upon vile and venemous things so do wicked and ungodly men as the Serpent licks the dust of the earth so do they lick the dust of the earth they feed upon malice they feed upon blood they feed upon that which is not their own Amos 2.7 They pant after the very dust of the earth they pant after the estates and means that poor men have in any place where they come and they feed upon it and satisfie their malice and revenge to the full in sucking the estates and crushing the bones of the Saints of God Lambunt pungunt venenum infundunt 6. They kill lenta morte but gravi supplicio when they set upon a man they lick him they prick him they poyson him which quickly torments and within a few dayes kils Rev. 9.5 their terment was as the torment of a Scorpion when he strikes a man some Scorpions have double stings and that they may be sure to kill they strike with both wicked men lick us with their treaties and kill us with their treacheries Psal 55.21 Their words are fofter then oyle but they are drawn swords in the treaties and flatteries of wicked men if we were not blind wee might see drawn swords death at the throat of our estate of our Religion lawes and liberties Haman flattered with Esther that sought the destruction of the Jews the decree is sealed for the death of young and old Est 3. here was a Scorpion and Jer. 38.4 the Princes beseech the King to put Jeremiah to death such a Scorpion was Jezabel and Ahab which stung Naboth to death and got his Vineyard Hence that law in Ezek. 46.18 The Prince shall not take of the peoples inheritance by oppression to thrust them out of their possessions 7. Scorpions are driven away if any of them be burnt in the house where they haunt Si aliqui eorum in medâ—o domus exurantur say Palladius and Virga when Joab and Shimei were put to death by the sword of Solomon then the other Scorpions in Israel were afraid and hid themselves and the Kingdome was established in the hand of Solomon 1 King 2.46 If we shake not our Vipers into the fire they will do us harm Thus you see wherein the resemblance lies between the wicked in regard that they are call'd Briers Thorns and Scorpions in the Text. The Observations that do arise from the Text are 1. That he is the fittest man for publique imployment is sensible of his own naturalnesse weaknesse and insufficiencie for place or service Son of man be not afraid I see Ezekiel that thou art sensible of thy own naturalnesse earthlinesse and insufficiencie be not thou afraid thou art the fitter man for my service Moses pretended that hee was a man slow of speech and unfit for the great work of delivering Gods people and leading them out of Egypt into Canaan but hee was the fitter man for God So those Ministers or Magistrates that are sensible of their own weaknesses they are fittest for Christ and Church service and the Lord Christ will shew his power most in their weaknesse 2. Those that are in Gods work and do intend heaven they must look for afflictions they must look for trouble Ezekiel saith Christ I 'll put thee into my service but know thou must not go a smooth way thou must meet with thorns and briers thou shalt meet with Scorpions and Serpents there is a Scorpion in heaven and Scorpions on earth too let a man be in a heavenly calling a Prophet let a man be in a worldly calling a Magistrate hee shall meet with Scorpions and Serpents through many afflictions wee must enter into heaven and it is well wee enter through many afflictions 3. The way and method of the Lord Christ is to propound unto us the hardest things at first he deals so with Ezekiel here he heares of Thorns Scorpions a rebellious House and heares of that which might have discouraged him but Christs way is