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A42016
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The exposition continued upon the nineteen last chapters of the prophet Ezekiel with many useful observations thereupon delivered in several lectures in London / by William Greenhil.
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Greenhill, William, 1591-1671.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing G1857; ESTC R30318
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513,585
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860
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executed upon him As the righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he sins so the wickedness of the wicked shall not damnifie him when he turns Here is a Nominative Case put absolute the wickednesse of the wicked Neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousnesse in the day that he sinneth His righteousness shall not uphold him do him any good when he falls into sin his sin will be the death of him and his righteousness he cannot live in it or for it Vers 13. When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live if he trust to his own righteousnesse Here the case of the righteous man is further amplified and exâ—ounded let me make him a promise of life and say That in living he shall live so the Hebrew is yet if he trust to his righteousness and commit sin he shall not live When men have a Legall righteousness they are apt to trust in it to think it makes them acceptable to God that it will answer Justice for their sins divert wrath procure favour and so presume to take liberty and please the flesh in many things but their righteousness will not stand them in stead And commit iniquity Of this see Chap. 3.20 Chap. 18.24 where much hath been said of this expressions The will affections and heart are in committing iniquity it 's making a trade of sin such men are workers of iniquity Pharisees had a legall righteousness but they devoured widows houses made Proselytes and them twofold more the children of the Devill then themselves Matth. 23.14 15. These committed iniquity All his righteousnesse shall not be remembred That is none of his righteous deeds shall be so had in remembrance as to have any acceptance or reward they shall be laid by and forgotten instead thereof he shall have judgement for his wickedness that shall be remembred and rewarded But for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall dye for it The reward of his iniquity is death either he shall pine away under some stroak of God which is Mors minor a lesser kind of death or he shall be cut off by some judgement which is a death indeed a death with a witness Vers 14. Again when I say unto the wicked thou shalt surely dye if he turn from his sin c. In this vers and the two following the case of the wicked man is further explained as the promise to the righteous was with condition so the threatning of the wicked is with exception He shall surely dye unlesse he repent and turn and testifie the reallity of the same by doing that which is lawfull and right Or as it is in the Hebrew By doing judgement and justice by giving unto God and man what is prescribed of these words see Chap. 18.5 Vers 15. If the wicked restore the pledge Pignus est quod propter rem credi tam datur cujus possessionem solum ad tempus consequitor creditor sed dominium penes debitorem est A Pledge is something pawned for a thing borrowed the possession whereof for the present is in the hand of the Lender but the right is belonging to the Borrower Chabol is from Chabal to bind because Pledges are strong Bonds and Obligations Poor people were often necessitated to pawn their garments Beds Cattle Utensils which wicked men would keep and make their advantage of which they ought not to have done Deut 24.10 11 12 13. Therefore it s said here If the wicked restore the pledge if he be mercifull to those that be poor and afflicted Give again that he had robbed Robbers seldome make restitution of what they get by violence The word Gazal signifies to spoil a man of what is his Vi aperte as High-way Robbers do and also any violent wresting and forcing mens right out of their hands Now if the wicked did make restitution of what he had so gotten and Walk in the statutes of life without committing iniquity The statutes of life are the statutes of God which being exactly kept afford life to the keepers of them Ezek 20.13 They walked not in my statutes and they despised my judgements which if a man do he shall even live in them or live by them as it s Levit 18.5 If a man walk in these from day to day and keep them perfectly committing no iniquity what then He shall surely live he shall not dye This and the like promises are legall and made to legall righteousness and clearly evince that the Prophet speaks of a legall righteous man The Gospel saith not that a just man shall live by doing but that the just shall live by faith and that the law is not of faith If men could keep the Law do what it requires they should live by it but except Christ none ever did and so none was ever justified by the Law Gal 3.10 11 12. If a man could be found that walked in the Statutes of life without sinning he should surely live and live as comfortably as Adam did in Paradice and should not dye Vers 16. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him The Hebrew is all his sins which he hath committed shall n t be mentioned unto him that is None of his sins shall be imputed or charged upon him Vid. Chap 18.22 He hath done that which is lawful and right he shall surely live The Life here spoken of cannot be eternal life because 1. A mans turning from his former wicked wayes and making restitution to men for wrongs done is no satisfaction to the justice of God for the breach of his Laws And 2. No man can so keep the law or statutes of life as thereby to obtain life eternal Here is no mention of Christ or faith in him without which eternall life cannot be had I conceive it s meant of a temporal life he that ceases from his wicked wayes that lives honestly doing lawfull and right things he shall not have cause to complain as the Jews did That they pined away under their iniquities but he should live in living as the Hebrew is and that is he should live a very comfortable life First Observe There is a righteousnesse will not profit a man when he hath most need When a man sins then he hath most need of righteousness to cover his sin to prevent judgement but then his own righteousness a legal righteousness a duty righteousness will stand him in no stead The righteousnesse of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression he shall not be able to live in the day that he sinneth Let us therefore look after an Evangelicall righteousness for Christ hath told us That except our righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees we shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matth 5.20 They had a legal a duty an own-righteousnesse but they had not the righteousness of Christ the
