l 27 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 64 l 6 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l 11 r. deprive p 6â— l 10 r. are p 71 l 23 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 72 l 3 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Caas p 77 l 26 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 89 in marg r. Rab. Salom p 100 l 14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 112 l 16 r lammaveth p 117 l 10 r in question l 12 d. in l 17 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 118 l 1 r. Chapherz p 130 marg r. consequitur p 134 l 18 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 149 marg r. Rivet p 161 l 24 r. Agaf l 29 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 176 l 7 r. Ils chanson l 9 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 167 l 18 r. sicut l 11 r. chalaf p 179 l 12 r. chelef l 15 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 180 l 16 r. avez l 18 r. neither p 181 l 21 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 182 l 24 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 185 l 7 r came p 225 l 18 r. tugida p ibid marg imbuerentur p 227 l 23 r. servum p 229 l 3◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 232 mâ—rg praedit p 235 l 17 r. series l. 10 11 r. â—e doth sometime signifie p 253 l 29 r. Oecolampadius p 263 marg superari p 218 l 22 r. Cannibals p 280 l 5 r differ as much from each other p 330 l 26 put comma after there p 336 l 13 r Adamantine p 340 l 18 r. sequax in marg for auts r. facile p 343 l 15 r. Polanus p 364 l 16 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 369 l 34 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 376 l 10 d. that l 11 d. and p 381 l 15 r ver 25. p 385 l 22 r. Christianity p 390 l 17 r. words p 427 r. of these and other things must be said Lord thou knowest p 431 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 438 l 6 Ezra p 439 l 4 r. said p 464 l 3 r stands p 465 l 24 r. Canaan p 478 l 17 r. Mat. 19.28 p 483 l 1 r. perhaps l 6 r. pintus p 491 l 21 r susâ— p 492 l 8 r. magen I ultâ—r Gomerites p 499 l 13 r. novissimo l 15 r. Mariana p 204 l 28 r. Manuaises p 210 l 27 r. Apharsâ—thchâ—tes p 215 l 27 r. look ar l 28 d. in lat â—b r some at Jer. 1.14 p 232 l 29 r. been p 234 l 20 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 237 l 8 r. senarium p 340 l 10 r. hecharutz Joel 3.19 l 18 r. seven p 250 l 27 r. Tzitun p 251 l 15 r. for by â— vâ—z p 258 l 3 r. for l 5 r. mounted p 264 l 10 r. baalvonam p 270 l 27 r. to be led p 279 l 18 r. Ezek 34 25 p 282 l 1 r. Haffen l 29 r. Jeholakâ—n p 283 l 2 r. so l 21 r. of the p 284 l 26 27 r. City p 295 l 26 r. expressionâ— p 307 l 21 r. in the p 308 l 6 r. Rev. 16. p 315 l 21 r. one p 316 l 8 r. probable p 318 l 21 r. resecta p 320 l 21 r. Shâ—ttim p 321 l 25 r. destroy Pag 326 l. 17 r. the outer p. 328 l. 19 r. infallible p. 325 l 1 r. bride p. 336 l. 27 r. bickneh hammiddah p. 345 l. 24 25 r. we cy p. 351 l. 14 r. lead p. 351 352 353 c. for carkeises r. carcases p. 353 l. 13 r. Ezek. 48. last p. 354 l. 8 dele or l. 9 r. Jehoiachin l. 16 r. pegarim p. 361 in marg exuendus l 4. Junius p. 363 l. 21 r. chok p. 364 l. 4 r. That p. 367 l 13 r. holy p. 370 l. 18 r. by it some l. 33 r. made p. 371 l. 31 r. this Altar p. 372 r. this Alt. l. 11 r. Harâ—â—l p. 375 l. 4 r. sâ—crifices l. 6 r. that validity p 385 l. 27 r. your p. 388 l. 31 r. the Lord p. 389 l. 26 r. lowest p 388. l 3. r. Lev 10.12 p 393 r one of the musts p 394 l 6 r. military p 396 l 23 r. their p 399 l 2 r. thine p 405 l 31 r. those p 418 l 1 r. 1 Joh. 2.1 p 419 l 12 r. corruption p 535 l 3 r in part p 536 l 12 r. there dele comma after worshipped p 540 l 20 21 r. to a bullock l 20 dâ—le and l 22 r. with the Lâ—mbs l 25 r. werâ— p 541 l 19 r. would p 546 l 4 d. â— l 5 r. Sanctâ—uâ— p 550 l 2 which suits with l 4 r. fruimur l 12 vehicalum p 552 l 5 r. quencheth l 26 dele Mâ—t. p 558 l 14 r. proceed p 559 l 16 r. on p 560 l 9 r. riches both p 564 l 33 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 567 l 22 r. Arias p 581 l 2 r. Hamath l 6 r. Hauran l 19 r Kadeth l 24 r. Sanctius p 582 l 16 r. came p 583 l 30 put comma after the fâ—rst in p 586 l 15 16. r. Ephraim l 23 r. distribution and so elsewheâ—e p 590 l 1 r. he shall p 596 l 27 r. but even p 600 l 10. r. Hafenrefferus l 22 r. greatest p 603 l. 12 r. only l 13 r bear p 607 l 31 r. he will There is likewise in Press the Second part of that practical peice of Divinity called The Christian mans Calling by Mr. George Swinnock containing Dealings with all men in all conditions whether inprosperite or adversity in all companies good or bad in solitariness on the Week day from morning to night in visiting the sick upon a dying-bed AN EXPOSITION Upon more Chapters of EZEKIEL CHAP. XXX 1. The word of the Lord came again unto me saying 2. Son of man prophesie and say Thus saith the Lord God Howl ye wo worth the day 3. For the day is near even the day of the Lord is near a cloudy day it shall be the time of the heathen 4. And the sword shall come upon Egypt and great pain shall be in Ethiopia when the slain shall fall in Egypt and they shall take away her multitude her foundations shall be broken down 5. Ethiopia Libya Lydia all the mingled people Chub and the men of the Land that is in league shall fall with them by the sword THIS Chapter is a continuance of the former prophesie and hath two generall parts in it The 1. is concerning the destruction of Egypt and those that were confederate with her to the 20. vers 2. Is concerning Pharoah King of Egypt and Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon from the 20. vers to the end In these Verses we have 1. The Authority of the prophesie it 's divine from the Lord ver 1 2. 2. The thing imposed upon Egypt Howling vers 2. 3. The Reasons thereof vers 3 4 5. Vers 1. The Word of the Lord came again unto me This Preface is to
many Chapters before it adds weight to the prophesie making those concern'd to mind it more seriously When the Lord speaketh who can but prophesie Amos 3.8 And who can but mind what is prophesied Vers 2. Son of Man prophesie The immortall God speaks to a mortall man honours him with Divine Revelations and that he might not be exalted therewith he minds him of his meannesse and mortality saying Son of Man prophesie Prophesying was not at the will of man but when the Spirit mov'd them to it 2 Pet. 1.21 Thus saith the Lord God What the Prophets gave forth as Prophets was not from their own hearts and heads some humane thing but it was altogether Divine from Jehovah Adonai whose Being is of himself and hath Dominion over all What they and the Apostles writ was the word of God and so ought to be esteemed and received 1 Thess 2.13 Howl ye He speaks to the Egyptians and others upon whom sad judgments were coming he calls to them to lay to heart and lament for the evils were at hand The Hebrew Jalal hath agreement with Alal which signifies in nihilum redigerâ— to reduce a thing to nothing because when men do mourn and lament greatly it wastes and consumes them so as it well nigh brings them to nothing Woe worth the day The words may be read Ah the day alas for the day as Joel 1.15 Or O the woe of the day an unhappy day wherein thy Cities shall be made heaps man and beast destroyed all laid waste and desolate The French is malediction sur ta journee a curse be upon that day Vers 3. The day is near even the day of the Lord is near Day here is put not for a day in strictnesse of sense but for the time wherein those judgements should befall Egypt and other parts and it s call'd the day of the Lord because of his special manifestation of himself When God doth either in mercy or judgement declare himself Emphatically that is said to be the day of the Lord. Other dayes are his dayes but such in a special manner The duplication of the day here is to make the deeper impression both upon the Jews who rested too much upon Egypt and also upon the Egyptians who were secure and feared not he tells them of the nearnesse of it that they may be awakened that they might the more fully be awakened he tells them what kind of day it will be A cloudy Day The Hebrew is Dies Nubis a Day of a Cloud there will no Sun shine that day a black thick dark cloud will arise that day and make a terrible tempest Gods judgements are likened unto clouds and rain for the sadnesse and terriblenesse of them Psal 11.6 He shall rain snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest The French is iour tenebreux It shall be the time of the Heathen Heathen may be taken either for the Babylonians who should come and conquer Egypt and then do what they pleased therein and so it should be their day or for the Egyptians and the Nations adhering to them and so it should be their day to be spoiled and suffer grievous things it was a time of undoing these and a time of making the other God had appointed that time for them both Vers 4. The sword shall come upon Egypt The Chaldean Army shall come and make warâ—e upon the Egyptians and they shall be under all the miseries and mischiefs which attend warre and they are many And great pain shall be in Ethiopia The word for pain in Hebrew is Chalchalah which Montanus renders Vacillatio shaking the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 trouble or perturbation the Vulgar pavor fear others dolor magnus great grief which the word imports for it s from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 parturire to bring forth notes such grief and pain as women have when they are in travail When the King of Babylon came into Egypt Ethiopia was in travail When the slain shall fall in Egypt It were better rendred when the wounded shall fall men slain are fallen men wounded are ready to fall or falling The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chalal signifies one wounded and so the French hath it qui seront naurez tomberont en Egipt And her foundations shall be broken down By Foundationâ— Cityes Towers Forts Castles any strong holds may be understood Some make the foundations of Egypt to be their riches forces and confederates but the first sense of the Word is more Genuine because he speaks of breaking down which is proper to the one and not the other Vers 5. Ethiopia In Hebrew Chus so call'd from Chus the Son of Cham Gen. 10.6 who first inhabited that part of Africa and from him the people were called Cussites from the Grecians it received the name of Ethiopia which is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to burn and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the countenance because the heat of the Sunne there is such as it scorcheth the faces of the people This Country is judged to be as large as Germany France and Italy but not very populous because of the extream heat they circumcise their Males and Females baptizing the Males fourty dayes and the â—emales eighty dayes after their Circumcision and they rebaptize themselves in Lakes and Ponds every year on the day called Epiphany Heylin in his Microcosm because they conceive that the Lord Christ was baptized by John in Jordan that very day But whether this was the Ethiopia Nebuchadnezzar should spoil some question because it is said chap. 29.10 That Egypt should be made desolate from the Tower of Syene unto the border of Ethiopia that is to the Asian Ethiopia Syene was at the front of the African Ethiopia and whether Nebuchadnezzar entred that Ethiopia is doubtful In locum Quistonpius is peremptory in it and saith he never passed beyond Syâ—ne into it Lybia In Hebrew Phut from Phut the son of Cham Vid. suum in Gen. 10.6 Gen. 10.6 and the inhabitants thereof were at first called Phuthaei or Phuttians and afterward Lybians the Country being named Lybia from Lybs a King of Mauritania or from Lybs the Southwind which gently breatheth there or from Lybia a Queen thereof it 's now call'd Sorra which signifies a Desert because its a Country full of sandy Deserts And Varro will have it called Lybia Heylin in Microcos quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it wants raine Heretofore all Africa was called Phut afterwards only the Western Parts of Africa as Mauritania and Tingitana Shindler Martinius where the Kingdome of Fez or Lybia now is Lydia The Hebrew is Lud from Lud the Son of Shem Gen. 10.22 as some will have it or from Ludim the Son of Mizraim as others affirme This Lydia was a Region of Asia the less formerly called Maeonia in it were those famous Cities Philadelphia Sardis Pergamus Thyatira and Laodicea Alapide would not have it to be this Lydia
have life or no but life is propounded and offered unto them and where that is promised there is a wide door of mercy opened God is troubled at it that sinners forsake mercy and embrace it not Why will ye dye Why will ye not turn from your evill wayes unto me the living God Am I so ill a God Have I dealt so unkindly with you as that you will not come unto me testifie against me tell me wherein Like that in Micah 6.3 O my people what have I done unto thee and wherein have I wearyed thee testifie against me If there be any such thing lye in the way I am ready to remove it Fifthly Observe The nature of true repentance lyeth in turning Turn ye turn ye God at first made man upright with his face towards himself but he sought out inventions and turn'd away from God to the creature which was a madnesse to leave an universal everlasting and satisfying good for a particular fading and an unsatisfying good this madness is in the hearts of all men Eccl 9.3 till they come to repenting turning again unto God and setting him in his right posture to behold the Lord. This turning must be from his evil wayes Turn ye from your evill wayes and from all of them Ezek. 14.6 Chap. 18.21.31 Else it s no turning if the heart be towards any one sin lust creature or evill way it s not turn'd his back is towards God and not his face he prefers a creature a lust before God Sixthly Observe Sinners are the Authours of their own destruction Why will ye dye They went on in their idolatry profaness oppressions pollutions of Sabbaths c. and so brought judgement upon themselves 2 Chron 36.16 They mocked the Messengers of God despised his word and misused his Prophets untill the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy therefore he brought upon them the King of the Chaldaeans who slew their young men with the sword in the house of the Sanctuary and had no compassion on the young man or maiden c. So in Christs dayes he would have kept Jerusalem from destruction but Jerusalem her self would not she brought it upon her selfe Matth. 23.37 The Corinthians abuse of the Supper brought judgement upon them 1 Cor. 11.30 And the false Teachers brought swift destruction upon themselves 2 Pet. 1.1 Verses 12 13 14 15 16. Therefore thou son of man say unto the children of thy people The righteousnesse of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression as for the wickednesse of the wicked he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickednesse neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousnesse in the day that he sinneth When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live if he trust to his own righteousnesse and commit iniquity all his righteousnesse shall not be remembred but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall dye for it Again when I say unto the wicked Thou shalt surely dye if he turn from his sin and do that which is lawfull and right If the wicked restore the pledge give again that he had robbed walk in the statutes of life without committing iniquity he shall surely live he shall not dye None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him he hath done that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live THese words do explain and confirm what God had said in the 11 vers and that by way of contraries 1. He sets a righteous man before them and bids the Prophet tell them That if a righteous man turn from his righteousnesse and become wicked his righteousnesse will not benefit him but his wickednesse will bring judgement upon him 2. He sets a wicked man before them and bids the Prophet tell them That if he turn from his wickednesse that shall not prejudice him he shall not fall thereby but he shall live Here is nothing in these verses of Gods decrees of life or death of salvation or condemnation and mens being under them It s said whilest they are righteous they are under the decree of life and salvation and when they cease from their righteousness they are under the decree of death and condemnation and so if a man be righteous one day and wicked another and that interchangeably all dayes of his life he doth daily passe from under one decree to another forward and backward I find no foundation in the words for such a conceit they hold out Gods dealings with men here in this world according to the conditions he finds them in if they be just and righteous he will bless them if they be unjust and wicked he will punish them the one shall live comfortably the other shall be cut off by some judgement here is nothing pointing at the decrees of God Vers 12. The righteousnesse of the righteous What righteous man is here meant the 15. verse informs us viz. a man legally righteous such a man as restores the pledge gives again what he hath robbed and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity If a wicked man did these things he was righteous it s therefore a righteousnesse of the Covenant of works not the righteousnesse of faith here spoken of a moral not a Gospel righteousnesse which the 13. verse is clear for calling it his own righteousnesse Shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression The word for transgression is Poshang which signifies sin scienter contumaciter commissum presumptuous and wilfull sin rebellion apostacy Sometimes it is taken for any sin or failing as Lament 1.22 Do unto them as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions Jeremiah had no great sins against light he did not rebel against God his transgressions were such as are the ordinary failings of men so it s used Job 13.23 And the Septuagint hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the day he shall erre Let him have done never so much good and continued long in so doing that shall not deliver him in the day of his erring transgressing fayling Had Adam stood many dayes months years and then eat of the forbidden fruit all his righteousnesse would not have delivered him and so here under the Covenant of works there is no deliverance upon any failing But rather it notes here some grievous sin and way of wickednesse which exposes unto and hastens Gods judgements As for the wickednesse of the wicked he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turns from his wickednesse Let the wickednesse of the wicked be great of what kind soever against God and man idolatry profaness oppression c. it shall not bring destruction upon him make him to fall and perish when he repents of it turns fom it and walks in those wayes that are contrary thereunto then his former sins shall not be imputed to him nor the judgements deserv'd
your God saith the Lord God This ver is the key to open what was said before the Lord had spoken oft of his flock lest any should take the same litterally here he unfolds his mind and tells us plainly his flock are men not bruit creatures The Hebrew word for flock is twice and ye my flock the flock of my pasture Some read the words in the Future thus Ye my flock of my pasture shall be men hitherto ye have been brutish ye have favoured the things of the earth and followed after carnall things but henceforward ye shall be men cleaving to God and heavenly things We may take them as they are and find that sense in them which Sanctius hath I have told you of great things that my servant David shall be your Shepherd and a Prince among you that ye shall dwell safely in wildernesses sleep in woods and that none shall make you afraid yea I have told you that I will free you from bondage shame famine and that I will make you renowned blessing you with variety and plenty of temporal and spiritual good things but you see not how these things can be accomplished you are men full of infirmities shallow of understanding apt to doubt and make objections but I am God and your God I have promised and will perform saith Adonai Jehovah my word is truth and my power shall give being to whatsoever I have said There is yet another sence of these words ye the flock of my pasture are men that is men call'd out of the world men renewed by the transforming of your minds men walking in the Spirit not after the flesh men given up to me and my wayes men dealing justly and honestly men fearing God and pursuing holinesse men of choice spirits and practices this sence I should approve of but that the word for men is Adam which rather imports men with their frailties then men with their excellencies My flock of my pasture God calls them the flock of his pasture because he provided for them food for their bodyes and souls as a Shepherd doth provide pasture for his sheep he gave them Manna from Heaven in former dayes and now he gives them his Ordinances his Word the flesh and bloud of his Son Gods flock is different from other Flocks and hath different pastures they are of the world and feed upon the Acorns and Husks of the same but Gods Flock is picked out of the world separate from it and feeds on Heavenly dainties I am your God This is a great and gracious word what can the Lord say more then this to any I am your God what can any desire more then to have God theirs Psal 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee saith Asaph Let others desire what they will in Heaven or earth I desire nothing but God himself Asaph knew that in having him for his God he should have all things When the Lord saith so he doth ingage himself all his attributes and whatsoever he hath unto the people or person he so saith First Observe God hath a peculiar people on earth which he owns and feeds Ye my flock the flock of my pasture God hath elect call'd justified and adopted Ones which make up his flock see 1 Pet 2.9 10. Titus 2.14 Zech. 13.9 I will say it is my people God hath a people refined and tryed in the furnace of affliction which he is not ashamed of but owns openly and this people he provides for Isa 65.13 Behold my servant shall eat but ye shall be hungry behold my servants shall drink but ye shall be thirsty behold my servants shall rejoyce but ye shall be ashamed Gods people shall have meat and drink and that with gladness Acts 2.46 They have hidden Manna Rev 2.17 They are fed by the Lamb and drink of living Fountains of waters Rev 7.17 They are a peculiar people and have peculiar meat and drink Secondly Observe That of whomsoever Gods Flock doth consist yet they are weak and frail creatures The Flock of my pasture are men Noah Lot Abraham Jacob Job David Jeremy Peter Paul John who were Worthies in Israel yet had their weaknesses and shew'd themselves to be men Can God prepare a Table in the Wildernesse said the house of Israel and Mary whom all generations call'd blessed we may call an Adamite the Daughter of Adam for she shew'd her weakness when she said How can this be seeing I know not a man Luke 1.34 Thirdly Observe The happinesse and comfort of Gods flock lyeth in having God to be their God and his manifestation of it Ye are men feeble helpless things but I am your God saith the Lord whatsoever is defective in your selves is redundant in me as there is nothing but impotency and misery in you so there is nothing but power grace and happiness in me I have loved you freely and taken you to be my flock I have given my self unto you and all I have with my self and this I make known unto you CHAP. XXXV Vers 1 2 3 4 5. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me saying Son of man set thy face against Mount Seir and prophesie against it And say unto it Thus saith the Lord God Behold O Mount Seir I am against thee and I will stretch out mine hand against thee and I will make thee most desolate I will lay thy Cityes waste and thou shalt be desolate and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred and hast shed the bloud of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity in the time that their iniquity had an end THE Lord having in the former Chapter laid down many precious promises for the restauration freedom and comfort of his afflicted Flock here he comes to deal with the enemies of his Church and in the Chapter are 1. Threatnings of punishments vers 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 14 15. 2. The sins moving God thereunto vers 5 10 11 12 13. 3. The end of those threatnings and punishments vers 4 11 15. Verses 1 2. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me saying Son of man set thy face against Mount Seir. The Prophet received the word from and was impowered by God to prophesie against Mount Seir. Of setting the face towards or against was spoken before Chap 20.46 Chap. 21.2 Chap 25.2 where there is a prophesie against Moab and Seir. He must turn himself another way and speak boldly against Mount Seir. that is against Idumea wherein Mount Seir was between the Lake Asphaltites and Egypt where Esau and his posterity dwelt Gen 32.3 who were called Edomites or Idumeans Vers 3. Behold O Mount Seir I am against thee Here is a sad message for Mount Seir or rather the inhabitants of Idumea who by a Metonymie are understood thereby they had God against them and this
