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A85666 An exposition of the five first chapters of the prophet Ezekiel, with useful observations thereupon. / Delivered in severall lectures in London, by William Greenhill. Greenhill, William, 1591-1671. 1645 (1645) Wing G1851; Thomason E272_1; ESTC R212187 422,046 514

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famine sword and they had been better have been cut off in their own land or in their journey to those places neither were they in safety there for God would draw out a sword after them they should be captives undergo great hardship and be daily in jeopardy of their lives The sword should pursue them as the phrase is Jer. 48.2 these judgements were contrary to the blessing of plenty safety and peace promised in Lev. 26.4 5 6. VER 13. Thus shall mine anger be accomplished and I will cause my fury to rest upon them and I will be comforted and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal when I have accomplished my fury in them IN this Verse two ends of divine judgements are held forth 1. The satisfaction of his own Justice when judgements are fully executed he will be comforted 2. The conviction of his adversaries They shall know that I the Lord have spoken Then shall mine anger be accomplished Here is mention of anger and fury Deo fur●r ira tribuitur cum ostendit factu aliquid sibi d●splicere max me autem irasci dicitur cum poenam infligit Rive● in Exod. which you oft finde given to God But neither these nor other passions are in God he is not carried by affections as men are they are neither materially nor formally in God whose essence is immixt and immutable anger and fury are given to God when he manifests by his actions that something displeases him and especially when hee punisheth the creature they are effects from God not affections in God Isa 27.1 fury is not in mee Be accomplished The Hebrew is to finish to perfect as in Gen. 2.2 God ended his work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he accomplished what he was about so here the Septuagint hath it shall be perfected it notes a progresse in Gods wrath which shall not cease in the mid way but go on to the highest degree as men when they are much incensed proceed in punishment of delinquents till they be satisfied they let out their wrath to the full and so God would do Formerly God had kept in his wrath not let it have the reins nor break over the banks and if it did get loose at any time and break out he quickly call'd it back and turned it away Psal 78.39 but now he would stir up all his wrath and let it out to the full and accomplish it among them now plague famine sword dispersion should have their will and power over them God would inflict what hee had conceived and threatned against them I will cause my fury to rest upon them That is God would terminate fasten settle his wrath upon them not cease it from them it should not fleet or move but abide they should be a people under fury a generation of his wrath Jer. 7.29 a people of his wrath Isa 10.6 God would shoot his arrowes into them and they should stick in their sides whither ever they went Gods fury should be still upon them it notes out the continuation of Gods anger which Jeremiah expresseth to the full Chap. 7.20 Behold mine anger and my fury shall be powred out upon this place upon man and beasts upon the trees of the field upon the fruit of the ground and it shall burn and no● be quenched neither their tears nor their blood shall put out the fire of divine wrath kindled against them it should still burn notwithstanding all means used to quench the same God would make his wrath a biding wrath such is that speech in Isai 30.32 In every place where the grounded staffe shall passe which the Lord shall lay upon him which the Lord shall cause to rest upon him is the Hebrew What 's the grounded staffe the wrath of God intended to be fixt laid in and laid down for a foundation of ruine that wrath would God cause to rest upon him that is the Assyrian the mark of the staffe should be in their flesh and state for ever I will be comforted God is the God of all comfort 2 Cor. 1.3 yet he saith he will be comforted not that God was infeebled through discomfort and needed addition of comfort and strength from any creature but it 's spoken after the manner of men God had mourn'd over them a long time expressed his griefe by the Prophets threatnings by lesser judgements inflicted they had done no good and now he would ease himself of them and be comforted Wicked men are a burthen to God and when a burthen is taken off it 's ease it 's comfort Isa 1. you have God brought in much grieved and complaining of this people vers 2 3 4 c. and in vers 24. he saith Ah I will ease mee of my adversaries and avenge mee of mine enemies ah the time is now come and I am glad of it that I shall be eased of this great burthen bearing with this rebellious people I will cast them off and revenge my self upon them revenge is sweet Aestuantem animam vindicta levat it 's an ease to reproached provoked spirits for where is anger there is grief and desire of revenge which obtaining takes away grief and anger whereby the mind is comforted therefore God would ease himself by avengement on them so here God would accomplish his anger settle his fury upon them and be comforted in it hee would execute severe judgements and approve yea applaud them being executed In my zeal These words are oft in the Prophet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Hebrew signifies sometimes zeal sometimes jealousie the Septuagint renders it in my zeal not in my jealousie Zeal is the intention of all affections it notes 1 The earnest love of God for the good of his Church and his own glory Isa 9.7 2 Jealousie which is with great indignation and grief Numb 25.11 such as amounts to hatred and enmity Isa 59.17 God was very zealous of the good of his people and therefore gave them zealous Prophets by whom his zeal was made known the Prophets spake in Gods name delivered their message with authority power life they lifted up their voyces told the people of their sins reproved them sharply were very zealous in their Prophecies hence they were counted factious and fiery spirits men venting their own opinions and humour hence their labours were sleighted they lookt upon as contemptible men not worthy to live they did so trouble both Church and State with the things they delivered but they shall know that not men but God spake that it was not their zeal but my zeal that they have opposed and rejected mee in my Prophets If you referre it to jealousie it notes out Gods taking them into covenant to be his people their revolt by Idolatry and other sins and Gods jealousie upon it who growing hot with displeasure spake sharp and dreadfull things against this people as a jealous husband would do against an adulterous wife Observ 1. That God