Tribes written upon them Rev. 21.12 3. It s discribed from the compass of it ver 35. It was round about eighteen thousand measures Take measures for Cubits and then it was not above six Miles in compass but if we take them for reeds as divers do then the compass of this City is thirty two miles and almost an half But far short of the compass of the new Jerulalem that great City which was fifteen th◠〈◊〉 miles about for so many miles do twelve thousand furlongs amount unto both the City which John saw measured and that Ezekiel saw measured were four square comely firm and durable the Court is four-square Ezek. 40.47 the holy oblation was so Ezek. 48.20 and so was the City 4. It s discribed from the name verse 35. The name of the City from that day shall be Jehovah Shammah The Lord is there From the day of its building and inhabitation it shall be called so Many Cities have had glorious and significant names as Nicopolis Tit. 3.12 which signifies the Victorious City Nazareth Luk. 4.16 notes sanctified or separated Bethsaida Mat. 11.21 the house of fruits or meats Bethlehem Luke 2.4 the house of bread Jerusalem the Vision of peace but they fall short of this name Jehovah Shammah Some make the meaning of these words the name of the City shall be The Lord is there to be this that God would be in the City not that the City was or shall be ever called so as it is said of Christ his name shall be called Wonderful Councellor the Mighty God the Everlasting Father the Prince of Peace he was so but not called by those names and so this City it shall have God in it there present yet not be so named but I see nothing hinders but it may both be so called and have God in it and because God is there therefore to be so called The name Jehovah is a glorious and fearful name Deut. 28.58 Junius hath the words thus nomen gloriosissimum summe reverendum istud that name most gloriously and highly to be reverenced Bernard calls it Nomen Majestatium a Majestical name Philo lib. 3. de vita Mosis saith quod si quis nomen Dei blasphemaverit hominum deorumque domino abusus fuerit vel nomen ejus intempestive protulerit noxam luat capite and presently after Quomodo meretur veniam qui 〈◊〉 abutitur sanctissimo dei nomine tantum ad explendum sermonem non aliter quam prophanis vocibus Some observe that the Jews after their return from Babylon had such high reverential thoughts of the Name Jehovah that they thought it not fit to be pronounced but used the name Adonai in the stead thereof least it should be prophaned This glorious majestical and most holy name is given to this City What is meant by this City is of concernment to know Some by it understand Jerusalem litterally as it was rebuilt by the Jews after their return together with the civil state in which the Prince governed by civil Laws just Weights and measures but such a City as is here described was never built by the Jews after their captivity To let that opinion pass some do make this City Ezekiel saw to be a moddle and platform of that City the Jews who should be called converted and brought to their own land again should build and inhabit but because the Jews return to their own land is denyed by some questioned by many and doubted by most whither ever a City as that here is held out viz. of thirty two miles compass shall be built by them it is safest to interpret this City typically and in this sense Interpreters are not all of a mind for some make it to be a representative of Heaven and the amplitude or graces thereof others make it to be a representation of the Church under the Gospel in the former times thereof especially yet short of that City the Heavenly Jerusalem which John saw Chap. 21. for though this City and that agree in some things yet they differ in many I shall shew you some difference between them 1. The gates of Ezekiels City had no Angels to keep it in but at the twelve gates of Johns City there were twelve Angels to keep them Rev. 21.12 2. In Ezekiels City there was a Temple but in Johns there is none Rev. 21.22 3. The materials of Ezekiels Cities were inferiour to those of Johns which were gold pearl and precious stones Rev. 21.18 to 22. 4. The Waters of this City came from under the Threshold of the Temple and from the Southside of the Altar but Johns City had a pure River of Water of life clear as chrystal which proceeded from the throne of God and of the lamb Rev. 22.1 5. Ezekiels City had all trees for meat and medicine on both sides of the banks of the River Johns had one by the tree of life which bears twelve manner of fruits Rev. 22.2 6. The light and glory of Ezekiels City fell short of that which Johns had Rev. 21.23 for it had no need of the Sun nor of the Moon to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof 7. Ezekiels City was not half so great as Johns the one being onely eighteen thousand measures in compass and the other twelve thousand furlongs in length breadth and height Rev. 21.16 8. Johns City had a Wall of twelve foundations and in them the names of the twelve Apostles Ezekiels City had a Wall Chap. 40.5 but no names in it of Prophets or Apostles Now notwithstanding this City John saw the new Jerusalem exceeded that our prophet saw very much yet they both represent the Church of Christ here on earth and it will not be denyed but that they may in part represent it in Heaven By this City of Ezekiel I conceive is pointed out into us the glorious state of the Christian Church in the latter days it hath been a long time said to war under Antichrist and his instruments the breaches and ruines of it at this day are great and the face of such a City hardly visible but when the times of Antichrists destruction and the Jews conversion do come then shall this City be built then shall Sion be in her glory the Christian Church shall be then in a greater glory then formerly If the coming in of the Gentiles at first began the foundation of this City what will the fulness of the Gentiles be when that is come Rom. 11.25 but a glorious addition to this City and then when the fulness of the Jews shall be added to the Christian Church to this City what will that be but life from the dead vers 15. The perfecting of this City wherein shall be a Temple suitable which John minds us of Rev. 11.1 Where the Temple Altar and Worshippers are measured and its observable where there is mention of measuring and so building a Temple respect is had