Sepulchres of the Kings or Prophets it was in the Valley of Passengers near the place of Gods remarkable judgement upon the sinful Cities And they shall call it The Valley of Hamon-Gog In Jeremy you read of a Valley of Slaughter Jer. 19.6 Chap. 7.32 and it was so call'd from the persons slain there by Nebuchadnezzars Forces when Jerusalem was besieged and taken And here 's a Valley call'd the Valley of Hamon-Gog that is of the multitude of Gog so great a multitude were slain and buryed there as gave denomination to the Valley This Valley Joel in his dayes was pleased to call The Valley of Decision or Threshing as the word Rechamte imports Joel 3.14 Vers 12. And seven Moneths shall the House of Israel be burying of them Not some few but the House of Israel who were a great number should be imployed seven Moneths in burying of them which sets out the greatness of the Victory such a number slain as should set many thousands on work so long to bury them seven years in burning their weapons and seventh moneths in burying their dead If a certain number be put here for an uncertain as some will have it yet they were a long time about this work That they may cleanse the Land When a multitude are slain their putrified bodies are apt to corrupt the Air and Earth and so to indanger the living The Israelites therefore to prevent such a mischief shall take great pains to bury them and that without any intention of honouring the dead thereby When men bury the dead usually it 's for an honour to them but not so here the end was to cleanse the Land which was defil'd with the Carkasses of these Goggites Vers 13. Ye all the people of the Land shall bury them Before he had said the House of Israel now he adds all the men of the Land Some should give counsel some should dig the graves or pits and some should bring and put the dead bodies into them Some understand by the House of Israel and people of the Land Christian people who shall extinguish the name of Antichrist and bury it with all his stinking Errors in the Grave of Oblivion and that they make the sense of burying Gog and his And it shall be to them a Renown The Hebrew is for a Name They shall be renowned for this Victory and for their Humanity in burying of the dead Their Enemies shall speak honourably and well of them The day that I shall be gloryfied The Tigurine Translation hath it thus That day wherein I shall be glorified shall be famous unto them they shall have cause to remember that day for ever What day I shall destroy Gog and Magog with all their Forces and so get glory to my self that day shall be a day of Name of Renown and of Memorial unto them that day shall be put into their Chronicles The Hebrew stands thus In the day of Me to be glorified and so may point at their glorifying God for that great destruction of their Enemies Vers 14. And they shall sever out men of continual imployment Gog and his being beaten divers were scattered up and down the Land and by reason of their wounds fell and lay unburyed in many places whereupon they chose out men of continuance so the Hebrew is who might go up and down from one part of the Land to the other to find out the dead To bury with the Passengers those that remain upon the face of the Earth to cleanse it As those Searchers went up and down they mett with Passengers whom they caused to assist them in the buryal of the dead they found It 's probable they made the Passengers to take the bodies or bones of the dead and to bury them because it was matter of defilement unto the Jews to touch dead bodies Numb 19.11 They that did so were unclean seven dayes These being to cleanse the Land would not defile themselves After the end of seven Moneths shall they search Seven Moneths were the people of the Land in burying their Enemies they were busied about those that fell by heaps When these Moneths were at an end they sent out their Searchers to examine Woods Hills Caves Valleys High-wayes and Ditches where any dead corps might lye so careful were they to prevent Infection Vers 15. When any seeth a mans bone then shall he set up a sign by it Some bodies lying long the Fowls of the Heaven or Beasts of the Field devoured their flesh eat their bones and left some fragments of them which if the Passengers and Searchers found they were to set up a sign or mark by them to give notice thereof Mans bone is a singular number put for a plural Mens bones The word a sign is Tzijan which signifies a Statue a Title or Sign setting near to a Grave or a Way-mark as Jer. 31.21 Set thee up way-marks the word is Tzijunim and they were to direct people so here They set up signs to direct the buryers what to do concerning those bones Till the Buryers have buryed it in the Valley of Hamon-Gog Those appointed to bury were to take the bones of men so discovered and to carry them to the Valley of Hamâ—n-gog and bury them there There were the multitude of the slain buryed which gave that denomination to the place and with them must the scattered and collected bones be buryed Vers 16. Also the Name of the City shall be Hamonah What City shall be so call'd is not set down and therefore Interpreters do vary thereabouts Some believe there was a City near that Valley which had another name and upon this occasion of slaying Gog and his multitude lost that and had this imposed by Hamonah Her multitude because a multitude of Enemies were slain therre The Septuagint calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Upon occasions names have been given to places as appears Gen. 16.13 Ch. 26.20 21 22. Act 28.19 Hos 4.15 2 Sam. 5.9 Chap. 6.8 Others judge this City to be Jerusalem reading the words thus And her multuitde shall be a Name or for a Name to the City so Junius Or The Name of the City shall be from her Multitude that is the City Jerusalem or the Church shall be famous for her Inhabitants which slew such a multitude of Goggites so Piscator This sense hath more of truth in it then the other for we find not any City call'd Hamonah since this Prophesie yet those of that opinion say It was fulfill'd in the time of Antiochus Thus shall they cleanse the Land The words are read by some After they have cleansed the Land by others When they have cleansed the Land which is the same for sense Gods giving them so great a Victory over such a multitude of Enemies and their not abusing but cleansing the Land after it should be to them for a name for their great glory and renown First Observe God disappoints the expectation of the wicked while living yet sometimes
's God kindles fires in Nations and Kingdomes to consume Towns and Cities Men and their habitaons they are all his and he may do to them what he pleases having transgressed his lawes By fire and sword did the Lord plead with the Egyptians laying all wast and by so doing made himself known to be a powerful righteous and dreadfull God Observe Fourthly In the soarest judgements of God upon men usually some escape God threatned Egypt Chap. 29.8 that he would cut off man and beast and make it utterly wast from one end to another verse 10 yet here in the ninth verse he saith Messengers shall go forth some should escape to carry tydings of his severe judgements Observe Fifthly Those things which seem accidentall and casual unto us are ordered by the wise Counsel Power and Providence of God In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships When all Egypt was in a confusion some running one way and some another to secure themselves and some hastening unto ships to tell others what the Chaldeans had done in the midst of these hurries and disorders God saw acted sent out messengers they went not however the appearance was to men without Gods ordering hand themselves thought of no such thing nor those they went unto they dreamed not that they were sent forth of God that they came from him it was lookt upon as a meer contingencie but Gods hand was in it Things may be contingent to us they are not so to God Observe Sixthly Such is the efficacy of Gods judgements made known that they do afflict those are at a distance from them and fill the most secure with fears and pains The Ethiopians were absent from the judgements executed upon the Egyptians they were secure carelesse people but when the messengers told them their Cities were burnt their men slain their foundations and helpers destroyed they were afraid and great pains came upon them they were in travail for their Lives Liberties and Estates There is a mighty power in the judgements of God to terrify sinners even at a distance When Tyrus understood such was the efficacy of that judgement upon those afarre off that it s said all the Princes of the Sea clothed themselves with trembling Ezek. 27.35 so that we may say of Gods judgements as David Psal 10.11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger who knows what efficacy it 's of and how far it extends Observe Seventhly Former judgements are not to be forgotten As in the Day of Egypt God had visited Egypt many hundreds of years before and now he minds them of that visitation So Isa 9.4 God mentions the dayes of the Midianites minds them of the great destruction of the Midianites by Gideon Judg. 7 and 8 chap. God mindes the dayes of mens sinning Hos 9.9 they have deeply corrupted themselves as in the dayes of Gibeah and therefore he would visit their sins and when he hath visited for sins he would have us remember those visitations Jer. 7.12 Go to Shiloh and see what I did to it for the wickednesse of my people Israel As we should remember ancient and former mercies to strengthen out faith so ancient and former judgements to quicken our fears Vers 10 11 12. Thus saith the Lord God I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon He and his people with him the terrible of the nations shall be brought to destroy the land and they shall draw their swords against Egypt and fill the Land with the slain And I will make the rivers dry and sell the land into the hands of the wicked and I will make the land waste and all that is therein by the hand of strangers I the Lord have spoken it THese words hold out unto us the efficient and instrumentall causes of the forementioned judgments which are in part repeated The efficient cause is God himself ver 10 11. The instrumental are Nebuchadrezzar and his people ver 10 11. The judgements repeated are the destruction of Egypt and the Egyptians putting the land into the hands of others with an addition of drying up the rivers Vers 10. I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease The Hebrew word for multitude is hamon which signifies both multitude and noise for where there is a multitude there will be a noise Egypt was populous and God would diminish the people they should be slain and carried away captives so should both the multitude and noise cease Increase of people is a blessing the lessening of them a judgement By the hand of Nebuchadrezzar Hand here notes power as in 2 Chron. 2â— 10 and Job 1.12 all that he hath is in thy power the Hebrew is in thy hand Nebuchadrezzar by his mighty powerfull arm should come and lay all Egypt waste and make it like a wildernesse Armies are the hands of Princes by which they doe great and dreadfull things Vers 11 The terrible of the nations shall be brought to destroy the land The word for terrible is arizze from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 araz to deal violently to terrifie which Piscator renders crudelissiâ—â— the most cruell the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pestes the French les plus hideâ—â— the most hideous and Junius the most violent Vatablus cals them Tyranni Gentium the Tyrants of Nations those were most Tyrannical and terrible God brought and set on work to destroy the land The Chaldeans were a bitter nation terrible and dreadful Hab. 1.6 7. these words we had chap. 28.7 so terrible they were that they should fill the land with dead bodies When an Army of friends passe through a Countrey no hurt is done but when an army of Tyrants of strong and terrible enemies come to spoil what mischief will they not do Vers 12. And I will make the rivers dry Heb. drought Though the Chaldean Army was great yet not so great as to drink up all the waters of Nilus which is one of the chiefest rivers in the world Nilus had many rivulets cut out of it whereby the land was watered all those might they stop up with earth and other materials for their better passage and so the rivers were made dry Or by rivers we may understand that benefit came by them the Chaldeans should take away all the wealth of Egypt which came by the rivers and so the rivers were as dry things to the Egyptians So Maldonate and some others interpret the words but rather thus God would send great spoil and desolation into Egypt whereby the rivers might become uselesse unto them or should we take the words literally as some Expositors are of the minde viz. that for the great wickednesse of the Egyptians God dried up Nilus and punished them with sore famine as in the dayes of Joseph it was when there were seven years of famine This sense may be safe or we may take rivers for the people and their power And sell the land into the
hands of the wicked The Lord gives he doth not sell The word for selling is Macar which signifies to give to deliver as well as to sell and the Septuagint saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will give the land those who sell do deliver what they sell into the hands of others and this is attributed to God metaphorically for that he disposed of the land of Egypt to others that is the Chaldeans who are called wicked the Vulgar hath it in manus pessimorum into the hands of the worst I will make the land waste and all that is therein Egypt was a land abounding with men horse charets wealth Cities and all desirable things but God would make it desolate and all the fulnesse of it so the words are in Hebrew for all that is therein it had a fulnesse of all things and by the hand of the Chaldean it was emptied who in the next words are called strangers because they were such to the Egyptians I the Lord have spoken it These words are a ratification of what is threatned Ezekiel hath not spoken a vision of his own or from his own spirit but what is said is the word of the eternal God I the Lord have spoken it I have determined it shall be so and nothing shall lett it Observe First God hath wayes to empty lands of their mâ—â—titude and fullnesse Egypt had her multitude of men of beasts of Cities of riches she had her fulnesse of all things and God had an Army a multitude of Souldiers to plunder and spoil her to empty her of all her multitudes and fulnesses Jerusalem had its multitudes and fulness but Nubuchadnezzar emtyed her and made her like an empty vessel Jer 51.34 Babylon had her multitudes and fulness of Treasure Jer. 51.13 and God had Fanners to fan her ver 2. and empty her land those Fanners were the Medes and Persians who scattered the Babylonians and made a Prey of their Treasures Secondly observe When God will execute severe Judgments he makes use of suitable Instruments He intended utter destruction to Egypt and the terrible of the Nations were brought to destroy it Nebuchadnezzar had men out of many Nations and the terrible ones of those Nations by the secret hand of God were brought to lay Egypt waste They roared like Lyons Isa 5.29 They were cruel and without mercie Jer. 6.23 They hanged Princes by their hands Lament 5.12 And here they fil'd the Land with the slain Thirdly observe Gods designs shall go on whatever lies in the way to hinder He was resolved upon the destruction of Egypt the Rivers of it lay in the way so that an Army could not get over Nilus that great river if gotten over it could not march and do the work appointed for the multitude of little Rivers were in the land shall these hinder the designe of God No he will dry up the Rivers to make way unto his designs the Babylonians shall pass over and pierce through the whole land When the Israelites were at the Red Sea that lay as an impediment unto Gods design which was to carry them to Canaan but did it hinder the same No speak to the Children of Israel that they go forward what go forward and be drowned in the Sea No because they had not Faith to go upon the waters therefore he divides the waters and makes a dry path for them through the midst of the deeps Exod 14. There were Mountains in the way hindering the building of the Temple but one great mountain above all the rest Zech. 4.7 Who art thou O great mountain whether it were the Persian Monarchy or Satan and all the enemies of the Jewes God made it a plain before Zerubbabel and notwithstanding all enemies and opposition he carried on the work of God Things may be too hard for men impossible for them but nothing is too hard for or impossible to the Lord. He enabled Nebuchadnezzar to take Tyrus to destroy Egypt all the Rivers thereof shall not hinder it God will dry them up rather then his designe shall faile Psal 74.15 Thou dryest up mighty rivers God hath divided Seas plained Mountains and dryed up Rivers in our days to make way for his designs and in due time he will dry up the great River Euphrates to make way for the Kings of the East Rev. 16.12 Fourthly observe All Lands are the Lords and he may dispose of them to whom he will even to the wicked he sold he gave the land of Egypt into the hands of the Babylonians who were wicked yea the worst of men Ezek. 7.24 Kingdoms are not such excellent things as we imagine were they so they would not be given to Gods enemies That Kingdom is of great worth which God gives to his children Luke 12.32 Vers 13 14 15 16 17 18 19. Thus saith the Lord God I will also destroy the Idols and I will cause their Images to cease out of Noph and there shall be no more a Prince of the land of Egypt and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt And I will make Pathros desolate and will set fire in Zoan and will execute Judgments in No. And I will poure my fury upon Sin the strâ—â—gth of Egypt and I will cut off the multitude of No. And I will set fire in Egypt Sin shall have great pain and No shall be rent asunder and Noph shall have distresses daily The young men of Aven and of Phibeseth shall fall by the sword and these cities shall go into captivity At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened when I shall break there the yoaks of Egypt and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her as for her a cloud shall cover her and her daughters shall go into Captivity Thus will I execute Judgments in Egypt and they shall know that I am the Lord. HAving formerly threatned destruction to Egypt and her Cities in general the Prophet descends now to particulars in the 13 14 15 16 17 and 18 vers and then in the 19. verse shews what is the end of God in his exercising judgments viz. That they may know him to be the Lord. I will destroy the Idols Egypt was the most idolatrous Land of any and God would now destroy the Idols out of it The word for Idols is gillulim which Piscator renders stercora dung filth so the word signifies and their Idols were dunghil filthy Gods fitter to be trodden under foot by Man and Beast then to be worshipped I will cause their Images to cease Elilim Images from Elil nihilum for an Image or Idol is res nihili a thing of no account 1 Cor. 8.4 It cannot profit therefore Isai 2.20 They shall cast away their Idols as useless things and God would make them to cease Out of Noph This Noph was a great city in Egypt very populous and famous for the Pyramids and Monuments of Kings who leaving Thebes made that the Royal City Isai 19.13 The Princes of Noph thither many
of the Jews fled Jeremie 44.1 It was seated on the west side of Nilus over against Cairo though it was once the Metropolis of Egypt now nothing remains but the meer ruines The vulgar renders it Memphis and so it was commonly call'd by Heathen Writers and Hos 9.6 Memphis shall bury them The Hebrew word for Memphis is Moph litterarum N. M. facili permutatione Jun. in Isai 19.13 by the chang-of N into M. saith Martinius and hence Memphis but Junius makes it so call'd from Moph a Mountain near unto it In this City was that Idol Apis in the form of an Ox worshipped like unto it was the Calf the Jews made when Moses was in the Mount and those Calves Jeroboam set up at Dan and Bethel And there shall be no more a Prince of the Land of Egypt God would so visit Egypt that he would either cut off all the Royal Blood not leaving any of the Egyptian race to reign or which is more consonant to truth he would keep Egypt a long time without any Prince He had threatned in the former Chapter ver 11 12. That Egypt should be desolate Forty eight years and that is the time here meant there shall be no more a Prince of the land of Egypt Lavater extends these words no more beyond the Forty years saying that for a long time they had no Kings for after that time the Macedonians Romans and Sarazens ruled over them And I will put a fear in the land of Egypt The Egyptians were like the Ethiopians a secure careless people they trusted in their Rivers their Cities their Horse their Foot their Confederates and wealth therefore God would awaken them and put a fear into all sorts they should fâ—ar the issue of things an enemy being at hand and ready to lay all waste Vers 14. And I will make Pathros desolate Of Pathros was spoken Chap. 29. 14. There it s joyned with the Land of Pathros there it s reckoned amongst Cities and Junius saith its likely to be that City which afterwrds men commonly called Herculis parvam urbem the little City of Hercules because it was strong and scituate in the Front of Egypt for defence of it When Nebuchadnezzar came into Egypt he made desolate both Pathros the Country and Pathros the City I will set fire in Zoan Zoan was a City in Egypt very antient built seven years after Hebron Num. 13.22 a Royal City where the Princes resided Isa 19.11 to it came Princes from Judaea for help Isa 30.4 The Septuagint calls it Tanis and because it was not far from Nilus one of the mouths of Nilus was called Ostium Tanicum or Taniticum Among Authors there is mention of Tanis in Goshen and Tanis on the other side Nilus where Memphis was and because the Jews dwelt in Goshen I conceive Tanis in Goshen is sometimes meant in Scripture and not always the other Tanis or Zoan as Psal 78.12 43. vers God did marvelous things and wonders in the â—ield of Zoan or Tanis that might be that where the Jews inhabited By Fire here may be understood fire materially which consum'd Zoan to ashes or fire Metaphorically Gods vengeance upon it by the Sword and will execute Judgments in No. No was another great City in Egypt of which the Prophet Nahum speaks thus Chap. 3. 8. Art thou better then populous No that was scituate among the Rivers that had the waters round about it whose Rampart was the Sea and her wall was from the Sea The word for populous is Amon which signifies nourishing No was mater nutrix totius Egypti the Mother and Nurse of all Egypt by reason of her great wealth and traffique scituate amongst the Rivers cut out of Nilus The Septuag terms it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Chaldee Paraphrast Rabbies and most Expositors make it to be the City which in after-times was call'd Alexandria Junius thinks it that City and Tract which Ptolomie calls Neuth This City God did punish for it was idolatrous Jerem. 46.25 Vers 15. I will pour my fury upon Sin the strength of Egypt Exod. 16.1 Mention is made of the wilderness of Sin which some Expositors affirm had its name from this City here call'd Sin which afterward obtained the name Pelusium and was by that mouth of Nilus termed ostium Pelusiorum over against Arabia Petraea and is now called Damiata Castaldo Zeiglero and Suidas names it Clavis Egypti the Key of Egypt and our Prophet robur Egypti the strength of Egypt it was of grand import to hinder the coming in or going out of ships So strong it was that God must pour his fury upon it else it would not be ruined And wlll cut off the multitude of No. This City No had great trading and Idol Gods in it both which drew Multitudes of people but the Lord would cut them off some by the Sword some by captivity and some by other Judgments Vers 16. I will set fire in Egypt In ver 14. he said I will set fire in Zoan and here in Egypt The Babylonians were Fire-brands whom God brought to consume all Egypt and her Glory Sin shall have great pain The Hebrew is dolendo dolebit she shall be in such paine as women in travail are God would pour his fury upon her and that would paine her to purpose No shall be rent asunder Garments we use to rend in pieces and weak materialls Cities are weak things when God comes to deal with them he can rend them asunder the strongest Walls Towers Houses he can in a moment pull in pieces as easily as the strongest man can paper or cloaths And Noph shall have distresses daily Noph shall hear of and meet with those things as should put her into continual streights provisions should faile her the spirit of her Soldiers and Inhabitants should faile her her hope of help from Confederates should faile her so daily she should have distress and especially when besieged by the Enemy Vers 17. The young men of Aven Aven the Septuagint have it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heliopolis which is the City of the Sun and Isa 19.18 it s call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ir Cheres the City of the Sun so it s rendred in the Margent and it was so cal'd because it was simulachrum templum solis the Image and Temple of the Sun it was sometimes in Holy Writ call'd On Gen. 41.45 Pharoah gave Joseph to wife Asenath the Daughter of Potiphera Priest of On of Heliopolis saith the Septuag It was after by the Graecians call'd Thebe by the Arabians Bethsemes The men of this City were accounted the wisest of all the Egyptians neither their wisdom nor their strength could preserve them from falling by the sword And of Phibeseth shall fall by the Sword This City is affirm'd to be Bubastis or Bubastus a City in Egypt where Diana whom the Egyptians call'd Bubastis had a Temple and there was once a year great solemnitie had in honorem Dianae by