he could behold God converse with him in his glorious appearances unto him but after his fall he fled from his presence was disabled and incapacious of the sight of him and his glory so here Ezekiel cannot abide the sight of this glorious Vision but falls down upon his face and hides himself from his own happinesse till sin be purged out of us it will be so therefore God hath appointed purging ordinances that we being purified might at last see him and have fruition of him Two things especially are required to the sight of glory Holinesse and Strength to both which sin is opposite it defiles it infeebles so that we dare not we cannot behold glory see what mischiefe sin hath done us 5. Apprehensions and sight of glory doe much humble gracious hearts When Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord he fell upon his face the glory of a creature raises a carnall heart but the glory of the Creator humbles a gracious heart Joh. 1.14 We beheld his glory as the onely begotten of the Father and this made John the greatest Prophet that ever was borne of a woman to be so low in his own eyes that he professed himselfe unworthy to loose the lachet of his shooe ver 27. There be some things in the sight of divine glory that works strongly to humble the soule First It is of that lustre and excellency as that it darkens all the glory of the world and makes it seeme no more then the lustre of a Glow-worme to the Sunne Secondly It sets out the shamefulnesse and blacknesse of sinne Thirdly The Insufficiency of all humane motions and duties to attaine unto it Fourthly Shews the infinite distance between God and the creature All which are humbling things and concurring doe humble more throughly Ezekiel was not onely amazed doth not onely fall downe but falls upon his face and that after a second sight of the same glory so that it 's in the nature of glory to humble other things may humble a little but glory most of all that comes by the eare doth something but that is seene by the eye affects most Isaiah had heard the Seraphims crying Holy holy holy the earth is full of his glory but this struck not so deeply into his heart as the sight of glory when he saw the King the Lord of Hosts in his glory then he cryed out woe is me I am undone his holinesse was nothing his propheticall office was nothing all was nothing to him he was an undone man he saw so much sinne in himselfe I am a man of uncleane lips c. VER 24. Then the Spirit entred into mee c. BEing in a dejected condition the Spirit entred It was said before the hand of the Lord came upon him which was the Spirit and here the Spirit entred into mee What difference is there between these two phrases you may observe this difference The hand of the Lord upon the Prophet notes the efficacy and work of the Spirit in generall the common gifts and graces of it which may fit a man for publick imployment The entring of the Spirit notes not onely those but the sanctifying of a man so that he shall imploy his gifts and graces to the glory of God and eternall good of his own soule Of the Spirits entring and setting the Prophet upon his feet I spake in the 2. Chap. ver 2. It was not the ayre his own spirit returning nor an Angel but the Holy Spirit of God This entrance of the Spirit notes not motion from place to place for the Spirit is infinite and fills heaven and earth but it notes operation manifestation impletion when the Spirit doth work efficaciously manifest it self for there may be invisible operations fill the heart of any with divine vertue when it doth any one of these or all these it 's said to be sent to come to enter it comforted the Prophet being amazed sunk in apprehension of his own unworthinesse and manifested its operation by setting him upon his feete giving new strength to goe and prophesie when time should serve Goe shut thy selfe within thy house These words are not ironically spoken or by way of Sarcasme because he had formerly shut up himselfe but they are a command from God to the Prophet it 's true by reason of the rebellious disposition of the people the weightinesse of the calling he was to be in and the infirmitie of the flesh he had withdrawne from his dutie and God beares with him bids him withdraw from the publick view Jerome thinks this shutting up was a type of the besieging of the Citie that as he should be shut up in his house so the Jewes at Jerusalem Others thinke more probably that it was to receive instructions from God and to heare from him before he should speake ought to the people therefore some observe that our Prophet heard and saw much and spake not till the end of the 11th Chap. 23. vers where he saith Then I spake unto them of the captivitie c. This shutting up made way for the credit and authoritie of the Prophet and his prophesie Observ 1. The Spirit affects and visits an humble soule When the Prophet was humbled with the sense of his owne unworthinesse trembled at the sight of glory and majesty was destitute of strength then it pleased the Spirit of God to enter humiliations upon sight of glory and greatnesse are deepest and the Spirit loves to visit them speedily God doth not long leave humble soules without operations and manifestations of his Spirit Jam. 4.6 He resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble he sends the Spirit into their hearts to comfort and strengthen them because they are low vile in their own eyes but destruction is for the proud God is in battaile array against them the Spirit appeared like a dove and is a dove of the valleys not of the mountains while Paul was a mountaine in his owne eyes the Spirit never came neere him but when he was humbled with the sight of glory Act. 9. even the glory of Christ and became a valley then quickly the spirituall dove tooke her flight to him for ver 17. saith Ananias Brother Saul the Lord hath sent mee that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost the Lord Jesus would not let him want his Spirit to revive him that was so effectually humbled at the sight of his glory 2. The godly before Christ had the same Spirit grace and comforts that wee have since Christ Ezekiel had the Spirit enter into him What Spirit Even the Spirit of God and Christ the third Person in the sacred Trinitie neither doth that in John crosse this truth The Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified Chap. 7.39 Not given at all is not the meaning but was not given so plentifully so visibly till Christ was glorified You know that Kings when they enter their Kingdomes first or