of the land and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow and have left him Vpon his ruine shall all the Fowls of the Heaven remain and all the Beasts of the field shall be upon his branches To the end that none of all the Trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs neither their trees stand up in their height all that drink water for they are all delivered unto death to the neither parts of the Earth in the midst of the children of men with them that go down to the pit Thus saith the Lord God In the day when he went down to the Grave I caused a mourning I covered the deep for him and I restrained the floods thereof and the great waters were sâ—â—â—â—â— and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him and all the trees of the field fainted for him I made the Nations to shake at the sound of his fall when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit and all the trees of Eden the choise and best of Lebanon all that drink water shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the Sword and they that were his Arm that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the Heathen HAving set forth the greatness and Glory of the King of Assyria in the former Verses under the Allegorie of a Tree here he comes to shew the cutting down and destruction of this Tree with the causes events and end thereof Vers 10. Because thou hast lifted up thy self in height These words are an Apostrophe to the King of Egypt as Junius and Piscator observe Here is a sudden interruption and turning of the Speech unto Pharaoh who was proud and haughtie like the Assyrian God by this gives him a hint to look to himself and so turns again to the Assyrian And he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs He that is the King of Assyria he was growne very high and so high that his heart was lifted up in his height propter altitudinem suam saith Piscator by reason of his height his height heigthned his Spirit he thought himself to have aliquod numinis in him and fit to be worshipped Vers 11. I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen The Hebrew is future I will deliver him and so Munster reads it For the better understanding of these words we must know that the Kingdom of Assyria and Chaldaea were distinct The Metropolis of Chaldaea was Babylon the Metropolis of the Assyrian was Ninive the ten Tribes were carried away by the Assyrians the other two Tribes by the Chaldaeans Dissentions arising between these two God delivered the King of Assyria into the hands of the King of Chaldaea who was Nebuchadnezzar as Expositors say and is here call'd the mighty one of the Heathen he subdued all Assyria and made that and Chaldaea one Empire and afterwards the people were called sometimes Assyrians sometimes Babylonians sometimes Chaldaeans Polanus and others interpret these words of Esarhaddon who after Sennacherib was King of Assyria Isa 37.38 Whom God delivered into the hand of Berodach-baladan or Merodach-baladan being then King of Babylon Isa 39.1 2 Kin. 20.12 Who is here called the mighty One of the Hethen the Hebrew is be ia d el goijm into the hand of the God of the Nations so Montanus renders the words now whether Berodach-baladan were such a God or mighty One of the Heathen is doubted because he was but Praefectus Babyloniae He shall surely deal with him In Hebrew its he shall by doing do with him that is celeriter absque sudore saith Chrolampadius he shall without difficulty or delay deal with him he shall deal with him according to his own mind do what he lift unto him he shall take away his life and kingdom from him This and the former word is future put for preter Tenses which is usual among the Hebrews I have driven him out for his wickedness The word for to drive out is gerash which notes not only a simple ejection a bare driving out but a disgrace â—â— one such a casting or driving out as is with disgrace as when a wife is divorced she is judged unworthy of Bed Board or Cohabitation Gen. 3.24 God drove out the man that was with disgrace and so here I have driven him out with disgrace for his wickedness Vers 12. And strangers the terrible of the Nations have cut him off and have left him Here he shews the ruine and downfal of the Cedar which was so high and extended its boughs so far strangers the terrible of the Nations that is the Chaldaeans who were cruel and merciless Jer. 6.23 they cut him off the King of Assyria and left him not affording the honor due to a dead King Vpon all the Mountains and in all the Valleys his branches are fallen and his boughs are broken by all the Rivers of the land When great trees are cut or blown down then the branches or arms are broken and pul'd off When the King of Assyria was slain his Princes Nobles Provinces and people all suffered with him some were slain upon the Mountains some upon the Valleys and by the Rivers all the land over there were dead and slain persons And all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow and have left him Those which formerly were his Confederates and depended much upon him for Counsel and help seeing him ruined by the Chaldaeans they fell off and would not assist him or divers of his own seeing how things went with him deserted him Vers 13. Vpon his ruine shall all the Fowls of the heaven remain and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches When a Tree is pull'd up or cut down the fruit leaves and branches gone there remains the body or Trunk deformed and spoiled of its beauty and glory that 's the ruine so here the King of Assyria being taken and slain his Crown Glory and Greatness laid in the dust his dead body was the ruine and now the Fowls of Heaven the Nobles and great Ones of Chaldaea and all the Beasts of the field the meaner sort made a Prey of him and his him they scorn'd and vilified and what was his they seiz'd upon Lavater saith his body lay unburied that Crows Ravens Vultures and such like Flesh-Fowls fed upon it Vers 14. To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height neither shoot up their top c. This too sets out the end of Gods heavy Judgments upon the King of Assyria that other trees seeing Gods dealings with that high Cedar for its pride and loftiness they might take heed of exalting themselves Men grown great are apt to grow proud Trees by the waters that is men abounding
with wealth honor greatness and such things as may puffe up trees by waters grow high and men in the midst of great means are in great danger to do so Neither their Trees stand up in their height all that drink water The Margent hath it or stand upon themselves for their height and so the sense is plain that none of the Trees should exalt themselves or stand upon themselves their own strength wealth and greatness they should not rest in themselves please themselves If we take the words as they are in the verse the sense is much the same neither their trees stand up in their height all that drink water that is Let none that have means despise others that are inferiour or let them not stand up in their height it will be but for a season and they must be cut down For they are all delivered unto death to the nether parts of the earth in the midst of the children of men with them that go down to the pit All the Assyrians were delivered up to the Chaldaeans to be slain by them or all the Princes Nobles and great Ones they shall dye go down into the earth among the meanest where no difference will be made therefore rich Ones great Ones should not exalt themselves above others or stand upon their height First Observe Pride and wickednesse causes God to bring dreadfull judgements upon Kings and their Kingdomes Because the King of Assyria's heart was lifted up in his height therefore God delivered him into the hand of a mighty enemy and drave him out for his wickednesse When Princes are in the seat of honour have great means coming in then they look big begin to Deifie themselves to do what they list not minding him who exalted them but confiding in their own strength power and greatnesse which makes way for their speedy ruine Solomon tells us that a man shall not be established by wickednesse Pro 12.13 Kings by their wicked pollices and practices cannot establish themselves their wickednesse overthâ—owes them their pride provokes God against them Da 4.25 It s good for Kings others to be humble in the midst of their injoyments and the greater abundance that they do possesse Qui humili est an mo dignus est honore Divinitas quiescit super eo Buxtorph to carry it still the more humbly for he that is of an humble mind is worthy of honour and hath God dwelling with him Secondly Observe God hath instruments for the doing of his work whatever it be and such instruments as will do it to purpose He had an Assyrian Cedar to cut down which was very great whose top was in the Clouds whose Boughes extended very farre in whose branches the Fowls did make their Nests and under whose shadow dwelt all great Nations and now who shall dare to meddle with this Cedar Yes the Lord had One that durst attempt and doe it he had a mighty One of the Heathens a God of the Nations into whose hand he delivered the great Cedar and he in doing did unto him all the mind of God he cut him down and laid him low Let Trees be deeply rooted grown exceeding great and high yet God hath Hewers to hew down such Trees Dan. 4.14 Thirdly Observe When great Trees are cut dâ—wn many other Trees suffer with them When Kings fall they break and undoe many When the King of Assyria was cut off his Nobles and great Ones yea all sorts suffered by him Vpon the Mountains and in all the Valleys his Branches are fallen his Boughs are broken and all the people of the Earth are gone down from his shadow All his Provinces Princes People met with hard things When Zedekiah was taken and carryed away captive did not the Princes Nobles and People suffer grievous things see 2 Kings 25. Jer 52. In our dayes we have seen many suffer by the fall of the King Fourthly Observe Neither Princes Nobles nor other People can tell who shall enjoy their wealth The King of Assyria had great revenues the Assyrians were well watred a rich people but who got all their wealth The Chaldaeans strangers the terrible of the Nations upon his ruine shall all the Fowles of the Heaven remain and all the Beasts of the field shall be upon his Branches Little did the Assyrians dream that the Chaldaeans should have their Jewels Gold Silver Plate Linnen Habitations and Lands Many hord and heap up for their enemies Many men are rich well fraught like Ships at Sea but whose hands their wealth may fall into they know not David calls it a vanity and its a deep excessive vanity that men disquiet themselves in heaping up riches and cannot tell who shall gather them Psal 39.6 Whether their children or strangers friends or foes Solomon was vexed to think he must leave all he had got or done he knew not to whom whether a wise man or a fool Eccles 2.18 19. Fifthly Observe God doth therefore destroy Kings and Kingdomes that rich Ones great Ones and all sorts may take heed of their sins pride wickednesse and self-confidence God cuts off the great Cedar the King of Assyria to the end that none of all the Trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height nor stand upon themselves for their height let them not slight other Trees which are not by the waters that are not so Bulky Branchy and Leavy as themselves nor conceit that their wealth and greatness will always last Vers 15. In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning The word for Grave is Sheol which among other things signifies the state of the dead as Gen 37.35 saith Jacob I will go down into the Grave unto my Son By Grave he meant not Hell nor the Grave in a proper sense for he was perswaded some wild Beasts had devoured him but the state of the dead and so here when this high Cedar was cut down when the King of Assyria was slain and went down to the Grave that is the state of the Dead I caused a mourning Then there was a sad change trading ceas'd barrennesse came upon all the Land the Towns and Cityes were not frequented I covered the deep for him and I restrained the Floods thereof and the great waters were stayed If we take the words litterally the sense is the Sea and Rivers seem'd to mourn at the destruction and fall of this Cedar and so if you take the deep floods and waters for his riches abundance and great revenues they seem'd now to put on Sackcloath their Lord and Master being dead now there was no more flowing of those waters The deep the Rivers and waters had contributed to the greatnesse of the Cedar and they were affected with his fall I caused Lebanon to mourn for him In the 3d verse the Assyrian was call'd a Cedar in Lebanon and when this Cedar fell he made the rest of the Trees in Lebanon to put on black the word is Akdin
in the world been dreadfull unto others and go down to the Grave in pomp or not shall afterward bear-their shame and sin The mighty Ones of Ashur of Elam of Meshech Tubal Edom those of the North and Zidon who were a terrour in the Land of the living some of them were buried in pomp they went down to Hell with their weapons of war and they had their swords laid under their heads others had no Funerals or no pomp at them but they all did bear their shame and their iniquities were upon their bones they lived wickedly oppressed grievously played the Devills on the earth they bear their shame and God punished them for their iniquities Tyrants are feared and honoured as gods while they live but being dead their names do stink and their torments are terrible Potens potenter punientur proportioned to the power they have abused and mischief done by them Fifthly Observe Externall priviledges profit not Princes nor People unlesse they be Godly they must perish like those that want those priviledges The Edomites were circumcised which was a great priviledge in Pauls account Phil. 35. a sign of the Covenant between God and his people Gen 17.11 But because they and their Princes were wicked circumcision profited them not they were laid with the uncircumcised they had no more favour from the hand of the Lord then his worst enemies then those that were out of covenant and open enemies unto him Let men take heed how they rest upon their priviledges and professions it is not Baptisme being in a Church injoying of Ordinances having of gifts high notions and admirable expressions will advantage men or women at last unlesse they be really Godly a thousand such priviledges will do them no good Gal. 6.15 In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new Creature Verses 31 32. Pharoah shall see them and shall be comforted over all his multitude even Pharoah and all his army slain by the sword saith the Lord God For I have caused my terrour in the Land of the living and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword even Pharoah and all his multitude saith the Lord God IN these two verses is the conclusion of this Prophesie Lamentation or Funerall of Pharoah and the Egyptians which is the comfort he shall have amongst those mighty men and Princes before mentioned and this is in the 31. verse And then the end of Gods judgements upon Kings and People vers 32. Vers 31. Pharoah shall see them and shall be comforted When Pharoah shall come to Hell or the Grave and see what Kings Princes and multitudes of people are there suffering such things as himself must this shall comfort him that he hath such companions and so many To lose his life kingdom and people were sad things bitter afflictions but when he saw others had done so before him and they as great as himselfe this was as a Cordial unto him Pharoah and all his army slain by the sword Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon came shortly after this prophesie against him and the Egyptians and made a great slaughter amongst them cutting off man and beast from the Land as was said Chap. 29.11 Vers 32. For I have caused my terrour in the Land of the Living Junius reads the words when I shall put my terrour Montanus because I have put my breaking in the Land of the Living a Preter Tense for a Future The sense is this when I shall cut off Pharoah and his army by the Babylonish sword this judgement of mine upon them will cause terrour in the Nations that are living they will be afraid of my judgements Pharoah made them afraid by his wars and I shall make them afraid by my judgements First Observe The comfort that wicked ones have after death in Hell is poor comfort its imaginary comfort rather then reall What comfort is it to see many in Prison in torment suffering proportionable punishment for their iniquities Pharoah shall see them and shall be comforted he shall see the Kings of several Countries there the great Tyrants of the world and shall be punished like unto them his comfort was in conceit but his punishment in reallity Polanus calls it Crudele solatium Cruel Comfort For a King to be in Fire and Brimstone with other Kings People to be weeping and gnashing of their tee h with others is cold and cruel comfort Many flatter themselves that if they dogo to hell they shall have companions there which will be some ease but it rather wil aggravate their misery to hear their dreadfull howling and yellings their cursing one another that ever they knew each other Secondly Observe God cuts off Kings and Nations by his just judgements that he might strike fear into the living cause them to cease from sin and learn righteousnesse When Pharoah and all his Army were slain by the sword then the Lord sent his terrour in the Land of the living then the Nations far and nigh trembled at the severe judgements of the Lord. Such judgements are awakening things and call aloud to the Inhabitants of the earth to repent and reform their wayes CHAP. XXXIII Vers 1 2 3 4 5 6. Again the word of the Lord came unto me saying Son of man Speak to the children of thy people and say unto them when I bring the sword upon a Land if the people of the Land take a man of their Coasts and set him for their watchman If when he seeth the sword come upon the Land he blow the Trumpet and warn the people Then whosoever heareth the sound of the Trumpet and taketh not warning if the sword come and take him away his bloud shall be upon his own head He heard the sound of the Trumpet and took not warning his bloud shall be upon him but he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul But if the watchman see the sword come and blow not the Trumpet and the people be not warned if the sword come and take any person from among them he is taken away in his iniquity but his bloud will I require at the watchmans hand OUR Prophet having finished his prophesie against the Nations in eight Chapters from the 24. to this 33. which was the second Generall part of his whole prophesie comes here again to prophesie unto the Jews and begins the third General part of his prophesie which extends to the end of the 39. Chapter In this Chapter are these things laid down 1. A Renovation of the Prophets call to his Office with the Description thereof from the 1. verse to the 10. 2. A Confirmation of the Prophet against the calumnies of the Jews from the 10. to the 21. 3. A Denunciation of judgement against those that were not smitten at the taking of Jerusalem from the 21. to the 30. 4. A Reproof of those that were captives in Babylon for their hypocrisie and covetousness from
the 30. vers to the end Vers 1. Again the word of the Lord came unto me saying Vers 2. Son of man speak unto the children of thy people Ezekiel being taken off by the Lord from prophesying to the Jews Ch 24.27 he was imployed two years upwards in prophesying to other Nations as appears by comparing Ch 24.1 with Ch. 32.1 having done with them here he is Cōmission'd again to prophesie to the Jews Son of man speak unto thy people cease now to speak any more to the Nations which are strangers to thee speak to thine own people to the Jews which are of the same root stock and kinred with thy self The Hebrew is to the sons of thy people It s observable God saith not to the children of my people or to the Jews but to thy people God did disown them they were so stubborn and disobedient that he would not acknowledge them for his Oft in this prophesie they are call'd Ezekiels people Chap 3.11 Chap 13.17 and four times in this Chapter in this 2. vers the 12.17 30. in all these verses its the children of thy people When the Jews sinned that grievous sin in making the Calf God disown'd them and said to Moses Go get thee down for thy people have corrupted themselves Exod 32.7 Sin makes breaches between the nearest relations and causes God to disown his own people and his own institutions Isa 1.14 The new Moons and the appointed Feasts my soul hateth When I bring the sword upon a Land By sword is meant war and the evils do attend it as Chap. 6.3 14.17 29.8 30.4 32.11 The Hebrew is thus A Land when I shall bring upon it the sword here is a Nominative Case viz Erez put absolute and Sanctius saith when a Pronoun follows that Nominative must be put in the place and Case of the Pronoun as our translation hath done saying I will bring a sword not upon it but upon the Land Land is not put for Judaea but indefinitely for any Land If the people of the Land take a man of their Coasts and set him for their watchman When a Land is in danger of being invaded the peoples care is to chose out one or other to set him in some eminent place for a watchman Montanus and the Vulgar render the word Mikzehem de novissimis suis They take one of the lowest and meanest rank but Katzah notes the border and extream part of a Land or any other thing It s better as our translation hath it a man of their Coasts or borders where the enemy was like to make his first approach A watchman Tzopheh is from Tzaphah which is accurately to observe to open the eyes and fixedly to behold an object and take special notice thereof so is a watchman to do 2 Sam. 13.34 The young man that kept the watch lift up his eyes and looked and behold there came much people He did not barely look but lift up his eyes and looked he made an accurate observation So 2 Sam. 18.24 The watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall and lift up his eyes and looked and behold a man running alone he put forth himself to the utmost to make a discovery his eyes were intent upon it Vers 3. If when he seeth the sword come upon the Land c. This verse sets out the office of the watchman which is 1. To look diligently about him whether there be any danger approaching any enemy neer at hand coming to invade or make attempts against the Land 2. If so he is to blow the Trumpet presently and to give warning thereof stirring up all to procure publique safety He blow the Trumpet The Hebrew word to blow is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Takah which signifies to fasten but when it s joyn'd with the word Manus it notes to strike the hand or strike hands when with the word Shophar a Trumpet it signifies to blow as 2 Sam 2.28 Joab blew a Trumpet so 1 Sam. 13.3 Saul blew the Trumpet and Joel 2.1 Blow the Trumpet in Zion Trumpets of old were made of the horns of Beasts of Brasse and Silver And warn the people The blowing of the Trumpet was a warning to the people to look to themselves but this warning was not only by the voice of the Trumpet but also by the voice of the watchman for having blown the Trumpet upon the discovery and approach of an enemy the watchman was to shift for his life and liberty by returning to his people and so to call upon them to provide for publique safety The word in Hebrew for warning is Zahar which signifies to shine illuminate and metaphorically to warn because when a man is warned he is instructed and hath light given in unto him Vers 4. Then whosoever heareth the sound of the Trumpet and taketh not warning if the sword come and take him away Many are so taken up with the world that though they hear of danger at hand yet they will not hear but venture so long that they are caught the sword comes and takes them away The Hebrew is he that hearing heareth His bloud shall be upon his own head He hath no cause to blame the watchman he blew the Trumpet and warned him the fault is in himself that he took not the warning that he made not haste to secure his own life he is guilty of his own death and hath voluntarily brought it upon himself the whole fault is his own that is the meaning of this phrase His bloud shall be upon him or upon his own head which is frequent in Scripture Josh 2.19 It shall be that whosoever goeth out of the doors of thy house into the street his bloud shall be upon his head and we will be guiltlesse that is he shall be guilty of his own death not we 1 Kings 2.37 On the day thou goest out and passest over the Brook Kidron thou shalt surely dye thy bloud shall be upon thine own head thou shalt be the cause of thine own death not I said Solomon to Shimei Vers 5. He heard the sound of the Trumpet and took not warning his bloud shall be upon him Here the reason is given why he is guilty of his own death because he was within the sound of the Trumpet he heard it that proclaimed the danger was at hand but he was secure minding his profit or pleasure and took not warning But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul He that gives heed to the blowing of the Trumpet and presently hastens into the City or flyes for his life he shall deliver his soul from the hands of the enemies coming he shall be safe the word for to deliver is from Malat which signifies fuga sibi Consulere to provide for ones self by flight saith Avenarius he doth so deliver his soul that is himself for soul here is put by a Synecdoche for a mans selfe Vers 6. But if the watchman
desire love delight in a thing as Gen 34.19 Shechem delighted in Dinah he desired her loved her and took delight in her Chophetz notes the highest delight content that can be taken Psal 16.3 in whom is Col Cheph-Zi all my delight that is my greatest delight Now here it s said God hath not pleasure in the death of the wicked This is not an absolute negative denying God wholly to have delight in death or in the death of sinful wicked man or of any sinfull man for God took delight in the destruction of Pharoah and his Hoast in the red Sea which Moses shews saying Exod 15.1 He hath triumphed gloriously the Horse and his Rider hath he thrown into the Sea God sent Saul to smite Amaleck utterly to destroy him and all his when Agag was spared with the best of the sheep and oxen was he not wrath with him 1 Sam. 15.3.11.23 When Jehu cut off Ahabs house what said the Lord Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in my eyes and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart thy children of the fourth Generation shall sit on the Throne of Israel 2 Kings 10.30 The destruction of Ahabs house was pleasing to God he commended he rewarded it And that God takes no pleasure in the destruction of a sinfull wicked man is contrary to these Texts Deut. 28.63 Prov. 1.26 27. Isa 1.24 Jer 14.12 The words they are not to be taken as an absolute negative but comparatively thus I have pleasure in the turning of the wicked from his wayes rather then in his death or its more pleasing to me that a wicked man should turn and live then that he should continue and dye Such an expression is that in 1 Cor. 1.17 Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospell Not absolutely not to baptize but rather to preach then to baptize he had more pleasure in my preaching then in my baptizing and so here Let me not live if I have so much pleasure in the death of a sinner as in his turning from his sin By Death here some understand eternall Death and it cannot be otherwise saith Quistorpius for he speaks of that death which may be avoided by repentance and turning to God but temporal death cannot be avoided either by the penitent or impenitent But to him that well considers this place it will appear that here it s spoken of a temporal and violent death for vers 3. He speaks of the sword coming upon a Land They were at this time either straitly besiedged or newly taken by Nebuchadnezzars forces and complain'd that their sins were upon them provoking God to destroy them that they pin'd away and there was no hope for them of life though they should repent them of their iniquities this God answers unto and tells them if they turn from their evill wayes there is hope they shall live for repentance prevents and removes judgements that are destructive The Ninivites by their repentance prevented the destruction of themselves and their City at Davids repentance the plague was stayed Ahabs humbling himself prevented Gods bringing the evill in his dayes So that its true of natural death that cannot be avoided by penitency or impenitency but a violent death may a death by sword by famine by plague by wild beasts may 2 Chro 7.14 If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked wayes then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and wâ—ll heal their Land Had he spoken of eternall death it had been no answer to the Jews objection Lavater tells us that by Death is meant Malum and by Life Bonum Men by their sins bring sad calamities and judgements upon themselves they cause God to punish them with variety of evills which he hath no pleasure in nor they cause to complain of Lament 3.33 39. He had rather they should turn from their sins and live comfortably But that the wicked turn from his way and live The word for wicked is Rashang which the Septuagint renders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the irreligious lewd ungodly man here wicked wicked in opinions wicked in practice troublesome to God and man running the wrong way The word for way signi ies a path which leads from place to place and men walk in it Metaphorically it s applyed to the customes manners actions religions and lives of men Jer. 16.2 Pro 1.19 Prov 21.2 of this before Chap. 16.61 The sense lyeth thus As I live I delight not in the death of the wicked but if the wicked turn from his way and live or shall live that is according to what I have prescribed in my word I shall delight in this or thus If he turn from his sinfull way that he may live and live comfortably I shall delight in it Turn ye turn ye from your evill wayes Here is an earnest exhortation of them unto repentance setting out the mercy and goodnesse of God who was ready and willing to pardon them upon their turning from their evil wayes The doubling of the word notes the earnest and reall intention of God in it The sum and substance of the words is to shew that if sinners repent of their former wickednesse he will forgive them and take pleasure in them Turn ye turn ye from your evill wayes If ye pine away under my judgements the fault is yours you turn not from your idolatries oppressions perjuries and profanations of my Sabbaths and Ordinances these are wayes of death but if ye would hearken to my wayes and turn unto them they are wayes of life Of turning hath been spoken Chap. 14.6 The Septuagint is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Turn you by turning turn throughly from your evill wayes For why will ye dye O house of Israel Ye are the Nation I took and brought out of Egypt by a strong hand Deut 4.34 Ye are the people that entred into Covenant with me avouched me to be your God Deut. 26.17 and I you to be my peculiar people vers 18. ye are they upon whom I have bestowed great priviledges holy Ordinances to whom I have shewed mercy and truth Ps 76.1 2. Ps 98.3 ye are the people I have taken most delight in of all people under Heaven whom I have most honoured done most for and made the greatest promises unto Jer. 31.33 34. Chap 33.8.14 Why therefore have you left me and my wayes and fallen into wayes of death why do you wound and stab your selves if you have no regard to me yet pity your selves cease from those wayes will be your death Why will ye dye O house of Israel Is it not better to live in my wayes then to dye in your own First Observe The guilt and punishment of sin are heavy and consuming things Our transgressions and our sins are upon us and we pine away in them Guilt alone is
Church are call'd Shepherds Jer 25.34 Howl ye Shepherds and cry wallow your selves in ashes ye principal of the flock that is as the flock is considered Politically and Ecclesiastically ye are the Shepherds the principal thereof howl ye c. They are call'd Shepherds because they are to govern protect provide for and to feed them Wo be to the Shepherds of Israel Herein generall judgement is threatned against these Shepherds Wo be to them This word is a Comprehensive word and includes variety of evils in it not some one but divers sad judgements should come upon them The word for Shepherds is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rohe from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rahah to feed and metaphorically to govern teach and so to feed men That do feed themselves shoold not the Shepherds feed the flock Here was their sin they fed themselves not the flock those are Shepherds in State or Church are set up for the good of the people to benefit and advantage them not to seek themselves to draw from the people what they can to make themselves great they should be content with their allowance and lay out themselves fully and wholly for the good of them that are committed to their trust This interrogation Should not the Shepherds feed the flock Sets out the hainousness of their sin and the indignation of God against it What you Shepherds and not feed the flock you pervert the course of nature and violate the order which God hath set and that is intollerable he will visit severely for it The word for Flock is Tzon which signifies a multitude of Sheep or Goats The Septuagint render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sheep and in a metaphoricall sense it s put for the people Zech 9.16 Micah 7.14 People are resembled unto Sheep First Sheep are foolish silly creatures not like Foxes Lyons Lybards which are subtle and crafty so are people for the generality of them Jerem 5.21 Hear now this O foolish people and without understanding which have eyes and see not which have ears and hear not They had no ears to hearken unto the word of God no eyes to see the hand of God no understanding to discern the mind and dealings of God so Deut 32.28 They are a Nation void of counsell neither is there any understanding in them they act like foolish silly people that know nothing of God Secondly Sheep are apt to go astray 1 Sam 1.7.20 David left the Sheep with a Keeper he knew they would wander had they not a Keeper so people are apt to stray from that that is just and equall to turn aside from the wayes of God Isa 53.6 All we like Sheep are gone astray Jerem 2.13 My people have forsaken me the fountain of living waters that is They have forsaken me their Shepherd who provided all good things for them Thirdly When one Sheep goes out of the way many follow run after that one so it is with the multitude 2 Sam 20.1 2. One Sheba the son of Bichri a Benjamite blew a Trumpet saying We have no part in David neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse every man to his Tents O Israel So every man of Israel went up from after David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri Here was a Ram led all Israel into rebellion So Theudas stept out of the way and presently 400 others joyn'd themselves unto him And Judas of Galilee drew much people after him Acts 5.36 37. Omnino sese praebent proedam hominibus bestiu Fourthly Sheep are exposed to much danger they are a prey to Dogs Lyons Wolves Foxes Bears and such wilde Beasts so are the people exposed to spoyl and to be prey'd upon by the great Ones Zeph 3.3 Jerusalems Princes within her are roaring Lyons her Judges are evening Wolves they prey'd upon the poor people Jerem 50.17 Israel is a scattered Sheep the Lyons have driven him away first the King of Assyria hath devoured him and last this Nebuchadrezzar King of Babylon hath broken his bones Fifthly They are subject to many diseases and apt to infect one another It s observed that of all creatures a man an Horse and a Sheep are subject unto most diseases and quickly doth one Sheep communicate his infection unto another so people are subject to many distempers seditions insurrections rebellions errors heresies superstition idolatry and what not Ezek 2.3 The children of Israel are a rebellious Nation Jer 6.28 They are all grievous revolters they walk with slanders they are brasse and iron they are all corrupters one infected another Jer 5.23 This people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart The disease was come to their hearts Isa 1.4 Ah sinfull Nation a people laden with iniquity a seed of evill-doers children that are corrupters They corrupted one another with evill opinions and practices Vers 3. Ye eat the fat ye cloath you with the Wool The Septuagint Vulgar and French have it Ye eat the milk The Hebrew word is Chelef which signifies fat because it s made of Milkine fatness what they feed upon hath a fatty milkiness in it which turns to fat The word for Milk is Chalof and that for fat Chalef which also notes the principal of every thing By these expressions of eating the fat and cloathing themselves with the Wool the Prophet taxeth the covetousness of the Princes Priests and false Prophets who pretended the publique good but were intent upon their own profit and pleasure they were not content with what stipends were allowed them but devised wayes and means to draw the wealth of the people into their own Coffers which is here call'd the fat and the wool The word for wool is Tzemer which notes all sorts of wool even Cotten wool which grows upon Trees Had they any wool upon their backs as our Proverb is these Governours would fleece them of it Ye kill them that are fed but ye feed not the flock The Hebrew for the first words is ye Sacrifice the thick Haberiah is from Bara to create and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bari is far flesh because a Sheep becomes fat and fleshy by a kind of creation there is the power of God put forth in it and when men grow wealthy it is by the power of God Deut 8.17 18. It s not mens power and the might of their hands that gives them their wealth but it is the Lord gives power to get wealth The false Prophets kill'd their souls with lyes with corrupt doctrines and the Magistrates found out wayes to cut off them were rich for their estates thus they sought themselves but fed not the flock The Princes and Rulers did not maintain justice preserve the innocent relieve the oppressed nor the Priests and Prophets teach them sound and wholesome doctrine Vers 4. The diseased have ye not strengthned Here be five particulars in this verse concerning the Sheep which the Shepherds should have minded but neglecting them all are severely taxed for them The
that by a figure call'd Hyppallage Sedimentum aquarum is put for aquas sedimenti waters of setling that is pure and clear waters and so divers Expositors render the words Some cattel when they have drunk stamp and stir the mud in the waters and so foul them that others cannot drink thereof so did these Rams and Goats so mud and foul the waters of the Sanctuary and of the Civil state that the City of God was not made glad with them there was no true justice nor pure religion Vers 19. And as for my flock they eat that which ye have troden with your feet and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet By feet are expressed mens lusts whereby they do defile things Mark 9.45 If thy foot offend thee cut it off Foot is not to be taken litterally but for any lust that bears up a mans spirit for the present and carries it up and down as the feet do the body they out of will humour lust mingled their traditions with the word of God and corrupted justice so that the flock had nothing pure in Church or State they laid heavy burdens and taxes upon the people and the commodities the Lord gave which troubled their spirits and sowered their comforts unto them Such interpretations they gave of the Law as made it void and violated it Ezek 22.26 Vers 20. Therefore c. Behold I even I will judge between the fat Cattel and between the lean Cattel Seeing ye deal thus with my Flock saith God I even I that am the great shepherd will distinguish and put a difference between Cattel and Cattel There be fat ones and lean ones the one doth wrong and abuse the other the fat and strong carry it proudly and arrogantly against the lean and weak which ought not to be The Septuagint hath it between the strong sheep and the weak sheep The Chaldee is Between the rich man and the poor man The word for fat is Biriah from Bara to create because there is a creating power put forth in making Cattel fat and men rich Vers 21. Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder and pusht all the diseased with your horns c. Here he describes the nature and manners of the fat Cattel they being strong were unkind yea cruel towards the rest and thrust them out of the fold out of the flock and pastures also The Noble men the rich and those in power and place dealt sometimes cunningly sometimes openly and violently with the poorer sort thrusting them out of their possessions yea out of the Land Ezek 11.15 There were those in Jerusalem said Get ye far from the Lord unto us is this Land given in possession Isa 66.11 Their brethren hated them and cast them out The word to push is Nagach which signifies to push with the horn as Oxen and Rams do Exod 21.29 Now besides this word is added Bekarnechem which intends the sense you have pushed with your horns you have goared and hurt them greatly you left not pushing at them till you had slain them or driven them quite away Vers 21. Therefore I will save my flock Seeing men are so unkind and cruel to my flock using all their Art and power to do it mischief therefore will I take care of it and deliver it their sides shoulders and horns shall harm it no more I will judge between Cattel and Cattel I will bring judgement upon those that have intreated my flock so ill and it shall no longer be a prey unto them First Observe All in Gods Flock are not good they are not all of one sort there are some fat some lean some strong some diseased there be He-goats and Rams as well as others There were in Moses dayes them that said All the Congregation is holy every one of them Numb 16.3 but they that said so were unholy themselves He-goats and strong Rams As it was with Jeremies figs there were good and bad Jer 24. so was it with the flock of God there were good and bad in it there were Lyons Wolves Goats and Swine mingled with the sheep Jer 7.9 10. Thieves murtherers adulterers perjured persons and idolaters came to the Temple with those that were innocent In the waters are fish and frogs in the field wheat and tares and in the Flock of God goats and sheep Secondly Observe Wicked men may have choice outward blessings and that in abundance They had good pastures and in such abundance as that they trod them down with their feet the fat and sweet of the Land was theirs the best of all things places and preferments were in their hands honour power wealth they abounded with Nabal that stony-hearted-man was very great he had three thousand sheep one thousand goats 1 Sam 25.2 and Job tells you that wicked men are mighty in power Job 21.7 have houses full of good things Job 22.18 And David saith They are fat yea inclosed in their own fat Psal 17.10 They have the choicest of all things round about them Ahab and Ahaz were both very wicked yet one was King of Israel and the other King of Judah though all things come alike to all yet usually wicked men have the fattest pastures for their portion is in this life Psal 17.14 Thirdly Observe Wicked men being fat and full in place and power do abuse the blessings of God are disquieting and harmful unto others They are injurious to God and those they dwell amongst When their own turns were served they trod down the residue of the pastures they fowled the waters they were unthankful for the best mercies and made the rest unfit for others and this was not all they thrust with their sides and shoulders and push't with their horns their strength wealth honour power were all abused to the dishonour of God and prejudice of others Thus was it of late amongst us the fat ones in State and Church did abuse the blessings God had given them corrupting justice and religion disquieting the inhabitants of the Land with their inventions superstitions oppressions innovations c. And because many would not bow to theiâ— wills they thrust sorely at them with their sides and shoulders and push'd them so with their horns that they drave them out of the Land It s hard in prosperity to carry it rightly towards God or man Fourthly Observe Though men think unthankfullnesse towards God and uncharitableness towards men a small matter yet it is not so in Gods account Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture but ye must tread down c. Must my flock eat drink that which is troden down and fouled and do you think it a small matter I tell you my thoughts are far otherwise it s a provoking sin calls for a weight of wrath which when you feel ye will confesse your sin was not little Many deal untowardly with men and God and when they have so done make slight of it Isa 7.13
Allmighty God Rev 19.15 Pauls sufferings made him famous Phil 1.13 much more Christs Fifthly He had extraordinary Titles as Immanuel Isa 7.14 The stone of Israel Gen 49.24 The Lord our Righteousnesse Jer 23.6 The power and wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1.24 The heir of all things Heb 1.2 King of Kings and Lord of Lords Revel 59.16 The Light of the world John 8.12 The glory of Israel Luke 2.32 The Prince of Life Acts 3.15 Judge of quick and dead Acts 10.42 The Image of the invisible God Col 1.15 The Head over all things Ephes 1.22 The Lamb of God John 1.29 The Mediator between God and man 1 Tim. 1.5 The Sun of righteousnesse Mal. 4.2 His name is wonderful Counsellour the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of peace Isa 9.6 Sixthly He had extraordinary honour When he was brought into the world God commanded all the Angels to worship him Heb. 1.6 He stir'd up the spirits of the wise men of the East directing them by a star to come and worship him Mat. 2.11 When he was baptized Heaven was opened the Spirit descended like a Dove and a voice from Heaven said This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Matth 3.16 17. When he was transfigured Moses and Elias appeared unto him and the same voice of the Father was heard again with some addition This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear him and he committed all judgement to the Son that so all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father John 5.23 Take this plant of renown for the Christian Church and it is renowned for that it is planted in Christ Col 2.7 Eph. 4.15 bears the name of Christ James 2 7. is his Spouse Rev 21.9 John 3.29 under his Government Eph 5.24 freed from the bondage of the Ceremonial Law Gal 4.1 2 3 4 5. hath cleerer manifestations of Gods love in Christ Eph 2.7 extends further then ever the Jewish Church did to the Gentiles to all Nations Isa 54.1 2 3. chap 60.3 chap 62.2 Rev 21.24 25. and had such miraculous effusion of the Spirit upon many of the members of it Acts 2.3 4. 1 Cor 12.8 9 10. and is the habitation of God Ephes 2.22 visible and irremoveable as Mount Sion Mich 4.1 2. Matth 16.18 The ground and pillar of truth 1 Tim 3.15 And they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the Land In Jacobs dayes there was a great famine and his family had been consumed if Egypt had not afforded releif In Davids dayes many suffered by the three years famine then 2 Sam 21.1 There was a sore famine in Ahabs dayes 1 Kings 18.2 and questionless many perished with hunger in the siege of Jerusalem Lam 4.9 and many who were scattered abroad not having to satisfie their hunger became a prey to hunger it self The promise here is They shall no more be consumed with hunger they shall have plenty of all good things there shall be no corporal nor spiritual hunger there Teachers had been removed into corners Isa 30.20 There Prophets had been cut off and were glad to be hid in Caves 1 Kings 18.4 but God would set up shepherds over them which should feed them and they should not be lacking Jerem 23.4 Their eyes should see them Isa 30.20 The word for consumed is Asuppe from Asâ—ph which signifies to gather together to take away and to consume In time of famine men get together consult how to relieve themselves and when all means fail the famine consumes them and takes them away The Septuagint is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They shall not be few in number they shall have abundance and multiply Neither bear the shame of the heathen any more The Hebrew word for shame is Celemmah which signifies reproach the Babylonians and others where the Jewes were scattered did reproach them and said Sing us one of the songs of Sion Psal 137.3 You are the holy people have holy ordinances and holy songs sing us one of those songs you thought your selves safe in your holy City that your God would protect you from all the Nations but where is your God what 's become of your City Temple and Confidences are you not in our hands are you not in bondage and captivity ye are servants unto us and shall never be at liberty more thus did they bear the shame of the Heathen they were a reproach a proverb a taunt and a curse in all places Jer 24.18 but God would set them at liberty roule away their reproach and make them honourable They should be a praise Zeph 3.19 At that time I will undo all that afflict thee and I will save her that halteth and gather her that was driven out and I will get them praise and fame in every Land where they have been put to shame And vers 20. I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth when I turn back your captivity First Observe The Lord Christ himself his renown and that the Church hath by him is from the Lord. I will raise up a plant of renown Christ is call'd The Word John 1.1 and God made that Word flesh vers 14. He is call'd a Rod a Branch Isa 11.1 and God caused that Rod to come out of the stem of Jesse and that Branch to grow out of his roots God planted Christ at first in the Virgins womb and from thence he grew up through Gods wise disposing of things to be a plant of renown And Luke 1.32 The Angel said to Mary he shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord shall give him the Throne of his Father David This God performed and so made him a man a plant of renown he gave Christ to the Church he planted him in Sion Isa 28.16 and so all the glory the Church had by him which was and is exceeding much came originally from the Lord Christ is therefore call'd The gift of God John 4.10 Secondly Observe Christ is fruitfull and yeelds good fruit He is a plant of renown were this plant barren or did it bear evill fruit it could not be a plant of renown it would be a plant of contempt This plant is that Tree of Life Rev 22.2 which bare twelve manner of fruits and yielded her fruit every month No barrenness at all was on this Tree it had plenty and variety of fruit Summer and Winter and the goodness of this fruit the Church will tell you of Cant 2.3 I sat under his shadow with great delight his fruit was sweet to my taste If the shadow of this Tree was very delightsome certainly the fruit of this Tree was exceeding sweet The man sick of the Palsie found the sweet of this fruit when Christ said unto him Son be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee Mat 9.2 Thousands can tell you how sweet the fruit of this Tree hath been to their tasts to their souls Acts 10.38
they suffered hard things and lay under great reproach among the Nations whereupon the Lord here in this Chapter doth 1. Denounce judgement against the Heathen setting out the Causes moving him thereunto from the 1. vers to the end of the 7. 2. Promise mercy to the Land of Israel which is specified in severall particulars from the beginning of the 8. vers unto the 16. 3. Shew the causes why the Jews were driven out of their Countrey from 6. vers to the 21. 4. Set out the ground of their restauration from the 21. to the 25. 5. Multiply promises of spiritual and temporal things upon them and their Land from the 25. to the end Vers 1. Thou son of man prophesie unto the mountains of Israel In the former Chapter he prophesied against Mount Seir in this he is to prophesie to the mountains of Israel against that he prophesied judgement unto these he prophesieth mercies These Mountains of Israel by a Synecdoche are put for the whole Land of Judaea and by a Metonomie for the people contained therein or who had lived therein Hear the word of the Lord. The Land mourn'd because the profane Nations had laid it waste and taken possession of it the Lord therefore calls to the Land and People that had inhabited it to let them know that the one should not long lye in so desolate a condition nor the other alwayes be kept out by enemies from their inheritance Vers 2. Thus saith the Lord God These words are in the 3 4 5 6 7. verses also The Jewes being cast into so low a condition might think God had forgotten them and would leave them to perish in the hands of their enemies to take off such thoughts he commands the Prophet to say in 6 verses together Thus saith the Lord God It is not the voice of Ezekiel but of Jehovah who is affected with the insolency of your enemies and the grievous things you suffer Because the enemy had said against you Aha The Hebrew word for enemy is from Ajaf to bear ill will to hate This enemy principally was the Edomite who had a perpetual hatred against the Jewes Ezek. 35.5 and the Ammonite who cryed Aha Ezek 25.3 and entred upon the Jews inheritance Jerem 49.1 with the Moabite who reproached the people of God Zeph 2.8 10. These and others were disaffected to the Jews and hated them insulted in the day of their calamity saying Aha The Hebrew is Heach which to Mercer is vox insultantis and to others vox provocatoria cum contemptu an insulting provoking scornfull word The ancient high places are ours in possession Bamoth Olam Excelsa Saculi The ancient Mountains which have kept their station and height i nal ages Septuagint is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The everlasting solitudes Vulgar Altitudines sempiterna The everlasting height French is Les hauts lieux du monde The high places of the world The Land of Israel had many high Mountains which being solitary and desolate the enemy said they are ours in possession we shall inherit them for ever The Edomites being from Esau Jacobs elder brother the Ammonites and Moabites from Lot Abrahams brother they challenged the ancient high places of Israel for their possessions call'd Excelsa Saeculi because God and his Worship had been there many years and the Land was promised the Jews for ever Because they have made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side The enemies of the Jews were bitter and bloudy they stript them of what they had and devoured them they did eat them up Shaaph signifies to draw in the aire to suck it up and metaphorically to swallow to devoure they did not like Caniball eat the flesh of the Jews but they dealt cruelly with them not in one place only but on all sides those that were their neighbours cut them off and destroyed them round about That ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen So little did they care for the Church of God his people and their inheritance they rule over these few Jews that were left This made Jeremy to complain Lamen 5.2 Our inheritance is turned to strangers our houses to aliens Ye are taken up in the lips of talkers In the Hebrew its thus And ye have ascended upon the lip of the tongue or ye are made to ascend ye are the common talk of men as we use to say Table talk They were made a reproach a proverb a taunt and a curse amongst the people according to what is written Jer 24.9 Junius and Piscator both have it Traducti estis in labia Nationum You are traduced and slandered through the tongues of the Nations they talk at large of you The lip of the tongue is an Hebraisme noting a talkative person as Job 11.2 A man of lips is the Hebrew that is A man of talk and Psal 140.11 Let not an evill speaker in Hebrew a man of tongue such an one utters much evill and falls under the denomination of an evill speaker And are an infamy of the people The word Dibbah infamy is from Davaf which signifies to speak and to relate the evills of others The enemies of the Jews related what evils they knew or heard of concerning them and made them infamous The Septuagint is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a reproach or scorn to the Nations Vers 4. Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills to the rivers and to the valleys to the desolate wastes and to the Cityes that are forsaken He mentioned the mountains of Israel before and the ancient high places here he adds Hills Rivers Valleys Wastes Cityes to shew that he would vindicate the whole Land from the possession of the Nations who did so greatly villifie his Church and people Which became a prey and derision unto the residue of the heathen The Heathen did not only spoile and make a prey of Judaea but also deride the Jews they scoffed at those that were left and those were carryed away The word for derision is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Laag which notes deriding with scorn and contempt and therefore by the Septuagint is rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conculcatio they derided them as worthy to be trodden under feet Vers 5. Surely in the fire of my jealousie have I spoken against the residue of the heathen c. The Hebrew for surely is Im lo which implyes an oath Si non or nisi unlesse I have spoken in the fire of my jealousie let me not be God let me never be believed To speak in the fire of jealousie is an Hebraisme saith Pintus Pro effundere verba cum stomacho it notes hot displeasure Psal 79.5 Shall thy jealousie burn like fire Here the Lords jealousie was on fire he was not only angry with the Heathen but in a fierie jealousie for jealousie is more then anger Deut 29.20 Men in their jealousie are extreamly mov'd and carryed out with heat and fury to be revenged
gather thee Berachamim gedolim When God gathers his out of Babylon a state of confusion that is mercy and when he brings them into Sion to behold the order beauty and glory thereof that is great mercy and God will not leave them there but go on with them and heap great mercies still upon them see Isa 49.18 19 20 21 22 23. Jer. 32.37 38 39 40 41. Secondly Observe Justification is a gracious act of God upon a sinner I will sprinkle clean water upon you It s Gods prerogative to forgive and blot out sins Mark 2.7 Isa 43.25 and this he doth freely it s an act of grace and mercy Rom 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace Now in this act nothing is done in a sinner there is no grace infused no change made in the heart by it there be no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therein it s upon a sinner justifying grace is subjectively in God objectively on man for its a judicial act of God which puts nothing into the creature Rom 3.22 It s upon all them that do believe Thirdly Observe The bloud of Christ applyed by the Spirit of God is efficatious to free sinners from the guilt of their sins and of all their sins of what bind soever they be I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean Their sins were great very great they were guilty of bloud oppressing the widow and fatherless of idolatry of despising and profaning holy things Ezek 22.8.26 They were under the guilt of all crying and notorious sins Ezek 16.47 worse then Sodom or Samaria then the Nations Ezek 5.7 yet the Lord would cleanse them by the bloud of Christ there was virtue in that to cleanse them from their old spots from their deep guilt yea from all their guilt they should be clean from all their filthinesses As water washeth all the filth out of a cloath so doth the bloud of Christ all sin out of the soul 1 Joh 1.7 The bloud of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin the guilt of our thoughts words acts neglects there is no sin defiles the conscience so but the bloud of Christ will purge it away Heb 9.14 Chap 1.3 Christs bloud is of great virtue it purges away all sin and procures peace Coloss 1.20 So that being justified by his bloud we shall be saved from wrath as it is Rom 5.9 Fourthly Observe All sin defiles and makes guilty before God yet some sins defile more then others and make more deeply guilty God would cleanse them from all their filthinesse from every sin that had poluted them and made them guilty and from their idols which had made them more deeply guilty Idolatry hath more guilt adhering to it then many other sins that 's a sin breaks Covenant with God deposes God and sets up an Idoll in his stead Verse 26. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh THis is another great promise even a promise of Regeneration and in it there is considerable 1. The party promising I I I I. 2. The things promised 1. A new heart 2. A new spirit 3. Removall of the stony heart 4. An heart of flesh 3. The parties to whom the Lord will do these things You You You. 4. The manner of Gods doing these things which is by giving putting and taking away A new heart also will I give you By heart in Scripture is signified the judgement and understanding Eph 4.18 The will and affections Prov 23.26 and the conscience 1 John 3.20 all which are here comprehended in the word heart New notes sometimes that which is for substance new totally new as new ropes Judges 16.11 12. A new wife Deut 24.5 New gods Deut 32.17 And sometimes that which is only for quality new as the new Moon Isa 66.23 From one new Moon to another The Moon is not new for substance but renewed with light new in regard of quality so New tongues Mark 16.17 They had not their old Tongues plucked or cut out of their mouths and other new ones put in but these Tongues they had before had new Languages put into them new gifts and graces Here then by A new heart is not intended one new for substance or nature of it but the same heart altered for the qualities of it renewed and indued with other qualities then it had before such qualities are wrought in the heart that a man thereupon is said to be regenerate or born again John 3.3 5 6 7. and to be a new creature Gal 6.15 This new heart lyeth not in those common gifts which many have yet without alteration in their hearts Judas had a covetous an earthly an old heart notwithstanding those great gifts he had He could cast out Devils and heal all manner of sicknesses Matth 10.1 4. And those Matth 7.22 23. Who had the gift of prophesie of casting out Devils and working wonders had no new hearts for Christ sends them going for workers of iniquity but it lyeth in grace infused which is a principle of light and life supernatural and permanent Man since the fall of Adam is in a state of darknesse and death Ephes 5.8 Chap 2.5 and when grace is infused that brings light and life unto the heart John 8. â—2 it s call'd The light of life and when a blind heart sees a dead heart lives there is a great and glorious alteration so that it is become a new heart it hath a new principle which is supernatural and permanent call'd The Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 Divine to shew the supernaturalnesse of it and Nature to shew the permanency of it And a new spirit will I put within you These very words we had Ezek 11.19 where they were largely opened New spirit there was interpreted to be those excellent qualities and graces God put into the soul and shewed upon what account they were call'd Spirit and New Here I conceive a new spirit is added Exegetically being the same with a new heart This new heart or new spirit causeth the partie in whom it is to look at God as a Father and so to honour him Mal. 1.6 To love him 1 John 5.1 To fear him 1 Pet. 1.17 To yield obedience to him Rom 6.17 1 Pet 1.14 15. Patiently to bear his chastisements Heb 12.6 7 8 9. To eschew sin and work righteousnesse 1 John 5.18 Chap 3.9 10. To acknowledge how he hath offended him Luke 15.18 To pray fervently unto him Rom 8.15 To be like unto him in mercifullnesse and doing of good Luke 6.36 To delight in his wayes and to have communion with him and his Son Christ 1 John 1.3 To worship him in spirit and truth John 4.23 To be thankfull alwayes unto him for all things Ephes 5.20 To live nobly and spiritually minding the things of Heaven Rom 8.5 1 Pet 1.14 John 3.6 2 Cor
fixeth noâ— happiness upon riches honours peace parts multitudes of Souldiers Subjects or Counsellers but in mutual relation between God and a People the one owning the other When God owns a people to be his inheritance and a People own God to be their God and Portion this is true happiness such a people may plead with God for great things in prayer and expect them as Jehoshaphat did 2 Chron. 20.12 and as Asa did 2 Chron 14.11 and Moses Exod 32.11 12 13 14. Verses 29 30. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses and I will call for the Corn and will increase it and lay no famine upon you And I will multiply the fruit of the Tree and the encrease of the Field that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen THese two Verses hold out two more great Promises unto this people which are 1. Ablation of evills as uncleannesses famine reproach 2. Collation of good things Corn Fruit and encrease of the field Vers 29. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses This is a speciall Promise and of great concernment Some refer it to Justification and make it to be Gods free taking away the guilt and punishments deserved by their uncleannesses Some refer it to Sanctification and make it to be Gods cleansing them from the filth and delivering them from the power of sin They are mistaken who interpret the words of Babylonish uncleannesses as if God would deliver them out of Babylon and save them from the pollutions thereof if that had been the sence the words should have run thus I will save you from all their uncleannesses not from all your uncleannesses To let that Exposition passe we may take in here both their Justification and Sanctification and so make the sence full I will save you from all your uncleannesses by my pardoning grace that shall acquit you from the guilt and punishment of all your sins and I will save you from all your uncleannesses by my sanctifying grace that shall purge out all your defilements and spots The word for uncleannesses is Tumeoth which notes not only Ceremonial uncleanness but Moral also as Levit. 18.27 I will call for the Corn and will encrease it The Hebrew is I will call to the Corn I will command the Corn to grow and bring forth I will give but a word of power and as that hath caused all things to be and bring forth so shall it do with the Corn and not only cause it to grow but to encrease so that there shall be plenty and plenty continued for it follows And lay no famine upon you The Jews had oft been under grievous famines as appears 2 Sam. 21.1 2 Kings 6. 1 Kings 18. Joel 1. Amos 4.6 2 Kings 25.3 The Lord called for and laid famines upon them but here he promises not to lay any famine upon them they should be free from that judgement and live in the abundance of good things Vers 30. And I will multiply the fruit of the Tree Not only should the Corn thrive and bring forth but the Trees also they should be fruitfull yea very fruitfull God would multiply the fruit of all the Trees which used to bear fruit Some Trees are for ornament of the earth some for Timber some for Fire but most for fruit and those that were for fruit should bear fruit in abundance The encrease of the field These words are spoken of those things which sponte nascuntur do grow of themselves without setting sowing or planting they are properly the encrease of the Field That ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen The Heathens took occasion from the famines the Jews met with to reproach them and say What do you want bread is your God the chiefest and best of Gods and will he see you want is he hard-hearted and will not afford you necessaries to live surely our gods are better and more mercifull than the God of the Jews they suffer us not to want any thing we have no such famines as you Jews have you are hunger-starved wretches and beholding to us for bread These were grievous reproaches which the Lord promised here to take away by giving unto them plenty of all things for their maintenance They had upbraided the Jews vers 13. That their Land was a Land devoured men God therefore now told them Their Land should bring forth Corn fruit and other good things and so maintain the inhabitants of it First Observe When God enters into or renews Covenant with a People he will do much for them I will be your God I will also save you from all your uncleannesses and I will call for the Corn and encrease it and lay no famine upon you and I will multiply the fruit of the Tree c. Here God renewed Covenant with them and promised them spiritual and temporal mercies which in due time he gave them in so when he first entered into Covenant with them Ezek. 16.8 9 10 11 12 13 14. what great things did God do for them Then washed I thee with water yea I throughly washed away thy bloud from thee and anointed thee with oyl I cloathed thee also with broidered work and shod thee with Badgers skin and I girded thee about with fine Linnen and I covered thee with silke c. When God is once ingaged to a People he doth much for them and great things he layes out himself and his Attributes for their good Secondly Observe God is a perfect Saviour I will save you from all your uncleannesses They had many and variety of uncleannesses Ceremonial and Moral impurities inward and outward pollutions they had much guilt and much filth but God saved them from them all he doth perfectly justifie and will perfectly sanctifie in due time there is not one inherent corruption within cleave it never so fast unto the spirit of man but God will work it out He will take away all iniquity Hos 14.2 the guilt of sin the power and pollution of sin yea the very being of sin vers 13. of this Chapt I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthinesse and from all your idolls will I cleanse you God will do his work of this nature throughly and perfectly David acknowledged it Psal 103.2 3. Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases Thirdly Observe It is no difficulty unto the Lord to make plenty of things he can easily do it I will call for the Corn and will encrease it It is but calling for it and it comes if he call for fruitfulness of the Field or Tree or both they come as servants come at the call of their masters so any creatures Corn Wine Oyl come at the call of God if God do but say Let the earth bring forth it will bring forth there is power in his Word it is
the Word of the greatest King no earthly King hath fertility or sterility at his Command as God hath Haggai 1.11 He called for a drought upon the Land it came 2 Kings 8.1 He called for a famine and it came and sojourned seaven years with them If God call for a judgement or a mercy it comes presently Let us fear to offend him least he call for a famine the pestilence or a sword let us improve mercies for his honour that he may call for the Corn and Fruit and continue the same unto us Fourthly Observe Whatsoever plenty is in a Land it is from the power blessing and bounty of the Lord. I will call for the Corn and encrease it Though the Land have kept her Sabbaths hath not been ploughed or sown in many years yet I will cause it to bring forth and that richly I will multiply the fruit of the Tree the Vine Fig-tree and the Olive shall be laden with fruit and that ye take no pains for the tender Grasse and Herbs the encrease of the Field These even all these are from the call benediction and bounty of God which we should take notice of and be thankfull for All the Corn we have for bread all the Fruit we have for delight all the Herbs we have for Physick and all the grasse and fodder we have for Cattle are all from the Lord and if we do not use all for his glory but abuse the same as Ephraim did God will deal by us as he did by Ephraim Hos 2.8 9. even take all from us I will take away my Corn in the time thereof c. Fifthly Observe God takes notice how wicked ones reproach his children being under his judgements and will cause their reproachings to cease Ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen It was a vile thing for the Babylonians to cast it in the Jews Teeth That their Land was a Land of famine and so to reproach them for that judgement which God for their sins did oft lay upon them this was inhumane barbarous to adde affliction to the afflicted God observed it and to comfort them against so soar an affliction he gives in a promise of a plentifull maintenance I will call for the Corn and multiply all things so that there shall be no occasion for an enemy for any Babylonian to say so any more Ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen Vers 31. Then shall ye remember your own evill wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations THis Verse is the last of the speciall Promises made here unto this people and it is a promise of repentance Something like part of this vers we had Chap. 6.9 almost the same words we had Chap. 20.43 Then shall ye remember When I have broken the Babylonish yoke off their necks brought you into your own Land and done great things for you Then ye shall remember that is not simply to call to mind what ye have done but to rowle up and down in your thoughts seriously to muse upon and ponder for so much the word Zacar signifies and so to ponder as to do something thereupon Your own evill wayes and your doings that were not good In Chap 20.43 it s your wayes and all your doings wherein ye have been defiled and here it is Your own evill wayes and your doings that were not good What their wayes and doings were you may see Ezek 22. throughout the whole Chapter they did speak and do evill as they could Jer 3.5 They were worse than the Nations and Countreys round about them Ezek 5.6 than Sodom and Samaria Ezek 16.47 And shall loath your selves in your own sight Montanus renders the Hebrew thus Reprobabitis vos in faciebus vestris Ye shall reprobate your selves in your own sight ye shall judg your selves worthy to be cut off and to be made a curse so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies saith Maldonate The Vulgar is your iniquities shall displease you there is more in the word than displeasing Fastidio eritis vobis ipsis Ye shall be for a disdain a loathing to your selves Compungemini saith Aecolampadius Ye shall be pricked at the heart ye shall see your selves so defiled and deformed through sin that ye shall loath and abhor your selves For your iniquities and for your abominations Iniquities are perverse crooked and unrighteous actions abominations things disaffecting and loathsome to the senses First Observe Gods loving kindnesses and mercies do work more with sinners than his judgements do All the time they were in Babylon their hearts were never so affected for their sins as after God brought them out setled them in Canaan and shewed much love unto them Then they should remember their evil wayes before they minded them no◠then they should loath themselves Mercies in Sion are more efficacious with sinners than judgments in Babylon Gods favour sooner melts hard hearts than the fire of his indignation his kindness is very penetrative it gets into the hearts of sinners sooner than his threats and frowns it is like a small soaking rain which goes to the roots of things when as a dashing rain runs away and does little good It was Davids kindness brake the heart of Saul 1 Sam. 24. And it is Gods kindnesse which breaks the heart of sinners The Milk and Honey of the Gospel affect the hearts of sinners more than the Gall and Wormwood of the Law Christ on Mount Sion brings more to repentance than Moses on Mount Sinai Secondly Observe When God brings his People out of Babylon into Canaan out of the world and Antichristian wayes into neer relation to himself and into Gospel order then he will frame their spirits so that they shall review their former wayes be ashamed of and loath themselves for them Vers 28. Ye shall dwell in the Land that I gave to your fathers and ye shall be my people and I will be your God and then shall ye remember your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and abominations When people are delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the Kingdome of Christ then they come to see what works of darkness they committed and so to abhorre and loath themselves for the same When men come out of Popish darkness or the profane courses they have lived in and are brought neer to God how do they judge condemn and loath themselves for the same When Paul was translated from his Pharisaisme into Christs unity then God moulded his spirit so that he saw and confessed what a Blasphemer Persecuter and injurious person he had been and loathed himself saying He was the chief of sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 And when the Jews shall be brought out of that Babylonish condition they now are in and become a people neer to God being in the Church of Christ
abundantly Isa 30.2 Vers 36. Then the Heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places and plant that that was desolate I the Lord have spoken it and will do it GOd having through his grace pardoned his people brought them to Sion and bestowed many blessings upon them here the end of all is set down and that is the glorifying of God not only by the Jews but also by the very Heathens Then the heathen that are left round about you After Nebuchadnezzar had laid Jerusalem and Judea waste he fell upon the Ammonites Moabites Edomites Philistims Tyrians and Egyptians and spoyled them therefore our Prophet saith The Heathen that are left some escaped and remained untill the Jews restauration Shall know that I the Lord build the ruined Places They should be so convinced by the return of the Jews and the mercies they enjoyed that they should acknowledg it to be the hand of God that he was faithfull in making good his promise to his people able to save and bountiful in bestowing such mercies upon them The word to build is Banah which sâ—gnifies to build an house distinguished into it's several rooms and parts the Cityes Towns and Houses every where had been ruined and God raised them up again And plant that that was desolate The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to plant signifies the putting of Trees Vines Shrubs or any plants into the earth and to cover them so with earth that they remain fixt therein The Orchards Gardens Vineyards Olive-yards Places of pleasure and profit were laid desolate the Trees Plants Herbs and Flowers were all cut down or pulled up by the roots those place God did re-plant and made as usefull and delightfull as ever I the Lord have spoken it and will do it I have purposed it in my self I have spoken it by Ezekiel and I will do it the Hebrew is I have done it a Preter Tense for a Future which is frequent as Isa 46.11 I have purposed The Hebrew is Jatzarti I have formed I have created the Preter Tense for the Future as the former and following words do shew I have spoken it I will also bring it to passe I will form or create it I will also do it First Observe That though judgement begin at Gods house yet it ends not there The Babylonians first fell upon the Jews and destroyed them and after proceeded to the Heathens they cut off many Nations of them The Sword first did eat the flesh of Jews and then the flesh of Ammonites Moabites Edomites c. When the green Trees are lopped then the Axe cuts down the dry Trees wicked men and Nations are glad when it goes ill with the Church People of God but usually when God hath corrected his own he breaks the Horns the Back and Bones of their and his enemies The Cup of Gods fury began at Jerusalem but it stayed not there it passed thence to Egypt to the mingled people to Vz Philistia Ashkelon Azzah Ekron and Ashdod c. To all the Kings of the North and to all the Kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth Jer 25.15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26. It were an unrighteous thing if God should judge his friends and spare his enemyes and this he acknowledgeth vers 29. Lo I begin to bring evill on the City which is called by my name and should ye the Heathens be utterly unpunished ye shall not be unpunished for I will call for a sword upon all the Inhabitants of the earth saith the Lord of Hosts Secondly Observe Some works of God are so convincing that they cause even Heathens to see and acknowledge the hand of God in them and so to glorifie him The bringing the Jews out of Babylon the re-planting them in Canaan the re-building of their waste places peopling of them re-built and making their Countrey like the Garden of Eden convinced the Heathens so that they said and acknowledged It was the Lord had done these things which was a glorifying of his name Psal 126.1 2. The Babylonians and others said The Lord hath done great things for them when he turned their captivity There is so much of Gods wisdome power mercy bounty in some of his works that they constrain all that behold them to acknowledge him in them see Nehem 9.16 Psal 98.1 2. Isa 52.9 10. Thirdly Observe That Architecture and Husbandry are the work of the Lord. I build the ruined places and plant that that was desolate There is no House no City built but the Lord hath the chief hand therein Psal 127.1 Except the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it All is nothing without the counsel assistance and blessing of God he teacheth the Carpenters and Masons their Art he inables them to work and blesses them working So for Husbandmen it is God that doth instruct them to discretion and teach them Isa 28.26 they have all their ploughing sowing and planting skill from him This cometh forth from the Lord of Hosts who is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working vers 29. If a Land be well built with Houses Cityes Castles it is the Lord that builded them if it be well tilled and planted with Orchards Gardens Vineyards and Nurseries of young Trees it is the Lord that hath tilled and planted them mens Art and Industry are nothing without him Fourthly Observe Gods purposes and promises shall take effect and certainly be fullfilled God is faithfull in what he saith and will perform the same I the Lord have spoken it and will do it He will not go back from his word change his purposes and counsels or falsifie his promises Isa 31.2 He will not call back his words Isa 14.27 The Lord of Hosts hath purposed and who shall disanull it Isa 46.10 My counsell shall stand and I will do all my pleasure Jer 32.42 I will bring upon them all the good that I have promised them There is none wiser than God to advise him so as to alter his purposes or counsels there are none stronger than God to hinder him from making good what he hath purposed and promised Isa 43.13 I will work and who shall let it All the Babylonians could not hinder Gods setting his people at liberty all the wild beasts bryars and thorns in Canaan could not hinder him from bringing them in and making the Land like Eden plentifull and pleasant all the policy and power of Tobiah Sanballat and others could not hinder the building of the Temple and Walls of the City God had promised Jerusalem should be re-built and fenced that the Jews should have their Temple to worship in again and they had them Vers 37. Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them I will increase them with men like a flock THe word iddaresh is from Darash which signifies to make
that robbed them It 's incident to all People and Nations to spoil and rob the People of God and so these Goggites and their Confederates they compassed the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City saith John Rev 20.9 In all ages the Church hath been made a prey of by one or other but the time shall be when it shall spoyl her spoylers and rob her robbers First Observe God will give Victories to his Church and People which seem incredible Here is pointed out such a Victory as is full of wonders and matters incredible Their number is as the Sand of the Sea and all of them Horsemen and cloth'd with all sorts of Arms Chap 38.4 yet conquer'd Their weapons serve for seven years firing and their bodies are seven moneths in burying as it follows in vers 12. Will not this be a wonderful Victory Do not these things seem incredible God of old gâ—ve great and strange V ctories to his People as the drowning of Pharaoh in the Red Sea the slaying of Senacherib's vast Army in a night by an Angel Great Victories since Christ his time have been The Christians have had signal Victories against the Turk And Sanctius tells you of a wonderful Victory which the Spaniards had against the Saracens when at one Battail they slew two hundred thousand of them and lost but twenty five men but when ever this overthrow of Gog shall be it will exceed all former Victories Secondly Observe The Lord makes that advantageous to his People which their Enemies intended to damnifie and ruine them by The Bows Arrows Hand-staves and Spears shall serve the Saints for fuel with which the Goggites thought to destroy them The Sword of Goliah with which he thought to have slain David and many Israelites was afterwards given into the hand of David and serviceable unto him 1 Sam. 21 9. The wise and wonderful Providence of God so over-rules and orders things that it makes Instruments of death the comforts of life The Chariots of Sisera that came for destruction were to the Jews for use and recreation Thirdly Observe After the over-throw of Gog and Mâ—gog Antichrist and his Adherents the Church of God shall have great peace All their weapons of warr shall be burnt they shall make head no more against the Saints After the devouring of Gog and Magog by fire from Heaven Rev. 20.9 The gates of the New Jerusalem were never shut Rev. 21.25 They feared no Enemies they had great peace Fourthly Observe The People of God shall have a day of recompence for the wrongs and injuries they have sustained They shall spoil those that spoiled them and rob those that robbed them The Goggites of the world do fleece the Servants of God eat their flesh suck their bloud and gnaw their bones but the day is coming when the wicked shall be a spoil and prey unto them which sets out the righteousness of God in his wayes and judgements What can be more equal then that he who spoils should be spoyled See Isa 33.1 Woe to thee that spoilest and thou wast not spoiled and dealest treacherously and they dealt not treacherously with thee when thou shalt cease to spoil thou shalt be spoyled and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously they shall deal treacherously with thee Vers 11 12 13 14 15 16. 11. And it shall come to pass at that day that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel the Valley of the passengers on the East of the Sea and it shall stop the Noses of the Passengers and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude and they shall call it The Valley of Hamon-Gog 12. And seven months shall the House of Israel be burying of them that they may cleanse the Land 13. Yea all the people of the Land shall bury them and it shall be to them a Renown the day that I shall be glorified saith the Lord God 14. And they shall sever out men of continual imployment passing through the Land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the Earth to cleanse it after the end of seven moneths shall they search 15. And the passengers that pass through the Land when any seeth a mans bone then shall he set up a sign by it till the Buryers have buryed it in the Valley of Hamon-Gog 16. And also the name of the City shall be Hamonah thus shall they cleanse the Land HAving spoken of the great over-throw which Gog and his should have and the great spoil the Israelites should get thereby Now the buryal of the dead carkasses and their bones comes under consideration where we have the place of the buryal the time how long they shall be burying the persons by whom the name of the place Vers 11. And it shall come to pass at that day that I will give unto Gog a place there of Graves in Israel When Gog and his Forces shall be slain lye exposed to the Fowls of Heaven and Beasts of the Field for a season then will the Lord give unto them a burying place they shall not alwayes lye putrifying above ground but they shall be laid in graves so that they shall neither be a prey to Fowls and Beasts nor offensive to Man alwayes This was favour that God should give his Enemies Sepulchres in Israel The Vulgar and Septuagint have it A place of Name or Renown putting Shem for Sham. It was honour enough for them to have graves there in Israel This honour had not Antiochus The Valley of the Passengers on the East of the Sea What Valley this was is not agreed upon by Interpreters Some affirm it to be a Valley near unto the Lake of Gennezareth or Sea of Tiberias others inform us it 's about Jordan some say it 's on this side Jordan some say on that side It 's most probable to be a Valley near the Salt or Dead-Sea where the five Cities Admah Zeboim Segor Sodom and Gomorrah were consumed by Fire and Brimstone now call'd Lacus Asphaltites There as Junius notes men passed from Syria Mesopotamia Babylon and other Countries into Arabia foelix and Egypt whereupon it was call'd the Valley of Passengers and lay Eastward from Jerusalem as the next words shew on the East of the Sea that is on the Eastern Sea The Sea of Tyberias lay Northward but Mare Mâ—â—tuum lay Eastward And it shall stop the Noses of the Passengers Such a stink shall be in that Valley as shall cause the Passengers to stop their Noses or Mouths or both The Spirit of God may have some respect unto the Lake Asphaltites which sent forth poysonous and suffocating vapors so should the dead bodies of Gog and his send out such a loathsome infecting savour as Travailers should stop their Noses as not being able to indure the same There shall they bury Gog and all his multitude Though Gog had a buryal in the Land of Israel yet it was not in the
affords favour when they are dead Gog and all his expected to have had the Land of Israel in possession with all the desirable things thereof but God disappointed his expectation slays him and his and after death gives him and the rest a place of buryal in that Land which was favour Though they had not what they hoped for yet they had more then they deserv'd for such grand Enemies to have a burying place in that Land which was Emanuel's Land out of which they would have driven his people was no small favour especially if we add to it that the place was nam'd after his name The Valley of Hamon-Gog and this recorded in the Book of God and to remain forever Secondly Observe After great Victories wherein many are slain people should for publick good be careful to bury the dead though it require time be troublesome and chargeable Here they were seven moneths in burying the dead carkasses they appointed men to go throughout the Land to search for corps and bones which was a chargeable business and where-ever they found any to bring them unto the Valley of Hamon-Gog which was very troublesome These things they were to do for publick good that the Land might not be infected with those bodies and so infect the living Thirdly Observe By great Victories over Enemies God honours his own Name and makes his people to have a name It shall be to them a Renown the day that I shall be glorified That day my Power my Faithfulness my Justice my Mercy will be seen acknowledged and so I shall be praised made glorious And in that day my People will be spoken of for their Valour Faith and Humanity in burying the dead and so will be renowned When God destroyed Senacherib's Army God did not only make himself a name but he also made Hezekiah a name 2 Chron. 32.23 He was magnified in the sight of all Nations from thenceforth and that which was his magnification was the magnification of all his People The honor of the Head is the honor of the whole Body How renowned will New Jerusalem be when Gog and Magog Antichrist and all that adhere to them shall be taken away When the Lord shall destroy them by fire from Heaven and multitudes be cut off by the Sword then shall those multitudes be for a name to the City Fourthly Observe After conquering there ought to be cleansing When Gog and his shall be subdued then they must cleanse the Land not a dead corps not a bone must be left in it such things did defile We have had many Victories but What cleansing hath there been in this Land Dead bodies limbs and bones of men have been buryed but What dead works are cleansed out of this Land Do not all sorts of sins abound yea super-abound Had we cleansed the Land for each Victory God hath given us but of one common sin by this time we had been spotless we should not have had any visible iniquities amongst us but now we are like Golgotha a place of sculls and dead-men like Sodom and Gomorrah or the Valley of Hamon-Gog we stink so through our Blasphemies Errors and wicked Practises that passengers stop their noses and shake their heads Vers 17 18 19 20. 17. And thou son of Man Thus saith the Lord God Speak unto every feathered Fowl and to every Beast of the Field Assemble themselves and come gather themselves on every side to my Sacrifice that I do Sacrifice for you even a great Sacrifice upon the the Mountains of Israel that ye may eat Flesh and drink Bloud 18. Ye shall eat the flesh of the Mighty and drink the bloud of the Princes of the Earth of Rams of Lambs and of Goats of Bullocks all of them fatlings of Bashan 19. And ye shall eat Fat till ye be full and drink Bloud till ye be drunken of my Sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you 20. Thus shall ye be filled at my Table with Horses and Chariots with Mighty men and with all men of Warr saith the Lord God THese Verses speak of a great Feast and the Invitation of Guests unto the same strange Guests the Fowls of the Heaven and the Beasts of the Field And they have as strange Dishes provided for them even the flesh of Mighty men and Princes Vers 17. Speak unto every feathered Fowl and to every Beast of the Field The Hebrew for every feathered Fowl is Lezippor col canaph To the Fowl of every wing that is to what Fowl soever hath wing Let that Fowl be invited to come and eat of the Feast prepared and likewise Every Beast of the Field which is a Beast of prey Assemble themselves and come gather themselves on every side The Fowls and Beasts being void of reason could not understand what the Prophet said but God who had command over them as well as other creatures would cause them to come as if they had had reason and understanding This shews the certainty and greatness of the Victory the Fowls and Beasts are call'd to come and their coming shall not be in vain they must come on every side and therefore great provision shall be made for them To my Sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you even a great Sacrifice upon the Mountains of Israel The Hebrew word for Sacrifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Zebach which signifies Sacrificium ex mactata pecude When a Beast was kill'd to be offered up to God that was a Sacrifice properly Sometimes it notes the killing of Men and Beasts as here which metaphorically is call'd a Sacrifice Gog with his Men and Horses were slain and these God calls his Sacrifice a great Sacrifice which he prepar'd for the Fowls and Beasts a great Feast or Supper and the place where this should be is upon the Mountains of Israel That ye may eat Flesh and drink Bloud In the former verse he spake of Gog's Funeral and those that were slain with him even the dead bodies and the bones How is it now that he speaks of eating their Flesh and drinking their Bloud after the seven Moneths were expired and the Searchers had gone through the Land It 's not probable that some were left unburyed and so the Fowls and Beasts iâ—â—â—ted to eat their flesh and drink their bloud but having touched a little upon this in the 4. v. he re-assumes the Argument again in this and the three next Verses and speaks more fully to it Vers 18. Ye shall eat the Flesh of the Mighty The Septuagint saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Gyants by these Mighty men or Gyants the Chief ones in the Army are pointed out men of Power and Command And drink the Bloud of the Princes of the Earth In this vast Army of Gog there were the Princes of divers Countries his Confederates Chap. 38.5.6 Their bloud should the Fowls of Heaven and Beasts of the Earth drink being shed and spilt upon the ground They should feed upon not the vile and
should come and be found fit for entrance he had his Line and Reed in his hand to measure them None unmeasured might enter Hence it is that Christ saith Joh. 14.6 I am the way and no man comes to the Father but by me And Joh. 10 9. I am the Door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find Pasture Christ is the Lord of the fold and field by him they enter in by him they are led out to the good Pastures and led in again He will not suffer any thing that defileth to enter into the Fold the Temple the New-Jerusalem Rev. 21.27 Seventhly Observe The Lord Christ when Divine things are presented unto us would have us Attent Intent and Apply the whole heart unto them Such things as are of weight slightness and trifling about them are intolerable therefore it 's said here Son of man behold with thine eyes and hear with thine ears let thy senses be wholly taken up with these things and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee thine heart also must be fixed upon every thing shewn thee thou must let nothing pass without due observation As Ezekiel was to do thus about the things of his Vision so should all Ministers and Christians about the things of the Gospel which are Revelations of the mind of God by Christ It 's oft said therein Who hath eares to hear let him hear Mat. 13.9 43. Mark 7.16 Luke 14.35 and in other places intimating that if men have either inward or outward eares they should hearken to the things of God They are Divine and may infinitely advantage or infinitely prejudice us if they be not well heeded if we be not attent unto them intent upon them and heartily closing with them better we had never had them It will be easier for Sodome and Gomorrha at the day of judgement then for such let us mind therefore and mind to purpose all things shewn us of Christ let us set our senses and whole hearts upon them Eightly Observe What the Lord Christ reveales unto his servants the Prophets and Ministers they must not reserve to themselves but communicate to others for their Instruction Edification and Comfort Declare all that thou seest to the House of Israel he must not see hear observe for himself but for the House of Israel for the Church and People of God Mat. 10.27 saith Christ to his Disciples What I tell you in darkness that speak ye in the light and what ye hear in the ear that preach ye upon the house-tops whatever I have imparted unto you that do ye impart unto others take the best advantages ye can to make the same known The servants of God and Christ must not onely utter what they receive but utter All they receive Act. 20.27 Paul kept back Nothing was profitable for them but declared to them all the Councel of God Vers 5. And behold a Wall on the outside of the house round about and in the mans hand a measuring-reed of six Cubits long by the Cubit and an hand breadth so he measured the breadth of the building one reed and the height one reed Great houses and Cities have walls 1 King 3.1 and 6.5 so this house had a Wall round about it By this wall we may understand the wall of Gods protection which is round about the Church This wall was in height and thickness alike 6 Cubits high and 6 Cubits thick it was strong securing the house Ezek. law God who is stronger then all is the defence of the Church Psal 125.2 Babylons wall which was 100. Cubits high and 30. Foot broad sufficed not to preserve her from ruins that wall was battred and level'd with the ground but Jehovah the Lord of Hosts is the wall about this building and such a wall as all the powers of the World and Hell cannot shake or batter Zech. 9.8 I will encamp about thine house And Zech. 2.5 I will be unto Jerusalem a wall of fire râ—und about saith the Lord. The Church of God having such a wall is secure and invincible The Church is call'd an House not a Tabernacle because of Gods inhabitation of it and his fixed abiding there Psal 132.13 14. The Lord hath chosen Sion he hath desired it for his habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell for I have desired it Sion notes the Church in all ages there is Gods house there is the desire of his soul there he rests he hath no rest in all the world but in Sion The measuring reed in the hand of the man is the same with the reed in John's hand Rev. 11.1 Those that exercise Architecture use lines and reeds to measure things therewith and so doth Christ here The line and reed in his hand is the Word or Everlasting Gospel which Rev. 21.15 is call'd a golden-reed right strong and inflexible with this he measures the Church and all things belong unto it by the Word he sets out the nature greatness power priviledges and characters of the Church by this he measures out the qualifications liberty and power of Members and Officers therein Hence the Word is call'd a Rule or Canon Phil. 3.16 The Hebrew is Kene hammiddah shesh ammoth baammah vetophath a reed of measure of six cubits in a cubit and of a hand breadth Whether these words an hand breadth should be joyn'd to the 6. cubits taken joyntly or to each cubit distinct by it self is doubtful that in the 43. Chap. v. 13. seems to make the hand 's breadth to be added to each cubit for it saith a cubit is a cubit and a hands breadth This we may understand of the Legal or Sanctuary cubit not the common one which was less by a hands breadth then the other this being 5. th' other 6. hands breadth Hence some deny that the hands breadth must be added to each cubit for then there will be 7. cubits those 6 hands breadth making another cubit They will have the reed 6 cubits long and an hands breadth over the 6. part of a cubit more A cubit is that length between the elbow and top of the middle finger now this space being longer in some men and shorter in others no certainty can be determin'd especially when men differ in their heads more then in their armes for some make a cubit to be 5. handfulls some 6. some a yard and some an ell or ells some a foot and half The line and reed are in Christs hand the virtue and benefit of them is from Him This line and reed being the Word hath it's efficacy from Christ out of his hand it 's un-efficacious un-beneficial but being in his hand his power and spirit going with it it measures out and fits materials for this spiritual Building The book written within and sealed with 7. seals could none open but Christ Rev. 1.3 5. and as none could open it but he so none can make it
36. and Chap. 41.16 26. These Windows were narrow Windows that is narrow without and broad within that they might receive and let in the light more fully Such Windows were in Salomons Temple 1 King 6.4 skewed Windows By these Windows is signified the Spiritual light should be in the Church of Christ He is called Mal. 4.2 The Sun Isa 9.2 A great Light Joh. 8.12 The light of the world And by those Windows the Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers he bath and still doth let in light into the Church The Promise was that The earth should be full of the knowledge of the Lord Isa 11.9 That he would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh Joel 2.28 29. So that their Sons and Daughters should Prophesie their Old men dream Dreams and their Young men see Visions yea Servants and Hand-maids should have the Spirit and be full of light This is in part fulfill'd and shall be more and more for when the New Jerusalem comes down from God out of Heaven as it 's Rev. 21.2 then will the light be greater And the Nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it vers 24. Then will the Lamb be the light thereof Also that spiritual joy should be in the Church Act. 13.52 The Disciples were fill'd with joy Act. 9.31 The Churches walked in the comfort of the Holy Ghost To the little Chambers The least Churches and least Saints shall not be without Windows they shall have light and joy teaching and comfort In the 17. vers and 18. of this Chap. and 3. vers of the 42. mention is made of the Pavement of the outward Court The Hebrew word for Pavement is ritzpah which signifieth a burning-coal Isa 6.6 The Seraphim had a live-coal ritzpath in his hand the Pavement was of stones that seemed like burning-coals If the Pavement of this Temple were so glorious what was the Temple it self Salomons Chariot was pav'd with love this Temple with love and zeal These Stones which made the Pavement may shew what the meanest and lowest in the Christian Church should be viz. shining living and lively stones humbly submitting to the cross and content to be under as a Pavement Of the outward and inward Court Thirty five times the tearms of Court outward and inward Court are repeated in the 40 41 42 43 44 45 and 46. Chapters The outward Court was for the People the inward Court was for Priests and was holy Ezek. 42.14 it 's call'd the holy place There was another Court it 's observ'd by some viz. the Court of the Gentiles which it may be Ezekiel points at when he distinguisheth the Sanctuary from the prophane place Chap. 42.20 But it 's evident from the Scripture that Salomons Temple had an outward and inward Court and so had This. The outward Court there was great 2 Chron. 4.4 and the compass of this Temple and City which Ezekiel saw was eighteen thousand measures Chap. 48.35 The Courts of Salomons Temple were very large which comprehended most of the people of Israel who came thrice a year into them to worship 2 Chron. 23.5 All the people shall be in the Courts of the house of the Lord. This Court call'd also the great Court 2 Chron. 4.9 was between the Court of the Gentiles the outward Court and the Court of the Priests the inward Court and that great Court or Court of Israel was the Court of Aid so the word Haazerah signifies Thither they came there they pray'd for Aid and had it from the Lord 2 Chron. 20.4 There seems to be another Court belonging to the Temple of Salomon for 2 Chron. 20 5. mention is made of a new Court Some think this the Priests Court so call'd because of the Altar renewed therein by Asa 2 Chron. 15.8 But others make it to be the Court of the women the great Court of the people being divided into two one for the men and th' other for the women It was not so from the beginning In the outward Court the people stood and it represented the Nations which are out of the Church In the inward Court where was the Candlestick the Shew-bread and Altar of perfumes were the Levites and Priests and this Court represented the Church where the Word of God doth inlighten and nourish us and Christ is our Altar of perfumes The Sanctum Sanctorum represented Heaven into i◠the High Priest onely entred typifying our High Priest the Lord Christ his entrance in there alone by his own power to bring us thither So that the 1. signified the state of nature The 2. the state of grace The 3. the state of glory Hereby the greatness of the Church in the time of the Gospel and especially in time of the New Jerusalem is pointed out These Courts were of great Compass and had Gates looking to the several parts of the world In Peters time many thousands were added to the Church there were Graecians as well as Jews Act. 6.1 The extent and largeness of the Church is set out fully by Isa in his 60. Chap. So Rev. 7. from the 4. to the 10. and Chap. 21.24 25 26. The Nations of them that be saved shall walk in the light of it and the Kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it And the Gates of it shall not be shut at all c. This Church must needs be great For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name and a pure offering for my name shall be great among the heathen saith the Lord of hostes Mal. 1.11 In Salomons time many Gentiles came to the Jewish Church 153600. were found there at once 2 Chron. 2.17 Which shaddowed out the great access should come to the Christian Church Of the Palm-trees There were many Palm-trees seen by Ezekiel in this Temple vers 16 22 26 31 34 37. Palm-trees are Trees of great height and sink not with the weight of burthens but feruntur sursum they are carried upwards and being cut down grow up again from the root The branches are fair and always green Philo saith It is Arborum praestantissima quae aspectu pulcherrima fructum quoque fert optimum vitalem vim habet non in radicibus defossam ut caeterae sed in summum quasi cor sitam in ramorum medio à quibus circumquaque stipatur ceu Princeps à suis satellitibus vid. Philo. l. 1. de vita Mosis Plut. saith Plut. in Theseo Palmam esse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Folia habere firma perpetuò durantia That the leaves of it are firm and always lasting It was sigum Victoriae When Theseus instituted games in Delos he gave the Conquerors Palmes The Proverb among the Latines Palmam reportare or obtinere was used pro Vincere to Overcome It notes out a flourishing condition These Palm-trees were for ornament
length of the Temple-courts c. make 100. Cubits as Haffenrefferus exactly demonstrates Of the signification of this Temple Some make the Court belonging to it to represent the World and the Temple to represent Heaven It may be considered whether the Porch do not point out the common Professor the Temple true Saints who are Temples of the Spirit and the Sanctum Sanctorum the Saints in glory the condition of those made perfect The true representation of this Temple I take it is the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ both his Body Natural and his Body Mystical viz. the Church 1. It 's a representation of his Natural Body Solomons Temple and Zorobabells or the 2d Temple was so Joh. 2.19 saith Christ Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up And why Ezekiels Temple should not type out Christ I see no cause There be many things wherein it fitly doth so 1. This Temple was holy vers 3. This is the most holy place hence it 's evident the other part of the Temple was holy The Hecal was holy though not so holy as the Devir and the body of Christ was holy Luk. 1.35 That holy thing c. Act. 13.35 Thou shall not suffer thine Hâ—ly one c. 1 Pet. 2.22 Chap. 1.19 Heb. 7.26 He was holy harmless undâ—filed separate from sinners 2. It was very lightsome and beautiful within it was adorned with Cherubims and Palm-trees vers 18.19 so the Lord Christ was full of light Col. 2.3 In him were hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge He was adorned with all the graces of the Spirit He was full of grace and truth Joh. 1.14 Cant. 5.10 Psal 45.2 Thou art fairer then the children of men 3. By the Temple they came to know the mind of God one part of it was call'd Devir the Word or Oracle there God spake so by Christ we come to know the mind of God Joh. 1.1 He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word He brought the mind of God to us and declared it to the world Heb. 1.2 God hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son Christ was an Embassador sent from God to acquaint us with the mind of the King of Nations and he did it faithfully Joh. 15.15 All things which I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you 4. The Temple was God's delight it 's call'd an House for God dwelt in it and manifested his glory there Ezek. 43.4 5. The glory of the Lord came into the house yea the glory of the Lord filled the house And Psal 29.9 In the Temple doth every one speak of his glory There God's glory is seen Is not Christ such a Temple Did not God come into the Temple of his Body 1 Tim. 3.16 Col. 2.9 There the glory of God was seen fully Joh. 1.14 The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Fathâ—r full of grace and truth The glory of God never appeared so evidently as in this Temple and God delighted therein Mat 3.17 This is my belâ—ved Son in whom I am well pleased See Rev. 3.12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the Temple of my God and he shall go no more out And I will write upon him the Name of my God and the Name of the City of my Gâ—d which is New Jerusalem God is establishing and will establish New Jerusalem with Pillars daily more and more and therein is strength to be found not in the World or in Babylon 1 Tim. 3.15 5. There were Cherubims and Palm-trees in the Visional Temple vers 18 19 20 25 26. and in the Church of Christ there are Cherubims and Palm-trees These Cherubims may note the presence of the Angel in the Church 1 Cor. 11.10 There were Angels in the Church of Corinth And so in the Temple John speaks of Rev. 14.15 17. Each Cherubim had two faces one of a Man another of a Young Lion to signifie the wisdome strength and zeal of the Angels which are imploy'd for the good of the Church Or by Cherubims understand those Christians who were wise stout and zealous for the truth and cause of God such as loved not their lives to the death Rev. 12.11 But were beheaded for the Witness of Jesus and for the Word of God Rev. 20.4 These Cherubims looked to the Palm-trees they were patient under all crosses afflictions in hope of certain victory Rom 8.35 36 37. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword c. Nay in all these things we are more then Conquerors c. Their eyes were upon the Palm-trees And Rev. 9.7 they had Palms in their hands they were certain of victory whereof Palms and Palm-trees are emblems There be several things wherein the Saints do resemble Palm-trees 1. They are always green and growing so are the Saints Psal 92.12 14. The righteous shall flourish like the Palm-tree They shall still bring forth fruit in old age 2 Palm-trees cannot endure dung Magnopere abhorrent à fimo they hate it So the Saints they hate Superstition Idolatry and all sin as dung they will dye rather then worship the Beast or his Image rather then receive his Mark in their foreheads or their hands Rev. 20.4 they watch and keep their garments undefiled 3. The Palm-tree bears up against all weight laid upon it and the Saints do the like in all their troubles and afflictions Paul met with sharp tryal's yet he fainted not but found more strength 2 Cor. 4.16 And Chap. 7.4 He saith I am filled with comfort I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation And Rom. 5.3 We glory in tribulation 4. These Cherubims and Palm-trees were the ornament of the Temple and Christians who are wise couragious and patient under all tryals are the ornaments of the Church of Christ 5. This Temple with the Porch and Buildings belonging to it was great and large vers 12 13 14 and 15. 100. Cubits in breadth 100. Cubits in length So the Church of Christ is great and large In the Apostles times there were thousands of the Jews believed Act. 21.20 It was Prophesied in Isays days that all Nations should flow unto the Mountain of the Lord that is the Church Isa 2.2 And in Daniels days Chap. 7.14 That all people languages and nations should serve Christ And John in the vision saw it made good Rev. 7.9 I beheld a great multitude which no man could number of all nations kindred people and tongues which stood before the Throne and the Lamb. 2. It 's the representation of Christs Body Mystical and that in several things 1. All things in this Temple were measured as in the 40. also the 41 42 43 and 47. Chapters appears So in the Church the Mystical Body of Christ Ephes 2.21 Paul tells the Ephesians that the Saints are a
Building and such a building as is fiâ—ly framed together and so framed together as to make a Temple all which could not be done without measuring Psal 45.10 11. Hearken O Daughter and consider and incline thine ear forget also thine own people and the Fathers house So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty for he is the Lord and worship thou him Here was measuring of the Church and fitting of her for her beloved So Rev. 11.1 John must measure the Temple of God and the Altar and them that worship therein All in the Church must be measured by the Word 2. Christ was in this Temple and did all therein and shew'd all to the Prophet as in reading the former this and subsequent Chapters is clear So in the Church Christ is there and doth all Col. 1.18 He is the Head of the Body the Church and the Head doth all All influence all dominion all direction is from him Christ is in the midst of the Golden Candlestieks and walks up and down doing and declaring what he pleases there Rev. 2.1 Chap. 21.3 Behold the Tabernacle of God is with Men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God 3. In this Temple were Chambers Galleries and Stories noe above another as vers 6 and 16. of this Chap. and vers 3 and 6. of the 42. Chap. So in the Church there are several ranks and degrees of Officers and Members 1 Cor. 12.28 Ephes 4.11 There be Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors Teachers Elders 1 Tim. 5.17 Deacons 1 Tim. 3.8 So for Membes some are Babes 1 Cor. 3.1 some are little Children some Young men some Fathers 1 Joh. 2.12 13. In the Church of Christ fome are higher then others in gifts and graces 4. In this Temple were Posts and Pillars strong and great Chap. 40.9 10 14 16 21 24 26 29 〈◊〉 33 34 35 37 48 49. and Chap. 41.1 3 21. Chap. 43.8 Chap. 45.19 Chap. 46.2 In Solomons Temple there were Pillars Jachin and Boaz by which was noted God's establishment of the Temple and the strength that was in it 1 King 7.21 2 Chron. 3.17 And in the Church of Christ are Posts and Pillars James Cephas and John were Pillars Gal. 2.9 And was not Paul a great and strong Pillar who had the Care of all the Churches upon him 2 Cor. 11.28 Are there not many Posts and Pillars in the Church of Christ Of it also Chap. 44.13 45. Of the Most Holy place In the 4 vers it 's described to be 20. Cubits long and 20. Cubits broad parallel to the Sanctum Sanctorum in Solomons Temple 2 Chron. 3.8 Which was 20. Cubits broad and 20. Cubits long and 20. Cubits high 1 King 6.20 And though there be no mention of the height of this Most Holy place it 's propable it was of the same height with Solomon's as well as of the same breadth and length This was call'd the inward or inward house or house within 1 King 6.15 Ezek. 41.3 The Oracle 1 King 6.20 And the Most Holy place 1 King 7.5 the inner house the Most Holy place This place leads us to the consideration of Heaven which is the Most Holy Place Psal 20.6 Deut. 26.15 Heaven is Holy and God's Holy habitation and our happiness is there Into this place the High Priest entred once a year and made intercession for the people Heb. 9.7 And Christ is passed into the Heavens and there intercedes for his Heb. 9.24 Chap. 7.25 From the Most Holy place was the mind of God revealed Psal 60.6 God hath spoken in his Holiness in his Sanctuary or Most Holy place Some render it There God dwelt between the Cherubims and opened himself unto them Psal 99.1 Num. 7.49 Moses heard the voice of one speaking to him from off the Mercy Seat that was upon the Arke of Testimony from between the two Cherubims So from Heaven the Most Holy place God makes known his mind Nehem. 9.13 Thou spakest with them from Heaven Dan. 4.31 There fell a voice from Heaven So Mat. 3.17 Loe a voice from Heaven From thence came both Law and Gospel which is call'd the Word of God Rev. 20.4 In the Most Holy place the Glory of God appeared most between the Cherubims and in the Highest and Most Holy Heavens There the Glory of the Lord is most conspicuous most eminent among the Angels and glorified Saints Again they used to pray and lift up their hands towards the Most Holy place Psal 28.2 David pray'd and lifted up his hands towards the Holy Oracle that was the Most Holy place as is clear from 1 King 8.6 And do not the Saints in their Worship especially in prayer lift up their hands and eyes unto Heaven that Holy place Psal 141.2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as Incense and the lifting up of my hands as the Evening Sacrifice Or this Most Holy place may prefigure the New Jerusalem which was to be so Holy that nothing staind corrupt and defiled might come there Ren. 21 27. There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lye but they which are written in the Lambs Book of Life When Aaron entred into the Holy place he must be wash'd with water and be clad with Holy garments Levit. 16. And all those that enter into the New Jerusalem must be cleansed from their sin and clothed with righteousness Rev. 14.4 Those that stood with the Lamb were not defiled ones but such as were clothed with white robes Rev. 7.9 Vers 5 6 7. The side Chambers were in three ranks one above another and the breadth of the house increased upward there were winding-stairs and the higher they ascended the wider was the house Those in the Church are not all of one rank whether Officers or others some are of the lower rank some in the middle and some uppermost There be children young men and old men and the higher any get the more inlargement and greater breadth do they see in the things of God and this Temple and notwithstanding this difference among them there is a sweet harmony between them and they serve one another Vers 8. The foundations of the side-chambers were a full reed of six great cubits Of the great Cubit see before Chap. 40.5 Here was good measure In things belonging to the Temple the Lord should have not common cubit measure but the great-cubit measure Vers 9. The thickness of the Wall was five cubits The breadth or thickness of the Wall say some was so many cubits from the Wall of the House not so thick in it self But the Hebrew is The thicknâ—ss of the Wall was five cubits It was substantial and so should Temple-work be That which was left Quod derelictum domus saith Montanus the empty or void place locus derelictionis There will be some void and empty rooms in the Church of God Vers 10.
transfiguration Peter and John saw it whch was a favour unto them to see such glory and the greater because none of the other Apostles did see the same The 4. Step is the Lords speaking unto him being compassed about with glory To have heard the voice of an Angel had been mercy but to hear the voice of the great and glorious God out of the Temple this was a height of mercy such as Moses had Exod. 33.11 The 5. and last Step is the presence of Christ he stood by him Here was another mercy and no mean one Christ In whom were hid all treasures of wisdome and knowledge Col. 2.3 So then here was the whole Trinity imploy'd at once about Ezekiel which was transcendent and superlative mercy Those are call'd to be agents in Temple-work have need of the whole Trinity help of the Spirit to raise or led them of a sight of glory to darken all humane and mundane glory before their eyes of hearing God speak that they may be taught of him and of having Christ present with them that they may be inabled to go through their work John in the Revel was led from mercy to mercy from vision to vision as appears throughout that book and especially in the 21. Chap. 1 2.3 c. The time will come when the Spirit will lead the Saints into the inner Court where they shall see the glory of God hear his voice and find Christ standing by them Vers 7 8 9. 7. And he said unto me Son of man the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever and my holy name shall the house Israel no more defile neither they nor their Kings by their whoredome nor by the carkeises of their Kings in their high places 8. In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds and their post by my posts and the wall between me and them they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger 9. Now let them put away their whoredome and the carkeises of their Kings far from me and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever The 2. part of this Chap. being the speech of God to the Prophet begins at the words read and in them we have 1. A promise of Gods abiding with his people and the effect thereof viz. Sanctification 2. A declaration of the cause why God formerly departed from them 3. A duty or charge laid upon them vers 9. The promise of Divine presence and continuance is partly in the 7. verse viz. in these words The place of my Throne and the place of the soles of my feet where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever and partly in the 9. verse the last words of it viz. I will dwell in the midst of them for ever By the place of God's throne and of the soles of his feet is meant the Temple and City of Jerusalem where God had formerly dwelt Jer. 17.12 A glorious high Throne from the beginning is the place of thy Sanctuary it was God's Throne and it was the footstool of God 1 Chron. 28.2 It 's granted by all that Jerusalem having the Temple in it represented the Church of God under the Gospel in which the promise here is that God will dwell for ever The Christian Church shall have the presence of God in it and abiding with it for ever Mat. 28.20 I am with you always even unto the end of the world John fixes this presence of God in the New Jerusalem Rev. 21.2 3. When New Jerusalem came down from heaven then he heard a voice saying behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God So Chap. 22.3 The Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it There both God and Christ will be and dwell This sets out the great esteem God had of and the great complacency he had in Jerusalem he esteem'd it as his Throne and took delight in it as in his chiefest dwelling Isa 69.1 God saith Heaven is his Throne and earth his Footstool this is the honour he puts upon heaven and earth and the same he puts upon Jerusalem and now puts upon the Christian Church It 's his Throne his Footstool the place he esteems above all others the place he takes more complacency in then all others Such shall be the presence of the Lord in it that it shall be call'd Jehovah-Shammah that is The Lord is there Ezek. 48.1 And such shall be his content and delight therein that Jeremy tells you it shall be call'd the Throne of the Lord Jer. 3.17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the Throne of the Lord and all the Nations shall be gathered unto it The effect of God's presence viz. sanctification is comprehended in these words My holy name shall the house of Israel no more defile neither they nor their Kings by their whoredome c. Of prophaning and defiling God's holy name was spoken Chap. 36.20 To let that pass the sense here is they shall avoid all things which do defile and sanctifie God's holy name they should keep the worsh p of God keep from idolatry and all arbitrary inventions of men which Jerome and Maldonate refer to the state of heaven ad Templum Coeleste and not to the Temple built after the Babylonian captivity because that was oft defiled by Antiochus Pompey and Titus and deserted by the Lord. Others refer it as is here said to that Temple because the Jews after their captivity did for ever hate idolatry and serve the true God though not in a right manner If these words do in part refer to the state of the Church after the captivity yet principally they refer to the state of it after Christ and that time too when New Jerusalem shall be extant for Anti-christ hath greatly defiled the holy name of God with his idols and will-worship but then nothing that defileth shall enter Rev. 21. 27. then shall be made good that in Zech. 14.21 In that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord they shall be all true Israelites Nor their Kings by their whoredome By whoredome the Prophet understands Idolatry which is spiritual whoredome of which hath often been spoken Not onely the people but even Kings and Princes were given much to idolatry in Israel and in Judah they caused idols and altars to be set up in most places and countenanced them they imitated the very heathens and became like yea worse then them Ezek. 5.6 7. Chap. 16.47 2 King 21.2 3 4 5 6 7 9. It 's said of Jehoahaz or Jehoiakim and Jehoiakim that they did evil in the sight of the Lord according to all that their Fathers had done
they defiled Jerusalem what lay in them But of the New Jerusalem it 's written Kings shall bring their glory and honour into it Rev. 21.24 Nor by the Carkeises of their Kings in their high places The word for Carkeises is Pegerim from Pigger which signifies to be without strength sloathful so Carkeises are deprived of all strength and move not they lye where they are fallen cadaver à cadendo The Rabbies tell us that the Kings of Judah had an house near to the Temple yea joyning to it and that they were wont to bury their dead in a Garden belonging to it There they say Manasses and Amon were buried which they gather from 2 King 21.18 26. and that by their Carkeises being so nigh the Temple it was defiled But the places cited doe not say it was in the Garden of the House of the Lord they say it was in the Garden of Vzzah neither do they affirm that this Garden joyn'd to the Temple The Vulgar reads the words in ruinis Regum in the ruins of the Kings and so some Expositors refer it to what we find done by Jâ—siah 2 King 23.12 13. The Altars which were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz which the Kings of Judah had made and the Altars which Manasseh had made in the two Courts of the house of the Lord did the King beat down and broke them down from thence and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron And the High Places which were before Jerusalem which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption which Solomon the King of Israel had builded for Ashtoreh the abomination of the Zâ—donians and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites and for Milchom the abomination of the children of Ammon dâ—d the King d file And he brake in pieces the images and cut down the groves and filled their places with the bones of men vers 14. These Altars and Hâ—gh Places which Ahaz Manasseh and Solomon made were utterly destroy'd by Josiah and thereupon call'd The ruins of Kings Another exposition of these words is to understand them of the Children which were sacrificed to Idols and passing through the fire Both Kâ—ngs and others did so by their children 2 King 16.3 Chap. 17.17 Chap. 21.6 Jerem. 19.5 Chap. 32.35 Ezek. 16.20 21. This pâ—â—ctise of theirs greatly provoked God and therefoâ—e he saith Jerem. 16.18 I will recompense their iniquity and the r sin double because they have defiled my land they have 〈◊〉 â—ine inheritance with Carkeises of their detestable and â—bâ—minable things They are call'd Carkeises of their Kings either from the example of Kings who offered their children or from their authority commanding it or from the names of their Idols which were call'd Molâ—ch Milcom and Malchum 1 King 11.7 2 King 23.13 Zeph. 1.5 which signifies a King Moses calls Idols Carkeises Levit. 26.30 and such they are because liveless Psal 115.5 6 7. and loathsome Gillubin Ezek. 22.3 dunghill-gods and Ehikkutzim 2 Chron. 15.8 abominations in the abstract The Carkeises therefore of their Kings it 's not amiss to expound of those Idols they caused to be set up and countenanced The Annotations on this place say The Jews did deifie their dead Kings and kept their bodies for adoration but as Sanctius saith Nullum quod ego viderim extat in Scriptura tam impiae atque insanae adorationis vestigium That place they cite Psal 106.28 is impertinent They ate the sacrifices of the dead that is things offered to Baal Peor a dead God Vers 8. In their setting of their Threshold by my Thresholds and their Post by my Posts The latter part of the former verse Neither they nor their Kings c. together with this verse declare the cause of God's former departing from them God did not account the Temple defiled because the Kings had houses near unto it in which they did wickedly whereas they should have been more holy for their proximity to the Temple This sense some fasten upon the words But that hath more weight in it is Manasses built Altars in the house of the Lord and set a graven image of the grove there 2 King 21.4 7. In or near the house of God there was the image of jealousie Tammuz and other abominations Ezek. 8.5 10 14 18. so 2 King 16.11 12 14. Ezek. 23.39 These were the Threshold by God's Thresholds and the Post by God's Posts these things caused God to go far off from his Sanctuary vers 6. The precepts and traditions of men with their inventions and additions to the worship of God are styl'd Posts and thresholds The Authors of them do lean and stand much upon them and set them in the way to hinder others from injoyment of Temple-priviledges unless they will own and comply with them but such Posts and Thresholds are rotten and faulty The Lord's institutions and appointments are sound and good they bear up his name and worship they are strong and standing things and by them we have entrance into his presence To make any thing like the institutions and appointments of God is prohibited Exod. 30.32 33 37 38. None might make anointing oyle like the holy anointing Oyle which God had appointed if they did they were to be cut off And men may not make Thresholds and Posts like the Lord's Thresholds and Posts much less set them up with the Lord's impose them upon the conscience as the Lord's giving them equal honour and authority with them This is defiling the worship and holy name of God which he will avenge for he will admit no rival or proprietorie in the things of his worship he saith My Thresholds My Posts he will have no adding to or diminishing from what is his Deut. 12.32 The scope of God in these words is this that the worshippers in the new Temple shall do nothing of their own private spirits of their own heads there shall be no superstition idolatry or humane invention added to the worship of God there shall be no heresie no false doctrines no traditions or devices of men Such Thresholds and Posts shall not be set up by the Lord's they are defiling things and such things must not enter into the New Jerusalem Rev. 21.27 neither shall they by their sins cause God to depart from them but shall do all things according to the line of his word and apply themselves wholly to do his good pleasure And the wall between me and them There is but the wall between my Sanctuary and their houses I am but a little distanced from them and yet they have done these things they have forgotten me and defiled my holy name or their Altars Idols Traditions Inventions are a wall between me and them so that they neither come at me nor I at them Isa 59.2 Your iniquities have separated between you and your God they are a partition-wall so thick and high that there is no seeing or hearing one another Wherefore I have consumed them in
of Ahab Jezabel and the instruments they set on work but in this new Political estate it must be otherwise Isa 60.18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land wasting nor destruction within thy borders Execute judgment and justice Princes and Magistrates are God's deputies they ought to be like unto him and to act for him they should be men of knowledge able to judge in controversies to discern where the right lies Deut. 1.16 17. And men of courage to rule for God executing judgment and justice impartially As David did 2 Sam 8.15 He raigned over all Israel and executed judgment and justice unto all his people and this was one of his last words He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God 2 Sam. 23.3 And when men rule so there will be no place for injustice and oppression Such we have warrant to expect for the Lord hath said I will make thine officers peace and thine exactors righteousness Isa 60.17 Take away the exactions from my people The Vulgar reads the words Separate confinia vestra à populo meo Separate your confines from my people When Princes and great men have fields and inheritances lying near to their inferiors grounds as Ahabs did to Naboths they covet the same and find out ways to get the same and in time eat up their possessions therefore to prevent this the Lord calls upon them to separate their borders from their neighbours Junius and Polanus read the words Tollite depastiones vestras They force men out of their houses and inheritances as it is Mic. 2.2 They covet fields and take them by violence and houses and take them away So they oppress a man and his house even a man and his heritage These were exactions as we read it And of the great ones exactions you may see 2 King 15.20 Ch. 23.35 sometimes under pretence of law and necessity they did exact of the people But these must cease and when the new heavens and new earth come there shall righteousness be in them no exaction or oppression 2 Pet. 3.13 Vers 10. Ye shall have just ballances In this and the other two verses Ordinances are given out about Weights Measures and Money 1. Concerning Weights the ballances must be just In former days they did pervert or falsifie the ballances by deceit Amos 8.5 Which was abomination to the Lord Prov. 20.10 There was a law in Deut. against the same Chap. 25.13 14 15. it was against diverse weights and diverse measures tying them to one and that perfect and just so here just ballances are required God wouâ—â— have the people just and equal in their dealings not defrauding one another A just Ephah and a just Bath c. The Measures of the Hebrews were of dry liquid things both which are here mention'd To begin with the Homer which was the greatest measure they had and signifies an Heap it held so much Some make the quantity to be what a Camel or an Asse could bear and carry The Homer is the same with that measure call'd Cor or Corus as the 14. verse shews each of them containing ten Baths or ten Ephahs A-lapide makes the Bath and Ephah to contain three Bushels a piece and so the Homer to be thirty Bushels But if we make Mâ—dius to be but half a Bushel then the Ephah and Bath contain one Bushel and an half a piece and the Homer fifteen But Ainsworsh upon Levit. 27.16 makes the Homer to be ten Ephahs that is ten Bushels so that the Ephah and the Bath held the measure of a Bushel The Ephah was a measure for dry things Wheat Barley Meal Flower 1 Sam. 17.17 Judg. 6.19 Num 5.15 And it was the common-measure reliquarum omnium mensurarum quasi fundamentum There is a seeming contradiction between what you have in Exod. 16.36 where it 's written An Omer is the tenth part of an Ephah and what you have here in Ezek. who saith An Ephah is the tenth part of an Homer For answer Know the words Omer and Homer in the Hebrew differ The first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Omer with Ain which signifies an Handful Levit. 23.10 Ye shall bring a sheafe of the first fruits The Hebrew is an handful an Omer It 's conceiv'd the wheat beaten out of that sheafe did fill the Omer which contain'd above a pottle about five points and so was the tenth part of an Ephah which contain'd of our English-measure seven gallons and an half which makes our Bushel The second word Homer is written with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cheth and is that great-measure containing ten Ephahs of which is spoken The measure call'd a 〈◊〉 was of liquid things and contain'd as much as the Ephah seven gallons and an half the tenth part of an Homer Wine and Oyl were usually measured by it as 2 Chron. 2.10 Ezra 7.22 In Isa 5.10 we find these words Ten acres of vineyard shall yield one Bath God would so blast their vines that ten acres planted with vines should not yield ten gallons they should fill but one Bath and the seed of an Homer that is ten Bushels should yield an Ephah that is one Bushel Here the Bath is the measure of Wine and the Ephah the measure of Corn. And the Shekel shall be twenty Gerahs Having spoken of the measures he proceeds to the Money that it might be of a just value The Shekel must be twenty Gerahs a Gerah was to weigh sixteen Barley-corns so that twenty Gerahs amounted unto three hundred and twenty barley corns and so much the Shekel was to weigh of it was spoken Chap. 4. v. 10. 8.60 Shekels made the Maneh or pound Some pieces of their money were twenty Shekels some twenty five some fifteen and these together made their Maneh First Observe Princes and Magistrates commonly are covetous and cruel The Princes of Israel used violence and spoil they exacted upon the people Zeph. 3.3 Jerusalem's Princes were roaring lyons her Judges evening wolves they were greedy of the prey Nero was a lyon to the people of God 2 Tim. 4.17 Nebuchadnezzar was both a lyon a bear and a dragon Jerem. 51.34 saith Jerusalem He hath devoured me he hath crushed me he hath made me an empty vessel he hath swallowed me up like a dragon he filled his belly with my delicates he hath cast me out His belly was so bigg his desires so inlarged that he eat up Citties Kingdomes and Nations As it was said of Pompey Nostra miseria tu es Magnus so of most Princes in the world may the peoâ—le say By our miseries ye are become great Secondly Observe Christianity doth not overthrow but establish Magistracy The Lord here speaking what reformation should be under the Messiah doth not take Magistrates away but corrects their exorbitances saying Remove violence and spoyle take away exactions He abridges them not of just power but decrys their Tyranny Paul approov's of Magistrates Rom. 13. 1 Tim. 2.1
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
in take up all places and sit in expectation to hear somewhat that may please or to catch somewhat they may carp at and make advantage of which some Expositers affirm to be the end of their coming here The Hebrew for as the people cometh is according to the coming or entrance of the people some come for to hear notions and novelties some to scoffe some to censure few come upon right grounds or for right ends They sit before thee as my people They carry it before thee as my people they hearken to what thou sayest and make as if they would not loose one truth but lay up all and do as my people ought to do viz practice what they hear they seem before thee to be Saints the people of God as those that would learn righteousnesse They hear thy words but they will not do them They took pains to hear the Prophet they came to his house as Chap 8.1 Chap. 14.1 It was not likely that they had publique places of meeting the Babylonians did not favour them so much as to indulge them with such liberty where-ever it was they heard the Prophet they did not do what he said they obeyed not him nor the Lord who sent him For with their mouth they shew much love From the teeth outwards they professed much kindness to the Prophet they gave him smooth and good words The Hebrew for much love is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Agavim from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Agat which signifies to be much in love with one to be taken with the sight hearing or company of one and Agavim is amatoria they make as if they were deeply in love much affected with the sight and hearing of thee when it was not so here was their hypocrisie The Septuagint hath these words thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because there was a lye in their mouth they dissembled with the Prophet Arias Montanus renders the word Agavim subsannationes which is mockings with bending the Browes and snuffing the Nose the Vulgar is to that purpose in canticum oris sui vertunt illos they turn thy words into a song they jeer at what thou sayest so that translation Vatablus follows Cantiones edunt ore suo that is saith he Rident doctrinam tuam they laugh at thy doctrine The French likewise is of this nature Itz en font une chauson de plaisanterie de leur bouche they make scoffing songs with their mouth The word for shew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Osim from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Asah which usually signifies to do to effect to perfect but here hath a differing signification viz. to shew declare or professe and so Polanus tells that the word in Matth. 12.33 is to be taken either make the tree good and his fruit good or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt for the Tree is known by his fruits Look upon the works which I have done and by them profess declare what I am if I have done evill works declare me â—nd my works to be evill if I have done good declare me and my works to be good for such as the Tree is such is the fruit But their heart goeth after their covetousnesse They looked upon the Prophet and listned to his words but their hearts looked another way The word for Covetousness is Bitzha from Batzha to wound break damnifie and metaphorically to be covetous given to get and gain intimating that covetous men do wound break damnifie themselves and others The Septuagint have these words thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Their heart goeth after their pollutions Covetousness is a defiling thing The Greek word for Covetousnesse is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a desire of having more not simply of having more but more then God allows us when we go beyond the bounds he hath set us which bounds are in 1 Tim. 6.8 Heb 13.5 If we be not content with food rayment and such things as we have but let out our desires to more we are covetous They being in captivity having little in respect of what they once had in their own Land they were not contented with what they had but let out their minds and hearts to more and so were covetous First Observe It s the portion of Gods servants to be ill spoken of and that from time to time by those they live amongst and do good unto The children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of their houses They had spoken ill of Ezekiel before they did it still openly and secretly David met with such a portion from many Psal 41. All that hate me whisper together against me Psal 69.12 They that sit in the Gate speak against me Psal 109.2 The mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitfull are opened against me they have spoken against me with a lying tongue Psal 119.23 Princes also did sit and speak against me Great and small publiquely and privately did defame David Jeremy escaped not the lash of the tongue Chap 18.18 Come let us smite him with the tongue Paul that precious servant of Christ how was he spoken against he saith He was made as the filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things 1 Cor 4.13 Look what filth is washed out of or rust scoured off from Pots and thrown out of doors such was Paul and his name made It s the basest Office to set our tongues on work to detract from the worth of any if there be evill in men our charity should cover it if vertue our wisdome should commend it 'T is a Devilish sin to speak evill of others he first brought this sin into the world by speaking evill of God Gen. 3.4 5 and too many are like unto him in speaking ill of the servants of God but we must steel our selves to pass thorow bad report 2 Cor 6.8 Rom 3.8 Secondly Observe Whatever wicked men speak against the Prophets and servants of God he knowes and takes notice of the same Son of man They speak against thee by the walls and in the doors of their houses Let them speak openly or secretly God hears them when they said Come let us devise devices against Jeremy come let us smite him with the tongue and let us not give heed to any of his words Chap 18.18 God heard them and revealed to Jeremy what they said There is not a word spoken by any but the Lord is privy to it and not only words but thoughts also Isa 59.7 Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity Let us look narrowly to our hearts and tongues for God knows the thoughts of the one and the words of the other Thirdly Observe How religiously and cunningly soever hypocrites do carry it their hypocrisie is known to God and shall be discovered Hypocrisie is a doing or speaking that to God or men wherein the heart and spirit of a man is not Those men pretended religiously they call upon one
another to hear what word the Lord gave out to the Prophet and they come being excited one by another and sit before the Prophet as Gods people they attended to what he said as if they meant punctually to observe the same but they did not do what he said their hearts were not in the business what worshipping was this of God to give him an ear and the world their heart So to speak against the Prophet behind his back and to speak fair shew much love to his face was not this hypocrisie did they not carry it religiously towards God and cunningly towards the Prophet However they carryed it the Lord saw their hypocrisie and discovered the same The Scribes and Pharisees wore long robes made long prayers and under pretence of them devoured widowes houses but the Lord Christ knew their hypocrisie and made it known though religiously and craftily carryed Matth 23. Fourthly Observe Many hearers pretend much love and kindnesse to the Prophets and yet behind their backs afford them not a good word When these Jews came to the Prophets house they shew'd much love with their mouths but when they were by the walls and at their own doors they shew'd as much ill will with their mouths they spake against him they slandered him they disgraced him out of the same mouth came bitter and sweet The Jews and Herodians pretended much love to Christ and said Master we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth neither carest thou for any man for thou regardest not the persons of men tell us therefore what thinkest thou is it lawfull to give Tribute to Caesar or no Matth 22.16 17 18. Here they shewed much kindness with their mouths when there was gall and bitterness in their hearts Fifthly Observe When men draw neer to God in any duty of his worship he principally looks which way the heart stands whether that be real and towards him Their heart saith God goeth after their covetousness It went not after the word after God himself Isa 29. This people draw neer me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have removed their hearts far from me When their bodies were in the Temple their hearts were in their shops when their lips were speaking to God their hearts were conversing with the creatures Gods eye was upon their hearts The heart is the principal part in man and its the principall thing God aims at Prov 23.26 My son give me thine heart not thy hatt thy hand thy tongue thy foot but thine heart Whatever he hath without the heart is nothing but having the heart he hath all whatever is wanting let the eye be wanting a man is blind let the leg be wanting a man is lame let the whole body be wanting a man is sick yet if God have the heart he hath all Delilah had Sampsons bodily presence yet that sufficed her not because she thought she had not his heart Judg 16.15 How canst thou say I love thee when thine heart is not with me God hath no love from us nothing of us when our hearts are not with him Sixthly Observe Men have carnall hearts in spiritual duties These men were hearing Ezekiel prophesie and whilest they were hearing their hearts went after their covetousness the word was in their ears and the world in their hearts Ezekiel tells them of the things of God and they mind the things of the earth To be earthly minded at any time is blameable Phil 3.19 but to be so in spiritual things is grievous it s a despising a debasing of them when the things of God of Christ Heaven Salvation Life Grace and Glory are presented unto us which should take up our thoughts abundantly affect our hearts powerfully for us then to mind the dust sticks straws and pebbles on the earth to have our hearts upon them this is Zimmah a great wickedness horrible ingratitude Rom 8.6 To be carnally minded is death it argues a dead soul it tends unto death and ends in eternall death Seventhly Observe Covetousnesse is a sin adheres to Professors These that came to hear the Prophet and sat before him as the people of God their hearts went after their covetousness they had hearts exercised with covetous practices as it is in 2 Pet 2.14 The Pharisees made profession of religion they were hearers of Christ but the Text saith they were covetous Luke 16.14 Judas an Apostle and follower of Christ had a covetous heart and sold his Master for 30 pieces of silver Mat 26.15 Demas forsook Paul having loved the present world 2 Tim. 4.10 While he was with Paul his heart was in the world John seeing this evill incident to Christians disswades them from the love of the world by a strong argument 1 John 2.15 Love not the world neither the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him He doth not know God to be his father and love him as a Father that loves the world he may think say and swear that he loves the Father but the Spirit of truth saith The love of the Father is not in him Let Christians therefore take heed of this sin for besides that it argues the love of God is not in us it choaks the seed of Gods word which should beget grace in us Matth 13.22 it makes us idolaters Eph 5.5 yea Covetousâ—esse unfits us for Church communion 1 Cor 5.11 it shuts us out of Heaven 1 Cor. 6.10 it exposes us to wrath Col. 3.5 6. to Gods hatred Psal 10.3 to a curse 2 Pet. 2.14 Verses 32 33. And lo thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument for they hear thy words but they do them not And when this cometh to passe lo it will come then shall they know that a Prophet hath been among them Vers 32. Thou art unto them as a very lovely song THe Hebrew is Ceshir agavim sunt canticum amantium as a song of Lovers so the word is rendred Jerem 4.30 Thy lovers will despise thee it s the same word Lovers have delightfull songs to please their ears and pass away time so the Prophets preaching was delightfull unto them to hear but as in musick and singing there is nothing comes of it when done so they heard the Prophet but nothing came of their hearing The Septuagint hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the voice of a Psaltery which was an instrument to sing unto The French is Comme une chauson de plaisanterie as a song of jesting or scurrility which greatly affect carnall hearts Some render the words eris illis canticum subsannatorum thou wilt be to them a song of scoffers that is however they seem to be greatly pleased and affected with thy prophesying yet in their hearts they laugh at thee and deride thee Of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play